Key events
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler take turns to shave the lip with mid-range putts. This clash of the titans not quite sparking yet. Meanwhile Tommy Fleetwood bounces back from the slam-dunk shock administered on 6 by Justin Thomas, par enough as JT gets into bother down the back of 7.
1UP Young v Rose (8)
Thomas v Fleetwood 2UP (7)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 4UP (6)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (5)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (3)
2UP Schauffele v Rahm (3)
Spaun v Straka 2UP (3)
Henley A/S Lowry (2)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (1)
Morikawa v Hatton
USA 5-12 Europe
Sepp Straka rakes in a 35-footer on 3. Another long putt, and JJ Spaun, who specialises in this sort of carry-on himself, is being hoist by his own petard. Meanwhile back on 1, Ben Griffin screws his approach back to a couple of feet, putting all sorts of pressure on Rasmus Højgaard. The Dane’s chip from the back trundles six feet past the flag, and the putt coming back is a complete misread. And Russell Henley squares things up again with Shane Lowry at 2, wedging to ten feet and tidying up.
1UP Young v Rose (7)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (6)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 4UP (6)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (5)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (3)
2UP Schauffele v Rahm (3)
Spaun v Straka 2UP (3)
Henley A/S Lowry (2)
1UP Griffin v Højgaard (1)
Morikawa v Hatton
USA 5-12 Europe
Cameron Young has turned things around in the lead game. He’s assisted by some lax putting from Justin Rose on 7, and a two-putt par is enough. But it’s yet another birdie for Matt Fitzpatrick – his fourth in six holes – and he’s tearing well clear of Bryson DeChambeau in short order. Bryson had a birdie chance of his own on 6 from ten feet, but his flat stick is severely malfunctioning this week.
1UP Young v Rose (7)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (6)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 4UP (6)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (5)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (3)
2UP Schauffele v Rahm (3)
Spaun v Straka 1UP (2)
Henley v Lowry 1UP (1)
Griffin v Højgaard
USA 5-12 Europe
Russell Henley misses a five-footer on the 1st to give Shane Lowry the gift of a perfect start. Meanwhile up on 2, JJ Spaun and Sepp Straka trade 15-footers for a half. No quarter given here, despite the scoreline.
Young A/S Rose (6)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (6)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 3UP (5)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (5)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (3)
2UP Schauffele v Rahm (3)
Spaun v Straka 1UP (2)
Henley v Lowry 1UP (1)
Griffin v Højgaard
USA 5-12 Europe
Justin Thomas holes out from 80 yards on 6 to halve his deficit against Tommy Fleetwood! His ball lands a couple of feet shy of the cup, takes one gentle bounce forward, then disappears gracefully into the hole! Eagle! He holds up a finger of celebration, keeping as calm as possible, perhaps wary of getting the crowd too worked up. Well, good luck with that, after what you’ve just done. One of the shots of the week!
… but the news isn’t so good for Europe at the short par-five 4th. Rory McIlroy’s second tumbles down a swale to the left of the green, and he can’t get up and down for birdie. Scottie Scheffler makes his, and the world numbers one and two are tied again. Meanwhile Xander Schauffele rakes in a long one on 2 to continue his fast start against Jon Rahm; see also Matt Fitzpatrick, this time at 5, and Bryson is in bother.
Young A/S Rose (6)
Thomas v Fleetwood 2UP (5)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 3UP (5)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (4)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (3)
2UP Schauffele v Rahm (2)
Spaun v Straka 1UP (1)
Henley v Lowry
USA 5-12 Europe
Cameron Young teases in a left-to-right slider from ten feet on 6 for birdie. Justin Rose has almost exactly the same putt, but doesn’t learn from Young’s effort, his ball always destined to stay out on the left side. Tied again in the lead match, which promises to be quite the back-and-forth. Meanwhile back on 1, Sepp Straka responds to JJ Spaun’s wedge to 13 feet with a clip to five. Spaun can’t make his putt, but Straka can. Straka can, and now I’ve got an I Feel For You earworm. Not complaining about that. Europe get a warm feeling inside.
American putts just aren’t dropping. Justin Thomas nearly grabs a hole back against Tommy Fleetwood, but his beautifully rolled 25-footer on 5 stubbornly stays out on the high side. A dimple away from success. Hole halved, and Fleetwood remains 2UP.
Nobody’s going to beat Justin Rose’s walk-in birdie putt on 8 yesterday, Hartley Wintney’s finest striding after a 20-foot curler when it was barely halfway to the hole. But a walk-in’s a walk-in’s a walk-in, and Ludvig Åberg sashays after his downhill 15-footer on 2 to hit the lead in style in match five.
