Congratulations to the USA for their record win, then, and commiserations to Europe. A reminder that Ewan Murray’s verdict has landed, all the way from Whistling Straits. You know what to do: clickity click. Thanks to you all for reading this blog. Nighty night!
As for Europe? Well, it was a week to forget, though what resistance shown by Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia! There were also moments for Tyrrell Hartton, Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland, plus valedictory singles wins for the veteran duo Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter. Oh, and Rory McIlroy’s defiant Sunday best and bittersweet emotional interview. So no, it wasn’t great ... but it wasn’t all bad either, was it? All roads lead to Rome now, so here’s to them regrouping along the way.
DJ will no doubt get the headlines for his 100 percent record. Indeed it’s tough to make an argument for anyone else as the USA’s player of the tournament. Then again, Bryson DeChambeau hit a series of absurd drives, the pick that 417-yard nonsense on 5 on Friday, then followed it with an exquisite chip to set up eagle. The perfect mix of power, precision and pantomime. His old mate Brooks Koepka nearly secured the trophy with an ace. Scottie Scheffler put in arguably the signature performance with his rout of world number one Jon Rahm, who did absolutely nothing wrong. And then there was that satellite-bothering shot by Jordan Spieth from down the side of a cliff at 17, sent miles into the air to six feet, our hero nearly ending up in Lake Michigan for his trouble. A few of the others weren’t half bad either, huh? What a team! And to think, they’re probably only going to get better.
Stricker lifts the Ryder Cup, then hands it to his team. Everyone gets a hand on it and poses for the celebratory photo. It ends up in the hands of five-out-of-five man Dustin Johnson ... who modestly gives it straight back to his captain. This team was supposed to be an unmanageable collection of monster egos. Well, now look. What camaraderie! Although it’s also possible that they all want to get their lips around the bottles of champagne that are now erupting hither and yon.
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Now it’s the USA’s turn to get their due from the Wisconsin crowd. Steve Stricker comes to the big stage in order to collect his prize. But first a word with NBC. “This is the greatest team of all time, right here! These guys are unbelievable! Tiger’s been a big part of this team as well, so shout out to him. These guys love each other, they had a great time together and they showed that on the golf course.” Brooks and Bryson loiter on the opposite ends of the stage, but you get the general point. Then a lovely moment as the oft-emotional Stricker threatens to weep tears of joy when asked where he puts this achievement in the context of his career. His voice cracking, he smiles: “You know, I never won a major. But this is my major, right here!” The wide smiles breaking across the face of every single player on his team when he says that speak volumes. That’s such a sweet moment. You have to love Steve Stricker. You have to love the Ryder Cup!
The teams line up next to each other and clasp hands. Europe embrace their victors warmly. A moment of true sportsmanship. A huge hug between Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy, who has recovered his poise after that earlier heartstring-bothering emotional wobble. And after three days of giving Europe the bird - as was their right - the home crowd give them a glorious ovation. All friends again!
The USA’s ten-point margin of victory isn’t their biggest in the entire history of the Ryder Cup - they battered Great Britain 23½-8½ in 1967, a 15-point margin - but in the modern European era, it’s unprecedented! Before this, the record was nine, jointly held by the USA (1981) and Europe (2004 and 2006), all three of those matches ending 18½-9½. This 19-9 scoreline is all new.
Updated
Final score: USA 19-9 Europe
Yep, Berger’s par is enough. It’s a record win for the USA, a record defeat for Europe. Daniel Berger beat Matthew Fitzpatrick 1UP.
Matt Fitzpatrick, from the middle of the 18th fairway, drops his iron the split second he completes his follow through. It clanks to the ground as his ball disappears into the creek. With Daniel Berger finding the dancefloor safely, that looks to be the mistake that gives the USA a record margin of victory in the modern era ... and consigns Europe to a record defeat.
USA 18-9 Europe
Spieth and Fleetwood take turns to lag their 60-foot putts up to a couple of feet, and decide to shake on it. Jordan Spieth ties with Tommy Fleetwood.
Berger A/S Fitzpatrick (17)
USA 18-9 Europe
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Fleetwood and Spieth both make 18 in regulation ... but only just. They’ll have long two putts for their par. Meanwhile back on 17, Berger and Fitzpatrick share the spoils in par. They go to 18. Meanwhile here’s a stat from Sky Sports: Collin Morikawa becomes only the third player to have won both a major championship and a Ryder Cup before turning 25. The other two: Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth.
Spieth A/S Fleetwood (17)
Berger A/S Fitzpatrick (17)
USA 17½-8½ Europe
Updated
USA 17½-8½ Europe
English’s trip to the creek, combined with Westwood’s birdie, puts a consolation point up on the board for Europe. Lee Westwood beats Harris English 1UP.
Spieth A/S Fleetwood (17)
Berger A/S Fitzpatrick (16)
USA 17½-8½ Europe
Updated
Padraig Harrington, understandably flat, talks to Sky. “The USA were the only team who played on their top form. A tough loss for us, but they just played better than us. My team did everything I asked of them. It was just a tough week on the golf course. It was always going to be a tall order, this was a strong team who had a good start. Really a lot of things went against us. The US had momentum all the time, and you wonder if the crowd was some part of that. When we holed putts there was silence. The reality is, the US played better than us. I am very comfortable with all my decisions, all along. It’s a small consolation that I’m very happy with that. It’s just the way it is. There were some highlights, just not enough of them, and the US played great.”
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Harris English dunks his approach at 18 into the drink. Lee Westwood is on in regulation. A valedictory win is the veteran European’s for the taking. Meanwhile on 17, Spieth and Fleetwood trade birdies and they’ll be heading down 18 too. As will the final match, with Fitzpatrick yipping a tiddler on 16 to hand the hole to Berger; they’re all square.
