Ryder Cup 2016: Saturday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

The United States extended its Ryder Cup lead Saturday to 9.5-6.5 thanks to a great performance in afternoon four-balls that saw them win three of four matches at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.

Europe cut Team USA's lead to 6.5-5.5 entering the afternoon after winning two and halving one foursomes match, but the Americans battled back and turned in a four-balls showing reminiscent of what they did in Friday's foursomes when they swept all four matches.

As the two sides continue to battle it out for international golf supremacy, here is a look at the current score and a recap of Saturday's action.

Current Scoreboard

Away Team	Home Team	Score
Europe	United States	9.5-6.5, USA

Morning Foursomes Recap

Team 1	Team 2	Score
Rory McIlroy/Thomas Pieters (EUR)	Rickie Fowler/Phil Mickelson (USA)	4 & 2, EUR
Brandt Snedeker/Brooks Koepka (USA)	Henrik Stenson/Matthew Fitzpatrick (EUR)	3 & 2, USA
Justin Rose/Chris Wood (EUR)	Jimmy Walker/Zach Johnson (USA)	1 Up, EUR
Patrick Reed/Jordan Spieth (USA)	Sergio Garcia/Rafa Cabrera-Bello (EUR)	Halved

After teaming up to beat Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar in impressive fashion in afternoon four-balls Friday, Rory McIlroy and Thomas Pieters were once again paired together Saturday morning.

That move paid dividends for European captain Darren Clarke, as the Northern Irish and Belgian combo took down Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson 4 and 2.

McIlroy and Pieters jumped on the Americans early with a 3-up lead through just five holes, but Fowler and Mickelson began to mount a comeback by winning the ninth and 10th.

Just when it seemed as though momentum had shifted in Team USA's favor, however, McIlroy came through in the clutch. The FedEx Cup champion nailed a big putt on No. 11 to put Europe back up by two in the match, as seen in this video courtesy of Ryder Cup Team EUR:

After Fowler and Mickelson got one back on the 12th, McIlroy and Pieters nursed a one-hole lead entering No. 14.

It was at that point that the Euros truly hit their stride, as they won each of the next three holes to finish with a 4 and 2 victory and cut into Team USA's overall lead.

By virtue of the loss, Lefty's lukewarm Ryder Cup record took another hit and put him in some unwanted company, per ESPN.com's Bob Harig:

The United States needed a bounce-back performance after that, and it got it in the form of perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the 2016 Ryder Cup thus far.

Brandt Snedeker and Brooks Koepka were the only team to score a victory for the Americans in Friday's four-balls, and they did the same in Saturday foursomes by defeating Henrik Stenson and Matthew Fitzpatrick 3 and 2.

For the second day in a row, Snedeker's putting and Koepka's approach shots turned out to be a winning combination.

While the match was all square through 11 holes, the Americans won three of the next five to take it, and Snedeker's red-hot play on the greens closed it out, as seen in this tweet from Ryder Cup USA:

Snedeker has gotten much of the attention for seemingly being automatic with the putter, but Koepka continued to make a great first Ryder Cup impression, as evidenced by this stat from ESPN Stats & Info:

Europe took its second point of the day when the all-English pairing of Justin Rose and Chris Wood beat Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson 1 up.

That shifted the pressure toward Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth to take care of business against Spaniards Sergio Garcia and Rafa Cabrera Bello.

Early indications were that the Americans would breeze to an easy victory in that match, as they won two of the first three holes.

Reed appeared to be on top of his game, as he salvaged a halve on the fifth by chipping in for birdie to send the pro-American crowd into a frenzy:

Team USA then took the sixth and 11th holes for a commanding 4-up lead through 12 holes.

Although that deficit seemed nearly insurmountable, Garcia and Cabrera Bello started to chip away by taking the 13th, 15th and 16th holes. That whittled the once-huge American advantage to just one hole entering the 17th.

Spieth seemed poised to put the match away when his lengthy birdie putt on No. 17 approached the hole, but it almost impossibly stayed out and clung to the edge of the cup, as seen in this PGA.com video:

That gave the Europeans an opportunity to halve the contest, and they did precisely that when Cabrera Bello coolly sunk a putt from off the green to take it to the 18th:

The match was up for grabs in a high-pressure situation, but both Reed and Garcia made their putts to secure the first halve of the 2016 Ryder Cup:

While Reed and Spieth didn't lose the match, it had that type of feeling for the Americans since they blew such a big lead.

Team USA's 4-0 lead had all but evaporated after Friday's afternoon four-balls and Saturday's morning foursomes, but it had an opportunity to build it back up Saturday afternoon before Sunday's singles matchups.

