U.S. in big hole despite late point at Ryder Cup

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- Another rout looked to beryllium connected astatine the 45th Ryder Cup astatine Bethpage Black -- and again the Americans were connected the incorrect broadside of it.

The U.S. squad was connected the verge of falling down the Europeans 4-0 aft the opening league of foursomes (alternate-shot) matches for the 2nd consecutive time.

However, aft squandering a three-hole lead, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay held connected for a 2-up triumph by winning the past 2 holes successful the last lucifer against Scotland's Robert MacIntyre and Norway's Viktor Hovland to salvage a constituent for the location team.

"If we're lone going to triumph 1 point, it mightiness arsenic good beryllium the anchor lucifer to get immoderate momentum going," Schauffele said aft Europe went up 3-1 successful the opening session. "We request to get immoderate points connected the committee successful the afternoon."

The Americans looked to beryllium successful superior occupation aft they dropped the archetypal 3 matches of the league -- and nary was close. According to ESPN Research, it marked the archetypal clip successful Europe's Ryder Cup past that it won 3 foursomes matches with 3 oregon much holes to play successful a azygous session, and it was the archetypal clip Europe took each of the archetypal 3 matches played successful a Ryder Cup contested connected American soil.

It was each excessively acquainted for the American golfers who competed successful the 2023 Ryder Cup astatine Marco Simone Golf & Country Club extracurricular Rome. The Europeans blitzed the U.S. squad 4-0 successful the Friday greeting foursomes en way to a 16½ -11½ victory, their 10th triumph successful the past 14 matches.

The teams were backmost connected the people Friday day for 4 fourball (best-ball) matches. Odds are stacked against the Americans successful trying to travel back. Teams that won astatine slightest 3 points successful the archetypal league person a 7-1 grounds successful the Ryder Cup since 1991.

The big squad won the erstwhile 5 Ryder Cups, but U.S. fans didn't person overmuch to cheer astir connected Long Island connected Friday.

Cantlay and Schauffele were the lone agleam spots for the Americans. They were 3 up aft 11 holes, but past the Europeans won 3 of the adjacent 4 to necktie the match. Hovland had birdie putts of 6½ feet connected Nos. 12 and 13, and past helium made a 6-footer to prevention par connected No. 15 aft Cantlay missed.

On the par-3 17th, MacIntyre deed his tee changeable into a greenside bunker, and the Europeans couldn't get up and down to prevention par. Schauffele's tee changeable recovered the close broadside of the green, and a two-putt from 20½ feet gave them a 1-up lead.

U.S. squad skipper Keegan Bradley sent retired LIV Golf skipper Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas first, hoping they'd springiness the location squad a spark. DeChambeau did connected the opening hole, astir driving the greenish with a 344-yard tee changeable to acceptable up an casual birdie and a speedy lead.

But DeChambeau and Thomas proved to beryllium nary lucifer for the European duo of Spain's Jon Rahm and England's Tyrrell Hatton, which made 5 birdies aft the sixth spread to assertion a 4-and-3 victory.

It wasn't overmuch of a astonishment that Masters champion Rory McIlroy and Tour Championship victor Tommy Fleetwood had small trouble successful putting distant Read Entire Article