English A/S Westwood (17)
Spieth A/S Fleetwood (17)
Berger A/S Fitzpatrick (16)
USA 17½-7½ Europe
Updated
These players still want to put up a Ryder Cup point. Lee Westwood chips down the slope from the side of 17 to kick-in distance. The par’s conceded. Harris English very nearly rakes in his birdie effort from across the green. They’ll go down the last. Fleetwood birdies 16 and that match is all square again.
English A/S Westwood (17)
1UP Spieth v Fleetwood (15)
Berger v Fitzpatrick 1UP (15)
USA 17½-7½ Europe
Updated
Harris English is always out of position coming up the par-five 16th, and Lee Westwood levels things up. Meanwhile back on 15, Matthew Fitzpatrick trundles in a 25-footer for birdie and the win.
English A/S Westwood (16)
1UP Spieth v Fleetwood (15)
Berger v Fitzpatrick 1UP (15)
USA 17½-7½ Europe
This isn’t over yet ... but Ewan Murray’s verdict from Whistling Straits has already landed! Here it is, for your leisure, pleasure and edification. You will come back for the rest of the action, though, right? Eh?
As Xander Schauffele celebrates by necking a can of [squints] High Noon, which is a [checks notes] hard seltzer [checks notes again], which is some sort of booze, the remaining matches keep on grinding. Everyone wants this to end, so they can get back to the clubhouse and either make merry or drown their sorrows. Tommy Fleetwood drains a can of High Noon long par putt from the back of 15, but it’s not enough as Jordan Spieth makes his birdie from ten feet.
1UP English v Westwood (15)
1UP Spieth v Fleetwood (15)
Berger A/S Fitzpatrick (14)
USA 17½-7½ Europe
USA 17½-7½ Europe
A pair of pars for Ian Poulter and Tony Finau at 16, and the Postman has delivered again! Sadly for Europe’s brave battler, the box is empty this time, but what a valedictory win nonetheless. Ian Poulter beats Tony Finau 3&2.
2UP English v Westwood (14)
Spieth A/S Fleetwood (13)
1UP Berger v Fitzpatrick (13)
USA 17½-7½ Europe
USA 17½-6½ Europe
Dustin Johnson ends the week with a 100 percent record! He can’t make his putt, but neither can Casey. He’s only the fifth player to make it five out of five at a Ryder Cup, after Gardner Dickinson (1967), Arnold Palmer (1967), Larry Nelson (1979) and Francesco Molinari (2018). Just the third if you’re only counting matches in the European era! Dustin Johnson beats Paul Casey 1UP.
Updated
USA 16½-6½ Europe
Justin Thomas chips to kick-in distance on the 15th for his par, and that’s yet another point for the rampant hosts! Justin Thomas beats Tyrrell Hatton 4&3.
Dustin Johnson is going for his 100 percent record. But he might not get it! Because while he’s found the 18th green in two, 20 feet from the flag, Paul Casey has lashed his second straight at the pin. He’s got a six-footer and will be wanting his half point!
USA 15½-6½ Europe
Brooks Koepka, an inch away from securing the Ryder Cup with a hole in one at 17, wins the hole and puts another point on the board for the hosts. Brooks Koepka beats Bernd Wiesberger 2&1.
1UP Johnson v Casey (17)
Finau v Poulter 3UP (15)
3UP Thomas v Hatton (14)
2UP English v Westwood (14)
Spieth A/S Fleetwood (13)
1UP Berger v Fitzpatrick (13)
USA 15½-6½ Europe
Morikawa and Hovland embrace warmly ... though it’s possible to spot a little regret in Morikawa’s eyes, having missed the par putt for the win and the showreel. Not that it amounts to a hill of beans in the long run. “It feels good, it was a full team effort,” he tells Sky Sports. “Everyone contributed. Obviously coming out on top feels really good. You can feel the fans and really take that energy.”
USA win the 2020 Ryder Cup! USA 14½-6½ Europe
Hovland can’t make his birdie putt to tie the match ... then Morikawa pulls his par putt, but it doesn’t matter! He’s secured the winning half, and the crowning glory, such as a missed tiddler can be, is his! Collin Morikawa ties with Viktor Hovland.
Morikawa A/S Hovland (F)
1UP Johnson v Casey (17)
1UP Koepka v Wiesberger (16)
Finau v Poulter 3UP (15)
3UP Thomas v Hatton (14)
1UP English v Westwood (13)
Spieth A/S Fleetwood (12)
Berger A/S Fitzpatrick (12)
USA 14½-6½ Europe
Updated
But do you know what? Morikawa could be beaten to the tape by Brooks Koepka, who having just won 16, is an inch away from winning the Ryder Cup for the USA with a hole-in-one on 17! His ball rolls 12 inches past. One inch to the left, and that was an ace!
Paul Casey’s long putt from the fringe on 17 stops a couple of turns short. The door is wide open for Johnson, who will win the Ryder Cup for the USA if he steers in this gentle right-to-left slider from 15 feet. But it stays out, the width of a dimple, on the right. Back over to Morikawa!
Or will Justin Thomas make it?! He’s got a birdie putt on 14 that could secure a 5&4 win over Tyrrell Hatton. His 15-foot left-to-right curler stays on the high side. Back on 17, DJ finds the heart of the green. Morikawa, having driven into rough on 18, is short of the green in two, while Hovland sticks a sensational valedictory approach to eight feet. And then you can forget JT, because Hatton then rakes in his own birdie putt on 14 to win the hole and reduce his deficit to three with four to play.
1UP Morikawa v Hovland (17)
1UP Johnson v Casey (16)
Koepka A/S Wiesberger (15)
Finau v Poulter 2UP (14)
3UP Thomas v Hatton (14)
1UP English v Westwood (13)
Spieth A/S Fleetwood (12)
Berger A/S Fitzpatrick (12)
USA 14-6 Europe
Hovland gives his long putt a good run, but it’s not dropping. Morikawa tidies up to go one up with one to play, and the USA are as good as guaranteed winners of the 2020 Ryder Cup! But the Is have to be dotted, the Ts crossed, and so Morikawa and Hovland go up the 18th. Will he get to make the official winning putt before Dustin Johnson, who has just lost 16 to Paul Casey’s eagle, but is still a hole up with the par-three 17th to come? Should DJ win that, he may well pip Morikawa.
