Browsing: Ryder

His second Ryder Cup victory as captain barely finalized, Luke Donald was already being showered on Bethpage’s 18th green with chants of, “Two more years!†That included several players and even someone from his immediate family. Donald is already the betting favorite to lead a third European team at Adare Manor in 2027, though if he opts to step down, perhaps he’ll take an assistant’s role under Justin Rose, the 45-year-old and six-time Ryder Cupper who starred again in New York but is certainly nearing the end as a competitor. Either way, it’s surely one of those two for Europe.

As for the Americans, there is far more captain uncertainty.

Keegan Bradley is the early favorite to run it back in Ireland in two years, while the group of contenders is crowded behind him. One option that has already been ruled out is Phil Mickelson, who took to social media this weekend to take his name out of the hat, if it was even in the hat because of his move to LIV Golf three years ago.

“No rumors,†Mickelson wrote. “My Ryder Cup involvement is over. I’m happy being a spectator and rooting for Team USA.â€

Let’s size up some candidates for 2027 U.S. Ryder Cup captain:

1. Keegan Bradley

Bradley and his assistant captains showed some ineptitude with analytics when it came to a few pairings, but where he most went wrong was with the setup. Perhaps it was telling that on Saturday night he said, “I think historically we play faster greens on the PGA Tour than they do.†News flash: Every member of the European team is a full-time PGA Tour (or LIV) member, some for over a decade. It’s almost as if they thought they were still playing the likes of Donald and Lee Westwood; this modern European squad, one loaded with firepower, feasted on a benign Bethpage with little rough. All that said, where Europe has found an advantage is with continuity, from the top down. The U.S. might not have a better option than to run Bradley back, letting him correct mistakes, which, credit to him, he admitted to. The good news is the away captain doesn’t control the setup.

It is not easy being Shane Lowry. Such a close friendship with Rory McIlroy means not only is sporting comparison inevitable but questions towards Lowry are routinely framed with the Northern Irishman in mind. What does Rory think, what would Rory say. Lowry takes it all in good spirit – the vast majority of the time – when he would be entitled to roll his eyes. That also applies to the rogue depiction of the hard-drinking Irishman who has a natural talent for his sport that removes a need for hard work. There are few more dedicated or serious performers than Lowry. He cares almost too much.

McIlroy’s outstanding achievements in golf do not extend to what Lowry produced on Sunday. A stirring comeback from the USA had left Europe in serious danger of letting the Ryder Cup slip through a dozen pairs of hands. It was left to Lowry and a 6ft putt on the final green at Bethpage Black to ensure at least a tie. The man American fans had called a Teletubby over the Ryder Cup’s earlier two days would enjoy the last, deafening laugh. “I still can’t believe it,†Lowry said on Monday morning.

Had Lowry missed, Europe were staring at sporting disaster. His teammates were dropping like flies. If it was only natural to look at the negative, Lowry’s mindset was different. He had turned to his caddie, Darren Reynolds, earlier on the 18th hole. “I have a chance to do the coolest thing in my life here,†Lowry told his bag man. “I did it. And I’m very proud of myself.†On the green, Lowry thought of Martin Kaymer’s converted putt, in identical circumstances for Europe, at Medinah in 2012.

Lowry has an uncanny knack of being at the epicentre of storied events. He was invited to the 2009 Irish Open as an amateur and won. When the Open Championship returned to Ireland a decade later, he prevailed again. Lowry’s latest moment in the sun came on the very day his brother’s wife was having a baby. The golfer’s father, Brendan, an All-Ireland football champion in 1982, looked on as the Bethpage putt dropped.

Lowry’s celebration – so euphoric and so natural – was wonderfully endearing. He had to pause for air at the end. And to think, Shane once dreamed of following in Brendan’s sporting footsteps. He was instead destined to shine on a global stage.

The plan did not involve it all coming down to Lowry of course. He was in match eight of 11 Sunday singles. Europe started the session needing only two points to retain the cup. Yet the very point of putting Lowry – plus Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre – at the base of the draw was just in case their games were needed. “I didn’t envision myself going up the 18th needing a birdie to retain the Ryder Cup,†Lowry admitted. “It was the worst two hours of my life. It was horrible.â€

There was also an element of redemption. Lowry had yearned to play in the Ryder Cup before receiving a wildcard pick for Whistling Straits in 2021. His debut, in partnership with McIlroy, involved a heavy defeat against Tony Finau and Harris English. Lowry lost in the singles against Patrick Cantlay as the USA inflicted a record defeat on Europe. Much is made of McIlroy’s tears in Wisconsin but Lowry was similarly distraught. “No matter how long I play, for the rest of my career I’ll want to be part of this team,†Lowry said at the time. Through a subsequent changing of the guard, Lowry has remained part of the European group who have won back-to-back cups.

Lowry is mobbed by fans as the celebrations get under way in earnest. Photograph: Harry How/Getty Images

Lowry is hugely respected among his European teammates. He has influence and fuels camaraderie way beyond the golf course. He is a great storyteller, quick-witted and does a fine line in self-deprecation. The 38‑year‑old is fiercely loyal, not least towards McIlroy. Lowry is in fact central to everything that makes Europe so successful as a team; everything the USA cannot seem to get quite right.

“I’m so proud of Shane,†McIlroy said. “I’m so grateful to have him in my life. Honestly, he put his arm around me on Saturday afternoon and he was a big reason we won that point. He has been immense this week.

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“This is Shane’s third Ryder Cup and it is his best performance, absolutely immense. What Shane did will stay with [him] for the rest of his career.â€

McIlroy’s assessment, as ever, is spot on. He was clearly tired during the fourball session on day two when Lowry stepped forward. It needn’t always be the Rory show. The big brother he never had helped out.

“You think back to the Irish greats in the game, they have all holed putts to win the Ryder Cup and I got my moment,†Lowry added, in reference to Eamonn Darcy, Philip Walton, Paul McGinley, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke. Lowry is proud of his heritage and his homeland.

Thoughts will turn inevitably towards how Lowry might build on this. He has the ability to add to his solitary major success. In two years’ time, he will be back on Team Europe at Adare Manor. He is a future captain in waiting. But that big picture can wait. MacIntyre revealed he and Lowry planned to vanish into New York. It will prove impossible for either to remain invisible.

