NICK Faldo insisted he and his team were staying in the present and focusing on the challenge ahead in the Sunday singles as Europe set out to win a record fourth Ryder Cup in a row at Valhalla today.

But the 52-year-old six-time golf Major winner will have to hope his men repeat his own feat in coming from behind as Nick Faldo and his team-mates did at Oak Hill golf course in 19995.

Then Nick Faldo, who had three Open Championships and two Masters to his name, took on two-time US Open winner Curtis Strange in the singles and came from one down to win a crucial point with a great wedge into the last at the New York golf club to help inspire Europe to victory after back-to-back defeats against the Americans.

Now Europe must come from behind for the first time on a Sunday since those historic holes at Oak Hill golf course and Nick Faldo, the captain, must hope that he does not suffer the fate of Strange when he led the USA at The Belfry six years ago.

Then Sam Torrance packed his stars at the top of the order for the singles in a bid to turn the scoreboard blue, while his counterpart opted to save his big gun in the shape of world number one Tiger Woods for the final match.

Nick Faldo has struck a balance by sending out Spanish Ryder Cup legend Sergio Garcia out first to face American prodigy Anthony Kim, while one of Nick Faldo’s wildcards, Paul Casey, will aim to halt the unbeaten Hunter Mahan, who has three points out of four matches - only matched by Ian Poulter, who has repaid his captain’s faith in his controversial pick by winning three matches in a row.

Sweden’s Robert Karlsson — Europe’s most consistent golfer over the past eight months and fresh from his win a week ago in the Mercedes Championship in Cologne — will face the unbeaten Justin Leonard while Justin Rose has the unenviable task of playing world number two Phil Mickelson in the fourth match out.

Nick Faldo – sensing the match will go down to the wire - has put Ian Poulter out 10th against Steve Stricker, while StrokeAverage.com client Lee Westwood will face Ben Curtis in the penultimate match.

And Ireland’s Padraig Harrington — rested for yesterday afternoon’s fourballs after struggling in the previous two sessions — will take the strain in the final match playing Chad Campbell.

Nick Faldo reflected on Saturday’s matches which saw Europe pull back one of the American’s three-point lead as the US led 9-7. He said: "It was an unbelievable day. It was America's day on Friday, it was our's today.

"We hung in there and that was the goal, to chip at that lead. There were moments it could have gone either way but the team is really upbeat. We know and believe we have a great opportunity."

As for his singles line-up Nick Faldo insisted: “It was a group effort, it's all about being comfortable. We want guys to play where they want to play and they can set their mind on it. I don't know if this has a theme to it.

“We've been in there for half an hour doing this, everyone was involved, we thought long and hard. It's been an extremely tight match so far. Padraig wanted to go last.”

Nick Faldo had risked the wrath of the assembled British press by leaving out Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia – against the player’s wishes in the former case, but rookies Oliver Wilson and Graeme McDowell came to his rescue along with his pick Ian Poulter.

Oliver Wilson came back from four down after six playing with Henrik Stenson in the morning foursomes against Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim.

Graeme McDowell stepped in for Justin Rose, who was suffering a slight wrist injury, to help Ian Poulter win a famous point against local hero Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk.

StrokeAverage.com client Graeme McDowell, holed a string of important putts before Ian Poulter produced a crucial birdie at the 17th before hitting his chip almost stone dead for a birdie four at the last which Kentuckian Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk could not answer.

Twenty-nine-year-old Graeme McDowell said: “I never imagined it would be this difficult to get a point. Ian getting up and down at the last there to get me my first full point under my belt was pretty special.

“It's massive, I think the pendulum has swung in our direction momentum-wise, we've got 12 guys in the team room who are absolutely 110 per cent up for this tomorrow, we're really, really buzzing.

“We'll be going out there all guns blazing tomorrow afternoon and - fingers crossed - I think we've got the team to do it.”

Golf article end.