Europe takes Ryder Cup lead with dominating performances

Reporting from Newport, Wales

It might be all over but the shouting for Europe’s Ryder Cup golf team, which turned a two-point deficit into a 9 Âœ-6 Âœ lead here Sunday.

Europe, favored going into these three-day proceedings -- which were turned into four-day proceedings by ongoing bad weather -- gathered 5 œ points out of a possible 6 and appeared to take the remaining drama out of this international competition.

The Ryder Cup will finish here on Monday, the first-ever fourth day of competition in its 83-year-history, with 12 singles matches. The United States needs a total of 14 points to retain the cup it won at Valderrama in Louisville in 2008, or 7œ more. Europe needs 14 œ,, or 5 more, to reclaim the cup.

With European players performing as superbly as expected, and with crowds of more than 40,000 hanging around despite the ever-present cloud bursts and sending roars of approval echoing throughout the valley at the Twenty Ten course every time a European player made a putt, the prospects for the Americans do not look good.

U.S. captain Corey Pavin put on a brave face, as he has throughout, and said, “I’m proud of our team today. I saw 12 players who fought hard and held their heads high.”

European captain Colin Montgomerie called the day “one of the greatest days for European golf we’ve had.”

The five European matches were won by the teams of Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington and Ross Fisher, Peter Hanson and Miguel Angel Jimenez, and Ian Poulter and Martin Kaymer. But perhaps the most excitement and drama was provided by the Molinari brothers of Italy, Edoardo and Francesco, who managed just a half-point in their match against Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar, the best U.S. team to date here.

While the five other European teams were winning with some degree of ease, the Molinari’s, both Ryder Cup rookies, had lost their lead on the 13th hole. By the time they got to the 18th, Europe had five of the day’s possible six points in its pocket and Cink and Kuchar had a 1-up lead.

But Cink got tangled up in the rough and was out of contention on the hole early, and when it was time to putt, Kuchar had a shot at birdie from 25 feet and the Molinaris were each inside of 10, Francesco just three feet away for his birdie. Kuchar missed, Edoardo missed and Francesco calmly added the extra half point that seem to be taken by the Europeans as a huge psychological boost.

Montgomerie took special note afterwards.

“To do what they did at the last hole, two rookies, two brothers, coming down to that last hole with everybody in Europe who plays golf, watching,” he said. “Fantastic performance. …”

Pavin chose to say little about the failures of his team, choosing the high ground of good effort and another day tomorrow. Those failures would include the loss of Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker to Donald and Westwood, 6 and 5. It marked the worst loss ever for Woods in the Ryder Cup, and the biggest victory margin since Sam Torrance and Constantino Rocco beat Davis Love III and Jeff Maggert, 6 and 5, in 1995.

Another surprising result for the U.S. was the continued poor play of Phil Mickelson, who is ranked No. 2 in the world behind Woods. Mickelson lost with rookie Rickie Fowler to Poulter and Kaymer, and it marked his 17th Ryder Cup defeat, a record for U.S. players.

Interestingly, Pavin’s pairings for Sunday’s singles left Woods going off eighth and Mickelson 10th, perhaps so late in the proceedings that their results will be irrelevant.

bill.dwyre@latimes.com