Staff WriterIf the Ryder Cup has taught us anything, it’s that miracles are rare, but when they happen, they’re unforgettable. We’ve seen two already: the Americans storming back in 1999 at Brookline, and the Europeans answering with their own comeback at Medinah in 2012.
But this year? The United States would need something beyond a miracle—call it a “miracle deluxe”—to pull this one off.
Trailing 11½ to 4½, Keegan Bradley’s Americans need ten points from Sunday’s singles. That’s not just a comeback; that’s divine intervention with a side order of luck. Europe, meanwhile, has spent two days giving a masterclass in match play so clinical it could be bottled and sold.
“They were even better Saturday,” one observer noted, and it’s hard to disagree. The Europeans took both the foursomes and four-ball sessions by 3-1 margins, leading 88 holes compared to just 16 for the Americans. To put it bluntly: every time you looked up, Europe was ahead, and the U.S. was left chewing on its fingernails.
Europe in Control
Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton set the tone early, dispatching Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele 3&2, without ever trailing. Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre backed them up with a gritty 1-up victory over Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley.
The afternoon four-balls weren’t much kinder. Cantlay and Sam Burns never held a lead before losing on 18, while Justin Thomas and Cameron Young were brushed aside when Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry birdied five consecutive holes for a 2-up win.
Tommy Fleetwood, who seems to be moonlighting as Houdini, holed a 26-footer to snuff out Scheffler’s hopes, then stuck one to inches at the 10th for good measure. Scheffler’s apparent answer? A shot that clanged off the flagstick and bounded into the rough. Par. Europe 2-up. Cue Fleetwood’s grin.
As the old saying goes: you can’t win if you can’t get in front. And the Americans simply haven’t.
Snippets of Brilliance
Europe’s highlight reel could stretch to feature length:
- Rahm, from a bunker lie on the par-3 eighth, holed out for birdie just as the Americans smelled blood.
- Fitzpatrick, after Burns drained a 36-footer, coolly buried one from 32 feet of his own.
- McIlroy, under pressure on the 14th, stuffed his tee shot inside Thomas and made the putt while Thomas faltered.
On the other side, the U.S. highlights could be written on a cocktail napkin. Bryson DeChambeau and Young did manage a 4&2 win in morning foursomes, and J.J. Spaun and Schauffele scraped out a late four-ball point. Beyond that, it was slim pickings.
A Day for the Record Books
Europe has already written history:
- First team ever to reach 11½ points before singles.
- First side to win all four sessions away from home.
- Three players—McIlroy, Rahm, and Fleetwood—will feature in all five matches, as will Scheffler, Cantlay, and DeChambeau for the U.S.
Fleetwood, now 11-3-2 in his Ryder Cup career, is eyeing Tony Lema’s 1965 record of five wins on foreign soil. McIlroy and Rose added to their already sterling resumes, while Scheffler extended his winless streak in Ryder Cups to eight straight matches.
Even Viktor Hovland’s stiff neck couldn’t slow the Europeans, with Hatton stepping in and partnering Matt Fitzpatrick to another point.
What Comes Next?
For the Americans, Sunday is a mountain too steep, a wave too high, and a putt that lips out every time. For Luke Donald’s men, it’s the chance to put the Ryder Cup in the record books with one of the most dominant away performances ever seen.
Miracle? That was 1999. Super-duper miracle? Maybe 2012. But this? If the U.S. finds ten points on Sunday, we’ll need a new word entirely.
