McDowell, Dubuisson hand Mickelson/Bradley pairing its first Ryder loss

Graeme McDowell and Victor Dubuisson were able to do what no other European pairing has been able to: defeat the pairing of Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley. Europe notched a 3&2 victory in the closing match of the Friday afternoon session, adding another point and extending Europe’s lead to 5-3.

Europe has followed a time-honored technique for pairing players: veteran with rookie. More often than not, it pays dividends, and with a player such as McDowell, it’s particularly useful. McDowell had played with Rory McIlroy on numerous occasions in recent Ryder Cups, but for a variety of reasons, that pairing was no longer viable. McIlroy and McDowell are engaged in litigation against one another, indirectly. McDowell has also said he prefers being in the mentor role, and that’s clearly no longer necessary for McIlroy.

So Dubuisson filled the student role nicely, and now Europe captain Paul McGinley has another reliable pairing. Europe took the lead at the second hole, and never even let the United States square the match from there on out.

Meanwhile, Mickelson and Bradley have shown signs of cracking. USA Captain Tom Watson’s choice to start them over the suddenly-hot Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed will draw scrutiny. Shortly after the end of the afternoon match, Mickelson announced he would be sitting out the Saturday morning session, having just played two full rounds in increasingly bitter Scottish weather.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Facebook or on Twitter.

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