Kirk never trailed, but Lahiri rolled in a birdie on the 14th to square the match and they halved the next three holes with pars. They were 2 up through three holes, but the Americans hung in there and the match was all square through 10 holes.
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Chris Kirk, United States, def. Anirban Lahiri, International, 1 up.
The former Masters champion found the putting form which had eluded him most of the week, four straight birdies from the seventh taking him to an unassailable lead and the match finishing on the 13 green.
Australian Adam Scott and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama lost the opening match 3 and 2 to Bubba Watson and JB Holmes.
No fewer than seven of the 12 singles on a bitterly cold, windy and wet day went to the final hole as a succession of the world’s best players suffered huge upsets. On the 18th, Bae missed the green and chipped to 12 feet, and he poured in the birdie putt for the win. The Americans closed it out on the 16th when Holmes made a 15-foot birdie putt.
Grace battled darkness and sunk two clutch putts late to keep the worldwide team within a point. Grace went 5-0 for the week, the first global player to do that since Shigeki Maruyama in 1998. He completed a 5-and-4 drubbing of Charl Schwartzel – with the highlight a trademark chip-in birdie from thick rough to win the 11th hole.
Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth, United States, def. Jason Day and Charl Schwartzel, International, 1 up. Consider that it was the only par breaker by either man on the front nine. “It was fun. Coming and getting five points for the team is pretty big”.
The first match of the day is a good one that pits two polar opposite personalities against each other. The Internationals won the ninth when Johnson drove wild to the right, leaving the Americans a 1-up lead going to the back nine. The only time Spieth hasn’t come up with the win was on Friday when he and Dustin Johnson fell to Grace and Oosthuizen four-and-3 in fourballs. Spieth had to make the par putt for the win, and it was never a doubt.
The pivotal match belonged to Grace and Oosthuizen, who were all square with the big-hitting American duo of Watson and J.B. Holmes.
Zach Johnson, United States, def. Jason Day, International, 3 and 2. Oosthuizen missed a 6-foot birdie putt to end it on the 17th, and the Americans had to win the 18th hole to halve the match. Oosthuizen hit into the water, and it was so dark that Grace didn’t even know it. From 263 yards with a chilly wind in his face, he blasted a 3-wood that narrowly cleared a bunker and settled on the edge of the green.
The four players could barely see the 18th green because of the darkness. The guys on the team were adamant that Phil is the guy, and I think between the captains and team members, Phil was an overwhelming choice to be a pick.
Leishman squared the match for the final time with a birdie at 14 then took a decisive 1 up lead on the very next hole which he held till the 18. The worldwide side failed to birdie the par-5 15th to lose another hole, and the match ended with pars on the 16th.
Sang-moon Bae and Danny Lee, International, def. Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker, United States, 1 up.
The Americans didn’t stand a chance against perhaps the best performance of fourballs. Grace recaptured the five-hole margin with par at 11.
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The teams split both sessions.
