REFUSING to go quietly into the night, the European favourites finished what they started in the morning by making a late charge in the dying light.

With the strains of a European victory song wafting over the grandstands at Valhalla Golf Club on Saturday, two birdies at the 18th hole sealed a win and a tie that left the Europeans trailing the underdog US team by just 2 points, 9-7, in their quest to win a fourth straight Ryder Cup.

Star for the Europeans was Ian Poulter, the shaggy-haired Rod Stewart lookalike who is 3-1 this year. A controversial pick by the captain, Nick Faldo, Poulter proved himself with a birdie the 18th hole to give him and Graeme McDowell a 1-up victory over Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk. Right on the heels of the Poulter finish came the Swedish team of Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson, who battled all day with Phil Mickelson and Hunter Mahan and finally squeezed out a half-point with a Karlsson birdie - his seventh of the day and sixth on the back nine - at the 18th hole.

"I'm running high right now," said Poulter, who also birdied seven holes in the afternoon four-ball session.

"I think we got a huge piece of momentum today, and the guys are pumped - proper pumped."

They should be. Europe started the day by winning the morning foursomes, picking up 2½ points to close the gap to 7-5 going into the afternoon matches. They held on to the lead by splitting 4 points with the United States, and their 18th-hole feats were what gave them the momentum going into the singles matches. They will need to win seven of the 12 points today to retain the cup.

Still, there were numerous high points for the United States. Steve Stricker's five-metre putt at the 18th hole salvaged a crucial half point in his and Ben Curtis's four-ball match with Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey, a team that was highly favoured.

As Casey stood and waited, pondering his 3m birdie putt, Stricker validated his selection by the US captain, Paul Azinger, rolling the putt in the middle, putting all the pressure on the Europeans.

Garcia, who also had a birdie putt, watched as Casey made his putt for the half, then ran over and embraced him.

The team of Boo Weekley and J.B. Holmes, gave the US their first point of the afternoon by defeating the team of Lee Westwood and Soren Hansen, 2 and 1, sat by the green with the rest of the team to watch the late drama.

Earlier in the week, Weekley had responded to a question about the US's role as an underdog in the event. Europe have won the Cup in five of the past six events.

"It's like getting a new pack of hounds when we were growing up and going deer hunting," Weekley said in his Southern drawl. "You don't know what kind of dogs you've got until you run them, so let's run them and we'll see."

What the US have seen is that, so far, the underdogs have run just fine with the favourites. Having a two-point lead going into the singles matches, with six rookies functioning in the swirling maelstrom of pressure that is the Ryder Cup, is more than what was expected.

"If you'd have told me I'd have a two-point lead going into Sunday, I would have taken it," Azinger said.

New York Times