Like Justin Rose before him, Tommy Fleetwood has the chance to secure at least half a point for Europe with a gettable birdie putt on 17. But he leaves it short. Match two will be going up 18 as well. What drama here! Fleetwood finds the fairway, while Justin Thomas’s drive fades into the semi-rough down the right.
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (17)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 1UP (16)
1UP Scheffler v McIlroy (15)
Cantlay v Åberg 2UP (14)
3UP Schauffele v Rahm (14)
1UP Spaun v Straka (13)
Henley A/S Lowry (12)
Griffin A/S Højgaard (12)
1UP Morikawa v Hatton (11)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (11)
USA 6-12 Europe
USA 6-12 Europe
… this one’s not missing! A left-to-right curler that’s perfectly judged! Cameron Young nearly threw that point away, shipping a three-hole lead on the home stretch. But he came good again when it really counted. Rookie of the week? Rookie of the week. Cameron Young beats Justin Rose 1UP.
1UP Young v Rose (F)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (16)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 1UP (16)
1UP Scheffler v McIlroy (15)
Cantlay v Åberg 2UP (14)
3UP Schauffele v Rahm (13)
1UP Spaun v Straka (13)
Henley A/S Lowry (12)
Griffin A/S Højgaard (12)
1UP Morikawa v Hatton (11)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (10)
USA 6-12 Europe
Updated
Justin Rose and Cameron Young still can’t be separated. Both take turns to send their second at 18 towards the back-left portion of the green. Rose to putt first. He leaves his 15-footer on the high side. Over to Young, who has one from 13 feet. A similar line. And …
Ben Griffin has just missed a tiddler on 11. So golf being golf, he tramlines a 50-footer across 12 for birdie! But it’s not enough for the win, because Rasmus Højgaard rattles in a staunch 12-footer for the half. Meanwhile birdie for Sepp Straka on 13 to half the deficit against JJ Spaun.
So much depends upon a red wheel barrow this lead match between Cameron Young and Justin Rose. Young was 3UP and cruising; now it’s in the balance going up 18. And both men have just split the fairway. Young’s a few yards further along, so it’ll be Rose approaching first. A classic matchplay situation straight out of the top drawer!
Rory McIlroy’s second into 15 sticks on the fringe at the back of the green. Scottie Scheffler is nine feet away. Something has to happen for Europe. And it does, as McIlroy tickles in his downhill right-to-left slider. He turns to face the crowd, throws his arms wide, soaking up the cheers from a European contingent nearby, and bashes the European crest upon his heart. But it’s only enough for a half, as Scheffler teases in his missable left-to-right swinger. The hardest hole on the course, halved in birdie. The world numbers one and two took a while to get going, but they’ve done so in some style here!
… this one stays up on the left! The crowd celebrate the half as they would a win. A huge let-off for Young there; a huge missed opportunity for Rose. Meanwhile on 13, Jon Rahm spurns another promising European position, a ten-footer that dies on the low side. A chance to eat into his arrears against Xander Schauffele gone.
Young A/S Rose (17)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (15)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 1UP (15)
1UP Scheffler v McIlroy (14)
Cantlay v Åberg 2UP (14)
3UP Schauffele v Rahm (13)
2UP Spaun v Straka (12)
Henley A/S Lowry (11)
Griffin A/S Højgaard (11)
Morikawa A/S Hatton (10)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (10)
USA 5-12 Europe
Justin Rose whistles his iron at the par-three 17th to 13 feet. Cameron Young hits an almost identical shot, to 15 feet. Young up first. His downhill left-to-right tickler dies to the right on its last turn. Just a par. A chance for Rose to complete the comeback and guarantee at least half a point, and his putt is a little bit straighter. He steps up, and …
Bryson continues to close in on Matt Fitzpatrick! He makes his fourth birdie in a row, this time at 15, after nearly slam-dunking his second into the hole from 143 yards. He tidies up and now there’s just one hole in it. Fitzpatrick looks stunned. Can he hold onto his point? Even a half? Meanwhile Ben Griffin watches in horror as a par tiddler lips out on 11. His match with Rasmus Højgaard is all-square again.
Young A/S Rose (16)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (15)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 1UP (15)
1UP Scheffler v McIlroy (14)
Cantlay v Åberg 2UP (13)
3UP Schauffele v Rahm (12)
2UP Spaun v Straka (12)
Henley A/S Lowry (11)
Griffin A/S Højgaard (11)
Morikawa A/S Hatton (10)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (9)
USA 5-12 Europe
Cameron Young’s birdie putt from 13 feet on 16 skates by the left-hand lip. Justin Rose’s putt from four-and-a-half feet is never missing. Rose has won three of the last four holes, and the lead match is now level. Better news for the USA on 12, where JJ Spaun whips a fairway wood from 226 yards to three feet! In goes the birdie putt, and there was very little Sepp Straka could do about that. The US Open champion moves 2UP.
