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U.S. analysis: The best team on Friday? That would be the two Texas residents, who won both their matches in convincing fashion. They have the momentum and confidence, and seem to have found a perfect rhythm. Mahan got off to a shaky start, but he regained his composure quickly and was a force the rest of the day. Both he and Leonard are rolling the ball well on the greens (although they did miss a couple of short putts in the back nine in the morning), and when you've got the putter going, well, you end up with the results.

Europe analysis: Neither McDowell nor Jimenez played in the morning Foursomes, but Nick Faldo is hoping they'll be more productive than in the Friday afternoon Fourball, in which both players suffered defeats with different partners (McDowell with Padraig Harrington; Jimenez with Sergio Garcia). McDowell, a Ryder Cup rookie, has obviously not played a Foursome match at this competition, while Jimenez' record in Foursomes doesn't exactly inspire confidence (0-3-1).

Notes: Until Friday, Leonard had never won a Ryder Cup match ... Leonard and Mahan are the first American tandem to win both matches in the same day of Ryder Cup competition since Tiger Woods and Davis Love III captured both matches on Day Two of the 2002 Ryder Cup ... Of the 31 holes that Leonard and Mahan played Friday, they led after 26 of them ... Jimenez produced two birdies in his Fourball round while McDowell had three.

Quotes: "My cheeks are sore from smiling all day long. This was a lot different than my other Ryder Cup experiences." -- Justin Leonard ... "I'm a good-enough player to play with these guys, and that's what helped me a lot today." -- Hunter Mahan

Outlook: On paper, this looks like a mismatch. Leonard and Mahan are rolling, while the McDowell-Jimenez pairing seems like a product of Nick Faldo's shake-'em-up move. But now that McDowell, a Ryder Cup rookie, has a match under his belt -- and he certainly played well at times in the afternoon -- perhaps he'll find a way to click with Jimenez. If not, this match could be over quick.

Prediction: U.S. wins, 3 and 2