Ryder Cup Match 6: Mickelson/Bradley defeat McIlroy and McDowell

Phil Mickelson has hit a few career-defining shots on his resume. There's the the putt on the 18th hole to win his first green jacket; the are-you-kidding-me shot from the pine straw on the 13th hole at the 2010 Masters; and the flop shot from the deep rough that secured the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol.

Well, you can add another shot to the list, after Mickelson produced the shot of the day on the par-3 17th during the afternoon four-ball session. Holding a 2-up lead with two holes to play, Mickelson and Keegan Bradley watched as Rory McIlroy knocked his approach to just inside 10 feet, setting up a birdie that, if it dropped, would've cut the U.S. lead to 1-up with one hole to play.

With the pressure squarely on Mickelson and Bradley to produce, you had to figure it was going to be Bradley who came up with the big shot. After all, he had produced big shot after big shot all day. But this time around it was Mickelson who produced in the clutch, stuffing his approach shot to a couple feet to secure the point with a 2&1 win over McIlroy and McDowell.

"It's awesome, and right here on the 17th, it was incredible," Mickelson said of the moment. "We played so well, all day. We've had so much fun, and it's what has brought our best golf out, and to close it out with that shot, it feel really obviously spectacular."

Mickelson's shot wasn't the only thing that was spectacular on Friday. The American pairing went 2-0 on the day -- it was the first time Mickelson's gone 2-0 on Day 1 in nine Ryder Cups -- and defeated two of Europe's big guns.

"Oh, baby, I wish I could go 36 more," Bradley said after the round.

The way the American duo is playing at the moment, Bradley will likely get his wish on Saturday.