The debacle continues for the American team in the 45th edition of the Ryder Cup. The Americans suffered a tough day on Saturday, losing three of the four foursomes matches and falling behind the Europeans with a score of 8.5-3.5. This event, which takes place at Bethpage Black, is shaping up to be a “Bethpage Black Blowout”. For the third consecutive session, luck was not on the side of the United States team, as only one of their three defeats extended to the 17th hole. The situation is critical and, unless a miraculous comeback occurs, the American team risks losing the Ryder Cup for the eleventh time in the last 15 encounters. Furthermore, they could fall to the Europeans on American soil for the first time since 2012. The European team has become the second visiting team to win each of the first three sessions of a Ryder Cup, demonstrating their dominance on the course.
In the stellar match, the American team, led by Scottie Scheffler, number one in the world, and Russell Henley, had the opportunity to react, being one point behind with two holes to play. However, Henley missed a 13-foot birdie attempt on the 17th hole, which would have tied the score. In the 18th hole, Scheffler made a crucial mistake, sending his shot from 116 yards to the right rough. Robert MacIntyre of Scotland and Viktor Hovland of Norway had two putts to secure the victory. Scheffler’s defeat, 1 up, left him with a 0-3 record this week. He has failed to win in his last seven Ryder Cup matches, since Europe’s victory in Italy two years ago. Jon Rahm of Spain and Tyrrell Hatton of England continued their good performance, defeating Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele with a score of 3-and-2, which extended the Europeans’ lead to 7.5-3.5. Rahm demonstrated his skill in the short game at critical moments. On the 8th hole, despite a bad shot by Hatton, Rahm achieved a birdie from 49 feet, with his feet in the sand and the ball in the rough. Rahm has an impressive record of 9-1-3 in his last 13 Ryder Cup matches, and alongside Hatton, they have never lost a foursomes match. The only positive point for the United States came with the victory of Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Young over Matt Fitzpatrick of England and Ludvig Åberg of Sweden, with a score of 4-and-2. Young, who grew up in New York and set the scoring record at Bethpage Black at age 20, became the first American rookie to win his first two Ryder Cup matches by a margin of at least four holes, since Patrick Reed in 2014.“We are excited about our team’s position and we must keep the pressure on,” stated Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland.
Rory McIlroy
Europe quickly regained a three-point lead as McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood won again, 3-and-2, against Collin Morikawa and Harris English. Fleetwood has a 10-3-2 career record in the Ryder Cup, the highest winning percentage (.733) among the 51 European golfers who have participated in at least 10 matches, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Fleetwood and McIlroy are 4-0-0 in foursomes matches together.“For our country, it was to step on the gas. Cam played incredibly today. We hit well, executed when necessary, and pressured them all day. They struggled to gain momentum, and when we had our opportunities, we took advantage of them,” said DeChambeau.
Bryson DeChambeau
“It’s Rory McIlroy. I can play from many of the places where he hits. We loved having the opportunity to play together in Rome. Our games fit well. Obviously, we are very close off the course. As Rory has already said, our families are very close. I am the lucky one who gets to play with him in foursomes and I accept it,” commented Fleetwood.
Tommy Fleetwood