Young A/S Rose (16)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (15)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 2UP (14)
1UP Scheffler v McIlroy (14)
Cantlay v Åberg 2UP (13)
3UP Schauffele v Rahm (12)
2UP Spaun v Straka (12)
Henley A/S Lowry (11)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (10)
Morikawa A/S Hatton (10)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (9)
USA 5-12 Europe
Scheffler is chipping from the fringe. He does so to three feet. That puts the pressure on McIlroy, who is swishing out of thicker stuff. He doesn’t connect properly, the ball only just squeaking onto the green. And the putt from eight feet flies off the face of his putter straight right, and the hole is conceded. Scheffler regains the lead in the meeting of golf’s Big Two!
Justin Rose and Cameron Young take turns to fling darts into 16. Putting competition coming up. And there’s a chipping contest to be had back on 14, both Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy having missed the green. Meanwhile par is enough for Ludvig Åberg to double his lead against Patrick Cantlay. And Sam Burns rolls in a 25-footer on 9 to level things up against Bob Mac.
1UP Young v Rose (15)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (15)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 2UP (14)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (13)
Cantlay v Åberg 2UP (12)
3UP Schauffele v Rahm (12)
1UP Spaun v Straka (11)
Henley A/S Lowry (10)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (10)
Morikawa A/S Hatton (9)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (9)
USA 5-12 Europe
Bryson DeChambeau was five holes behind. But now he’s just two shy of Matt Fitzpatrick, who can’t get close with his chip up from the back of 14 … and it doesn’t matter anyway, because Bryson rattles in his 22-foot birdie putt. Off he strides with great purpose. This looked like a shoo-in point for Europe after seven holes … but now let’s see! Meanwhile Rory McIlroy gets up and down from the side of 13 to escape with a half, while Collin Morikawa misses the 9th green to the right, at the cost of his lead against Tyrrell Hatton.
1UP Young v Rose (15)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (14)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 2UP (14)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (13)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (12)
3UP Schauffele v Rahm (12)
1UP Spaun v Straka (11)
Henley A/S Lowry (10)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (10)
Morikawa A/S Hatton (9)
Burns v MacIntyre 1UP (8)
USA 5-12 Europe
Ben Griffin and Rasmus Højgaard trade long birdie putts on 10. Apart from the DeChambeau-Fitzpatrick and Schauffele-Rahm matches – Schauffele has just birdied 12 to move three ahead – pretty much everything is on a knife-edge … and even there, Fitzpatrick has just airmailed his tee shot over the 14th green, so unless he can manufacture a cute up-and-down, that could be closing up soon.
1UP Young v Rose (14)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (14)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 3UP (13)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (12)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (12)
3UP Schauffele v Rahm (12)
1UP Spaun v Straka (11)
Henley A/S Lowry (10)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (10)
1UP Morikawa v Hatton (8)
Burns v MacIntyre 1UP (8)
USA 5-12 Europe
Bryson DeChambeau creams his second at the 613-yard par-five 13th into the heart of the green. Big chance for eagle … but his straight 28-footer stays out stubbornly on the left. So close. That allows Matt Fitzpatrick to screech his third over the flag and spin it back to four feet, from where he tidies up for a precious half. Holes running out for Bryson now.
1UP Young v Rose (14)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (14)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 3UP (13)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (12)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (12)
2UP Schauffele v Rahm (11)
1UP Spaun v Straka (10)
Henley A/S Lowry (10)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (9)
1UP Morikawa v Hatton (8)
Burns v MacIntyre 1UP (8)
USA 5-12 Europe
Xander Schauffele birdies 11 to double his lead over Jon Rahm in short order. That should improve Keegan’s mood a little. But here we are.
1UP Young v Rose (14)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (13)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 3UP (12)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (12)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (11)
2UP Schauffele v Rahm (11)
1UP Spaun v Straka (10)
Henley A/S Lowry (9)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (9)
1UP Morikawa v Hatton (8)
Burns v MacIntyre 1UP (7)
USA 5-12 Europe
Bradley may have become annoyed by the amount of time required for Rose to get his ruling over the drop away from the stand. Anyway, he’ll be properly fuming now, because having waited for the 13th hole to clear, Tommy Fleetwood finds the heart of the green, then makes a 20-footer for birdie. Justin Thomas, a fair bit closer, misses his putt on the high side, to the right, and they’re all square again. And then up on 14, the rejuvenated Rose makes birdie to snatch another hole back from Cameron Young!
