All square after rain-shortened day one
By PATRICK McMANAMON
Scripps Howard News Service
SOTOGRANDE, Spain -- Things were looking dark for the United
States Ryder Cup team, and it had nothing to do with nightfall
descending at Valderrama.
The Europeans were storming in Friday's afternoon matches,
with one team in the clubhouse with a big win, another on the
course with a lead and the other two tied with momentum on their
side.
That was until Lee Janzen and Scott Hoch combined to snatch
a vital point for the United States with a birdie on the 18th
hole.
That birdie meant the U.S. and Europe ended the day tied, 3-3,
with two matches suspended because of darkness.
"That was a huge hole," U.S. captain Tom Kite said.
"That was a nice momentum swing."
It was a fitting swing to a wild day that led Kite to start
his postmatch news conference by saying "Isn't Ryder Cup
neat?" and Ballesteros to say the match was good for his
team, then bad, then good, then bad, then tied.
After an early morning deluge delayed the start almost two
hours, the Europeans and United States tied 2-2 in the morning
fourballs (best ball).
But in the afternoon foursomes (alternate shots) Colin Montgomerie
and Bernhard Langer buried Tiger Woods and Mark O'Meara 5-and-3
to put Europe ahead 3-2.
Jose Maria Olazabal and Constantino Rocca had won consecutive
holes on 16 and 17 to even their match with Hoch and Janzen.
Nick Faldo and Lee Westwood were 2-up on Justin Leonard and
Jeff Maggert.
And Jesper Parnevik and Ignacio Garrido had parred No. 12 to
even a match with Tom Lehman and Phil Mickelson.
The momentum had swung Europe's way, and it really seemed to
favor Olazabal and Rocca. The pair had won their morning match
over U.S. heavyweights Davis Love and Mickelson, and had the pro-European
crowd roaring in their favor.
Then there was Janzen standing calmly over a 6-iron in the
18th fairway and putting his approach 5 feet from the hole. Next
it was Hoch's turn in the alternate-shot session. The man best
known for missing a 2-foot putt that could have won the 1989 Masters
calmly sank the birdie putt, giving the U.S. the match.
"Lee hit a great iron shot and I just told him, 'Read
the putt and I'll make it,' " Hoch said. "I hadn't been
reading them that well and didn't trust myself."
When it went in, Hoch punched at the hole, then accepted the
congratulations of his captain and partner. Instead of heading
into Saturday down 4-2 and wondering if they will win the final
two matches, the Ryder Cup is tied.
"I was surprised he hit such a great approach," Ballesteros
said. "They had lost the last two holes. The fact he would
come back with such a great stroke is real high class."
"All the so-called experts who said this would be a blowout
one way or the other have been proven wrong," Kite said.
"This does not surprise me one bit."
So many putts and swings could have changed things too.
In the morning, Love and Mickelson were 2-up on Olazabal and
Rocca after 11 holes, but Olazabal propelled his team back by
sinking a pitching wedge from 131 yards for eagle on No. 14. On
18, Love and Mickelson had birdie chances of 11 and 7 feet to
halve the match, but both missed.
Faldo had the same chance against Couples and Brad Faxon, but
missed his 8-footer on 18, as well.
And Parnevik gave the Europeans a huge lift in his match against
Tom Lehman (five birdies in 17 holes) and Jim Furyk by making
birdie putts of 18 feet on Nos. 17 and 18 to give the Europeans
a 1-up win.
"That," Kite said, "was a match that hurt."
"That's why match play is so exciting," Ballesteros
said, "and Ryder Cup is so good."
The only easy morning winners were Woods and O'Meara, though
that score was reversed in the afternoon by Montgomerie and Langer.
"They got their revenge," Ballesteros said.
The day even ended with some Ballesteros-like gamesmanship
on the part of the U.S. team.
Westwood and Faldo teed off on 16 thinking Leonard and Maggert
would finish the hole. But when Faldo put his approach 6 feet
from the hole and Maggert left Leonard a 25-footer for birdie,
the U.S. team decided no more.
They went to the officials and said it was too dark -- much
to the chagrin of Faldo. The decision was within the rules, but
it gave Westwood -- a Ryder Cup rookie -- one night to think about
a 6-footer that could win the match, if Leonard misses his putt,
when play resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday.
(Pat McManamon is the national sportswriter for Scripps Howard
News Service.)
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