MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) — Bubba Watson stood on the first tee waving his arms, urging Ryder Cup fans to make some noise.
No need. The Americans gave them more than enough reasons to cheer.
After salvaging a tie in foursomes after trailing in all four matches Friday morning, the Americans were poised to finish the first day with a comfortable lead. Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson swept their matches, and Watson and Webb Simpson handily beat Paul Lawrie and Peter Hanson to give the United States. Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar beat Justin Rose and Martin Kaymer 3 and 2 to give the Americans a 5-2 lead.
"Oh, baby," Bradley said, "I wish I could go 36 more."
Even Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker were turning things around. After struggling the entire day — they lost 2-and-1 to Ian Poulter and Justin Rose in foursomes — Woods drained a 19-footer for a birdie on 16 that cut Lee Westwood and Nicolas Colsaerts' lead to 1 up. As the ball dropped in the hole, Woods flipped his putter and waggled his index finger.
Colsaerts and Woods halved the 17th with birdies, and the Europeans took a 1-up lead to 18.
Bradley and Mickelson are frequent practice round partners, and both said repeatedly this week how much they wanted to play together. After the day they had, no way captain Davis Love III will split them up.
Bradley made one clutch putt after another, none bigger than the 25-footer uphill that clinched their 4-and-3 upset over Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia in foursomes. It was the first time the Europeans had lost in foursomes; they had been 4-0 together, and Garcia had a career record of 8-0-1. Bradley made another six birdies in the afternoon as the Americans raced out to a 4-up lead on Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, Europe's top team, through eight holes.
The Europeans, McDowell in particular, didn't have the same spark in the afternoon as they did in the morning, when they held off Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker for a 1-up win. McIlroy cut the U.S. lead to 2-up with back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15, and stuck his tee shot on the par-3 17th. But Mickelson did him one better, putting his 7-iron to 2 feet. He raised his club in the air, and Bradley walked onto the green screaming and waving his arms at the crowd.
"We were trying to claw our way back, and we played some good stuff on the way in," McIlroy said. "But Keegan and Phil were just too strong this afternoon."
So were Watson and Simpson. The duo, who won the year's first two majors, was raring to go after sitting out the morning session. Watson and his caddie waved their arms at the fans on the first tee, urging them to take it up another notch. After splitting the fairway with his drive, Watson up his driver as if to say, "Bring it."
Did they ever.
Watson and Simpson birdied seven of their first eight holes, and their lone par — on No. 2 — was still good enough to win the hole. When Watson made putts from inside 8 feet for birdies on Nos. 6, 7 and 8, the question wasn't if they'd win, but whether they'd do it in record fashion. The record win in an 18-hole team match is 7 and 6, accomplished twice.
But Watson and Simpson halved the next two holes, and Lawrie made a 5-foot birdie on 11 to give the Europeans their first hole in the match. That just delayed the inevitable, however. On the green in two on the par-5 14th, Watson needed only to two-putt from 45 feet to end the match. He got close enough on the first try, and the Europeans conceded the putt.
"I'm just playing with a buddy that can keep me cool, and I know he's going to play really good," Watson said. "I just needed to be in there when he was what we call struggling — making pars. So it was fun."