Updated
While all that was going down, there were moves being made elsewhere. Bob Mac wins the 6th to put some blue on the bottom of the board; Ben Griffin is gifted 8 when Rasmus Højgaard finds the water; and Xander Schauffele regains the lead in a topsy-turvy match with Jon Rahm, par enough at 10. Meanwhile for some reason Keegan Bradley is still ranting at the match official regarding that Justin Rose drop. Not sure what his problem is. But he’s got one.
2UP Young v Rose (13)
1UP Thomas v Fleetwood (12)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 3UP (12)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (12)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (11)
1UP Schauffele v Rahm (10)
Spaun A/S Straka (9)
Henley A/S Lowry (9)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (8)
1UP Morikawa v Hatton (7)
Burns v MacIntyre 1UP (6)
USA 5-12 Europe
Justin Rose sends his second into the par-five 13th towards a stand on the right. There’s a long discussion with an official about relief, and Keegan Bradley makes his way over to get involved. Another back-and-forth. Eventually Rose drops onto some scrappy land near the structure … then whips an outrageous chip up onto the green, over all sorts of danger, from 74 yards to six feet! That rattles Cameron Young, whose eight-foot birdie putt stops on the lip. Rose tidies up for birdie and an out-of-this-world win! Arrears reduced to two, and the lead match, which looked almost over for a couple of minutes back there, is back on!
Bryson DeChambeau looks to have left a 16-foot birdie chance on the lip, heartbreakingly so. He bends over in despair … but then the ball, somehow squeezing out a last drop of energy, curls around the back of the cup and gently disappears! DeChambeau springs up and celebrates wildly! As do the gallery! But then Matt Fitzpatrick rolls in one from similar distance, and turns to the crowd, performing the palms-pointing-at-ground calm-down gesture. Great fun. What a way to halve a hole!
Updated
… and in the meantime, par is enough for Ludvig Åberg on 10. Patrick Cantlay can’t get up and down from the side of the green, and for the first time in a long while, there’s a little bit of pushback from Team Europe. So much still in the balance, though.
3UP Young v Rose (12)
1UP Thomas v Fleetwood (12)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 3UP (11)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (11)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (10)
Schauffele A/S Rahm (9)
Spaun A/S Straka (8)
Henley v Lowry 1UP (8)
Griffin A/S Højgaard (7)
1UP Morikawa A/S Hatton (6)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (5)
USA 5-12 Europe
Potentially a huge moment on 11! Scottie Scheffler’s second only just reaches the front of the large green, the flag at the back. Rory McIlroy finds the fringe to the left. They’re 60 and 30 feet away respectively. Scheffler leaves a strangely underpowered putt six feet short; Rory steers his in for birdie, a big left-to-right swinger that always looks like dropping! Level again, and a much-needed boost for both Europe and their talisman, who looks half-tired, half-broken by the nonsense he’s had to put up with this week.
It’s three holes in a row for Justin Thomas! He fist-pumps the air after sending his second at 12 from 200 yards to seven feet, then rolling the putt dead-centre of the cup. From two holes down to one up. This is getting closer and closer, and the Europeans are palpably nervous … so there’s a little scrap of comfort when Rasmus Højgaard’s par on 7 is enough to level up against Ben Griffin.
3UP Young v Rose (12)
1UP Thomas v Fleetwood (12)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 3UP (11)
1UP Scheffler v McIlroy (10)
Cantlay A/S Åberg (9)
Schauffele A/S Rahm (9)
Spaun A/S Straka (8)
Henley v Lowry 1UP (7)
Griffin A/S Højgaard (7)
1UP Morikawa A/S Hatton (6)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (5)
USA 5-12 Europe
Updated
Rory McIlroy, now being flanked by state police for his own safety, fluffs a couple of chips on 10. Bogey is enough for Scottie Scheffler to win the hole … although McIlroy comes close to escaping with a half, but his putt from the fringe stops one dimple short. Meanwhile it turns out that the brouhaha back on the tee was, preposterously, the result of punters making noise with squeaky toy ducks that are being handed out free with each purchase of sticky cherry booze. This isn’t the high-quality match between the two best players in the world you’d expect … for various reasons … but it’s wonderfully intriguing.
3UP Young v Rose (12)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (11)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 3UP (11)
1UP Scheffler v McIlroy (10)
Cantlay A/S Åberg (9)
Schauffele A/S Rahm (8)
Spaun A/S Straka (8)
Henley v Lowry 1UP (7)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (6)
1UP Morikawa A/S Hatton (5)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (4)
USA 5-12 Europe
Justin Thomas throws a dart at the flag on 11, and Tommy Fleetwood’s two-hole advantage has been wiped out in the quickest fashion possible. JJ Spaun has also clawed his way back from 2DOWN, levelling up with birdie at 7. Collin Morikawa hits the front against Tyrrell Hatton with a long birdie putt on 5. And despite Cameron Young duffing a chip from the back of 12, he nails the par putt from 12 feet, spooking Justin Rose into missing a four-footer and gifting USA the hole. Europe suddenly getting properly nervous. The USA sense this is on!