The 45th Ryder Cup is in the books, and it was Europe holding off the U.S., 15-13, despite winning just one singles match on Sunday at Bethpage Black.

The Europeans dominated the first two days, riding its stars to a record, seven-point lead through four sessions, but a day later, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm all lost to give the Americans hope. Scottie Scheffler closed with a singles point over McIlroy, though it only salvaged a 1-4 week.

In the end, Europe claimed its ninth Ryder Cup in the last 12 editions.

Here’s how we’re grading each players’ performance:

Europe

Tommy Fleetwood – A

Record: 4-1
Strokes gained total: +6.24
Comments: Not only the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award winner but the MVP as well. Let Justin Thomas steal a singles point on the back nine Sunday, but prior to that he was nails, going undefeated in team play alongside Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose. The iron play was spectacular, and at 11-4-2 in his career – 6-0 in foursomes alone – he’s quickly climbing the ranks of all-time European Ryder Cuppers.

Justin Rose – A-

Record: 2-1
Strokes gained total: +4.59
Comments: At 45 years old, this could be Rose’s final Ryder Cup. If it is, what a way to go out for the veteran, now 16-10-3. He turned in the best putting performance of the week, by far, in Saturday four-balls while sparring with Bryson DeChambeau and a couple caddies. And he battled back against the Americans’ best player, Cameron Young, to take the opening singles match to the 18th hole.

Matt Fitzpatrick – A-

Record: 2-1-1
Strokes gained total: +4.39
Comments: This grade is relative. He entered this Ryder Cup a paltry 1-7 in his career, but he quickly established himself as the top performer in Friday foursomes alongside Ludvig Aberg. He was fine in his Saturday matches but proved his mettle once again against DeChambeau in singles, going 5 up through seven and forcing DeChambeau to make six birdies just to earn a tie.

Rory McIlroy – B+

Record: 3-1-1
Strokes gained total: +2.56
Comments: The heart and soul of the team, and he took the brunt of the New York crowd’s vitriol while still producing in a big way. He ran out of gas against Scheffler in a singles match that he described as a “pillow fight,†but the Europeans don’t win this week without McIlroy, who is now 19-14-5 in his career.

Jon Rahm – B+

Record: 3-2
Strokes gained total: +2.35
Comments: Through three sessions, Rahm was balling. He and Tyrrell Hatton quieted DeChambeau and Thomas in the leadoff foursomes match on Friday, and it wasn’t until the approach play and putter left him on Saturday afternoon that he lost a point. Xander Schauffele then dusted him, 4 and 3, the most lopsided singles defeat, to keep the Spaniard from reaching double-digits wins for his career.

Shane Lowry – B+

Record: 1-0-2
Strokes gained total: +0.10
Comments: He’ll remember that retaining point forever – and we’ll remember the celebration. Russell Henley was the best player on Sunday in strokes gained total, and Lowry beat him with a 6-under, bogey-free round. He was less sharp in his two four-ball halves alongside McIlroy, but he made some crucial putts, especially on Saturday afternoon, and doubled as a bodyguard.

Tyrrell Hatton – B+

Record: 3-0-1
Strokes gained total: -0.09
Comments: Lots of B+’s and higher on the European squad. Hatton pushed to 4-0 in foursomes alongside Rahm, whom he combined for 11 birdies with. He then jumped in last minute on Saturday afternoon to pair with Fitzpatrick and had some huge putts in a four-ball match against Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay that featured just three won holes. The putter cooled on Sunday and he drove it poorly again, otherwise we may have been looking at a 4-0 week.

Ludvig Åberg – C+

Record: 2-2
Strokes gained total: -4.73
Comments: Looked great in Friday foursomes, then not so great in the next two sessions. He ended up losing strokes everywhere except off the tee, though his 2-and-1 singles win over Cantlay marked Europe’s only full point on Sunday.

Bob MacIntyre – C

Record: 1-1-1
Strokes gained total: -1.35
Comments: Looked more comfortable in his second Ryder Cup. Bounced back from a Friday foursomes loss with Viktor Hovland to win their Saturday foursomes match, then earned a halve with Sam Burns in singles, though it’s worth noting that Burns didn’t card a birdie on the back nine, which both players entered tied.

Viktor Hovland – C-

Record: 1-1-1
Strokes gained total: -2.79
Comments: Gifted a free half-point after withdrawing from singles, his neck injury clearly affected him well before that and limited him to just two matches.

Sepp Straka – D+

Record: 1-2
Strokes gained total: -4.64
Comments: With a newborn in the NICU, Straka was battling more than golf this week – and considering that, performed admirably. But this is a grade solely based on his play, and Straka was statistically the worst on approach on either team. He went 1-1 alongside Rahm in four-balls, though the loss can probably be attributed to both he and Rahm equally. Then in singles he led 2 up early before letting Spaun flip the match in a big way with five bogeys.

Rasmus Hojgaard – F

Record: 0-2
Strokes gained total: -6.15
Comments: Played just twice while finishing at the bottom of the field in strokes gained total. Ben Griffin lost more strokes than any American on Sunday – and he still beat Hojgaard.

Luke Donald – A+

Comments: What else is there to say that wasn’t said in Rome? He filled door cracks, replaced shampoo and bedding, and again left no other stone unturned to build his case as the best European captain ever.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – On Sept. 26, 2021, the Ryder Cup’s balance of power had supposedly shifted.

The Americans had just run up the score in front of delirious home fans at Whistling Straits, dropping 19 points on an aging European team in dire need of a reboot. Eight of the 12 U.S. team members were under the age of 30. Their average world ranking: 8.9. Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth were among those who represented not just the present power but also the future leaders – young, influential voices whose bonds to each other, their team and their country ran deep. Most who watched that week came away with the same conclusion: the Americans appeared poised for a decade-plus run of domination.

After all, they were younger, hungrier and stronger, while nearly half of the European team was past their prime and few options were in the pipeline. So humbling was the defeat that the team’s best player, Rory McIlroy, broke down afterward in a TV interview. He’d let down his captain, his teammates, himself. Through tears he explained that there’s nothing more special than playing on these teams. That’s plainly obvious in victory, of course, with the inside jokes and the backslapping and the champagne spraying. But perhaps it’s even more apparent when they lose.

So, four years later: What happened?

