Match recaps: Thursday's foursomes matches

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MELBOURNE, Australia -- Match recaps for each of the six matches in Thursday's foursomes. The Americans won three matches, the Internationals won one, and the other two matches were halved. That gives the U.S. a 4-2 lead.

MATCH 1: Bubba Watson-Webb Simpson, U.S. def. Ernie Els-Ryo Ishikawa, International, 4 and 2

Match Flow: The Internationals made two early birdies and led 2 up through four holes. But the Americans caught fired at the par-3 fifth where Simpson made a 5-footer for birdie -- the first of three straight that gave the U.S. a lead it would not relinquish. Watson and Simpson added birdies at Nos. 11, 13 and 16, the last a 5-footer from Watson that ended the affair.
Tipping Point: The American rookies settled into the match and seized the momentum with that string of three straight birdies starting at No. 5.
Notes: The Americans were 7 under as a team, making seven birdies and dropping no shots to par. After those two early birdies, the International team made one bogey, two birdies and nine pars. The U.S. Team was steady hitting 9 of 13 fairways and all but three greens in the 16 holes they played while using 22 putts.
Quotes: "It was just a good day. He was a good partner to be with. He can make putts. We were both laughing out there, both joking around. We were just having a nice stroll on a nice golf course. Firm and fast greens, had to play safe on some, not worry about your partner but just worry about your own game. At the end of the day, we added it up, we were 7 under and they were 3 under I think. It was two good teams out there and a great match, and it just fell our way today." -- Bubba Watson ... "I thought (Ryoi) did well. He had a perfect start to the round. We were 2 up. Then they just made some great putts on us. That was basically the change. Bubba made some good shots and he came up with a good putt on 12 which was probably the change in the match." -- Ernie Els
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MATCH 2: Bill Haas-Nick Watney, U.S. and Geoff Ogilvy-Charl Schwartzel, International, halved

MATCH FLOW: The Internationals had experience on their side in the person of Ogilvy, who grew up in a home adjacent to Royal Melbourne. And Ogilvy and Schwartzel were in control early after birdies on Nos. 3 and 6 gave them a 2-up advantage. The Americans got one back when Watney rolled in a 17-footer for birdie at the ninth hole but found themselves 2 down again with a bogey at the 14th hole. Undaunted, the U.S. duo birdied the par-5 14th and then squared the match when the Internationals bogeyed the 16th from the right rough. Haas had a chance to win the match outright at the 18th hole but he just missed a 14-footer for par on the high side of the hole.
TIPPING POINT: The U.S. Team was 2 down at the 14th hole and knew it was running out of time. But the Americans promptly got momentum back on their side at the par-5 15th when Haas blasted out of a greenside bunker to 2 feet and Watney made the birdie putt.
NOTES: The American rookies acquitted themselves well, playing 18 holes of alternate shot in even par. The Internationals made three birdies and a trio of bogeys, as well, in the evenly-matched battle.
QUOTES: "I really wanted to make that putt on the last hole knowing that every point is huge, every half a point is huge. Didn't really give it a good run there, but we hung in there. Being down all day and to end up all square is a half of a victory." -- Bill Haas ... "We were 2 down with four to play I think, and Bill hit a great bunker shot on 15. You know, at that point we would have definitely taken a halve. Wish I could have given him a little better look, but we earned half a point, so we're excited for tomorrow." -- Nick Watney
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MATCH 3: Dustin Johnson-Matt Kuchar, U.S. and Aaron Baddeley-Jason Day, International, halved

Match flow: This was a big halve for the Americans, who were 3 down through 11 holes. The teams traded birdies on the first two holes but conceded the third hole after missing the green and facing a 48-footer to save par. After matching the Internationals with bogeys on No. 4 and birdies at the fifth, the Americans put themselves behind the 8-ball with bogeys on Nos. 7 and 8 to fall 3 down. The match remained that way until the 12th hole when the Australian rookies made a bogey -- the first of three on the final seven holes.
Tipping point: Granted, the bogey at the 12th hole started the International slide but Day and Baddeley still had the edge when they came to the 18th hole. But Badds drove into the right rough and Day had to chip back into the fairway on the way to a bogey while the Americans two-putted for the par that gave them a half-point.
Notes: The Americans only hit nine fairways but still managed to find 14 of 18 greens and used 33 putts. The International Team scrambled well early on -- with 25 putts and only eight greens in regulation. Two of those missed greens came on the final two holes where bogeys allowed the Americans to even the match
Quotes: "All of a sudden we thought we were looking not so good, and to get a halve, we felt like we got a win. We won something there, and I think to finish on that, the U.S. squad feels pretty good." -- Matt Kuchar ... "Me and Matt played good all day, a couple of mishaps with three-putts but those guys hung in there and made some clutch putts on us all day long. It feels great, though, to get that half a point." -- Dustin Johnson ... "I wasn't that nervous on that last tee shot. I don't know, it was weird. Just hit a terrible shot." -- Aaron Baddeley ... "You can't control whether you're going to hit a good shot or bad shot all the time. It just happens, and unfortunately it happened on 18. But we are going to pick ourselves up and get into tomorrow. We have not lost it yet. We still have a lot of golf to be played." -- Jason Day
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MATCH 4: Phil Mickelson-Jim Furyk, U.S. def. Retief Goosen-Robert Allenby, International, 4 and 3

