In the space of a few minutes Great Britain & Ireland suddenly found themselves up in three games and level in the other during the third day greensomes at the Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros.
Continental Europe had enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges at Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche before Rory McIlroy holed from nine feet to win the ninth, Henrik Stenson, playing with compatriot Peter Hanson, hit a shocker on the tenth and Graeme McDowell's five foot birdie putt on the short 12th brought them from two down to one ahead in the top game.
Nick Dougherty and Robert Rock turned three clear against Robert Karlsson and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño, while Ross Fisher and Chris Wood were gifted the eighth when Anders Hansen hit his second left and he and Francesco Molinari ran up a bogey six.
When Alvaro Quiros missed a three foot putt on the same green he and Miguel Angel Jiménez were back to all square against Simon Dyson and Oliver Wilson.