1UP Morikawa v Hovland (17)
1UP Johnson v Casey (16)
Koepka A/S Wiesberger (15)
Finau v Poulter 2UP (14)
4UP Thomas v Hatton (13)
1UP English v Westwood (13)
Spieth A/S Fleetwood (12)
Berger A/S Fitzpatrick (12)
USA 14-6 Europe
Updated
Justin Thomas was this close to birdie at 13. Had the putt dropped, he’d have been dormie five over Tyrrell Hatton, and that would have effectively won the Ryder Cup for the USA. But it didn’t, and in any case the half point wouldn’t officially count until the match is complete. That unofficial honour looks like going to Collin Morikawa, who has sent a glorious draw to a couple of feet at 17. Unless Viktor Hovland rakes one in from the fringe, the USA will be effectively guaranteed winners ... providing Morikawa can finish the match, of course!
Morikawa is an inch away from making his eagle, and winning 16. But the ball stays up on the right, and Hovland, having already secured his birdie, makes his way to the par-three 17th.
Morikawa A/S Hovland (16)
2UP Johnson v Casey (15)
Koepka A/S Wiesberger (14)
Finau v Poulter 2UP (13)
4UP Thomas v Hatton (13)
1UP English v Westwood (12)
1UP Spieth v Fleetwood (11)
2UP Berger v Fitzpatrick (10)
USA 14-6 Europe
Updated
Right, then. Who’s going to sink the winning putt for the USA? The Open champion Collin Morikawa? He’s currently all square with Viktor Hovland, but has just lashed one of his trademark arrows at the flag at the par-five 16th. He’s got a 15-foot look at eagle, though Hovland’s also on in two, pin high, maybe 25 feet away. Or will Dustin Johnson pip him? He’s just poured one in from 15 feet to win the 15th; if he takes 16 as well, he’ll close out his match.
Morikawa A/S Hovland (15)
2UP Johnson v Casey (15)
Koepka A/S Wiesberger (14)
Finau v Poulter 2UP (13)
4UP Thomas v Hatton (12)
English A/S Westwood (11)
1UP Spieth v Fleetwood (10)
2UP Berger v Fitzpatrick (10)
USA 14-6 Europe
Updated
USA 14-6 Europe
Sergio leaves his long putt well short, and that is that. He warmly congratulates DeChambeau, who has been magnificent this week, the perfect mix of power, precision and pantomime. You have to love him. Bryson DeChambeau beats Sergio Garcia 3&2.
The end is nigh for Sergio. DeChambeau is on 16 in regulation; Sergio is in a bunker down the side of the bank in two, but left with a downhill lie and little space for his backswing. After a long discussion with his caddy, he manages to manufacture something to bundle the ball onto the green, but it’s miles from the flag. DeChambeau then lags up to kick-in distance for his par. Sergio needs to rake one in if he’s to take this up 17.
Viktor Hovland is a find for Europe all right. He’s refusing to budge an inch against the Open champion Collin Morikawa, and levels their match at 15. Morikawa was always up against it after finding himself up against the lip of a bunker, but Hovland still needed to nail a 12-footer to secure the hole.
Koepka trundles in a tramliner on 13 to take the lead against Wiesberger. As things stand, the USA will win by the record-smashing scoreline of 21-7, and Dustin Johnson will become only the fifth player to make it five points out of five at a Ryder Cup, after Gardner Dickinson (1967), Arnold Palmer (1967), Larry Nelson (1979) and Francesco Molinari (2018).
3UP DeChambeau v Garcia (15)
1UP Morikawa v Hovland (14)
1UP Johnson v Casey (14)
1UP Koepka v Wiesberger (13)
Finau v Poulter 3UP (12)
4UP Thomas v Hatton (11)
1UP English v Westwood (10)
1UP Spieth v Fleetwood (10)
2UP Berger v Fitzpatrick (9)
USA 13-6 Europe
Updated
Sergio can’t get close. His long par putt sails by, and DeChambeau doesn’t even have to make his birdie. The pair embrace as they leave the green, even though the match isn’t quite over yet at dormie three. But jokes are exchanged and backs are slapped, and it’s all very friendly. Nice to see. They’ve both had good weeks in very different ways, even if Sergio’s has been very bittersweet.
3UP DeChambeau v Garcia (15)
1UP Morikawa v Hovland (14)
1UP Johnson v Casey (13)
Koepka A/S Wiesberger (12)
Finau v Poulter 2UP (11)
4UP Thomas v Hatton (10)
1UP English v Westwood (9)
Spieth A/S Fleetwood (9)
2UP Berger v Fitzpatrick (9)
USA 13-6 Europe
Updated
DeChambeau sends his second at 15 to four feet. This match could be going dormie unless Sergio can respond. “Is what’s currently happening at Whistling Straits part of the Brexit dividend too?” wonders Simon McMahon, because let’s face it, someone was going to. Mary Waltz adds: “I am rooting hard for the USA to win. But that interview of Rory laid waste to those who view Europe as an artificial construct that means nothing. Sure, I was cutting onions.” Yep, weren’t we all.
2UP DeChambeau v Garcia (14)
1UP Morikawa v Hovland (14)
1UP Johnson v Casey (13)
Koepka A/S Wiesberger (12)
Finau v Poulter 2UP (11)
4UP Thomas v Hatton (10)
1UP English v Westwood (9)
Spieth A/S Fleetwood (9)
1UP Berger v Fitzpatrick (8)
USA 13-6 Europe
Updated
USA 13-6 Europe
Patrick Cantlay chips up to six feet at 16. He’ll have a good look at birdie. Shane Lowry chips on from the other side, but he’s hitting four, and it’s well past. Lowry takes his cap off and offers his hand. Patrick Cantlay beats Shane Lowry 4&2.