3UP Young v Rose (12)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (11)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 3UP (10)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (9)
Cantlay A/S Åberg (8)
Schauffele A/S Rahm (7)
Spaun A/S Straka (7)
Henley v Lowry 1UP (6)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (5)
1UP Morikawa v Hatton (5)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (4)
USA 5-12 Europe
Updated
Rory takes a wood out of the fairway bunker on 10. Another hook, this time into the gallery back-left of the green. But Scottie doesn’t take full advantage, finding the gallery down the left himself from the centre of the fairway. There’s a reasonable chance Scheffler is less than impressed with the flak McIlroy is getting, and his heart isn’t 100 percent in this.
Rory McIlroy gets involved with the gallery around the 10th tee. Some pointing, and an exchange of views via the medium of the short conversation. His equilibrium shaken, he hooks his drive into a bunker down the left. Meanwhile back on 10, Bryson DeChambeau and Matt Fitzpatrick trade shaky five-footers for the half.
2UP Young v Rose (11)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (10)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 3UP (10)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (9)
Cantlay A/S Åberg (8)
Schauffele A/S Rahm (7)
Spaun v Straka 1UP (6)
Henley v Lowry 1UP (6)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (5)
Morikawa A/S Hatton (4)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (3)
USA 5-12 Europe
“Things are warming up a bit now eh,” begins Guy Hornsby, and he’s not wrong. “The USA need a miracle to end all miracles, but things are swinging around a bit. Europe need to try and quell that, not because we will lose this match, but after the treatment this week, I’m sure they’ll want to make this day count and put a huge statement down to the tournament. There’s nothing quite like Sunday at the Ryder Cup: cutaways every 90 seconds, roars from adjacent holes, howls and action everywhere. Lots of matches only have a hole in them and no one can risk mistakes. I know this is a gimme for Europe, but I’m still nervous. Too many ghosts of away ties past, I guess. An early point, even victory from Tommy and Fitz will take all the wind out we need.”
Tommy Fleetwood visits a greenside bunker at 10 and Justin Thomas reduces his arrears to one hole again. Collin Morikawa rolls in a 15-footer on 4 to level his match against Tyrrell Hatton. And Patrick Cantlay’s arrow at the par-three 8th is enough to tie Ludvig Åberg. Team USA have their chances elsewhere, too, but Justin Rose dispatches a four-footer on 11 to halve the hole against Cameron Young, while Scottie Scheffler leaves a ten-footer for the win at 9 high on the right. A perceptible shift in momentum towards the hosts.
2UP Young v Rose (11)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (10)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 3UP (9)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (9)
Cantlay A/S Åberg (8)
Schauffele A/S Rahm (7)
Spaun v Straka 1UP (6)
Henley v Lowry 1UP (5)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (4)
Morikawa A/S Hatton (4)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (3)
English A/S Hovland (F)
USA 5-12 Europe
Updated
Now, then. Bryson. He walks in a 25-footer for birdie on 9 … and all of a sudden that five-hole deficit is reduced to three! He departs the scene in the big-leggy fashion, sprit restored. Meanwhile Russell Henley can’t get up and down from the side of 5, and Shane Lowry regains the lead in match eight.
2UP Young v Rose (10)
Thomas v Fleetwood 2UP (9)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 3UP (9)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (8)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (7)
Schauffele A/S Rahm (6)
Spaun v Straka 1UP (5)
Henley v Lowry 1UP (5)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (4)
Morikawa v Hatton 1UP (3)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (2)
USA 5-12 Europe
The Scheffler-McIlroy heavyweight clash continues to be scrappy. Halves at 7 and 8, Rory in particular all over the place on 7, scrambling a par by getting up and down from a zone so far from the fairway the grass had been flattened down by the gallery. But it’s a second hole on the bounce for Jon Rahm, reward for wedging his second from 75 yards to four feet. And Rasmus Højgaard gets a hole back on Ben Griffin, the latter sending his tee shot at 4 into the trees on the right.
2UP Young v Rose (10)
Thomas v Fleetwood 2UP (9)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 4UP (8)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (8)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (6)
Schauffele A/S Rahm (6)
Spaun v Straka 1UP (5)
Henley A/S Lowry (4)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (4)
Morikawa v Hatton 1UP (3)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (2)
USA 5-12 Europe
Justin Rose dunks his third at 10 into a bunker guarding the front of the green. He nearly holes out from the sand, but by then the damage is done. Cameron Young has two putts from the fringe to double his lead, and lags the first one up to kick-in distance. Meanwhile on 5, Sepp Straka misses a short par putt and JJ Spaun closes in.