How did that nadir signal not a U.S. movement but rather a momentary blip?

Luke Donald deserves much of the credit for the turnaround, and he will go down as arguably the greatest captain in the history of the competition. A replacement fill-in after Henrik Stenson’s move to LIV, Donald employed the same meticulousness and obsessive qualities that powered his overachieving playing career to turn the captaincy into an art form. Clear communication, motivational tributes, an analytical back bone, clever techniques to prepare for the uncomfortable atmosphere (VR headsets!), even minute details such as the team hotel’s shampoo and bedding – they all contributed to Donald’s faultless leadership style that has been hailed by not just his own team but also his opponents.

It was easy to chalk up Europe’s five-point spread in 2023 to yet another home-game cakewalk. That anyone with that top-end talent, and so many built-in advantages, could have led the team to victory. But amid the euphoria afterward, McIlroy wasn’t having it. He pounded his fist on the table and guaranteed that this team was special, and this team was different, and this team would win again outside New York City in two years’ time.

“The wheels were set in motion to try to do something that had not been done in over a decade,†McIlroy said.

And so three significant changes were made with 2025 in mind.

Donald was quickly reinstalled as captain, giving him what amounted to a four-year term to maintain continuity, tweak his game plan and build on the many successes of Rome. He and his analytics team overhauled the qualifying system, more heavily weighing marquee events on the PGA and European tours, that would make it more difficult for rookies to crack the roster; their data showed that, while first-timers can benefit from the energy of home games, they don’t fare nearly as well in hostile environments on the road. (It worked: 11 of the 12 players were the same year-over-year, the least amount of turnover in cup.) And finally, they organized a two-day scouting trip, held last week at Bethpage Black, that gave the players an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the venue, test out analytics- and personality-driven pairings, and adjust to the five-hour time difference.

“I really have committed myself to this job because I feel I owe it to the players and I owe it to the Ryder Cup, which has been so special to me,†Donald said. “Every day I’m trying to think about things that could help us, to come up with different things that might just give us a little edge.â€

“My job,†he continued, “is literally to give these guys a better chance to win.â€

The players took it from there.

Old warhorses Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Stenson are all out of the picture, having decamped for LIV and alienating themselves from the squad. In their place are like-minded players who seem to share a genuine affection for each other and unify around a common goal.

“That’s all that matters, honestly,†said Justin Rose, at 45 the team’s elder statesman. “The badge and the boys.â€

Tommy Fleetwood, Bob MacIntyre and Sepp Straka are all stronger, more well-rounded players than they were two years ago. Ludvig Åberg and Tyrrell Hatton boast more big-game experience. But the key difference-maker for Team Europe – particularly compared to their American counterparts – remains the man at the top.

McIlroy infamously began his Ryder Cup career by shrugging off the event as a meaningless exhibition, and now he insists, through his words and his actions, that it’s the biggest and best event of ’em all. He has changed his tune even as his legendary individual accolades pile up, as he becomes richer and more famous, as the demands on his time grow exponentially – and that’s a powerful example.

“Rory has made no qualms about how important the Ryder Cup is to him, and I think that’s inspiring to me. It’s inspiring to his team,†Donald said. “Maybe not quite on the same level as winning the Grand Slam and the Masters, but it’s pretty effin’ close. It really is. So to have someone of Rory’s caliber fighting so hard, that’s inspiring for the team. Obviously, you can’t do it alone, but it’s very helpful when someone like Rory is contributing like he does.â€

Europe entered Sunday singles at Bethpage Black leading by seven points before the U.S. gave the visitors everything they had in what ended a 15-13 European victory.

It’s in the team room, where he carries the loudest voice.

It’s in the interview area, where he shoulders much of the burden.

And it’s inside the ropes, where his game and his aura are so overpowering that it tilts the course in his direction. He’s the focal point wherever and whenever he plays – and that, by extension, allows the rest of his teammates to play with freedom.

Never was that more on display than at Bethpage Black, where (sorry, Monty) there wasn’t a player in Ryder Cup history who endured more abuse over three days than McIlroy. He wanted the smoke and got it. Thousands endlessly booed him. Some ruthlessly taunted him. Even the first-tee emcee savagely started a “F–k you, Rory!†chant.

None of it worked.

McIlroy and Fleetwood twice went 5 under in alternate shot to breeze to victories. He birdied two of the last three holes to scratch out a tie in fourballs, then combined with his partner to go 9 under the next day despite jeering that was so intense, so personal and so vulgar, that nearly two dozen cops were pressed into action to defuse the situation.

Granted, McIlroy snapped a few times, moments for which he didn’t apologize. He bowed and blew kisses to the crowd. He singled some out and barked expletives in retaliation. He complained to the match referee that he wouldn’t play another shot until the fans quieted. Another time, he told a fan to “shut the f–k up†– and then proceeded to stuff his wedge to 3 feet.

No other competitor in this 45th Ryder Cup had endured what McIlroy had over the past three days at Bethpage Black, where he was subject to a constant barrage of heckling and personal attacks from the partisan New York crowd.

In the weeks leading up to the Ryder Cup, he’d viewed such ugliness as “inevitable,†owing to the increasingly political nature of sports, the area renowned for aggressive fandom and humans being capable of withstanding only so much abuse across 36 hours of game action.

So when he delivered amid the cacophony of cursing, McIlroy said, yes, indeed, it was “very f–king satisfying.â€
His teammates fed off that antagonistic energy.

Rose delighted in pouring in daggers. Jon Rahm was relentless for two days. Shane Lowry went ballistic when his final-hole birdie secured the cup. Eleven of the 12 players earned at least one point, a total team effort that took its cues from its emotional leader.

“There’s a stimulus and a response, and in between that is how you decide what you want to do with it,†Donald said. “I think some people find that motivating.â€

Just as it was motivating to avenge a 19-9 humiliation.

To make history on the road.

And to remind everyone that the balance of power in this event never shifted. Team USA once again appears adrift, while the future of the Europeans has never seemed more secure, more cohesive, more formidable.

“We talk about all the people that came before us that paved the way for us,†Donald said. “Now, future generations will talk about this team tonight and what they did and how they were able to overcome one of the toughest environments in all of sport. That’s inspiring to me, and that’s what Rory gets and all of these other 11 guys get.â€

As Donald spoke, McIlroy nodded and blinked back tears. The magnitude of the moment was hitting him again. These were the best weeks of their golfing lives, and they damn sure knew it.