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USA 12-6 Europe
Par is enough in the end for Scottie Scheffler, who takes 15, the world number one never able to recover from that absurd early birdie blitz. There’s plenty to choose from, but that could be Team USA’s signature performance of an historic week! Scottie Scheffler beats Jon Rahm 4&3.
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A word with a very emotional, very tearful Rory, who has to take a moment before gathering himself and talking to Henni Koyack from Sky Sports. Battling the understandable desire to break down, he says: “I love being a part of this team, I love my team-mates so much, and I should have done more for them this week. I’m glad I put a point on the board for Europe today, but I just ... I can’t wait to get another shot at this. [pinches nose to stop the tears] It is by far the best experience in golf, and I hope little boys and girls watching this today aspire to play in this event or the Solheim Cup, because there’s nothing better than being a part of a team. Especially the bond we have in Europe. No matter what happens after this, I’m proud of every single one of our players, our captain, our vice captains. I just wish I could have done a little more for the team. It’s been a tough week.” Hard to watch, yet weirdly uplifting in its own way, because it shows how much the Ryder Cup means to Europe ... and could you love him any more? A heroic performance today in the circumstances, too. He’ll bounce back. Good old Rory.
USA 11-6 Europe
McIlroy nearly finishes his match in style, raking in a long birdie putt on the par-five 16th. It doesn’t drop, but Schauffele can’t make his own lengthy effort, and the first point of the afternoon goes to Europe. Rory McIlroy beats Xander Schauffele 3&2.
Schauffele v McIlroy 3UP (F)
3UP Cantlay v Lowry (15)
3UP Scheffler v Rahm (14)
2UP DeChambeau v Garcia (12)
1UP Morikawa v Hovland (12)
2UP Johnson v Casey (10)
1UP Koepka v Wiesberger (9)
Finau A/S Poulter (8)
3UP Thomas v Hatton (8)
1UP English v Westwood (7)
1UP Spieth v Fleetwood (7)
Berger v Fitzpatrick 1UP (5)
USA 11-6 Europe
Updated
Scheffler sticks his second to ten feet at 14. If Rahm doesn’t get close, he’ll likely be putting for a 5&4 win. But Rahm lands his ball on the back of the green and sends it spinning back to four feet! That spooks Scheffler into missing his birdie putt, and the hole is Rahm’s! The world number one isn’t going down without a fight!
Schauffele v McIlroy 3UP (15)
3UP Cantlay v Lowry (15)
3UP Scheffler v Rahm (14)
2UP DeChambeau v Garcia (12)
1UP Morikawa v Hovland (12)
2UP Johnson v Casey (10)
1UP Koepka v Wiesberger (8)
Finau A/S Poulter (8)
3UP Thomas v Hatton (8)
1UP English v Westwood (7)
1UP Spieth v Fleetwood (7)
Berger v Fitzpatrick 1UP (5)
USA 11-5 Europe
This US team are astonishingly good, though. This is one hell of a performance. They’re currently on for 20½ points!
Schauffele v McIlroy 3UP (15)
2UP Cantlay v Lowry (14)
4UP Scheffler v Rahm (13)
2UP DeChambeau v Garcia (12)
2UP Morikawa v Hovland (11)
2UP Johnson v Casey (10)
1UP Koepka v Wiesberger (8)
Finau A/S Poulter (8)
3UP Thomas v Hatton (8)
1UP English v Westwood (7)
2UP Spieth v Fleetwood (6)
Berger v Fitzpatrick 1UP (5)
USA 11-5 Europe
Rahm tries to salvage a half from the fringe at the back of 13, but it’s no good. He slips four holes back again. Meanwhile on 8, JT rakes one in from the fringe at the front, and he’s three up on Hatton. And to put a tin lid on what is an increasingly embarrassing afternoon for Europe, McIlroy shoves a three-foot putt past the hole on 15. It was for a 4&3 victory and a precious point for Europe, but it’s just the half. He’s dormie three, and still odds on for chalking one up, but that kind of sums up the mood. Europe are a defeated rabble.
Rahm is on a rolling boil, and upon finding his tee shot at 13 in sand, can only hack further up into more trouble. Up on 14, Cantlay’s brilliance can’t be matched by Lowry, and he’s two up again. Spieth wins 6 to move a couple clear of Fleetwood.
“C’mon guys, we can hear when you move.” Rahm’s frustration is clear as he drops his driver on the follow through, his ball sailing towards bother down the right of 13. Finau’s par at 8 ties him with Poulter. Cantlay nearly spins his ball into the cup from 109 yards for eagle on 14.
Team USA are currently on course for a record win. If all the matches ended now, they’d win the session 9-3, and the match 20-8. A 12-point rout! That’d beat - and by some distance - the record victory margin of nine points, set in 1981 by USA and equalled by Europe in 2004 and 2006. Europe have some pride left to play for, but little else.
Schauffele v McIlroy 3UP (14)
1UP Cantlay v Lowry (13)
3UP Scheffler v Rahm (12)
3UP DeChambeau v Garcia (10)
2UP Morikawa v Hovland (10)
1UP Johnson v Casey (8)
1UP Koepka v Wiesberger (7)
Finau v Poulter 1UP (6)
2UP Thomas v Hatton (6)
1UP English v Westwood (6)
1UP Spieth v Fleetwood (5)
Berger v Fitzpatrick 1UP (4)
USA 11-5 Europe
Updated
Hovland’s putt from the fringe at the back of 10 horseshoes out. So unlucky. That allows Morikawa to tidy up from six feet and re-establish his two-hole lead. Lowry and Cantlay trade pars at 13. And it’s a hole back for Rahm, finally, Scheffler having sent his tee shot at 12 into a bush.
