Ryder Cup 2012: Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley romp to third straight win as USA take control Westwood was benched for the afternoon fourballs. He is simply off form and, in truth, should have been rested by Olazábal earlier. He was but a mere bystander alongside Colsaerts in the win against Woods and Stricker on Friday afternoon and wasn't good in defeat alongside Francesco Molinari in the first foursomes. Donald had a chance of some redemption in the afternoon fourballs with Sergio Garcia. He had come in which so much hope, playing in his adopted hometown. Yet put this emphatic humbling with the 4&3 defeat he and Garcia suffered against the same inspired opposition on Friday and this represented a disaster. Donald had never been beaten before in foursomes. "They started off quick, they were six-under through 10," Westwood said. "We didn't play well enough and put enough pressure on them," Donald concurred. "It was tough," he said. It was a lonely place for these two Europeans. They were taunted on the first tee as they stood next to Mickelson, a three-time Masters winner, and Bradley, the 2011 US PGA winner. "Major champions, major champions," chanted the crowd, referring to the continued blank of Westwood and Donald in this department. For the next 2½ hours, they had to look on as Bradley became increasingly theatrical in his celebrations, pumping the fist, jumping up and down, running up to Mickelson and slapping hands, walking up to the galleries with those staring eyes and urging them to raise the frenzy. Some might think it over-the-top. Goodness knows why. Bradley has been what's missing for America. He has energised Mickelson and Medinah. A great partnership has been forged, as Mickelson acknowledged. The Europeans have had some great team-mates, with Seve and Olli and some others, but to be able to share this experience with Keegan has been really awesome. They were resigned to being sat down by Love in the afternoon fourballs. "We don't want to risk two points in the singles," Mickelson said. With that, the quartet went off in their wildly contrasting moods to cheer on their team-mates. Donald and Westwood chose wisely, following Rose and Poulter. It was a classic Ryder Cup encounter, in a classic Ryder Cup atmosphere. The day began with Poulter and Watson conducting the crowd on the first tee. First the Englishman gesticulated to the stands to carry on the chanting while he drove off and then Watson did his own bit of Andre Previn. "It was ridiculous," Poulter said. It was a special scene. Having been down early, Poulter and Rose moved two up courtesy of a Rose approach to six feet on the ninth and a Poulter putt from off the green on the 12th. But the Americans fought back to take it up the last. Simpson had a 12-footer to halve the match but it dribbled past. The relief was palpable. By then McIlroy and McDowell were losing to Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker, who gained revenge for the final-hole defeat to the same pair in the opening foursome. In a match with discernible edge after the rules row the day previous, the Northern Irishmen could manage only one birdie in the first 15 holes and despite a late rally could not peg them back. Up ahead, Garcia briefly raised the hopes of a fightback when chipping in on the 16th to bring it back to one-down against Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson. But Colsaerts found the water off the 17th tee and that effectively was that. It was a harsh comedown for the Belgian rookie after his heroics on Friday. Woods partnered Stricker in the afternoon with Donald and Garcia the opponents. No American will play all five sessions, while Rose and McIlroy will be Olazábal's iron men. Europe needed something extraordinary.