Sep 29, 2025, 06:30 AM ET

Two years ago, sitting on a media podium after Team Europe wrestled back the Ryder Cup at Rome’s Marco Simone, Rory McIlroy made a bold prediction. Maybe it was more of a promise.

“I’ve said this for the last probably six or seven years to anyone that will listen,” he said. “I think one of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now is winning an away Ryder Cup, and that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage.”

He is well-versed in big, tough accomplishments — after all, he ended his Augusta National hoodoo this year and completed a long-awaited career grand slam — but his comments rang true on Sunday as Europe avoided a major collapse to retain the Ryder Cup with a 15-13 margin.

– Uggetti from Bethpage: How Europe backed up McIlroy’s words
– Best Ryder Cup moments from Sunday singles
– Final scoreboard, results after Europe win

This year’s tournament at Bethpage Black will be remembered for many reasons. It was one of the rowdiest Ryder Cups in living memory and perhaps one of the best in terms of quality.

“Not just win here in America, but in New York,” McIlory said on Sunday. “When you think about the last away Ryder Cup, about what people were saying about decades of American dominance, whether it was home for them or away, and to be able to do what we’ve done in Rome and then here, it shut a lot of people up.”

But how does Team Europe’s latest victory compare to those that came before?

How does Europe’s winning margin compare?

Team Europe won the Ryder Cup on the road for the first time since winning at Medinah in 2012. David Cannon/Getty Images

On Saturday night, as the sun set on Bethpage, you’d be forgiven for thinking history was in the making. It had been a magical two days for Team Europe, with every U.S. question being hit with an emphatic European answer.

Colin Morikawa hits it to within 5 ft on No. 11? McIlroy stepped up and stopped his ball within 18 inches. Russell Henley found the green on the eighth while Rob McIntyre’s ball rolled into the fringe? Viktor Hovland rolled in the birdie putt anyway, while the U.S. missed. Bryson DeChambeau makes an 11-footer for birdie on No. 15? Justin Rose stepped up after he controversially asked DeChambeau’s caddy to move and then drilled a 15-footer of his own.

Entering the final day, the most common question on everyone’s lips at Bethpage was by how much the Europeans would win by?

It was a fair question. Their seven-point lead entering the singles was the largest of any road team in cup history — the last time that any team had such a commanding lead at that stage was the 1976 home U.S. team.

Things didn’t quite play out as expected on Sunday, though. The U.S. mounted a spirited fightback and at one point had a genuine claim at performing the biggest comeback in the tournament’s history. In contrast to the opening two days, Europe won just one singles match — Ludvig Ã…berg defeated Patrick Cantlay 2&1 — the lowest total since the team was called Great Britain in 1959.

In fact, this ended up being the closest-fought Ryder Cup since the “Miracle at Medinah” in 2012. Each of the last five editions was decided by at least five points.

Europe never managed to touch the tournament’s biggest-ever winning margin (in its current format) from 2021 when the U.S. won 19-9 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

Which Europeans performed best this weekend?

Tommy Fleetwood won the most matches at this year’s Ryder Cup, while Justin Rose was one of the best on the greens. Andrew Redington/Getty Images

There were plenty of performances to be proud of for captain Donald.

In terms of results, Tyrrell Hatton (3-0-1) and Shane Lowry (1-0-2) were the only players to avoid a loss this weekend. Lowry, whose Sunday putt on No. 18 retained the Ryder Cup, had the second-most total strokes gained, per Data Golf.

However, it was Fleetwood (4-1-0) who won the most matches — his lone defeat came against Justin Thomas in the singles. He picked up the Nicklaus and Jacklin award — named after greats Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin — which is awarded to the golfer who best embodies the spirit of the event.

“When you play in a team event like this, you don’t necessarily set out to win individual awards, but to focus on playing the right way and make the right decisions when it matters most,” Fleetwood said. “But to be acknowledged like this, winning an award that is named after such legends as Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin and in some way follow in their footsteps, is very cool.”

Still, he was slightly short of the five previous players that have won all five games at the Ryder Cup (most recently Dustin Johnson in 2021.)

Meanwhile, Rose had a Ryder Cup to remember, too. He was second to teammate Sepp Straka in putting this week — per Data Golf, he managed 3.28 strokes gained on the greens.

When asked why he has putted so well at Ryder Cups, Rose said: “I wish I knew … Today, if I’m honest, I felt like I didn’t putt as well, but you kind of live and die by the putter in match play.

“There’s always momentum swings with the putter … There’s a lot of pressure on the putter. The putter is a huge key, and obviously the way the golf course was set up this week, as well, the putter was a very, very key club in the bag.”

How rare is Luke Donald’s achievement?

Luke Donald becomes the first back-to-back Ryder Cup-winning captain since Tony Jacklin in 1987. Carl Recine/Getty Images

There was a time when Team Europe captains would routinely return for back-to-back appearances. At the start of the modern Ryder Cup era, between 1979 and 1995, Europe had only three different captains: John Jacobs, Tony Jacklin and Bernard Gallacher. That’s nine tournaments split between three different captains.

Since then, Team Europe had never had a repeat captain… until Donald. His achievement — leading his side to back-to-back Ryder Cups — makes him only the second European captain to be a repeat champion after Jacklin (1985, 1987).

“It’s been the most stressful 12 hours in my life … I didn’t think they [the U.S.] would be this tough on Sunday, they fought so hard, and all the respect to them,” Donald said. “But this means a lot obviously to me and the team.

“We came here knowing that the task was very difficult. I couldn’t be more proud of these guys and what they have done through, how they have come together, how they are playing for history, how they are playing for the people that came before them, and now there will be talk for generations to come as someone going down in history. Couldn’t be more proud.”

Ewan Murray

Player of the tournament Viktor Hovland. Well, that was a significant half-point on day three … No, seriously, the award belongs to Tommy Fleetwood. Singles defeat should not mask his overall performance. Surely a major winner in waiting.

Rookie of the tournament Cameron Young edges out JJ Spaun for his tenacity in seeing off Justin Rose on Sunday. This set the tone for an almighty US run at the Ryder Cup. The greatest comeback was on.

