HAVEN, Wis. — After three lopsided match-play sessions dominated by the Americans, the 43rd Ryder Cup turned tense, contentious and finally compelling late on a crisp fall day at wind-blown and sun-splashed Whistling Straits.
And yet the U.S. team owns a historic 11-5 lead and is just 3 1/2 points away on Sunday from reclaiming the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2016 at Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minn.
The Americans built on Friday's 6-2 lead with a third consecutive 3-1 session, this one Saturday morning's alternate-shot matches they dominated except for world No. 1 ranked Jon Rahm.
In the afternoon, the two sides split the four foursomes matches 2-2 on a day when players from both sides vanished from sight down steep man-made dunes — created by the late, great course architect Pete Dye — that tumble down to Lake Michigan.
It was also a day when players from both sides quibbled over short putts not conceded by their opponents, gesturing their opinion on multiple occasions.
Saturday afternoon's 2-2 split sends the Americans to Sunday's closing 12 singles matches with that 11-5 lead.
That 11-5 is the biggest lead the U.S. team has held over a European team after the first two days.
It also equals Europe's 11-5 lead entering Sunday's singles in 2004 at Oakland Hills in Michigan. Europe won by a record 18 1/2-9 1/2 the next day.
The United States led 10-4 late Saturday afternoon in 2012 before Europe's Sunday blitz sent the Cup back home with them.
The Americans have 10 of the world's top-13 ranked players and a combination of youth and experience that has made this Ryder Cup a promising new day for them.
But Europe has Rahm, who has kept them in range for two days. But now he is just one man among 12 playing for his side in Sunday's closing singles matches.
He'll need help if Europe will win for the fifth time in the past six Ryder Cups.
Rahm got it late Saturday when Ireland's and 2019 British Open champion Shane Lowry's clutch 11-foot par putt made him and partner Tyrrell Hatton the only European players other than Rahm and his fellow Spanish partner Sergio Garcia to win a match for Europe so far.
Rahm has won 3 1/2 of a possible four points, thanks to Saturday afternoon's victory with Garcia over a new American combination in foursomes, Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth.
Rahm is the only European who will play all five matches.
World No. 2 Dustin Johnson will play all five for his U.S. team as well and is 4-0 going to Sunday's singles.
On Saturday morning, Rahm and Garcia were three down after three holes and still down by that much after five holes before they rallied to beat Koepka and Daniel Berger 3 and 1.
Garcia's morning comeback victory with partner Rahm surpassed Nick Faldo for most Ryder Cup match victories, with 24 of them. He already holds the record for most points earned in Ryder Cups with 28 1/2.
He played in his first Ryder Cup in 1999 at the Country Club in Boston, at just 19 years old.
"I don't know, I just love it," Garcia said of his Ryder Cup success and a matches-won record he said he doesn't care about. "I love being next to my partner. I love hugging him, pushing him, cheering for him and him cheering for me. It drives those moments when I need to do something extraordinary to keep going. I've been fortunate to do it for so many years and I'm so happy to be part of Team Europe."
While Garcia kept adding to his points won total, Ryder Cup veteran Rory McIlroy went 0-3 and was left off Saturday morning's lineup for the first time after 27 consecutive starts for Europe.
Garcia's fellow 40-something European teammates Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood also haven't brought back previous Ryder Cup successes. Neither has won a point so far.
Poulter is 0-2 after Saturday's afternoon's foursomes loss with partner McIlroy to Johnson and Collin Morikawa and Westwood is 0-2 after losses Friday morning and Saturday afternoon with partner Matt Fitzpatrick.
All 12 American players have won at least a half point in the first four sessions. Six European have zero points.
