The 45th Ryder Cup is in the books, with Europe retaining the Cup after a 15-13 defeat of the U.S. in its backyard at Bethpage Black. We call ’em like we see ’em around here. They are:
2025 Ryder Cup Day 3 Winners
The 2027 Ryder Cup: “Looking ahead to the next one” got a head start thanks to a lopsided first two days, and the Americans’ fierce Sunday comeback just whets the appetite more for Adare Manor.
Luke Donald: Joins Tony Jacklin as the only European captain to win a Ryder Cup and then retain on American soil (1985, ’87), having pushed all the right buttons with two days of flawless lineups. His stomach couldn’t have been doing well around 5 p.m. ET Sunday, but in the end he’s a Ryder Cup legend.
Shane Lowry: Couldn’t have fathomed that he’d deliver the Cup clincher from Match 8 but answered the call, fighting back from 2 down with four to play with a 3–3–3–3 finish including the iconic birdie at 18. And his emotions are always on his sleeve, which is wonderful for us.
SHANE LOWRY COMES UP CLUTCH TO RETAIN THE RYDER CUP! #TeamEurope | #OurTimeOurPlace pic.twitter.com/Q6LKpWr0aQ
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 28, 2025
Justin Thomas: For all the superlatives Europe notched this week, one was derailed Sunday: Tommy Fleetwood’s chase to become the sixth Ryder Cup player with a perfect 5–0–0 record. JT only led for one hole in the first 17 but took the last one with an earth-shaking birdie to now own a 4–0–0 record in Ryder Cup singles; the only other American to win his first four singles matches is Sam Snead.
Cameron Young: The native New Yorker and Ryder Cup rookie was one of just two Americans to earn three points (Xander Schauffele the other), going 3–1 including a gutty leadoff singles win over Justin Rose with a birdie at the 18th—followed by emotion we’ve never seen. If the U.S. can pull itself out of the gutter of this event in the coming years, Young will be a big part of it.
2025 Ryder Cup Day 3 Losers
Keegan Bradley: The Sunday rally allows the history books to show this Ryder Cup to be closer than it really was, but his strategy for the first two days completely missed the mark. Yes, Europe was a juggernaut, made all the putts, has some legendary Ryder Cup players and maybe its best-ever captain, but the bottom line is only five U.S. teams have lost at home and Bradley captained one of them. When asked if he’d change anything he mentioned course setup—is that all? He may avoid the ridicule that Zach Johnson is still enduring but the sting won’t be any less.
“The Envelope”: Might it be time to revisit this quirky part of the Ryder Cup bylaws? As the U.S. mounted its furious Sunday rally, the possibility of a 14–14 tie was very possible, in which case the fact that one singles match (the final one on the board, as it turned out) was canceled and declared a tie due to one player’s injury would have been enormous. In Solheim and Presidents Cups, such an instance would be a forfeit and the point awarded to the other team. Is that a better solution?
Russell Henley: Hoo boy, he’s going to see that just-short birdie putt at 18 in his nightmares for the rest of his life. As it turned out, the Collin Morikawa/Tyrrell Hatton tied match minutes later would have also retained the Cup for Europe and the Sam Burns/Robert MacIntyre tie left the final margin at two points (15–13), but still. Tough one to swallow.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025 Ryder Cup Day 3 Winners and Losers: Shane Lowry Becomes the Hero.