Best celebration Few things in 2025’s year of sport will beat Shane Lowry’s crying, dancing, screaming combination when the Ryder Cup had at least been retained. What a moment for the Irishman.

Best match Rory McIlroy’s and Lowry’s halved fourball clash with Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay on Friday afternoon. Utterly gripping to the very last putts.

Funniest moment Bryson DeChambeau exiting stage left after man-mountain Ian Finnis, Fleetwood’s caddie, stepped forward to protect his man during a Saturday afternoon war of words. One battle DeChambeau smartly thought better of.

In 2027 Europe will … ensure the US team have rose petals thrown at their feet in Ireland. Kill them with kindness. It would be the sensible antidote to the moronic Bethpage backdrop. The Ryder Cup does not have to be this way.

Ian Finnis (right), caddie for Tommy Fleetwood, interjects after heated moments involving Bryson DeChambeau during the Saturday fourballs. Photograph: Michael Reaves/PGA of America/Getty Images

Andy Bull

Player of the tournament Other people played more games, made more putts and won more points, but the truth is that Europe would have lost this cup if it hadn’t been for the way Shane Lowry played in the big moments on Saturday and Sunday.

Rookie of the tournament Cameron Young. He carried the US team through the first two days, when he won two of their four-and-a-half points, then led them out in the Sunday singles by beating Justin Rose in a match that went all the way to the 18th.

Best celebration Not sure if it counts as best or not but Lowry certainly has the scariest. There were times during his Saturday fourball when you couldn’t tell if he was celebrating another good putt or wading in to settle a bar fight.

Best match Rose’s and Fleetwood’s Saturday fourball against Scottie Scheffler and DeChambeau had just about everything, including more birdies than a quarrel of sparrows, and a stramash between the caddies.

Funniest moment MC Heather McMahan being booed into awkward silence when she tried to lead the crowd at the 1st tee into a new chant which involved singing Scottie Scheffler’s name to the tune of We Will Rock You.

In 2027 Europe will … likely be a hell of a lot friendlier than New York.

Europe’s Justin Rose (left) and Tommy Fleetwood celebrate their fourball victory against Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau. Photograph: James Marsh/Shutterstock

Bryan Armen Graham

Player of the tournament Rory McIlroy. The heartbeat of Europe: relentless from tee to green, clutch on key putts and unflinching under fire. Unbeaten over the first two days amid feral vitriol and hostility.

Rookie of the tournament Cameron Young. The debutant playing in his home state gave the US their spark: fearless off the tee, nerveless on the greens, steady when the din rose highest. A 3-1-0 record and the star of the week for his captain, Keegan Bradley.

Best celebration Was it Lowry’s Balanchine-flecked frolic after holing from six feet to retain the trophy? Or was it Lowry’s spicy two-word clapback at an unruly spectator after his eagle from 50ft to turn the Saturday fourballs classic blue?

Best match McIlroy and Lowry beating Thomas and Young. Golf under siege: extra troopers, shushing opponents, constant needle. Europe landed the heavier putts and walked off to songs, not sirens.

Part of the increased police presence that followed the afternoon fourball match featuring Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry against Justin Thomas and Cameron Young. Photograph: David Davies/PA

Funniest moment Watching a gaggle of about two dozen fans draped in Irish flags serenading DeChambeau as he smacked balls on the practice range on Saturday night more than an hour after the close of play.

In 2027 USA will … swear lessons were learned, then rediscover the same flaw: individuals first, team second. The culture rewards brands, not bonds; pairings fray and Europe feast again.

Scott Murray

Player of the tournament It’s impossible not to love Tommy Fleetwood. Four points out of five, and a smiling beacon of goodwill amid intense provocation. He even managed to disarm Scottie Scheffler’s caddie with charm, just as the livid looper was about to make a proper fool of himself during that encroachment brouhaha.

Europe’s Tommy Fleetwood had plenty of fans cheering him on at Bethpage Black. Photograph: James Marsh/Shutterstock

Rookie of the tournament Cameron Young made five birdies in his first 13 holes as a Ryder Cup player, becoming the first American to win his debut match by six holes since Phil Mickelson 30 years ago. Then he held his nerve in the face of Justin Rose’s singles comeback. The real deal from beginning to end.

Best celebration A toss-up between two performances diametrically opposed on the supercool spectrum: Rose walking in a big 20-foot swinger at 8 on day two with the ball barely halfway to the hole, and Shane Lowry showcasing his hitherto untapped talent for interpretive dance.

Best match JJ Spaun – who ran Young close as best rookie – bested Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka with laser irons into 17 and 18 on Saturday afternoon, spinning victory from defeat with a proper matchplay smash and grab. Top moxie, especially as it avoided a session bluewash. Rahm can console himself with the shot of the tournament, chipping in earlier that day on 8, knee-deep in the bunker, hands down the shaft, Seve in the sky.

Funniest moment “Guys, shut the fuck up!†Rory McIlroy, voice dripping with disdain, dealing with some fools. Then swiveling 180 before arrowing an iron from 149 yards to 3ft to win the match. Best not poke the bear. An all-time Ryder Cup moment that will never fail to raise a smile. One of Bryson’s drives landing in a trashcan was too on the nose.

In 2027 Europe will … still happily do it all for nothing.

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  Mark SchlabachSep 29, 2025, 04:21 AM ET

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Following his team’s 15-13 loss to the Europeans in the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black on Sunday, U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said the event’s longstanding envelope rule involving injured players should change.

But Luke Donald, who became only the second European captain to win back-to-back Ryder Cups, said the rule is there to protect players and should remain in place.

The substitution rule in the captains’ agreement requires each team to submit the name of one player Saturday night in a sealed envelope who wouldn’t play in the case of an injury to a golfer on the opposing team.

It was invoked for only the fourth time Sunday when Norway’s Viktor Hovland had to withdraw from singles because of a neck injury.

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“The rule is the rule, and it’s been in place for a long time,” Donald said. “We have contracts for a reason, a captains’ agreement for a reason, for situations that occur.”

Hovland was scheduled to play Harris English in the anchor singles match. English happened to be the player that Bradley submitted in his sealed envelope, so he had to watch Sunday’s action.

“I would have had absolute faith in him to deliver a point today,” Donald said of Hovland. “He couldn’t play. He was gutted.”