2UP Young v Rose (10)
Thomas v Fleetwood 2UP (9)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 4UP (8)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (7)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (6)
1UP Schauffele v Rahm (5)
Spaun v Straka 1UP (5)
Henley A/S Lowry (4)
2UP Griffin v Højgaard (3)
Morikawa v Hatton 1UP (2)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (1)
USA 5-12 Europe
Xander Schauffele shoves a short putt wide right on 5, and that cuts his lead over Jon Rahm in half. Meanwhile up on 9, Tommy Fleetwood gives Justin Thomas a read with a birdie putt from 40 feet that glides left to right but stops just short. JT’s effort rolls along the correct line … but comes to a halt, a dimple shy. So close to reducing his arrears, but so far.
Some joy for Bryson DeChambeau at last. Par enough at the par-three 8th, after Matt Fitzpatrick finds the bunker to the left. Just the four holes down now. The first step on a comeback for the ages?
Cameron Young makes a 12-footer for birdie on 9 that denies Justin Rose, much closer in, the hole. Meanwhile Ben Griffin does what Rasmus Højgaard can’t – hole out from eight feet on 3 – to move a couple up. Anyway, about Europe’s choice of shirt being uncannily similar to a Scotland away effort from the late 80s, early 90s. “You mean this one, Scott?” asks Simon McMahon. Yes. “Scotland wore it at Italia 90 against Costa Rica, so read into that what you will. Though unlike this American Ryder Cup team, Costa Rica were actually a decent side.” Yep, their winner that fateful day was one of the great underrated World Cup goals, a pitch-length passing masterclass. I’m surprised it doesn’t get mentioned more often. Probably for the best, all told.
1UP Young v Rose (9)
Thomas v Fleetwood 2UP (8)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 5UP (7)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (7)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (4)
2UP Schauffele v Rahm (4)
Spaun v Straka 2UP (4)
Henley A/S Lowry (3)
2UP Griffin v Højgaard (3)
Morikawa v Hatton 1UP (1)
Burns A/S MacIntyre (1)
USA 5-12 Europe
Updated
Bryson DeChambeau is all over the shop. He sends his second at 7 into a greenside bunker, and there goes yet another hole against Matt Fitzpatrick. Team USA’s vibes guy has spent most of the week hitting bum notes.
1UP Young v Rose (8)
Thomas v Fleetwood 2UP (8)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 5UP (7)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (6)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (4)
2UP Schauffele v Rahm (3)
Spaun v Straka 2UP (3)
Henley A/S Lowry (3)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (2)
Morikawa v Hatton 1UP (1)
Burns v MacIntyre
USA 5-12 Europe
Tyrrell Hatton sends a wild opening drive towards the trees to the right of the dogleg. But from the native area, 85 yards out, he whips a lob to four feet. In goes the birdie putt, and that’s a blow to Collin Morikawa, who had made a fairly fuss-free par.
Russell Henley sticks his tee shot at the par-three 3rd to five feet. Shane Lowry responds by knocking his to 15 feet, and rolling in the gentle right-to-left slider. That turns the pressure back on Henley, who stubbornly, brilliantly, tidies up, with the matchplay sword of Damocles hanging over his noggin. That’s the hole halved in the only two birdies made there today. What grace under pressure!
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler take turns to shave the lip with mid-range putts. This clash of the titans not quite sparking yet. Meanwhile Tommy Fleetwood bounces back from the slam-dunk shock administered on 6 by Justin Thomas, par enough as JT gets into bother down the back of 7.
1UP Young v Rose (8)
Thomas v Fleetwood 2UP (7)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 4UP (6)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (5)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (3)
2UP Schauffele v Rahm (3)
Spaun v Straka 2UP (3)
Henley A/S Lowry (2)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (1)
Morikawa v Hatton
USA 5-12 Europe
Updated
Sepp Straka rakes in a 35-footer on 3. Another long putt, and JJ Spaun, who specialises in this sort of carry-on himself, is being hoist by his own petard. Meanwhile back on 1, Ben Griffin screws his approach back to a couple of feet, putting all sorts of pressure on Rasmus Højgaard. The Dane’s chip from the back trundles six feet past the flag, and the putt coming back is a complete misread. And Russell Henley squares things up again with Shane Lowry at 2, wedging to ten feet and tidying up.
1UP Young v Rose (7)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (6)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 4UP (6)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (5)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (3)
2UP Schauffele v Rahm (3)
Spaun v Straka 2UP (3)
Henley A/S Lowry (2)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (1)
Morikawa v Hatton
USA 5-12 Europe
Cameron Young has turned things around in the lead game. He’s assisted by some lax putting from Justin Rose on 7, and a two-putt par is enough. But it’s yet another birdie for Matt Fitzpatrick – his fourth in six holes – and he’s tearing well clear of Bryson DeChambeau in short order. Bryson had a birdie chance of his own on 6 from ten feet, but his flat stick is severely malfunctioning this week.