Schauffele v McIlroy 3UP (14)
1UP Cantlay v Lowry (13)
3UP Scheffler v Rahm (12)
3UP DeChambeau v Garcia (10)
2UP Morikawa v Hovland (10)
1UP Johnson v Casey (8)
1UP Koepka v Wiesberger (7)
Finau v Poulter 1UP (6)
2UP Thomas v Hatton (6)
English A/S Westwood (5)
Spieth A/S Fleetwood (4)
Berger v Fitzpatrick 1UP (4)
USA 11-5 Europe
McIlroy, having knocked his second at 14 straight at the flag to 15 feet, rolls in the birdie putt and screams a huge COMEON. He must know the jig is up, but his match means everything nonetheless. Schauffele has a chance to tie the hole, splashing out of sand to ten feet, but classic matchplay pressure has been applied, and he tugs it to the left. McIlroy is closing in on victory, three up with four to play.
DJ comes straight back at Casey with the win at 8, and the 100-percent dream is back on. Meanwhile having hit a heavy-handed chip through the 10th, Garcia chips in from the collar at the back. However the birdie is only enough for a half, DeChambeau having chipped close with his second. And in some Its Not Even News Any More breaking news, Scheffler wins another hole against Rahm, this time with par at 11. Rahm, who has been battling to save Europe’s dignity this week, looks spent. No wonder it’s Rahm and Garcia who are really struggling right now, having given so much already. Heroes both, they get a pass.
Schauffele v McIlroy 2UP (13)
1UP Cantlay v Lowry (12)
4UP Scheffler v Rahm (11)
3UP DeChambeau v Garcia (10)
1UP Morikawa v Hovland (9)
1UP Johnson v Casey (8)
1UP Koepka v Wiesberger (7)
Finau v Poulter 1UP (6)
1UP Thomas v Hatton (5)
English v Westwood 1UP (4)
Spieth A/S Fleetwood (4)
Berger v Fitzpatrick 1UP (4)
USA 11-5 Europe
Updated
Lowry is threatening a comeback. He fires his tee shot at 12 straight at the flag. He calls after his ball - “Aw, be right honey!” - and the outcome is pretty sweet, stopping 20 feet short of the flag. He’s left with a straight putt. Cantlay then flies over the back of the green, and he’s got a dreadful lie down the bank. Hacking out from deep filth, he sends his second back over the flag, 60 feet from the hole. He races the par putt miles past, and concedes. Meanwhile Schauffele pulls a hole back against McIlroy with a lovely approach into 13, and Morikawa pulls a short putt wide on 9 to give Hovland some hope.
Jon Rahm can’t get anything going. A near miss for the win at 9 is now followed by another shave of the hole at 10. He remains three off Scheffler’s preposterous pace, and holes will start running out soon. The chances of the Ryder Cup’s all-time record point scorer Sergio Garcia adding to his tally of 28½ are getting slimmer and slimmer, meanwhile, as a wild flay left from the tee at 9 costs him another hole against Bryson DeChambeau. It’s all happening, and nearly all of it for the USA.
Schauffele v McIlroy 3UP (12)
2UP Cantlay v Lowry (10)
3UP Scheffler v Rahm (10)
3UP DeChambeau v Garcia (9)
2UP Morikawa v Hovland (8)
Johnson A/S Casey (7)
Koepka A/S Wiesberger (6)
Finau v Poulter 1UP (5)
2UP Thomas v Hatton (4)
English v Westwood 1UP (4)
1UP Spieth v Fleetwood (3)
Berger A/S Fitzpatrick (2)
USA 11-5 Europe
Another punch of the air by Shane Lowry. This time it’s in celebration of a win, at 10. He’s just two down now. McIlroy moves three up, par enough at 11 after Schauffele found himself trapped in a bunker with a strange grassy knoll in the middle of it, and no backswing. Koepka, having driven 6, nearly drains a long putt for eagle, but the birdie isn’t enough for the win, Weisberger matching him shot for shot. And Casey, in a hazard down the bank at the side of 7, gets up and down to scramble a par that draws him back level with the history-seeking DJ.
Schauffele v McIlroy 3UP (11)
2UP Cantlay v Lowry (10)
3UP Scheffler v Rahm (9)
2UP DeChambeau v Garcia (8)
2UP Morikawa v Hovland (8)
Johnson A/S Casey (7)
Koepka v Wiesberger 1UP (6)
Finau v Poulter 1UP (4)
2UP Thomas v Hatton (3)
English v Westwood 1UP (3)
1UP Spieth v Fleetwood (3)
Berger A/S Fitzpatrick (2)
USA 11-5 Europe
Dustin Johnson is going for five points out of five this week. A left-to-right birdie slider from the fringe at 6 breaks the deadlock against Paul Casey, and he’s currently on course to become only the fifth player to make it five out of five, after Gardner Dickinson (1967), Arnold Palmer (1967), Larry Nelson (1979) and Francesco Molinari (2018).
Big moment on the par-three 7th, where Hovland, pin high, sees his 15-foot birdie effort shave the lip. Morikawa delivers a classic matchplay sucker punch by nailing one from the other side of the cup from a not wholly dissimilar distance. The Open champion goes a couple up.
Schauffele tugs at a short putt on 10, and it’s a gift for McIlroy, who goes two up. Back on 9, Lowry thinks he’s won a hole back on Cantlay, only for the 20-foot putt that looked like dropping to horseshoe out. In fact the ball performs the full 360. Lowry covers his face with his hand in anguish.
