CHASKA, Minn. — The U.S. pulled no punches Saturday afternoon by earning three clutch points to set back Europe's chances of winning its fourth straight Ryder Cup title.
Hazeltine National was buzzing with chants and loud outcries as birdies and eagles flew around the course in droves. Phil Mickelson even gave everyone something to cheer about when he posed like an eagle himself.
U.S. holds a 9.5 to 6.5 lead heading into Sunday's singles matches, but they were up 10-6 entering the final day of the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah. So this one isn't over yet.
MORE: Must-see Ryder Cup images | Scoring updates and results
Here is an in-depth look at the afternoon fourball matches:
Rory McIlroy and Thomas Pieters defeated Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka, 3 and 1
A lot of U.S. golf fans will look at McIlroy in a more negative light after this week because of the stare downs and celebrations he's directed at them. Yet, his engagement with Pieters, helping him rise into stardom, should not be discounted.
McIlroy is now 3-1 this week with all three of his wins taking place with the 24-year-old Ryder Cup rookie at his side. Pieters finished Saturday's final session with five birdies and an eagle on the par-4 fifth hole. He has been clobbering tee shots and draining clutch putts when McIlroy needed a lift. This could be a dynamic Ryder Cup duo for a very long time.
Johnson and Koepka hit their fair share of quality shots in this match, but they didn't make enough putts. This was a risky pairing, and a bit of a head-scratcher from Davis Love III after Koepka won both his matches alongside Brandt Snedeker. They should not have been broken up.
Ryan Moore and J.B. Holmes defeated Danny Willett and Lee Westwood, 1up
The two Englishmen turned in an absolute travesty of a performance on and around the greens down the stretch. Westwood must feel like the hole is the size of a needle point. After missing a short par putt on 17, he missed a near tap-in on 18 to halve the match.
Moore and Holmes weren't spectacular, but they did enough to battle out a huge point against two of Europe's stars. Holmes quietly birdied seven holes. He proved in this match that he belonged on the team. Both Moore and Holmes need to carry this momentum into Sunday's singles matches. The outcome of their matches could be huge.
Phil Mickelson and Matt Kuchar defeated Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer, 2 and 1
Arguably the biggest win of the day for the Americans. Though Mickelson and Kuchar are quality players, few would have favored them over an in-form Garcia and Kaymer. But the experienced U.S. duo combined to birdie four of the first five holes while keeping it loose on the course.
Kaymer fell to 0-3 in the competition with this loss. The two-time major champion, without a doubt, has been the the most disappointing performer. Garcia did his best. He birdied six holes, including the par-3 17th when his team needed it, but Mickelson answered to close it out.
Why did Darren Clarke break up Garcia and Rafa Cabrera Bello? Surely if Garcia had enough in the tank to play again after a tough morning matchup, Cabrera Bello, who had played one less match, should have been okay to play. Garcia and Kaymer went 0-2 together. In this big moment it wasn't the way to go.
Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth defeated Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose, 2 and 1
Reed might have just turned in one of the best performances in Ryder Cup history. The fiery, passionate player had the crowd going crazy all afternoon with six birdies and an eagle on his scorecard. It was made even more impressive considering it was his fourth straight match, and he and Spieth had just collapsed against Garcia and Cabrera Bello in the morning.
Stenson, who has fought hard despite battling a knee injury, is now 1-3 this week. That's far short of what Europe needed from him. Rose has also been disappointing as well, grabbing just two wins in four matches.
Reed and Spieth, like McIlroy and Pieters on the other side, could be Ryder cup fixtures for many years to come. Reed could go down as one of the best in the competition's history when it's all said and done.