McIlroy and Poulter keep Europe ahead

Europe retain a slender 6 ½ - 5 ½ lead at The Ryder Cup after Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy fought back to snatch a half from Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker.

Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson made it three wins from three in the first of Saturday morning’s fourballs to make it 6-3 to the hosts at Gleneagles.

But Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan beat Jamie Donaldson and Lee Westwood 4 and 3 and Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth came from behind to secure a 5 and 3 win against Martin Kaymer and Thomas Bjørn.

With McIlroy and Poulter seemingly out of sorts and one down with four to play at the time, America looked set to level the contest when Fowler fired his approach to five feet at the 15th with neither European on the green.

But Poulter, in scenes reminiscent of his Medinah heroics two years ago, pitched in for an unlikely half and won the next with a birdie from 15 feet, with the last two holes shared.

"Late delivery, second class post," said Poulter, a reference to his nickname of 'The Postman' because he always delivers a point in the biennial contest. "I made a couple of quick birdies to start off which was nice and then fell asleep in the middle.

"Holing that (pitch on 15) and turning one over on the next makes a massive difference."

After two victories on the opening day, Rose and Stenson were sent out first in the morning fourballs by Captain Paul McGinley and responded with a stunning display of golf to beat Bubba Watson and Matt Kuchar 3 and 2.

The home pair were 12 under par for 16 holes and their American opponents nine under in defeat in a record-setting contest as the players revelled in the calmer conditions at Gleneagles.

With Stenson sitting out the foursomes to rest a niggling back problem, McGinley sent Donaldson and Westwood out for the third session running to face Zach Johnson and Kuchar, with Kaymer joining an inspired Rose in the second match against Spieth and Reed.

McIlroy and Sergio Garcia had been due out second but their match against Furyk and Mahan was moved down the order to allow McIlroy time to rest, with the final match between Victor Dubuisson and Graeme McDowell and Walker and Fowler delayed by 15 minutes.

That meant Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley sat out the entire day, while Stephen Gallacher also missed out after a fourball defeat with Poulter on Friday.

Back issue or not, Stenson started his and Rose's recovery from two down after six with a birdie on the seventh and Rose birdied the next to get the home pair back on level terms.

Both players birdied the par-five ninth and Rose birdied the tenth and 11th as well, although that was only good enough to stay level in a match of the highest quality.

Stenson's birdie on the 12th took Europe ahead for the first time - Rose was also within five feet of the hole - and another Rose birdie on the next put them two ahead.

Stenson maintained that advantage by matching Watson's birdie on the 14th and the Swede looked to have struck a decisive blow when his approach to the next left a tap-in, only for Kuchar to hole from 30 feet across the green for a half.

However, Rose produced another superb pitch to three feet on the par five 16th to seal a remarkable win.

"It might be a highlight to put on the big screen with the grandkids one day," Stenson admitted. "I was lucky enough to be there and back Justin up on a couple of occasions."

Europe made a good start to the foursomes and were soon ahead in three of the four matches, before Kuchar birdied the seventh to get himself and Johnson back on level terms with Donaldson and Westwood.<br /><br />Garcia and McIlroy were gifted the first two holes by bogeys from Furyk and Mahan, but made a mess of the third to see their lead cut in half, while Dubuisson and McDowell birdied the second and third to move two up on Walker and Fowler.<br /><br />Kaymer and Rose won the third hole with a par but Spieth responded with a birdie on the next to make it all square.

A birdie on the ninth and par on the tenth quickly put Donaldson and Westwood two ahead in the opening match, while the bottom match was even more in Europe's favour.<br /><br />A par on the fifth was followed by McDowell holing from six feet for birdie on the sixth and he and Dubuisson were four up on a tired-looking Fowler and Walker.<br /><br />Rose and Kaymer had fallen two down by losing the sixth and seventh but birdied the ninth to reach the turn one down, while Garcia and McIlroy remained one up on Furyk and Mahan.

A par at the eight was enough for Dubuisson and McDowell to go five clear, and the Frenchman then hit a stunning tee shot to within two feet of the tenth – although Walker matched his effort to half the hole in birdies.<br /><br />The other three games remained tight affairs, with Europe up by one in the top two games and Spieth and Reed leading Rose and Kaymer by the same margin.

It had taken an eagle two on the 14th - Johnson holing from 15 feet after Kuchar's drive - for the American pair to get back to one down on Westwood and Donaldson, but a par was enough for Kaymer and Rose to do likewise against Spieth and Reed.