Golf

Rory McIlroy involved in thriller with Patrick Reed in Ryder Cup

Europe's Rory McIlroy celebrates his putt on the eighth during the singles matches on day three of the 41st Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on Sunday<br />Picture by AP&nbsp;
Europe's Rory McIlroy celebrates his putt on the eighth during the singles matches on day three of the 41st Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on Sunday
Picture by AP 
Europe's Rory McIlroy celebrates his putt on the eighth during the singles matches on day three of the 41st Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota on Sunday
Picture by AP 

THE eagerly-anticipated clash between Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed quickly lived up to expectations as Europe looked to pull off an historic Ryder Cup victory at Hazeltine.

Darren Clarke's side needed to overturn a three-point deficit in Sunday's 12 singles matches to claim an unprecedented fourth straight win the biennial contest against the United States. That meant Clarke sent out his best players at the top of the singles order and with opposite number Davis Love doing likewise, the fired-up duo of McIlroy and Reed got things off to an electrifying start.

McIlroy drew first blood with a birdie on the third and also birdied the fifth, but saw Reed drive the green on the short par four and hole from seven feet to eagle and get back to all square. Another birdie on the sixth elicited the first animated celebration from McIlroy, only for Reed to also birdie and then mock McIlroy's bow to the crowd which had followed his winning eagle on the 16th in Friday's fourballs.

Reed also appeared to wag his finger in McIlroy's direction as the four-time major winner walked away, the world number three responding on the next by putting a finger to his lips to silence the fans after matching Reed's birdie.

With eight matches on the course, Europe were up in five and down in two, with Justin Rose, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Andy Sullivan all enjoying one-hole leads in the early stages of their matches.

Open champion Henrik Stenson was two under par for six holes but still one down to Jordan Spieth, while Thomas Pieters had recovered from an early two-hole deficit against JB Holmes before driving out of bounds on the fifth.