Art Spander - Sports Commentary

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

NEWPORT, Wales -- The rookie, Rickie Fowler, made a mistake. Then the rookie made one of the bigger putts of the first two days of this 38th Ryder Cup.

Fowler, a captain's pick for the team by Corey Pavin, was playing foursomes (alternate shot) with Jim Furyk Saturday. On the fourth hole, in the game against Europe's Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, Fowler was given a free drop from the mud in which Furyk's ball plugged.

But Fowler pulled another ball from his pocket and dropped that one, not the ball Furyk hit, resulting in automatic loss of the hole.

"It was the same kind of ball that was laying in the mud,'' explained Fowler, 21, a southern Californian who played at Oklahoma State. "I dropped the wrong one.''

Then at the 18th, after a magnificent wedge shot four feet past the flag by Furyk, Fowler dropped the putt to win the hole and halve the match.

"It was awesome to get a look at the putt on the last hole,'' said Fowler, who is known for his mop of hair and colorful attire.

Furyk and Fowler each sat out the opening fourball matches, this after Furyk winning $11.3 million last Sunday in the FedEx Cup.

"It was tough,'' said Furyk, "but four guys on each side had to do it. I was a little anxious early on. I didn't have a lot of iron shots. The one at 18, well, it's sometimes hard to get your rhythm.

"We were down the entire match. To come back and get a half was big for our team.''

The two were split in the subsequent fourball matches which were unfinished, Furyk joining Dustin Johnson - they were 1-down to Padraig Harrington and Ross Fisher through eight - and Fowler pairing with Phil Mickelson. They trailed Ian Poulter-Kaymer, 2 down after four holes.

- - - - - -