Schauffele v McIlroy 2UP (10)
3UP Cantlay v Lowry (9)
3UP Scheffler v Rahm (8)
2UP DeChambeau v Garcia (7)
1UP Morikawa v Hovland (6)
Johnson A/S Casey (5)
Koepka v Wiesberger 1UP (4)
Finau v Poulter 1UP (3)
2UP Thomas v Hatton (2)
English A/S Westwood (2)
Spieth A/S Fleetwood (2)
Berger v Fitzpatrick 1UP (1)
USA 11-5 Europe
Updated
All the matches are now out on the course. It’s a slightly subdued atmosphere out there, with no real European counter-attack developing, and therefore little serious drama. Everyone perhaps saving their voice for the celebrations later? Scottie Scheffler does his level best to whip up some volume at 8, nearly chipping in for his sixth birdie of the day. Rahm is forced to make another birdie of his own, just to hang on in there. And a big roar now at 7, where Sergio’s dismal putt, trundled well past the hole, hands DeChambeau the win.
Schauffele v McIlroy 1UP (9)
3UP Cantlay v Lowry (8)
3UP Scheffler v Rahm (8)
2UP DeChambeau v Garcia (7)
1UP Morikawa v Hovland (6)
Johnson A/S Casey (5)
Koepka v Wiesberger 1UP (4)
Finau v Poulter 1UP (2)
2UP Thomas v Hatton (2)
English v Westwood 1UP (1)
Spieth v Fleetwood
Berger v Fitzpatrick
USA 11-5 Europe
Updated
JT becomes the latest player to birdie the first two holes, moving two up on Hatton. Up on 6, DeChambeau takes three to get down from the side of the green, and effs and jeffs accordingly. That’s an escape for Sergio, who had duffed his chip from the bottom of the bank, only to get up and down for par and force Bryson’s mistake. And it’s an escape for Cantlay on 8, whose second looked like sailing into Lake Michigan, but snagged in the rough. An up and down from distance salvages par. He punches the air in delight. Lowry follows him in for par and the half, and he theatrically punches air too, a mixture of pique and passion, drawing a few boos from the gallery. All good knockabout stuff.
Lee Westwood, almost certainly playing his last Ryder Cup match this afternoon, birdies the opening hole to go one up against Harris English. Meanwhile at 7, just a par for Scottie Scheffler, who had made five birdies in the first six holes. Boo! Get your act together, son! But really: Rahm has carded 4-5-3-4-4-3-3 today, yet finds himself three holes adrift! What a performance by the 25-year-old from Dallas, who is yet to win on the PGA Tour, but already has four top-ten finishes in the majors, and will surely land a big one soon. In the meantime, he’ll surely have his hands on some silverware today.
Schauffele v McIlroy 1UP (8)
3UP Cantlay v Lowry (7)
3UP Scheffler v Rahm (7)
1UP DeChambeau v Garcia (5)
Morikawa v Hovland 1UP (4)
Johnson A/S Casey (4)
Koepka A/S Wiesberger (3)
Finau v Poulter 1UP (2)
1UP Thomas v Hatton (1)
English v Westwood 1UP (1)
Spieth v Fleetwood
USA 11-5 Europe
Updated
Groans at the 6th, as Bryson DeChambeau hands his driver back to his caddy and tees his ball a bit lower. “Guys, I’m still going for the green, calm down!” Plenty of laughter for a player who doesn’t always get the love from the galleries, but is basking in plenty of the good stuff this week. He whips his 3-wood down the track, and while he doesn’t make it, he’s still greenside and in good nick, with Sergio down the bank to the right.
Updated
Big hole-halving putts by Rahm on 6, Lowry at 7, and Koepka, from serious distance, at 3. DeChambeau can’t make his par putt from the fringe at 5, though, and with Sergio carefully on in regulation, that’ll be the hole to Europe.
Schauffele v McIlroy 1UP (8)
3UP Cantlay v Lowry (7)
3UP Scheffler v Rahm (6)
1UP DeChambeau v Garcia (5)
Morikawa v Hovland 1UP (4)
Johnson A/S Casey (3)
Koepka A/S Wiesberger (3)
Finau v Poulter 1UP (2)
1UP Thomas v Hatton (1)
English v Westwood
USA 11-5 Europe
Birdie for Koepka on 2, and he immediately makes up for the mistake on the opening tee. Meanwhile Sergio isn’t wet at 5. He’s got another awful stance in a bunker, so is forced to take his medicine. And suddenly he’s in pole position, because DeChambeau, also in a tight spot on the right, squirts one across the fairway and into the drink. Meanwhile Hovland’s three-birdie start ends with bogey at four, and his lead over Morikawa is halved at a stroke, while Thomas walks in an eight-footer on 1 to hit the lead immediately against Hatton.
Schauffele v McIlroy 1UP (7)
3UP Cantlay v Lowry (6)
3UP Scheffler v Rahm (5)
2UP DeChambeau v Garcia (4)
Morikawa v Hovland 1UP (4)
Johnson A/S Casey (2)
Koepka A/S Wiesberger (2)
Finau v Poulter 1UP (1)
1UP Thomas v Hatton (1)
English v Westwood
USA 11-5 Europe
Updated
Birdie putts for Lowry and Cantlay on 6. Lowry’s effort slips by from ten feet; Cantlay drops his calmly from six to move three up. Par is enough for DeChambeau at 4, and then his opponent Garcia - shades off now - sends his tee shot at 5 dangerously close to the water on the right. And it was indeed a momentum shifter for Schauffele with that par save on 6; another par, this time at 7, is enough to halve his arrears with McIlroy, who couldn’t get up and down from an awkward spot to the left of the green.
Schauffele v McIlroy 1UP (7)
3UP Cantlay v Lowry (6)
3UP Scheffler v Rahm (5)
2UP DeChambeau v Garcia (4)
Morikawa v Hovland 2UP (3)
Johnson A/S Casey (2)
Koepka v Wiesberger 1UP (1)
Finau v Poulter 1UP (1)
Thomas v Hatton
USA 11-5 Europe
Scheffler’s dip in the drink at 5 costs him the hole. He nearly got out of jail, mind, only for his 12-foot par saver to somehow horseshoe out when it looked certain to drop. Just the three up now. On the opening hole, the Postman, who may be making his last Ryder Cup delivery today, rolls in a staunch 15-footer for birdie. Poulter one up on Finau, and looking very determined indeed.
