Continental Europe shaded the morning foursomes session on day three of the Seve Trophy by Golf+ to restore their two-point advantage.
Great Britain & Ireland had trimmed the deficit to one on day two with a good display in the fourballs, but José María Olazábal’s men edged the single-ball format 2 ½ - 1 ½ this morning to lead 8-6 overall.
Joost Luiten and Gregory Bourdy took their formidable record to three points from three with four birdies in their last five holes giving them a 2 and 1 victory over Jamie Donaldson and Marc Warren.
Nicolas Colsaerts and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño were unable to extend their 100 per cent record as Paul Lawrie and Stephen Gallacher came from three down to earn a half – both sides missing putts on the final green.
Chris Wood and Scott Jamieson were never behind as they beat Francesco Molinari and Thorbjørn Olesen 2 and 1, but Miguel Angel Jiménez and Matteo Manassero held off a late fightback from Paul Casey and Tommy Fleetwood to win by a single hole.
Both captains rang the changes for the afternoon foursomes, with Olesen and Molinari making way for Thomas Björn and Mikko Ilonen, while GB&I captain Sam Torrance brought in David Lynn for Fleetwood, with Simon Khan again resting a back problem.
“I think both teams have been pretty level. It's just tiny little things - I cannot pinpoint why we managed to win this morning.
“Joost is playing well of late and Gregory is a solid player. Sometimes he lacks a little bit of self belief, but I think playing with Joost he sees that good companion beside him and they managed to do well.”
In this morning’s opening encounter Lawrie and Gallacher had looked unlikely to avenge their tournament-record 6 and 5 fourballs defeat at the hands of Colsaerts and Fernandez-Castaño on Friday as some inspired golf from the Spaniard put the Continental Europeans three up after eight holes.
The Scots won the ninth, but it was not until birdies at the 16th at the 17th that they managed to level the contest.
Gallacher’s 15 foot birdie putt at the last lipped out, leaving Fernandez-Castaño a ten footer for victory which he could not convert.
GB&I pair Donaldson and Warren led for much of the second game, but could find no reply when Bourdy and Luiten went on a late birdie blitz.
Jamieson and Wood trailed twice on the front nine, but birdies at the 14th and 16th sealed the third game in their favour, while Fleetwood’s superb approach to the 17th set up an eagle for Casey to take the match down the 18th; only for a poor drive down the last to leave them unable to clinch a half point.
Colsaerts and Fernandez-Castaño were to renew acquaintances with Lawrie and Gallacher in the top match of the afternoon session, before Björn and Ilonen came in to face Donaldson and Warren.Luiten and Bourdy put their perfect record on the line against Wood and Jamieson in game three, with Casey and Lynn meeting Jiménez and Manassero in the final match.
“We had a great fight and it was an amazing victory I think today,” said Bourdy. “We came back from actually something bad and we just had some good words from also Chema, our captain, and I think we have more confidence after that, and I think we played a great game on the back nine to win on 17.”
As the afternoon session began, it was Lawrie and Gallacher who stormed into a three up lead – remarkably two of their four hole wins coming with bogeys.
The second game out was all square through ten holes, but Continental Europe were two up in the third and fourth matches as they looked to build a commanding lead ahead of Sunday’s singles.
Colsaerts and Fernandez-Castaño’s chances of matching their opponents in coming back from three down suffered a blow when Lawrie holed a six foot birdie putt at the 11th to extend the lead to four.
Donaldson and Warren went one up with a birdie at the long 15th, and found themselves dormie two when the Welshman’s 30 foot putt dropped when it looked to be going ten feet past had the cup not intervened.
The third and fourth matches were both going Europe’s way by a single hole, after Jamieson’s eight foot par effort lipped out at the 13th.