1UP Young v Rose (7)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (6)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 4UP (6)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (5)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (3)
2UP Schauffele v Rahm (3)
Spaun v Straka 1UP (2)
Henley v Lowry 1UP (1)
Griffin v Højgaard
USA 5-12 Europe
Russell Henley misses a five-footer on the 1st to give Shane Lowry the gift of a perfect start. Meanwhile up on 2, JJ Spaun and Sepp Straka trade 15-footers for a half. No quarter given here, despite the scoreline.
Young A/S Rose (6)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (6)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 3UP (5)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (5)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (3)
2UP Schauffele v Rahm (3)
Spaun v Straka 1UP (2)
Henley v Lowry 1UP (1)
Griffin v Højgaard
USA 5-12 Europe
Justin Thomas holes out from 80 yards on 6 to halve his deficit against Tommy Fleetwood! His ball lands a couple of feet shy of the cup, takes one gentle bounce forward, then disappears gracefully into the hole! Eagle! He holds up a finger of celebration, keeping as calm as possible, perhaps wary of getting the crowd too worked up. Well, good luck with that, after what you’ve just done. One of the shots of the week!
… but the news isn’t so good for Europe at the short par-five 4th. Rory McIlroy’s second tumbles down a swale to the left of the green, and he can’t get up and down for birdie. Scottie Scheffler makes his, and the world numbers one and two are tied again. Meanwhile Xander Schauffele rakes in a long one on 2 to continue his fast start against Jon Rahm; see also Matt Fitzpatrick, this time at 5, and Bryson is in bother.
Young A/S Rose (6)
Thomas v Fleetwood 2UP (5)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 3UP (5)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (4)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (3)
2UP Schauffele v Rahm (2)
Spaun v Straka 1UP (1)
Henley v Lowry
USA 5-12 Europe
Cameron Young teases in a left-to-right slider from ten feet on 6 for birdie. Justin Rose has almost exactly the same putt, but doesn’t learn from Young’s effort, his ball always destined to stay out on the left side. Tied again in the lead match, which promises to be quite the back-and-forth. Meanwhile back on 1, Sepp Straka responds to JJ Spaun’s wedge to 13 feet with a clip to five. Spaun can’t make his putt, but Straka can. Straka can, and now I’ve got an I Feel For You earworm. Not complaining about that. Europe get a warm feeling inside.
American putts just aren’t dropping. Justin Thomas nearly grabs a hole back against Tommy Fleetwood, but his beautifully rolled 25-footer on 5 stubbornly stays out on the high side. A dimple away from success. Hole halved, and Fleetwood remains 2UP.
Nobody’s going to beat Justin Rose’s walk-in birdie putt on 8 yesterday, Hartley Wintney’s finest striding after a 20-foot curler when it was barely halfway to the hole. But a walk-in’s a walk-in’s a walk-in, and Ludvig Åberg sashays after his downhill 15-footer on 2 to hit the lead in style in match five.
Young v Rose 1UP (5)
Thomas v Fleetwood 2UP (4)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 2UP (4)
Scheffler v McIlroy 1UP (3)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (2)
1UP Schauffele v Rahm (1)
Spaun v Straka
USA 5-12 Europe
Justin Rose gets a free drop after finding himself embedded just above a bunker on 5. He makes his par, and that’s enough for another splash of blue on the board. But finally there’s a dash of red, and it’s down to a careless three-putt from close range on 1 by Jon Rahm. A precious scrap of hope for the hosts.
Young v Rose 1UP (5)
Thomas v Fleetwood 2UP (4)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 2UP (4)
Scheffler v McIlroy 1UP (3)
Cantlay A/S Åberg (1)
1UP Schauffele v Rahm (1)
Spaun v Straka
USA 5-12 Europe
Tommy Fleetwood nearly rakes home a 30-footer for eagle on the short par-five 4th. Birdie’s enough for the win, though, as Justin Thomas isn’t able to get up and down from the side of the green. This is a magnificent start by the Europeans, not bad going seeing their fashion choice today is reminiscent of a Scotland away shirt from the Andy Roxburgh era. That can’t bring good vibes, it surely can’t.
Young A/S Rose (4)
Thomas v Fleetwood 2UP (4)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 2UP (3)
Scheffler v McIlroy 1UP (2)
Cantlay A/S Åberg (1)
Schauffele v Rahm
USA 5-12 Europe
The USA haven’t got the fast start they were after. And now another splash of blue goes onto the scoreboard, as Scottie Scheffler duffs his chip from the back of 2. He nearly holes his second attempt, but it’s too late. McIlroy has two putts for the hole from 15 feet, and he only needs one. Birdie beats bogey, and it’s more joy for the Europeans.