Morikawa looks to have won 3 with a 15-foot birdie putt ... only for Hovland to roll one in from similar distance himself! That’s a birdie-birdie-birdie start for the young Norwegian, who looks custom-built for Ryder Cup golf. Meanwhile it’s an early gift of a hole for Wiesberger when Koepka whistles his opening drive into a juniper bush.
Schauffele v McIlroy 2UP (6)
2UP Cantlay v Lowry (5)
4UP Scheffler v Rahm (4)
1UP DeChambeau v Garcia (3)
Morikawa v Hovland 2UP (3)
Johnson A/S Casey (1)
Koepka v Wiesberger 1UP (1)
Finau v Poulter
USA 11-5 Europe
Updated
Cantlay screeches his approach at 5 to six inches. If that. What spin control! He picks up as Lowry concedes, then gives the ball to a delighted young lad. A lovely moment. Back down the hole, a chink of light for Rahm as Scheffler goes for the green in two and gets wet. Then up on 6, Schauffele makes an up and down from an awkward position on a dust path. Par, forcing McIlroy to make his six-foot birdie putt ... but he can’t make it. A half that’ll feel like a win for Schauffele. A momentum shifter?
Scheffler knocks his approach to 4 stone dead. Rahm nearly responds by draining a long birdie putt, but there goes another hole. He’s not even done too much wrong; Scheffler has started with four straight birdies! Meanwhile birdie for Sergio on 3, and that snatches a hole back against DeChambeau. And a second birdie for Hovland at 2.
Schauffele v McIlroy 2UP (5)
1UP Cantlay v Lowry (4)
4UP Scheffler v Rahm (4)
1UP DeChambeau v Garcia (3)
Morikawa v Hovland 2UP (2)
Johnson A/S Casey (1)
Koepka v Wiesberger
USA 11-5 Europe
Updated
2014 Rory is back, baby! Sort of. Schauffele has a 15-foot putt for the win on 5, but he can’t make it. That leaves the door slightly ajar for McIlroy, who has a chance to tie from similar distance. He pours it in, and celebrates wildly. Out of jail after that wholly unnecessary dip in the briny. Speaking of which, back up the hole, Lowry becomes the second European to pull one into the drink. After a fast start, this is threatening to get away from the 2019 Open champ.
Sergio is always out of position coming down the par-five 2nd. Faced with an awkward stance in a bunker - he’s basically forced to sit by the side as he plays his shot - he can’t find the green in regulation. The resulting bogey is enough to give DeChambeau the hole in par. Meanwhile two putts on 4 are enough for Cantlay to complete a quick turnaround in fortunes against Lowry. I would say this is already looking ominous for Europe, but ... well ... let’s not belabour the point.
Schauffele v McIlroy 2UP (4)
1UP Cantlay v Lowry (4)
3UP Scheffler v Rahm (3)
2UP DeChambeau v Garcia (2)
Morikawa v Hovland 1UP (1)
Johnson v Casey
USA 11-5 Europe
Updated
Scottie Scheffler has flown out of the blocks! He sends a forensic iron at the par-three 3rd straight at the flag, leaving a ten-footer for a third birdie in a row. He makes it without breaking sweat. Rahm, the number-one player in the world right now, has no answer, and walks off stunned. Speaking of stunned, there’s some supreme idiocy from McIlroy on 5, who nearly finds water on the right with his drive, then, in chipping out from the thick rough, bundles his ball into the drink on the left! His 2014 pomp seems such a long time ago. Well, it is a long time ago, but you get the general gist.
A shaky start for Morikawa, who sends his opening drive into the undulating rough down the left, then chunks his chip. His opponent Hovland wedges to eight feet, and there’s no need for him to putt out, because Morikawa’s second attempt with the wedge doesn’t go particularly close, and he fails to make the par putt. He picks up Hovland’s coin and we move on.
Cantlay rolls in his birdie putt on 2, and pretty much expected he’s all square with Lowry again. Meanwhile it’s a really fast start now for Scheffler, who cards another birdie at 2, winning another hole against the world number one and European star turn Rahm. But it’s also a fine start for McIlroy, who goes two up after Schauffele finds greenside sand at 4 and is unable to get up and down.
Schauffele v McIlroy 2UP (4)
Cantlay A/S Lowry (3)
2UP Scheffler v Rahm (2)
1UP DeChambeau v Garcia (1)
Morikawa v Hovland
USA 11-5 Europe
Sergio wedges to ten feet. Lovely chip, but he’ll have no opportunity to make birdie. DeChambeau steers in his right-to-left 20-foot slider, and that’s what you call a statement. Opening eagle! Meanwhile there’s a fair chance Cantlay will be taking back a hole at 3, having sent his tee shot to ten feet and with Lowry down the bank to the left.
Schauffele v McIlroy 1UP (3)
Cantlay v Lowry 1UP (2)
1UP Scheffler v Rahm (1)
1UP DeChambeau v Garcia (1)
Morikawa v Hovland
USA 11-5 Europe
McIlroy misses his birdie chance on 3. His approaches have been sensational; his flat stick less so. Story of his career, especially in recent years. He remains one up on Schauffele, though. Back on 2, his compatriot Lowry makes birdie to move one up on Cantlay.