Match flow: The teams traded birdies on the first two holes before Mickelson airmailed the third green and the Americans made bogey to fall 1 down. Mickelson drained a 16-footer for birdie at the seventh hole to even the match, though, and the Americans were off and running -- particularly as the Internationals responded by going double bogey-bogey. Mickelson made a 6-footer for birdie at No. 11 and Furyk added a 13-footer at the 12th to put the American veterans in control at 4 up. After the teams traded birdies at the 15th, the U.S. had another point.
Tipping point: Mickelson's birdie putt at the seventh hole was big but the Internationals gave the U.S. some breathing room -- and momentum -- with the double bogey from a bunker at No. 8 and the bogey from the right rough at No. 9.
Notes: Mickelson and Furyk, who have struggled with the putter this year, needed just 24 on Thursday and made seven birdies They were extremely steady in all areas, too, hitting 13 greens and 12 of 12 fairways in regulation, as well. The Internationals, on the other hand, missed four fairways and used 27 putts.
Quotes: "I've been back working with the short putter, been working on it at home a little bit and just needed to see it go in early just to get some confidence. But my partner over here, I felt good with an iron in my hand. I knew I didn't have to hit it five feet. He was rolling the ball in the hole today." -- Jim Furyk ... "They played awesome golf. They made a lot of birdies, and making a lot of birdies in Foursomes, you're doing very well and it's very hard to beat. We had a couple of putts here and there, maybe a couple of shots here and there, but we tried our best and that's all you can do at the end of the day." -- Robert Allenby
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MATCH 5: Hunter Mahan-David Toms, U.S. def. Kyung-tae Kim-Y.E. Yang, International, 6 and 5

Match flow: The Americans seized control from the get-go with birdies on their first three holes and never trailed in this match. Granted, only the first struck paydirt it allowed Mahan and Toms to get into their rhythm. The Internationals fell two down when they made bogey from the right rough and a greenside bunker at No. 4 but promptly got that shot back with a par at the fifth hole. But errant tee shots at Nos. 6 and 9, the first in the native area and the second in a fairway bunker, led to two more International bogeys and the Americans led 3 up at the turn. Mahan drained a 22-footer for birdie at the 11th hole to put the U.S. 5 up. The Americans won the 12th hole with a bogey as the Internationals tangled with the left rough and then Mahan closed the match out when he made a 5-footer for birdie at No. 13.
Tipping points: That birdie burst on the first three holes not only gave the Americans a point, it gave Mahan and Toms -- a new partnership -- the confidence they needed to prevail.
Notes: The Americans only missed two fairways and two greens while taking just 21 putts. The Korean duo, though, struggled on the unfamiliar course -- hitting just 8 of 13 greens and 5 of 11 fairways.
Quotes: "The key to our day is we got off to a good start, birdied the first three holes, and after that we kept the pressure on with getting the ball in the fairway and hitting the ball on the green and didn't give much to them. It helps. Getting off to a good start in this type of format, when everybody's emotions are running high and you're a little bit nervous out there, wondering how the week is going to go or how the matches are going to go, and to get off to a good start, that always helps. Certainly it was a key to our match today." -- David Toms ... "We are a very good team. We are similar in our games, our attitudes, the way we go about our business. It made it easy and enjoyable out there. ... It was easy to be around one another. We didn't have to adjust at all. Like he said, hit a lot of good shots, put the ball in play. I always felt like we were ahead in the holes, even though we were never behind, to try and catch up and make a save. It was nice, first match of the week to, get off to a start like that feels good." -- Hunter Mahan
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Match 6: Adam Scott and K.J. Choi, International def. Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker, U.S., 7 and 6

Match flow: This one was the shocker. Woods and Stricker had gone undefeated in four matches for the U.S. in 2009 at Harding Park in San Francisco. But Woods is going through a swing change and Stricker came to Melbourne without having competed in six weeks after aggravating a neck injury. That is to take nothing away from the International duo, though, who were spot-on from the opening tee shot. Scott and Choi won the second, sixth, 11th and 12th holes with birdies and the fifth, seventh and ninth with pars to draw first blood for the International Team.
Tipping point: That birdie at the second hole set the tone for the day. Scott reached the green at the par 5 in two and Choi left the Aussie a tap-in from 12 inches for par. The Americans, meanwhile, found the left rough off the tee and had to settle for par.
Notes: The Americans didn't make a birdie all day -- and shot 3 over. The two hit just four of 10 fairways and half of their 12 greens in regulation. The International team was 4 under, making four birdies and dropping no shots to par. The steady Choi and Scott only missed one fairway and four greens while using just 17 putts in the 12 holes played.
Quotes: "K.J. and I didn't get it out of position today, which is a good thing on this golf course. We both played very well. They got out of position a couple of times, and you know, they didn't play their best. Yeah, a good win, because they were a tough team last time, took a lot of points off us, so it was pleasing to get one up there." -- Adam Scott ... "We were just slightly off. On a golf course like this, it doesn't take much. They partnered up well, shot 4 under on us, and we just couldn't get any kind of pressure on them." -- Tiger Woods ... "Started right away from the get go really. We just never got into really any flow, any momentum, anything. We never put any pressure on them. And they played great. You know, 4 under through, what did we play, 12 holes, that's pretty good playing." --Steve Stricker
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