Said English: “It sucked not going out there and playing. But it is what it is, and I was part of the crowd today and contributed as much as I could.”

The teams halved their match, giving the Europeans a 12-5 lead going into the final session.

Bradley said the rule “has to change” but wouldn’t specify how he would alter it. The most obvious way to do it would be to have the injured golfer’s team forfeit a full point instead of a half-point.

“I have a few ideas, but I’m not going to tell you right now,” Bradley said. “I mean, the rule has to change. I think it’s obvious to everybody in the sports world, in this room. Nothing against Viktor, but that rule needs to change by the next Ryder Cup.”

Donald noted that the U.S. used the controversial rule when it captured the 1991 Ryder Cup 14.5-13.5 at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina. Steve Pate was injured in a car accident the night before the event started, and his bruised ribs prevented him from playing in singles. If the Americans had been forced to forfeit a full point, the Europeans would have retained that Ryder Cup with a score of 14-14.

Scotland’s Sam Torrance withdrew from his singles match in the 1993 Ryder Cup with an infected toe. Lanny Wadkins volunteered to sit out for the Americans. The U.S. team won 15-13 at The Belfry in England to keep the Ryder Cup, the last time it won in Europe.

Hovland, who withdrew from his four-ball match Saturday, had an MRI at a New York hospital Saturday night. He woke up Sunday unable to move his neck. Ryder Cup officials said Hovland tried to warm up at Bethpage Black but had limited movement.

Viktor Hovland celebrates with Ryder Cup teammate Jon Rahm after Europe’s win Sunday. Hovland was unable to play singles because of a neck injury. David Cannon/Getty Images

“There is nothing more I would like to do than be out there representing Team Europe and trying to help them win the Ryder Cup today,” Hovland said in a statement. “Not being able to do so is pretty heartbreaking. I will be backing my team as hard as I can and rooting them on.”

Hovland, who said he has been dealing with neck issues for the past couple of months, started experiencing the latest pain during his Saturday morning foursomes (alternate-shot) match. He received medication and physical therapy on the course, but the pain didn’t go away.

“An MRI was arranged following liaison between Team Europe and PGA of America on-site medical team, which confirmed a flare up of a previous injury — a disk bulge in his neck by a medical imaging specialist,” Dr. Andrew Murray, Ryder Cup Europe’s chief medical officer, said in a statement. “This morning, Viktor received ongoing treatment but unfortunately he is not able to rotate or flex his neck to one side making playing the singles impossible.”

Hovland, the No. 12-ranked golfer in the world, was scheduled to play with Matt Fitzpatrick in the four-ball match against Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay on Saturday. Shortly before his tee time, Hovland was replaced by Tyrrell Hatton. Fitzpatrick and Hatton won 1 up.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Rory McIlroy, the target of constant heckling at Bethpage Black, called the fans’ behavior unacceptable and said Americans should have been supporting their own players, not using that energy to insult the Europeans.

“I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf,” McIlroy said Sunday after Europe finished off a 15-13 win against the United States. “I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf. I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week.”

Over the course of three days, McIlroy was the subject of a number of insults and jeers — some involving his wife and family, others as he was in the process of hitting a shot — that caused delays and prompted the PGA of America to add extra security.

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“The police out there and the amount of security presence was insane,” McIlroy said. “Look, nothing was going to happen. There wasn’t going to be a physical altercation or anything like that. … There was a lot of language that was unacceptable and abusive behavior.”

On Saturday, McIlroy played alongside Shane Lowry, and the two received constant verbal abuse throughout the afternoon. Two people were thrown off the course, according to a New York State police spokesperson, and the PGA of America added security to the group and increased fan behavior warning signs.

Sunday’s singles sessions did not feature as many alterations or situations in the galleries, but McIlroy still was often targeted by fans throughout his match with Scottie Scheffler.

“I think if I was an American, I would be annoyed,” he said. “I didn’t hear a lot of shouts for Scottie today, but I heard a lot of shouts against me. It’s like, support your players. That’s the thing.”

Justin Thomas, who played against McIlroy and Lowry on Saturday, acknowledged the kind of things fans shouted at the European stars.

“Cam [Young] and I said it to Shane and Rory yesterday that we felt for them. It was unfortunate,” Thomas said. “Cam and I just wished that we gave them something to cheer for instead of people to cheer against. I think that was kind of the main consensus of the last two days, that we weren’t giving them enough to cheer for, and they were just trying to help us win. I guess that’s the New York fans for you.”

“It was a rough week for all of us, but at the same time, we shut them up by our performance,” Rory McIlroy said of the fans after Team Europe’s win. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

A video on social media showed Lowry having to be held back by his caddie as a fan said something before McIlroy hit a drive Saturday. Another video showed McIlroy walking with his wife, Erica, when a beer appeared to be thrown in their direction and hit her.

“I was out there for two days with Erica McIlroy, and the amount of abuse that she received was astonishing,” Lowry said. “And the way she was out there supporting her husband and supporting her team was unbelievable, and kudos to her for that.”

McIlroy said he doesn’t exactly have a blueprint for when he responds to fans and bases it on impulse, but that it felt “very f—ing satisfying” to tell a fan to “shut the f— up” as he did Saturday morning when one yelled during his pre-shot routine before he hit his approach to a few feet on the 16th hole.

“I chirped back a few times because it got to me a few times, but we tried to handle everything that came our way with class and poise, and for the most part, I felt like we did that,” McIlroy said. “It was a rough week for all of us, but at the same time, we shut them up by our performance.”

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — After an out-of-control Saturday at the 45th Ryder Cup — when jingoistic, Mich Ultra-fueled tryhards and even the event’s official 1st-tee emcee turned Rory McIlroy and other members of the European team into their personal punching bags — the vibe felt kinder and gentler in the early-going of Sunday’s singles matches.

Part of that might have been due to the energy-zapping heat on a warm, mostly still afternoon at Bethpage Black when temperatures crept into the 80s, but most of it was due to the stunning seven-point lead Europe had opened up in foursomes and four-ball play, which had had the same effect on this event that a pinprick would on a balloon.

