Place: Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, Rome Appointment: September 29 – October 1 |
Blanket: Live radio commentary on BBC Sounds, live text updates on the BBC Sport website and daily highlights on BBC Two |
Luke Donald endured a “roller coaster of emotions” as Europe regained the Ryder Cup in dramatic fashion in Rome.
With Europe needing four points from Sunday’s 12 singles matches to beat the United States, Tommy Fleetwood won the 11th match to surpass the required 14½.
And in front of hundreds of fans crowded around the 18th green, Irishman Shane Lowry won a 16½-11½ victory.
“It looked good at the start, but then it looked like it could be a bad day,” European captain Donald told BBC Sport.
“Our guys held on as I expected them to. The first two days were key in allowing us to consolidate our lead.
“The Americans are very strong in singles, but there were 12 of us. Everyone contributed. I love these guys – you need your superstars to show up and they did.
“I pulled out all the stops and I’m so happy they were able to win.”
It extends Europe’s unbeaten home run beyond 30 years and also means the last five Ryder Cups have been won by the home team.
US captain Zach Johnson said: “Europe and Luke played well and they deserved it” before taking responsibility for their defeat, admitting he had “made some bad decisions”.
“It’s quite simple, we were dominated,” he added. “We showed courage and heart, it got interesting. It fluctuated, it gained momentum. I’m proud of my guys.”
Donald’s mantra all week was to get off to a “fast start” and his players delivered on their promises on Friday and Saturday, winning the two morning sessions 4-0 and 3-1 as Europe built a 10½- 5½ to take Sunday.
And the Englishman, who won all four Ryder Cups he played as a player, stacked the best singles matches with his best players.
The plan seemed to be working, with the European blues flooding the scoreboards as they led in five of the first six matches, to the delight of most of the estimated 55,000 fans at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.
World number four Viktor Hovland scored the first point, winning three after six against Collin Morikawa before sealing a 4&3 victory.
But it was the high-profile match that provided all the drama.
World number three Jon Rahm faced top-ranked American Scottie Scheffler in a heavyweight contest that was the Ryder Cup in microcosm, ebbing and flowing as momentum shifted between the two.
Rahm was two ahead after five, then Scheffler fought back with three birdies in the next six holes to take a lead after 11.
The intensity increased when Rahm birdied the next two to regain the lead; Scheffler fought back with successive birdies of his own to win the next two.
But the American failed to land the final blow, missing by 15 feet to win the match on the 17th.
And when Rahm holed a putt from about 60 feet to six inches on the last, it proved enough to earn a half point, give Europe a 12-6 lead and ensure he finishes undefeated with three points in four matches.
World number two Rory McIlroy and England’s Tyrrell Hatton added two more points, with the Northern Irishman finishing Europe’s top scorer in four out of five matches, while Hatton finished with three and a half points.
Neither player was behind as they beat Sam Burns and Open champion Brian Harman respectively to take Europe to 14 points and on the verge of regaining the trophy they lost so heavily at Whistling Straits in 2021.
But the search for the vital half-point has even Donald scratching his head.
“We kept looking at the table and asking ourselves: Where will we find 14 and a half points?” he said.
Patrick Cantlay, whose caddy Joe LaCava had been at the center of an ugly confrontation with McIlroy at the end of Saturday’s four-ball, put the first red point on the board, fending off a Justin Rose fightback before sinking a birdie putt winning on the 17th.
And the American team scored the next three points, with five-time major champion Brooks Koepka beating rookie Ludvig Aberg 3&2, moments before Max Homa beat Matt Fitzpatrick in the last, while Xander Schauffele beat Nicolai Hojgaard 3&2.
Despite his defeat, England’s Fitzpatrick made a putt to secure the missing half point at 3:28 p.m. BST. Thirty minutes later however, the cup was all but assured when Fleetwood went two up with two to play against Rickie Fowler.
And Fleetwood sealed their point on the 17th to spark scenes of jubilation all along the way as fans flocked on the 18th to join in the celebrations.
Behind him, Scotsman Bob MacIntyre provided the safety net. He never trailed US Open champion Wyndham Clark and also won on the 17th to record point number 16 as he finished his first Ryder Cup undefeated on two and a half points, while Lowry had thousands of fans for company as his match against Jordan Spieth unfolded. the last.
The Irishman came back from three points down after five and won the 17th with a par to go up a point and secure another half-point.
A birdie from Spieth meant the match ended amid what Lowry called “carnage” as he and the commissioners tried to keep fans out of the putting surface.
The half point meant the singles finished six points apiece and all thoughts now turned to Bethpage, New York, for the 45th edition of the Ryder Cup in September 2025.