McGinley's men looking to extend advantage

Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson were facing a fight to maintain their 100 per cent record at this year’s Ryder Cup when the second morning fourballs got underway.<br /><br />The Florida neighbours beat Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson 5 and 4 on Friday morning then took down Hunter Mahan and Zach Johnson 2 and 1 in the afternoon foursomes as Europe moved into a commanding 5-3 lead on day one.<br /><br />Taking on Watson and Matt Kuchar in the opening match, the pair went behind for the first time this week at Gleneagles when Kuchar holed from 12 feet for birdie at the first.<br /><br />It was the Americans' turn to miss good birdie chances on the second and with playing partner Stenson having hit his approach into the water, Rose made no mistake this time to get back on level terms, but Watson birdied the third and Kuchar the sixth to put America two up.<br /><br />A birdie from Mahan, playing alongside Jim Furyk, gave his side the lead in the second match as Lee Westwood and Jamie Donaldson struggled for par on the first, but Martin Kaymer hit a brilliant approach to the first for the second day running as he and Thomas Bjørn moved ahead of Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth in match three.<br /><br />Rory McIlroy had been paired with Ian Poulter against Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker in the anchor match, and Poulter made an instant impact with an approach to the first so good that it was conceded for what proved to be a winning birdie, meaning the US led in the first two games and Europe in the bottom two.

Stenson birdied the seventh to reduce the deficit and an inspired Rose then holed a curling attempt from 20 feet on the next to fire up the crowd and get back to all square.<br /><br />However, the bottom two matches were now all square as well, both European pairs making a hash of the difficult fifth hole and Spieth then making a birdie on the sixth to win a second hole in succession against Bjørn and Kaymer.<br /><br />Mahan's tap-in birdie on the seventh was enough to move three up on Westwood and Donaldson, who were excellent in their foursomes win on Friday but had managed just one birdie between them so far.

With less wind and faster greens, the scoring was much improved and birdies were by no means guaranteed to win holes.<br /><br />McIlroy birdied the sixth from ten feet but saw Fowler hole from twice the distance to remain level, while Reed was conceded a birdie on the seventh after Bjørn calmly chipped in from off the green to ensure a half.<br /><br />Rose then holed yet another birdie putt from just short of the tenth green, only for Watson to follow him in and celebrate with an exaggerated fist pump.<br /><br />Donaldson matched Mahan's birdie on the eighth but he and Westwood remained in trouble at three down.

The quality of play in the top match was superb, Kuchar holing from 15 feet on the 11th and Rose following him in, while it was Stenson's turn to get in on the act with a birdie on the 12th.<br /><br />That made it six birdies in succession for the European pair and put them ahead in the match for the first time, although Kaymer and Bjørn had fallen behind in the third match, Spieth making birdies on the ninth and tenth to move two ahead.<br /><br />McIlroy finally looked to be finding something approaching his top form with birdies on the eighth and ninth creating a two-hole lead in the last game.