Golf Roundup : Europeans Sweep to a 6-2 Lead in Ryder Cup

The Europeans, building on a great comeback by the team of Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam, shut out the United States Friday afternoon and took a four-point lead after the opening Ryder Cup matches at Dublin, Ohio.

The Europeans, who broke a 28-year victory drought in winning the Ryder Cup in 1985, took all four of the afternoon four-ball matches to establish a 6-2 advantage in the biennial golf event that, for decades, had been dominated by Americans.

It appeared that the American supremacy would be resumed when the matches began on the bright, crisp morning.

The United States led handily when three of the four morning matches--in which a two-man team plays alternate shots on the same ball--reached the turn.

But Faldo, the British Open champion from England, and Woosnam, from Wales, came from four down with nine holes to play, winning six of the last nine holes to stun Lanny Wadkins and Larry Mize, 2 up.

It helped salvage a 2-2 split in the morning matches and swung the momentum to the European side. They made the most of it, winning all of the afternoon matches.

It was a rout, and it left the stunned Americans facing an uphill battle in the 20 remaining matches.

In the afternoon four-balls, in which scoring is based on the best ball of each two-man team, the eight American players completed 42 holes before scoring their first birdie, a two-putt 4 by Mark Calcavecchia.

That slow start put them at a disadvantage they were unable to overcome.

The Americans’ best chance was with the team of Calcavecchia and Andy Bean, who led after 16 holes of their match against Sandy Lyle of Scotland and Bernhard Langer of West Germany.

The Americans, however, bogeyed the final two holes to give the Europeans a 1-up decision that prompted a clinched-fist salute from European captain Tony Jacklin.

The Europeans were in command all the way in the others.

Gordon Brand Jr. of Scotland and Jose Rivero of Spain beat Ben Crenshaw and Scott Simpson, 3 and 2, when Simpson missed a three-foot putt on the 16th that would have extended the match.

Woosnam and Faldo scored their second victory of the day, 2 and 1 over Hal Sutton and Dan Pohl, with Woosnam bouncing a second shot off a tree on the way to an eagle-3 on the 11th.

Seve Ballesteros and 21-year-old Jose-Maria Olazabal, both of Spain, also had a pair of victories.

Ballesteros opened the afternoon matches with a 40-foot pitch-in birdie and closed it with a decisive 50-foot birdie putt in a 2-and-1 victory over Tom Kite and Curtis Strange.

In morning matches, Kite and Strange didn’t lose a hole in a 4-and-2 decision over Sam Torrance of Scotland and Howard Clark of England; Sutton and Pohl beat Ken Brown of Scotland and Langer 2 and 1, and Ballesteros and Olazabal defeated Larry Nelson and Payne Stewart, 1 up.

Today’s play follows the same format as Friday’s. Sunday, there will be 12 singles matches.

Canadian Dan Halldorson shot his second consecutive 66 to grab the second-round lead in the $400,000 Southwest tournament at Abilene, Tex.

The soft-spoken sharpshooter knocked six strokes from par for a 36-hole total of 132 that gave him a two-stroke advantage over Frank Conner (68) and first-round leader Bob Eastwood. (69)

Miller Barber holed a 25-foot chip shot from the fringe of the 18th green for a five-under-par 67 and a one-stroke lead over Bruce Crampton in the opening round of the 54-hole, $200,000 Newport Cup Seniors tournament at Newport, R.I.

Billy Casper, Jim Ferree and Bob Brue were tied for third at 70. Bob Charles, Roberto DeVicenzo, Mike Fetchick, Bill Collins and Dave Hill were at 71.

Michelle Berteotti holed out a 3-iron from 185 yards for an eagle on the way to a four-under-par 68 and a one-stroke lead in the first round of a $300,000 Ladies Professional Golf Assn. tournament at San Jose.

The group at 69 included Ayako Okamoto, Patty Sheehan, Jan Stephenson, Patty Rizzo, Cindy Figg-Currier and LeAnn Cassady of Long Beach, who set a course record by shooting a 30 on the front nine.