Schauffele v McIlroy 1UP (3)
Cantlay v Lowry 1UP (2)
1UP Scheffler v Rahm (1)
DeChambeau v Garcia
USA 11-5 Europe
Updated
Rahm never looks like making his 20-foot birdie putt. Scheffler tidies up, and it’s a fast start for the hosts in match three. Back on the tee, Sergio, sporting handsome mirrored shades, whips his opening drive down the track. It’s a wonderful drive, but nothing on the one DeChambeau pitches on the green! Coming down from high orbit, the ball holds. The crowd go wild. The guy’s a star, no matter what anyone says.
McIlroy draws a lovely iron into the downhill par-three 3rd. He’s pin high, eight feet from the pin. Schauffele is perhaps twice the distance outside. Meanwhile it’s advantage USA on 1, where Rahm chips his second to Lowry Country, while Scheffler releases his to four feet.
Schauffele’s chip from the side of 2 is a little heavy handed. Eight feet past the hole. McIlroy has the chance to win with his eagle putt, but pulls the gentle right-to-left curler. Schauffele rolls in a nerve-settling birdie putt, and it’s enough to halve the hole. McIlroy will have harboured thoughts of going two up there, but just like Cantlay on the 1st, he’s clearly not in the mood to keep making mistakes. That’s a fine scramble.
Schauffele v McIlroy 1UP (2)
Cantlay A/S Lowry (1)
Scheffler v Rahm
USA 11-5 Europe
Cantlay settles himself pretty quickly, though. He splashes up to kick-in distance, and that secures a par, forcing Lowry to make a quick downhill birdie putt from the best part of 20 feet if he wants the win. Lowry gets the pace pretty much perfect, but the ball stays up on the lip. That’s a fine recovery by Cantlay, a staunch half, an early nervous negative quickly transformed into a positive.
Schauffele v McIlroy 1UP (1)
Cantlay A/S Lowry (1)
Scheffler v Rahm
USA 11-5 Europe
So having said that, Cantlay blades his chip through the 1st green. He’s over the back and in a bunker, after a very uncharacteristic betrayal of his nerves. Lowry sends his on line, but leaves it 15 feet short. Up on 2, Schauffele is greenside in two, but facing a tricky chip; McIlroy is on the fringe with a ten-foot eagle putt to come.
Updated
Back on the tee, one of Europe’s few heroes this week: Shane Lowry. He cracks one down the track, as does his opponent, the new FedEx champion Patrick Cantlay. “He’s all business, all of the time,” says Butch Harmon on Sky, painting his gameface pretty much perfectly.
McIlroy and Schauffele both face 60-foot putts from the fringe. McIlroy’s effort stops six feet short, so he does very well in the circumstances to roll his birdie putt straight into the cup. Schauffele’s long putt is much better, pin high to three feet ... but he shoves a very nervous one to the right. That’s a bit of a shock, and Europe immediately put a bit of blue on the board. The comeback’s on! (Well, we have to say it while we still can.)
Schauffele v McIlroy 1UP (1)
Cantlay v Lowry
USA 11-5 Europe
Updated
Padraig Harrington gives a slightly guarded interview to Sky Sports. He explains the psychology of the situation: his team haven’t been sent out to win nine points; they’re each trying to win one. He pauses a long while upon being asked whether McIlroy requested the lead spot; it was the captain’s decision but everyone is happy with where they’re playing. He then wanders off looking a little pensive. All the while, his opposite number Steve Stricker can be seen in shot behind him, with the relaxed, content smile of a club captain who has just ordered a triple gin and a bowl of chips.
Here we go, then! One way or another, this is going to be memorable. Is Sunday at the Ryder Cup ever anything but? Team Europe - holders of the Ryder Cup, but in all probability not for much longer - take to the first tee, where bedlam reigns, the denizens of the bleachers in party mood. Smiles from Padraig Harrington and his lead man Rory McIlroy. US vice captain Fred Couples comes over to say hello. McIlroy will hit the first drive of the Sunday singles. He steps up, now looking a little nervous, understandably so given his form ... then just about drives the green, 350 yards away. His opponent Xander Schauffele up next ... and the Olympic champion makes it to the fringe, too. Off they go! Here we go!
USA 11-5 Europe
For the fourth session in a row, Europe are in desperate need of a fast start. Fourth time lucky, then? Well, if they’re to retain or win the 43rd Ryder Cup Matches, they’ll need to do something that’s never been done before in the entire history of this grand old transatlantic competition: recover a five-point deficit going into the singles.
If they manage it, they’ll knock 2012’s Miracle of Medinah and 1999’s Battle of Brookline into a cocked beanie. Hey, you never know, though perhaps they’d do better to set themselves a more realistic target: getting into double figures, which would ensure they at least beat Europe’s worst-ever total (9½ at Walton Heath in 1981) and better the performance of Hal Sutton’s corked 2004 vintage, who also went into the singles 11-5 down and only managed 4½ further points en route to the USA’s largest-ever defeat. Modest ambitions, but you’ve seen how the first two days played out against this stunningly talented American team.
Still, the Ryder Cup’s the Ryder Cup, ain’t that the truth. And its history shows that nothing’s over until it’s over. If Europe do somehow pull off the nigh-on impossible, their fans can thank me for tempting fate afterwards. Rout, procession, or jaw-dropping comeback, let’s enjoy the golf. It’s on! Here are the tee times (all BST):
5.04 pm: Rory McIlroy v Xander Schauffele
5.15 pm: Shane Lowry v Patrick Cantlay
5.26 pm: Jon Rahm v Scottie Scheffler
5.37 pm: Sergio Garcia v Bryson DeChambeau
5.48 pm: Viktor Hovland v Collin Morikawa
5.59 pm: Paul Casey v Dustin Johnson
6.10 pm: Bernd Wiesberger v Brooks Koepka
6.21 pm: Ian Poulter v Tony Finau
6.32 pm: Tyrell Hatton v Justin Thomas
6.43 pm: Lee Westwood v Harris English
6.54 pm: Tommy Fleetwood v Jordan Spieth
7.05 pm: Matt Fitzpatrick v Daniel Berger