Young A/S Rose (4)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (3)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 2UP (3)
Scheffler v McIlroy 1UP (2)
Cantlay A/S Åberg (1)
Schauffele v Rahm
USA 5-12 Europe
Some good old-fashioned matchplay shenanigans on the par-three 3rd. Matt Fitzpatrick dumps his tee shot in a deep bunker to the left; Bryson is pin high, ten feet from the flag. But then Fitzpatrick swishes a delicate 70-foot sand shot to a couple of feet … kick-in distance … then Bryson races his birdie opportunity six feet past! What a rush of blood! He can’t make the one coming back, and he’s just turned a possible win into a loss with a couple of poor strokes of the flat stick. What a gift for Europe!
Young A/S Rose (4)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (3)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 2UP (3)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (1)
Cantlay v Åberg
USA 5-12 Europe
This Scheffler-McIlroy showdown is the first time the world number one has faced the world number two on Singles Sunday. Number one sends his drive into trees down the left, and can’t control his approach, which bounds over the back. Number two finds lighter rough down the left, then the middle of the green. Advantage Europe there.
Cameron Young has a good look at a 30-footer across 4 for the win. But it slips by the right edge. As the players walk off the green, Luke Donald pops up to have a word with Justin Rose, who had got involved in a back-and-forth with a punter after chipping to tap-in distance. Donald probably advising that wasting energy on an argument you’re never going to win isn’t the best allocation of resources.
Young A/S Rose (4)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (3)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 1UP (2)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (1)
Cantlay v Åberg
USA 5-12 Europe
Rory McIlroy misses his uphill birdie putt to the right; Scottie Scheffler misses his downhill chance to the left. The best two players in the world halve the opening hole. Meanwhile up on 2, Matt Fitzpatrick rolls in a missable six-footer to tie the hole. He’s opened his match with confidence.
Young A/S Rose (3)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (3)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 1UP (2)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (1)
USA 5-12 Europe
Updated
Scottie Scheffler first up on 1. He’s been strangely out of sorts all week, but that surely can’t continue. And now he lands his wedge near the cup on 1, the ball taking a couple of soft bounces. He’ll have a look at birdie from eight feet. Over to Rory, and he’s forced to step away from his ball in the face of relentless jeering. Do they not remember how he responded to this sort of nonsense yesterday? Today he bumps up to ten feet. Putting competition coming up!
Updated
Tommy Fleetwood pings his approach into 2 pin high. He’s left with a seven-footer for the hole, and makes no mistake. Europe hit the front in another match.
Young A/S Rose (3)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (2)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 1UP (1)
Scheffler v McIlroy
USA 5-12 Europe
Both players in the lead match miss the green at the par-three 3rd. Cameron Young can’t get up and down; Justin Rose can, though. All square again – or tied, pick your poison – and it’s been a productive couple of minutes for Europe. Meanwhile it’s the world number one versus the world number two back on the 1st tee, and both Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy bash their drives down the track.
Young A/S Rose (3)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (1)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 1UP (1)
Scheffler v McIlroy
USA 5-12 Europe
Matt Fitzpatrick is in position B on 1, compared to Bryson. But he wedges from 100 yards to seven feet, while DeChambeau, from position A, leaves himself nine feet short. DeChambeau’s putt dies off to the left, but Fitzpatrick rolls his in, and there’s a first splash of blue on the board!
1UP Young v Rose (2)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (1)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 1UP (1)
USA 5-12 Europe
Keegan Bradley on being forced to withdraw Harris English … “It’s tough … a strange rule … but we gotta go with what the rules say … he took it so well, I’m really proud of him.”
… and on his team’s chances of turning things around: “I was at that Falcons 28-3 … Tom Brady! … we can be the Patriots today, why not? … I told [the players] to remember how cool it would be when you were 16, to go out at Bethpage Black and represent your country … no matter the score … go out there and enjoy the day … win your match and don’t worry about anything else.”
Justin Thomas leaves himself a similar putt to the one nailed by Cameron Young. But he leaves it one turn short, and a wee bit too far out on the high side as well. Over to Tommy Fleetwood from 13 feet … but his effort is always staying out on the left. Hole halved. Meanwhile back on the tee, two erstwhile US Open champions turn up for work. Matt Fitzpatrick finds the rough down the left, while Bryson DeChambeau – who only has one point from four matches this week – goes long and right. And very nearly reaches the green! What a start! Bedlam, bedlam, bedlam.
1UP Young v Rose (1)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (1)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick
USA 5-12 Europe
… and as for the match itself, Donald adds: “Zero complacency … we know how strong these guys are … they’re very dangerous at singles … the crowd will be behind them … we have to take care of our own matches and try to win the session.”