Afternoon Four-Balls Recap

Team 1	Team 2	Score
Rory McIlroy/Thomas Pieters (EUR)	Brooks Koepka/Dustin Johnson (USA)	3 & 1, EUR
J.B. Holmes/Ryan Moore (USA)	Danny Willett/Lee Westwood (EUR)	1 Up, USA
Phil Mickelson/Matt Kuchar (USA)	Martin Kaymer/Sergio Garcia (EUR)	2 &1, USA
Patrick Reed/Jordan Spieth (USA)	Justin Rose/Henrik Stenson (EUR)	2 &1, USA

With an opportunity to tie the overall score at stake, Europe sent out its red-hot pairing of McIlroy and Pieters for the first match of afternoon four-balls against the long-hitting American duo of Dustin Johnson and Koepka.

That turned out to be a good decision by Clarke, as McIlroy and Pieters improved to 3-0 together with a 3-and-1 triumph to knot the score at 6.5-6.5.

McIlroy and Pieters carried over their foursomes momentum into the afternoon session by leaping out to a 4-up lead through nine holes.

While McIlroy received much of the credit and attention, Pieters held up his end of the bargain with big drives off the tee and timely putting, such as this eagle on the fifth hole, via Team Europe's Twitter account:

McIlroy was locked in as well, and the four-time major champion didn't hide his excitement when he made big putts, as Team Europe's Twitter account shared:

There was plenty of tension between McIlroy and the pro-American crowd as he responded to heckling with some over-the-top celebrations.

As Harig pointed out, McIlroy's actions were a product of the environment rather than his usual personality:

Johnson and Koepka faced a four-hole deficit entering the final four holes of the match, and they made a slight run by winning the 15th and 16th holes.

Their comeback began too late, however, as McIlroy and Pieters closed it out by winning the 17th and tying up the event overall.

That tie was short-lived, though, as the under-the-radar American team of J.B. Holmes and Ryan Moore gutted out a tough 1-up victory over Danny Willett and Lee Westwood.

The match was all square entering the 17th hole, but Holmes and Moore took No. 17 to carry a one-hole lead into the 18th.

Willett and Westwood had a great chance to halve the match, with Westwood stepping up to a short birdie putt on No. 18, but he missed the pressure-packed attempt.

PGA.com shared the replay:

That prompted ESPN.com's Jason Sobel to point out that similar putts have been an issue for the Englishman over the course of his career:

While it can be argued that the Europeans lost the match more than the Americans won it, that miscue put Team USA back on top.

After Holmes and Moore got the ball rolling for the United States, Mickelson and Matt Kuchar continued the hot streak by beating Garcia and Martin Kaymer 2 and 1.

Lefty and Kuchar led by two after four holes, and they carried that same advantage through 11. The Europeans tightened things up, though, by winning the 12th hole.

Kuchar halted their progress and came through in a big way on the 13th hole, where the Olympic bronze medalist nailed a long birdie putt to restore the two-hole advantage, as Team USA shared:

The Americans added another on No. 14, and while Garcia and Kaymer cut it back to two on the 16th, Mickelson closed out the win for the Americans by halving No. 17.

PGA.com shared the replay:

While Mickelson's career Ryder Cup record doesn't reflect his Hall of Fame resume, Harig was quick to point out that he rose to the occasion during afternoon four-balls Saturday:

Mickelson and Kuchar helped the United States grow its lead back to 8.5-6.5, and then the tandem of Reed and Spieth ensured that Team USA would end the day on a high note.

Although Reed and Spieth fell behind Stenson and Rose by dropping the first hole, they quickly turned things around and reeled off four in a row from Nos. 5 through 8.

Stenson and Rose made things interesting by winning the 12th and 13th holes, but that seemingly motivated Reed to raise his level of play.

After pushing the lead back to two on No. 14, Reed made this birdie on the 15th to go up by three and add another circle to his spectacular scorecard, via PGA.com:

The Europeans refused to go down without a fight, though, as Stenson chipped in from off the green on No. 16 to extend the match.

Team Europe shared the replay:

Reed and Spieth needed only a hold on the 17th to close it out, though, and they got precisely that to end a strong day for the Americans.

Reed was undoubtedly the MVP of the day for the Americans with his combination of emotion and great play.

He explained his performance afterward, per Team USA's Twitter account:

The team aspect of the Ryder Cup is over, giving way to 12 singles matches Sunday.

Team USA needs just five points to win the Ryder Cup and knock off the defending champions. While momentum is firmly on the Americans' side, the lead is far from insurmountable, as they lost in 2012 despite leading 10-6 entering the final day of play.

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