LOUISVILLE (Kentucky), Sept 21: The United States, desperate to end Europe’s run of three Ryder Cup victories, emerged from a thrilling fourball battle on Saturday with a 9-7 lead heading into Sunday’s singles matches.

The Americans will go into the final day of the trans-Atlantic match play show case with the lead for the first time since 1995, after splitting the fourball matches 2-2 - with one win for each team and two matches halved in a performance that promised final day fireworks.

The Americans had seen their first-day momentum wane as as Europe earned 2.5 points in Saturday morning’s foursomes to the 1.5 of the hosts.

That cut their overnight deficit by a point, and that’s where matters still stood after the fourballs, three of which came down to the 18th hole.

“It has really been amazing,” Azinger said of the evening’s close. “My stomach is just churning.”The day ended with Phil Mickelson and Hunter Mahan halving their match with Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson - despite half a dozen birdies by an inspired Karlsson on the back nine.

“We withstood that to get a half,” said an exhausted but happy Mickelson.

Both Karlsson and Mahan had eagle putts at 18, but both failed to sink them as they settled for a share of the spoils.

The Swedish pair had won the first hole, but Mickelson and Mahan won the next two to go one up.

Mickelson eagled the par five seventh to put the Americans two up, while at the ninth Mahan holed an impressive birdie putt only for Karlsson to respond with a long putt of his own to keep the Americans from extending the lead.

The Europeans won 12 and 13 and squared the match thanks to back-to-back birdies from Karlsson.

Earlier, Mickelson and Anthony Kim succumbed 2 and 1 to Stenson and Ryder Cup debutant Oliver Wilson in foursomes.

Mickelson and Kim had been four up through six in that match but didn’t win another hole.

Wilson made his first Ryder Cup match one to remember, holing a snaking 20-foot putt for a birdie at 17 that sealed the win.

“We still fought hard,” Mickelson said of the foursomes. “It looked like we were going to bring that thing down to the end until that long putt on 17 by Oliver Wilson that sealed it.

Casey, who had struggled on the greens all afternoon, stepped up and made his own eight-footer to hang onto the half point.

The Americans had held a slim lead over most of the front nine, going one up at the second and staying there through the turn before Garcia birdied 10 to square the match.

The US pair moved three up at 10, courtesy of a Holmes eagle, but Westwood and Hansen managed to pull back to one down through 13.

The Americans regained a two up lead at the next and held onto it to the delight of the “Boo-S-A” chanting crowd.

Their victory put an end to Westwood’s 12-match unbeaten streak in the Ryder Cup - the all-time record he shares with US legend Arnold Palmer.—AFP