Donald: injured Hovland is 'devastated'
Luke Donald reports on Viktor Hovland’s injury. “He started stiffening up yesterday morning … tried to go out yesterday afternoon … it got worse and worse … went to get an MRI last night … was really stiff this morning … tried to go through his warm-up but just couldn’t play … he’s devastated … gutted … he wants to go out there and represent Team Europe … it’s very unfortunate.”
Justin Thomas hasn’t brought his best stuff this week … but he did make a couple of big putts yesterday, while also doing his best to conduct the crowd. And that’s not nothing. Back on the 1st tee, he welcomes Tommy Fleetwood in a friendly manner – the pair were kind of bystanders when Justin Rose and Bryson DeChambeau engaged in philosophical debate yesterday – before they take turns to crack their opening tee shots into the right-hand rough. That position didn’t do Cameron Young any harm.
The USA need a fast start … and they get one, Cameron Young walking in a gentle left-to-right uphill slider from 25 feet! The crowd don’t need much to get them going … but by heck, that’s got them going! Over to Justin Rose, whose effort is always staying out on the high side. The hosts hit the lead in short order!
1UP Young v Rose (1)
USA 5-12 Europe
Rose wedges in first. Over the flag. A little bit too juicy. His ball lands on the back portion of the green, and only spins back to 20 feet. The door ajar for Young, but having elected to bump and run, he gets too much of the former and not enough of the latter. He’s 25 feet short. A slightly nervy start by the opening pair.
Pre-hubbub postbag. “I wonder if Scottie Scheffler wished his name and not Harris English was in the envelope. He looked a shadow of himself yesterday” – Fin
“Cantlay going fifth. Going to be a logjam of players” – Tim Stappard
“Was Trump’s involvement in the opening day was an early hinderance to the team? Pulling focus away from the players? Or am I falling into the trap of making everything about Trump?” – Owen Gentleben
The first match takes to the tee, amid the expected bedlam. The USA may be a long way behind, but the towel hasn’t been thrown in by the crowd yet! Justin Rose is two points from two this week, and his singles record is W2 L3 T1. He batters his opening drive over the dogleg and onto the fairway. He’s playing Cameron Young, who has two points from three matches and has been, along with Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas and JJ Spaun, one of the USA’s better players. He finds the rough down the right. It is on!
This has happened twice before in the European era. In 1991, Steve Pate struggled with injury after a car crash during the week; the US star played on the Saturday but another match on Sunday was too much for him. David Gilford was the European who stepped aside. In 1993, Sam Torrance had a toe infection; Lanny Wadkins voluntarily made way, not wanting to deny a less experienced player their opportunity. On both occasions, the USA went on to win the trophy.
Viktor Hovland out injured: USA 5-12 Europe
The neck injury that kept Viktor Hovland out of the fourballs yesterday afternoon hasn’t cleared up. The Norwegian can’t play today either, so the Envelope Rule comes into effect.
Yesterday, when Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald lodged their selections for the Singles, they also had to provide a sealed envelope containing the name of a player who would have to withdraw if a player from the other side is ruled out through “illness, injury or other emergency reason.” The man in the USA envelope is Harris English.
In reality, both captains will have been aware that Hovland’s withdrawal was possible, as he’d been replaced at short notice by Tyrrell Hatton in the fourballs yesterday. Which explains why English v Hovland was the final pairing. Now that match has been effectively struck off, and regarded as tied.
As such, both teams have been awarded half a point. There will now only be 11 matches, and Europe only need two points from them to retain the trophy, and two-and-a-half to win it. Harris English ties with Viktor Hovland.
English A/S Hovland (F)
USA 5-12 Europe.
Updated
Preamble
Oh wow. Oh my.
!
Now, then. We’re either about to witness a procession – let’s be fair, we should witness a procession, because Europe only require two-and-a-half points out of 12 to retain their trophy or three to win it again – or one of the great sporting comebacks/capitulations of all time. It’s as binary as that, and we don’t write the rules. So here’s how it’ll unfold from the get-go (all times UK) ….
5.02pm: Cameron Young v Justin Rose
5.13pm: Justin Thomas v Tommy Fleetwood
5.24pm: Bryson DeChambeau v Matt Fitzpatrick
5.35pm: Scottie Scheffler v Rory McIlroy
5.46pm: Patrick Cantlay v Ludvig Åberg
5.57pm: Xander Schauffele v Jon Rahm
6.08pm: JJ Spaun v Sepp Straka
6.19pm: Russell Henley v Shane Lowry
6.30pm: Ben Griffin v Rasmus Højgaard
6.41pm: Collin Morikawa v Tyrrell Hatton
6.52pm: Sam Burns v Robert MacIntyre
7.03pm: Harris English v Viktor Hovland
… and none of it can come a moment too soon. History ahoy, one way or another! It’s on!