Still, the fat lady wasn’t singing just yet, even if supporters of the blue-and-gold were. On Sunday, McIlroy landed in the marquee bout, in the fourth of 12 singles matches against Scottie Scheffler. World No. 1 (that would be Scheffler) vs. world No. 2. Four majors vs. five. Future Hall of Famer vs. Future Hall of Famer. Dream stuff, even against the backdrop of what was shaping up to be a European rout. Any fans who needed help getting amped on the 1st tee (most didn’t) were aided by The Killers’ heart-pumping anthem “Mr. Brightside,” which boomed through speakers as McIlroy and Scheffler readied to hit their opening blasts.

McIlroy took the early lead with a birdie at the 2nd and was still 1-up after the players hit their tee balls at the par-4 4th. As McIlroy exited the tee box, European fans flanking the right rope line began regaling him with the familiar melody of The Cranberries’ “Zombie,” but with lyrics tailored to McIlroy. “He’s in your heaaaad / He’s in your heaaad / Roaaar-uh-ee, roaaar-uh-ee…”

When the song — a popular one on property this week — petered out, one of the revelers yelled, “Rory, we have your back!”

On the other side of the fairway, inside the rope line, McIlroy’s manager, Sean O’Flaherty, was walking with a couple of acquaintances.

One of them with an Irish accent jokingly said, “Did you pay them to say that, Sean?”

O’Flaherty laughed and said, “Ah, it’s brilliant.”

THE EXCHANGE SPOKE TOthe deeply taxing week McIlroy had here at Bethpage Black. Ryder Cups are never easy on the road team — and especially on road teams’ stars — but the amount of abuse McIlroy endured wasn’t just regrettable, it was flat-out repulsive. “F— you, Rory!” was a common jab. Other fans took shots at his major heartbreaks, his height and even his wife; Shane Lowry said the vitriol Erica McIlroy heard was “astonishing.”

McIlroy ignored many of the barbs but not all of them, sometimes glaring at hecklers, telling them to shut up or having them ejected from the property, as he did with one offender on the 10th hole Sunday. “This should not be what is acceptable in the Ryder Cup,” McIlroy said Sunday evening. “We will be making sure to say to our fans in Ireland in 2027 that what happened here this week is not acceptable. I think if I was an American, I would be annoyed that people — I didn’t hear a lot of shouts for Scottie today, but I heard a lot of shouts against me.”

Every match drew a crowd Sunday, but the Mcllroy-Scheffler clash was the main event. Following the action from inside the ropes were a tournament-inside-a-tournament swarm of team representatives, players’ family members, reporters and even a couple celebrities in SNL cast members Colin Jost and Marcello Hernández, who earlier in the week had served as part of NBC’s TV coverage; comedian Nate Bartagze also made a brief cameo. On the 6th hole, Jost and European captain Luke Donald’s wife Diane discussed Justin Rose’s awe-inspiring play in his Saturday four-ball match. “You just never know who’s going to get hot,” said Diane, who’s seen her husband captain two Ryder Cup teams and play on four more.

As the match progressed, so did the heckling. As McIlroy sized up a short putt on 7, a fan reminded McIlroy of a similarly short putt he had missed on the 72nd hole at the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst. On the next hole, a par-3 set in a natural amphitheater, a fan yelled “F— you, Rory!” as McIlroy paced across the green. McIlroy’s father, Gerry, who was sitting greenside could only shake his head. As Rory’s lengthy birdie try scooted past the hole, someone yelled, “Get in the water!”

Rory McIlroy celebrating Europe’s 15-13 win.

getty images

MCILROY DIDN’T HAVEhis best stuff (neither did Scheffler), but he wasn’t about to capitulate to the foul-mouthed fans. All week, he’d found a way to fight through the resistance. On Friday morning, he and Tommy Fleetwood teamed for five birdies and waxed Collin Morikawa and Harris English, 5 and 4. That afternoon, in four-ball, he and Shane Lowry scratched out half a point against Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay. In Saturday foursomes, he and Fleetwood had a rematch with their Friday opponents and collected another point. Friday afternoon, McIlroy rejoined Lowry for four-ball and they beat Justin Thomas and the U.S.’s hottest player, Cameron Young, 2 up.

Four matches for McIlroy, 3.5 points, which increased his all-time points total to 21.5, one point more than José María Olazábal’s haul and within half a point of Nick Faldo and one point of Seve Ballesteros. These names mean something to McIlroy. Much more than something, actually. This event does, too, its place in his heart seemingly growing with each passing edition.

“We talk about all the people that came before us that paved the way for us,” Luke Donald said Sunday evening in the wake of Europe’s 15-13 win. “Now future generations will talk about this team tonight and what they did and how they were able to overcome one of the toughest environments in all of sport. And that is inspiring to me, and that’s what Rory gets and all these other 11 guys get.”

As Donald spoke, McIlroy blinked back tears and rubbed his eyes. He was emotional, grateful and exhausted.

That fatigue showed Sunday in a match that McIlroy dubbed “a pillow fight.” It didn’t sound like a pillow fight, though. As McIlroy and Scheffler crossed the road that bisects the Black course to play the final four holes, the heaving crowds, bunched by the thousands, resembled scenes from Woodstock, minus the peace and love. On the tee at 18, where McIlroy was 1 down, he finally ran out of steam, blocking his tee shot into a bunker 50 yards right of the fairway — and, with it, any real chance of making a 3 to force a tie.

Scheffler’s 1-up win kept alive the U.S.’s slim hopes of pulling off a historic comeback, as his three teammates ahead of him had already put 2.5 points on the board and the eight behind him were keeping things interesting. As McIlroy and Scheffler finished out their match, Ben Crenshaw, who captained the Miracle-at-Brookline U.S. team in 1999, was looking on from the back of the green. On Saturday night, had he had a feeling, as he did 26 years ago, that the U.S. team might pull off the unthinkable on Sunday?

“I got to be honest, I really didn’t,” Crenshaw told me. “The margin was so huge. But you just never know about golf. Golf is so inexact, and they’ve played their hearts out today. But Europe played some of the greatest golf ever played. On Saturday, it’s like they birdied every hole.”

In the face of fire-breathing galleries, McIlroy made or contributed to 10 of those birdies, helping to position his team to accomplish something that, he said, “everyone thought was pretty impossible to do — not just win in America but win here in New York.”

