GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy (AP) — A capsule look at Sunday's singles matches in the Ryder Cup:
Scottie Scheffler, United States, halved with Jon Rahm, Europe.The battle between the best two players in golf this year lived up to its billing. Rahm seized control early and Scheffler was slowed by missing some good looks at birdie. Scheffler took his first lead on the 11th. Rahm won the next two holes to regain the lead, only for Scheffler to take the next two holes to take it back. Both made great up-and-downs for birdie on the 16th. On the final hole, Scheffler’s chip from the rough to a back pin ran off the green. Rahm’s 90-foot eagle putt settled inches from the cup for birdie to earn a halve.
Viktor Hovland, Europe, def. Collin Morikawa, United States, 4 and 3.Morikawa was the first player to show up on the first tee without a hat to support Patrick Cantlay. He just didn’t have his best game. Hovland was 3 up after six holes and never let Morikawa back into the match. Morikawa only managed to win two holes, and Hovland closed him out with a par on the 15th hole for the first point of the day.
Patrick Cantlay, United States, def. Justin Rose, Europe, 2 and 1.Cantlay received the loudest jeers on the first tee and the fans waved their caps at him all the way around. He missed a 4-foot putt to win the first hole, but made a long birdie at the next and led the rest of the way. Cantlay led by as much as 3 up through 11 holes when Rose battled back, and his birdie on the 15th narrowed the deficit to one hole. Rose made an 18-foot birdie putt on 16th to tie the hole. Cantlay made a 15-footer on the 17th to close out the match.
Rory McIlroy, Europe, def. Sam Burns, United States, 3 and 1.McIlroy capped off his best week at a Ryder Cup without too much stress against Sam Burns. He won the opening hole with a par, but that was all Burns gave him. McIlroy stretched his lead to 4 up with a birdie on the 11th hole. Burns stayed in the match with birdie on the 16th, but the American missed the 17th green to the right and chipped long. With McIlroy 8 feet away, the birdie was conceded. In his seventh Ryder Cup, McIlroy became Europe’s top scorer for the first time.
Max Homa, United States, def. Matt Fitzpatrick, Europe, 1 up.Fitzpatrick was 1 up for much of the front nine until it appeared Homa took over the match by winning three straight holes around the turn to go 2 up. But the American missed a few short putts that kept Fitzpatrick in the game. Turns out this match nearly decided the Ryder Cup. Homa was 1 up going to the 18th and Europe needed to win the hole to take the Ryder Cup. Homa was in deep rough near the edge of the bunker on the 18th, an impossible lie. Fitzpatrick had 18 feet for birdie. Homa took a penalty drop, chipped to 7 feet and made the par for the win to hold off a European celebration.
Tyrrell Hatton, Europe, def. Brian Harman, United States, 3 and 2.This match was never really in doubt when Hatton birdied two of the first three holes and Harman bogeyed the par-3 fourth. Harman pecked away to get the deficit to 1 down. Hatton regained control with a birdie on the 11th to go 2 up, and the big blow was his short birdie putt on the par-3 13th for a 3-up lead. The match ended when Hatton hit a sensational bunker shot to tap-in range for birdie on the 16th, and Harman couldn’t match him.
Brooks Koepka, United States, def. Ludvig Aberg, Europe, 3 and 2.The Swedish rookie’s fine debut ran into Koepka for singles and it was an easy win for the American. He won the first hole when Aberg took bogey, and the Swede won only two holes. Koepka had five birdies on his card, including concessions, and won with a par on the 16th. Koepka is now 3-0-1 in Ryder Cup singles. All his wins have come against Ryder Cup rookies.
Justin Thomas, United States, def. Sepp Straka, Europe, 2 up.Thomas never trailed. He never had it particularly easy, either. He built a 2-up lead through five holes and kept that margin into the back nine. Straka won the 11th with a birdie, only to lose momentum with the only bogey this week on the par-5 12th. Straka chipped in for eagle on the 16th to go 1 down. Thomas missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 17th that would have won the match. Straka needed to win the 18th to give Europe the half-point it needed, and Thomas drove into the bunker and had to lay up. But Thomas hit wedge to 10 feet and made the birdie to win.
Xander Schauffele, United States, def. Nicolai Hojgaard, Europe, 3 and 2.Schauffele was the only American to play more than one match without contributing a point going into singles. He drew the 22-year-old Danish rookie and immediately fell 2 down through three holes. Schauffele won won three straight holes, two with birdies to get back in the game. The match was all square when the American birdied the 10th and 12th holes for a 2-up lead. He closed out Hojgaard with a birdie on the 16th.
Jordan Spieth, United States, halved with Shane Lowry, Europe.Spieth has played well in spurts this week, and this was no exception. He started out with three birdies in five holes for a 3-up lead. He shot the equivalent of 31 on the front nine. But then Lowry rallied and tied the match when Spieth bogeyed the 14th. Spieth won the 15th with a 25-foot birdie, only for Lowry to tie him on the 16th and take the lead with a par on the 17th. By then, the Ryder Cup had been won and Lowry was ready to party. Spieth won the 18th with a long two-putt birdie for a halve to keep one record intact. He still hasn’t won a singles match in the Ryder Cup.
Tommy Fleetwood, Europe, def. Rickie Fowler, United States, 3 and 1.Fleetwood figured the Ryder Cup would be won by the time his match was over. He was wrong about that. Fleetwood still seemed to have the match in hand with a 2-up lead with five holes to play. Fowler birdied the 14th, Fleetwood missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 15th and headed to the 16th needing a birdie to be assured of the halve Europe needed. Fowler drove into the water right of the green. Fleetwood hit on a perfect line onto the green to 25 feet. Once he rolled his eagle attempt close, Fowler conceded the birdie. Europe had won the Ryder Cup.
Robert MacIntyre, Europe, def. Wyndham Clark, United States, 2 and 1.This turned into a meaningless match except that the rookie from Scotland walked away with an unbeaten debut in the Ryder Cup. MacIntyre missed a 3-foot birdie putt at the 12th, and Clark won the next two holes to square the match through 14 holes. MacIntyre took the lead with a par on the 15th, and Clark hit two in the water on the 16th to go dormie. The match ended when both made par on the 17th.
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