AMERICANS FAVOURITES TO WIN JUNIOR RYDER CUP AGAIN

YOUNG EUROPEANS NEED SPIRIT OF 

MEDINAH TO WIN SINGLES by 3 1/2pt


FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
By Andy Zunz
The United States have a 3pt lead at the halfway stage of the Junior Ryder Cup, but Europe is hanging around, hoping for a "Medinah-miracle" in the singles.
Team USA leads 7.5-4.5 through foursomes and mixed four-balls at Blairgowrie Golf Club, Perthshire, setting up an all-important day of singles matches Tuesday.  
Sam Burns, Austin Connelly, Davis Riley and Kristen Gillman led the way for the U.S. by going undefeated in their Monday matches . Burns and Dalke teamed up to take down the pairing of Marcus Kinhult and John Axelsen 4 and 3 in the morning.  
Then Burns turned around and defeated the pairing of Kinhult and Linnea Strom in the afternoon alongside Andrea Lee. In what could be considered the strongest afternoon match-up, Kinhult and Strom led Burns and Lee 3 up through 10 holes, but the Americans went on to win four of the final eight holes to cap a one-hole victory with a Lee birdie on 18.  
Connelly, teaming up with Hannah O'Sullivan, defeated the German duo of Max Schmitt and Alexandra Forsterling with a 50-footer on 18 for par. The putt sealed Team USA's one-hole win.  
On the European side, European women's amateur champion Emily Pedersen would prove to be the only player unscathed at the end of the first day. She helped earn two points on the day. Ivan Cantero Gutierrez and Mathilda Cappeliez halved their match with Brad Dalke and Bethany Wu after Cantero Gutierrez nailed a 15-footer for birdie on No. 18 to halve the hole and the match. There are still 12 points available with the tournament set to be decided Tuesday after each player competes in a singles match. The U.S. is looking for its fourth-consecutive victory in the biennial event, and Europe is trying to win for the first time since 2004.  
COLIN FARQUHARSON WRTIES:
British amateur champion Bradley Neil, playing on his home Lansdowne course, lost in the morning foursomes in partnership with Max Schmitt. They went down narrowly, by one hole. Neil had better luck in the mixed four-balls, teaming up with Curtis Cup player Annabel Dimmock to win by 6 and 4 - the biggest afternoon victory margin.
Disappointment of the day for Europe was Italy's Renato Paratore, expected alongwith Neil to be the backbone of the team, failing to pick up even half a point from two sessions of play.

 EUROPE 4.5, UNITED STATES 7.5  
FIRST DAY FOURSOMES (2-4)  
European names first
Marcus Kinhult and John Axelsen lost to Sam Burns and Brad Falke 4 and 3. 
Linnea Strom and Emily Pedersen bt Andrea Lee and Bethany Wu 6 and 5.  
Renato Paratore and Ivan Cantero lost to Austin Connelly and Gordon Neale 3 and 2.
 Mathilda Cappeliez and Alexandra Forsterling bt Amy Lee and Hannah O'Sullivan 6 and 5.
Bradley Neil and Max Schmitt lost to Davis Riley and Cameron Young 1 hole.  
Virginia Elena Carta and Annabel Dimmock lost to Sierra Brooks and Kristen Gillman 5 and 4.   

Mixed four-balls (2 1/2-3 1/2)

Kinhult and Strom lost to Burns and Andrea Lee 1 hole.

Cantero and Cappeliez halved with Dalke and Wu.  
Schmitt and Forsterling lost to Connelly and O'Sullivan 1 hole. Axelsen and Pedersen bt Neale and Amy Lee 3 and 1.

Paratore and Carta lost to Riley and Gillman 3 and 1.
 Neil and Dimmock bt Young and Brooks 6 and 4.