back nine

Langer, a two-time Masters winner, had a five-shot lead heading into the back nine but back-to-back bogeys on the 10th and 11th saw his lead diminish.

She missed three short birdie putts on the back nine.

“I’m on the back nine of my tennis career,” he says after a recent practice session.

The Americans gnawed away at the European lead on the back nine with Ewing holing a huge putt on 15 to get within one and, when Hull cleared the green by 20 yards with her second to the par-four 17th, the match was back all square.

All three of the American victories were by 3&2 scorelines - and all three were down to American dominance on the back nine.