AS MCILROY AND HIS FELLOWStella Artois-guzzling teammates addressed the media Sunday evening in a tent next to one of the Black course’s putting greens, an intruder without a credential tried to push his way into the press conference. He wore a straw hat and a long-sleeved polo brandished with the American flag. “This is the People’s Course!” he cried, believing Bethpage’s muni status should grant him entrée. He was quickly ushered out, but for McIlroy the interruption served as a fitting bookend to his wild week.

Soon after the unwanted guest departed, McIlroy was asked about another spot of unruliness: the moment, in his Saturday four-ball match, when he answered an f-you heckle on the 16th hole by stuffing his approach shot to three feet. How satisfying was that, a reporter asked.

McIlroy didn’t miss a beat.

He leaned into his mic and said, “Very f—ing satisfying.”

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — On the Wednesday before the Ryder Cup, Collin Morikawa was asked a pointed question: Which of Team USA’s stoic squad would he like to see go wild in a charged Ryder Cup setting?

He thought for a moment before settling on his answer.

“I would love to see Cam Young just throw a massive fist pump in someone’s face. I would love it,” he said.

Four days later, he got his wish.

Young led the U.S. side in Sunday singles, going off first against Team Europe’s veteran firebrand, Justin Rose. He and his teammates began the day in a 12-5 hole, and in a race to 14, winning seemed out of the question but salvaging some dignity was still a worthy goal.

It was meaningful that Young was first out. Meaningful because of his New York connections, which run deep; not only did Young grow up at Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County but his first big-time victory came in the New York State Open at Bethpage Black, which he counts among his favorite golf courses in the world.

It was meaningful because the last time the U.S. played a Ryder Cup, Young was left at home. He finished 9th on the 2023 qualifying points list but was passed over while Nos. 10, 12, 13 and 15 were chosen; Keegan Bradley’s snub was documented on Netflix while Young’s was more anonymous but no less painful. The fact that Bradley chose Young to represent the U.S. side this time around was worth something extra.

And it was meaningful because it reflected his standing on this team. In the preceding two days Young had proven himself to be the U.S. player best suited for this Ryder Cup. He’d sat on the bench for Friday’s opening foursomes but came out firing in afternoon four-ball; he played both matches Saturday and improved to 2-1-0. Because the team sessions were such a nightmare for his teammates, Young’s 6-and-5 and 4-and-2 victories served as spots of bright red. He let his clubs do the talking alongside excitable partners Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau. The scoreboard, the stats and the fans all saw the same thing: Young was playing as well as anyone on property. He earned that first Sunday tee time.

Young’s match against Rose began with a bang, a 25-footer for birdie at No. 1 that sent a jolt through the thousands lining the ropes. But when Rose won Nos. 3 and 5, Match 1 turned blue on the board — and behind him, more blue followed. Justin Thomas 2 down. Bryson DeChambeau 2 down. Scottie Scheffler 1 down. Patrick Cantlay 1 down. Five matches were on the course, the U.S. trailed in all five, and the home team’s horror show was somehow getting worse.

Then Young got hot. Birdie-par at 6-7 was enough to win both and regain a 1-up lead. Another birdie and a string of pars got him to 3 up through 12. Behind him, Young’s teammates followed his lead; a red wave began to sweep across Bethpage.

“Kind of felt like nothing could go wrong,” Young said.

But then several things went wrong, one after the next.

“Justin Rose started doing some interesting things,” Young said. “Made some putts on me. And all of a sudden just feels like I’m just going to give it away.”

Rose made birdie at 13. Birdie at 14. Birdie at 16. Suddenly he’d tied Young, and that’s where they remained heading to 18. Home-team roars still stretched out behind him, Thomas and DeChambeau and Scheffler mounting their respective comebacks. But given their precarious position, the U.S. needed every point it could.

Young hit the fairway. He hit the green. He dodged a Rose miss. And then he stepped up to a 12-footer for birdie and the win, took a final breath and sent it rolling into the center of the bottom of the cup. Young’s fist pump would have made Morikawa proud.

“I’ve been thinking about having a putt like that for a while,” Young said in an emotional post-round interview. “The way things were going halfway through the back nine today, I didn’t want that putt — and then the way things were going through 17, I was very grateful that I had a chance there.”

He added this:

“This is the biggest event that we have, really. There’s no bigger stage to play on, in my home state, a golf course that I love … that one right there I’ll remember for a long time.”

A few minutes later, when Justin Thomas matched Young’s winning birdie putt with another one of his own, Young was there to greet him with a scream and a giant hug. DeChambeau completed a 5-down comeback of his own to earn a valuable half-point. And then Young, DeChambeau and Thomas hopped on carts, racing back toward their teammates. The comeback was on.

Bradley called out the spark in his post-round presser.

“When we sent out Cam Young first from New York to lead us out, we had to have that match,” Bradley said. “He went out there in front of the whole world, in front of his home state, and made a 10-footer to beat Justin Rose who is an all-time Ryder Cupper and get to celebrate at Bethpage Black in front of everybody.”

Ultimately for the U.S. it was a memorable and valiant but losing effort. Their mountain was too tall to climb; Europe scratched out enough half-points to reach 14, then 14.5, then the 15-13 final.

We’re not used to hearing much from Young in either victory or defeat. He’s not on social media, he’s allergic to attention-grabbing and he doesn’t waste words. But when he was asked to sum up his week, Young delivered the monologue of the press conference.

“It’s been incredible,” he said. “I mean, from the moment I got the call from Keegan, you know, I feel like this group is incredibly close. We were incredibly driven to win this week. I think that’s been the coolest part of it for me is to just be one of the 12 guys that’s here playing for our country, playing for each other.”

And then he turned to his teammates, who’d started nodding.

“Y’know, that last bit there where we were making a run, I don’t know about any of you guys, but I haven’t felt anything like that playing golf before. I mean, that was truly unbelievable to watch one after the other just start making putts, fighting the way that they did. I’ve never seen anything like that, and I’ve never felt anything like that watching golf, playing golf, doesn’t matter.

“So I think it’s really just a testament to how much it means to all of us to be here and how much we all want to play well for each other. It was truly unbelievable.”

Young’s team didn’t win. The U.S. fans left inspired but ultimately disappointed. There will be days, weeks, months of second-guessing ahead. But Young left a mark on Bethpage Black — and the other way around.

Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments at dylan_dethier@golf.com.