The European team won the Ryder Cup again. Luke Donald’s held a 15-13 victory at Bethpage Black, lifting the Cup for the second time.
However, thanks to Team USA – Victory is indeed no Come easily.
For most of the week at Bethpage, Europe appears to be winning cruise control. The team from across the pond won the opening 3-1, but didn’t look back. After Friday, the lead was 5.5-2.5. By a four-goal game ended Saturday, the lead had surged to 11.5-4.5.
“What we saw yesterday and what we saw today is unprecedented,” said Brandel Chamblee, an analyst at NBC. “Not only do they have the biggest lead ever, they do it on foreign soil.”
It has long been said that winning the Ryder Cup on foreign soil is one of the most difficult feats of golf (twice since the turn of the century), but this European team looks a lot like it Simple. With the commanding seven-point lead entering the singles game (the score is 12-5 that is rarely cited after Viktor Hovland’s injury), Team USA needs miracles in the finals.
In a brief moment on Sunday, the miracle didn’t seem that far-fetched.
The Americans competed in the first two games of the singles, thanks to the clutch birdie on the 18th hole of Cameron Young and Justin Thomas, while Bryson DeChambeau struggled to win half of the game. Red began to spread across the rankings as several American players still hold a late lead. The road to victory, although narrow, begins to form.
With the first match on Sunday morning, the Americans had only 1.5% chance of winning the Cup. Those odds have steadily increased after Sunday’s anger allegations. With the 8th game between Shane Lowry and Russel Henley entering the 18th tee, the European lead narrowed by just two points.
Ultimately, the bid for a comeback was not what it was. After 5:15 pm local time, Shane Lowry rolled the hole on the 18th green birdie putt and scored a half-point to preserve the Euro Cup.
“This is the most stressful 12 hours of my life,” Donald said. “Scream to the Americans, Keegan and his captain. We know they’ll be tough, [but] I don’t think they’ll be so tough on Sunday. They fought a tough battle. Respect them. ”
When the final putter dropped, Lowry let out a fierce roar, dropped the putter and jumped the green. After hugging his opponent’s caddies and handshakes, Lowry hung an Irish flag on his shoulder and soaked in the moment.
“That was the toughest hours of my life,” Laurie said. “I couldn’t believe it. The Ryder Cup meant everything to me.”
Winning, Europe now canceled the trophy after six of the last eight Ryder Cups and nine of the last 12 – Donald made some of his own history. With his second straight Ryder Cup captain, he joined Tony Jacklin as the only other European captain to win in family and foreign lands.
