A position that's still to Phil

NEVER mind Tiger Woods and his much-analysed (lack of) relationship with the Ryder Cup and team golf in general, the real mystery in the biennial battle between the old and new worlds over the last decade or so has been the almost total absence of interest and/or motivation shown by Phil Mickelson.

• Watch a slideshow of pictures of Saturday's play at the Ryder Cup

The numbers, given that "Lefty" has long been ranked amongst the world's elite players, are hardly pretty. He has not, by way of example, won a Ryder Cup singles match in this century; since the Millennium he has lost to Philip Price, Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal.

The search for a mate for Mickelson, whether in foursomes or fourballs, has also provoked consternation in a variety of US captains ever since the now 38-year-old Californian made his Ryder Cup debut in 1995. Before this week, Mickelson had played with nine different partners, only one, David Toms, ever having any kind of sustained success alongside the world's best left-hander.

Most famously, the so-called "Dream Team" of Phil and Tiger flopped disastrously at Oakland Hills, losing twice on the opening day and setting the downbeat tone for what became a record defeat for an American team playing at home. As Johnny Miller, head commentator for NBC television, said: "They had no mojo".

Still, thankfully for the latest American skipper, Paul Azinger, the right partner for Mickelson seemed to have come along in Anthony Kim. Alongside his fellow Californian, Mickelson came up with 1 points on the opening day here at Valhalla. Remarkably, that is the same number produced by Mickelson in the last two Ryder Cups combined.

The biggest revelation was in Phil's ample body language. Gone were the slumped shoulders and the hooded eyes, replaced by that goofy smile so beloved of white-haired grandmothers everywhere and a succession of high-fives with his young sidekick.

"I'm having a great time," he said earlier this week. "We seem to be able to play a little freer. Maybe we wanted this so bad in years past that we were hitting shots that were a little tight. We have been able to free-wheel it a little bit more here, play more relaxed and make some birdies."

Another key to the early success enjoyed by the California dreamers was their ability to good-naturedly needle each other back and forth. During one practice round Kim teased his partner that there was a "Wal-Mart" (a supermarket) between their drives on one hole.

"The chemistry between us has been great," confirmed Kim in the wake of their halved match with Open and USPGA champion Padraig Harrington and Robert Karlsson on Friday. "Phil has really taken me under his wing. It is really nice of him to do that. I'm learning so much out there while we're playing."

Perhaps most impressively, the American pair battled away for 31 holes before gaining a lead in either of their matches on day one. Adversity seemed to have little effect on their ability to bond or their feeling of togetherness.

"We are going to be pretty tough to beat," said Kim after the pair had eventually seen off Harrington and Graeme McDowell in the opening fourball. "When you are having a great time you're going to play good golf."

Which is exactly what they did, at least initially, yesterday morning in the second series of foursomes. Pitted against the unlikely coupling of Henrik Stenson and Oliver Wilson, the Americans were soon up and running. A par, in fact, at the second hole was enough to see them take the lead, Stenson having badly chunked a seemingly straightforward chip-and-run from the front fringe.

Minutes later, that advantage had been doubled, Mickelson having drilled a mid-iron to within five feet of the cup on the treacherous par-3 third hole. Posed the question, the until-now anonymous Wilson could only find the right greenside bunker. Could it be that the only good decision made by Nick Faldo this week was to leave out his compatriot on day one? Answers on a postcard please.

Worse – much worse – was to come for the increasingly hapless Europeans. Kim holed a 10-foot putt for a birdie and the hole at the fourth, before two loose shots from first Stenson then Wilson led to a bogey and another loss. Suddenly, the margin was four holes and the game was apparently fast running away from the visitors. Cue more high-fives, back slaps and near-cuddles on the American side. Guys, get a room.

Still, if golf can be a funny game at times, foursomes golf is often hilarious. Off the next tee, right on cue, Mickelson hit a massive push up the left side into rough that hadn't see a mower in quite some time. It all ended in a bogey six, a figure the Europeans were able to beat by two. Back to three down.

And wait; hang on a minute. Perhaps lulled into the same false sense of security that enveloped his partner, Kim first missed the green at the short eighth then watched his 10-foot putt for par slide past. All at once, things weren't looking nearly so bad from a European point of view, two down after eight in foursomes representing a far from insurmountable deficit.

A well-played European birdie at the long tenth brought the Americans' edge back to only one hole. And when the home pair butchered the par-4 12th, the match, unbelievably, was tied. Suddenly, the momentum, so important in this form of golf, was headed one way – downhill towards the home pair. Needless to say, the Californian coziness had cooled significantly.

Three holes later, that coolness became glacial when Kim rashly took on a ridiculously difficult shot from left of the 15th fairway and found water. Ridiculously, unbelievably – choose your own description – the Europeans were one hole to the good, an edge Wilson, surely the unlikeliest of heroes, doubled with a magnificent and match-clinching 25-foot putt for birdie on the penultimate green.

The search for Phil's perfect partner continues.