U.S. inches closer, still 4 down
Ryder Cup ends Sunday with singles matches
Posted: Sun September 28, 1997 at 9:52 AM ET
SOTOGRANDE, Spain (CNN/SI) -- Fred Couples beat Ian Woosnam 8 and 7 in the first Ryder Cup singles match Sunday to give the American team a much-needed point, but the Europeans still lead 10 1/2 - 6 1/2 and need just 3 1/2 points to retain the prize they won in 1995.
In foursome matches suspended Saturday and finished Sunday morning, Europe won one, America won one and the third was halved. Scott Hoch and Jeff Maggert topped Europe's Nick Faldo and Lee Westwood 2 and 1, Costantino Rocca and Jose Maria Olazabal beat Couples and Davis Love III 5 and 4, while Jesper Parnevik and Ignacio Garrido tied their battle with Americans Justin Leonard and Tiger Woods.
Eleven singles matches were still underway. The United States team needs 9 points from the 12 singles matches to win back the Cup that the Europeans took two years ago in Rochester, New York, by beating the Americans in the singles 7 1/2 to 4 1/2.
Hoch and Maggert gave the Americans hope when they won the first match to finish on Sunday. They resumed the match on the tough par-3 15th hole, where Maggert rifled his tee shot to two feet from the cup for an easy birdie to go one ahead.
"I think we were very tired after our fourballs in the morning, but we'll be ready for the singles," Faldo said.
Olazabal and Rocca won four straight holes from Love and Couples, starting with the seventh. The European pair wrapped up the match when Olazabal rolled in a 25-foot putt at the 14th. Rocca, who had chipped in at the seventh, got his team going on Sunday by converting a 15-footer at the ninth hole.
Then after the British Open champion, Leonard, missed a 15-foot putt that would have won the match on 18, Woods holed from three feet to halve their match with Parnevik and Garrido.
"This is tough, but it is also a lot of fun," said Parnevik, like Faldo a wild-card selection by captain Seve Ballesteros.
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