While the USA made a gallant bid to overcome what appeared to be an insurmountable lead of seven points by their opponents, Europe won the Ryder Cup today at Bethpage Black on Long Island, New York, with the final score of Europe 15 and the USA 13.
Today’s play consisted only of twelve singles matches. Irishman Shane Lowery got the team to the coveted winning total of 14 points midway through the finish by holing a seven-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole after his opponent Russell Henley had left his putt short online from the same angle only three feet farther, at ten feet. Lowery therefore won that hole to tie the match and move the European point total from 13.5 points to the needed 14 points.
Viktor Hovland Had to Withdraw
Originally, the winning team needed at least 14.5 points. But an unusual incident happened that called for the elimination of one of the matches and just counting as a tie. That changed the needed point total 14 points to win instead of the usual 14.5 points. On Saturday, European player Viktor Hovland got neck pain and had to withdraw in the afternoon. He then got an MRI, it showed a bulging disc in his neck, and the doctor recommended he not play the next day in the singles matches. Team captain then announced it, and that changed the needed point total to 14.
The USA Was Making a Charge Today
The USA was making an electrifying charge today. The matches started even and then the Americans charged in front. Bryson de Chambeau had come from five holes down in his match to tie at the end. And in the feature match of the day, between Scheffler and McIlroy, Scheffler won one up on the 18th hole. It was becoming conceivable near the end today that the Americans could have overcome that huge 7 point deficit. But on the 18th hole, when Henley missed and Lowry made, that was “game over.”
When his putt disappeared, the boisterous Irishman Lowry then started jumping around in celebration as if he might come out of his shoes. Team Europe then had one big hugfest after another. They’ve got quite a streak going. In the last 15 Ryder Cups, thus 30 year since it is a biennial affair, Team Europe has won eleven of them.
The USA Can’t Figure It Out. Making Putts Is Key
On the scorecard, it looks like Team USA in every competition has just as much talent as Team Europe or more. But something just happens to these European pro golfers that makes them the winner so many times. The Americans haven’t figured out what it is. For, this week, they seemed to have just as much camaraderie as the Europeans did. But the first two days, the Americans weren’t making the putts and theEuropeans were. It seemed to me that the main reason was the Americans couldn’t read the greens.
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