Young v Rose 1UP (5)
Thomas v Fleetwood 2UP (4)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 2UP (4)
Scheffler v McIlroy 1UP (3)
Cantlay v Åberg 1UP (2)
1UP Schauffele v Rahm (1)
Spaun v Straka
USA 5-12 Europe
Justin Rose gets a free drop after finding himself embedded just above a bunker on 5. He makes his par, and that’s enough for another splash of blue on the board. But finally there’s a dash of red, and it’s down to a careless three-putt from close range on 1 by Jon Rahm. A precious scrap of hope for the hosts.
Young v Rose 1UP (5)
Thomas v Fleetwood 2UP (4)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 2UP (4)
Scheffler v McIlroy 1UP (3)
Cantlay A/S Åberg (1)
1UP Schauffele v Rahm (1)
Spaun v Straka
USA 5-12 Europe
Tommy Fleetwood nearly rakes home a 30-footer for eagle on the short par-five 4th. Birdie’s enough for the win, though, as Justin Thomas isn’t able to get up and down from the side of the green. This is a magnificent start by the Europeans, not bad going seeing their fashion choice today is reminiscent of a Scotland away shirt from the Andy Roxburgh era. That can’t bring good vibes, it surely can’t.
Young A/S Rose (4)
Thomas v Fleetwood 2UP (4)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 2UP (3)
Scheffler v McIlroy 1UP (2)
Cantlay A/S Åberg (1)
Schauffele v Rahm
USA 5-12 Europe
The USA haven’t got the fast start they were after. And now another splash of blue goes onto the scoreboard, as Scottie Scheffler duffs his chip from the back of 2. He nearly holes his second attempt, but it’s too late. McIlroy has two putts for the hole from 15 feet, and he only needs one. Birdie beats bogey, and it’s more joy for the Europeans.
Young A/S Rose (4)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (3)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 2UP (3)
Scheffler v McIlroy 1UP (2)
Cantlay A/S Åberg (1)
Schauffele v Rahm
USA 5-12 Europe
Some good old-fashioned matchplay shenanigans on the par-three 3rd. Matt Fitzpatrick dumps his tee shot in a deep bunker to the left; Bryson is pin high, ten feet from the flag. But then Fitzpatrick swishes a delicate 70-foot sand shot to a couple of feet … kick-in distance … then Bryson races his birdie opportunity six feet past! What a rush of blood! He can’t make the one coming back, and he’s just turned a possible win into a loss with a couple of poor strokes of the flat stick. What a gift for Europe!
Young A/S Rose (4)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (3)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 2UP (3)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (1)
Cantlay v Åberg
USA 5-12 Europe
This Scheffler-McIlroy showdown is the first time the world number one has faced the world number two on Singles Sunday. Number one sends his drive into trees down the left, and can’t control his approach, which bounds over the back. Number two finds lighter rough down the left, then the middle of the green. Advantage Europe there.
Cameron Young has a good look at a 30-footer across 4 for the win. But it slips by the right edge. As the players walk off the green, Luke Donald pops up to have a word with Justin Rose, who had got involved in a back-and-forth with a punter after chipping to tap-in distance. Donald probably advising that wasting energy on an argument you’re never going to win isn’t the best allocation of resources.
Young A/S Rose (4)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (3)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 1UP (2)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (1)
Cantlay v Åberg
USA 5-12 Europe
Rory McIlroy misses his uphill birdie putt to the right; Scottie Scheffler misses his downhill chance to the left. The best two players in the world halve the opening hole. Meanwhile up on 2, Matt Fitzpatrick rolls in a missable six-footer to tie the hole. He’s opened his match with confidence.
Young A/S Rose (3)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (3)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 1UP (2)
Scheffler A/S McIlroy (1)
USA 5-12 Europe
Scottie Scheffler first up on 1. He’s been strangely out of sorts all week, but that surely can’t continue. And now he lands his wedge near the cup on 1, the ball taking a couple of soft bounces. He’ll have a look at birdie from eight feet. Over to Rory, and he’s forced to step away from his ball in the face of relentless jeering. Do they not remember how he responded to this sort of nonsense yesterday? Today he bumps up to ten feet. Putting competition coming up!
Tommy Fleetwood pings his approach into 2 pin high. He’s left with a seven-footer for the hole, and makes no mistake. Europe hit the front in another match.
Young A/S Rose (3)
Thomas v Fleetwood 1UP (2)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 1UP (1)
Scheffler v McIlroy
USA 5-12 Europe
Both players in the lead match miss the green at the par-three 3rd. Cameron Young can’t get up and down; Justin Rose can, though. All square again – or tied, pick your poison – and it’s been a productive couple of minutes for Europe. Meanwhile it’s the world number one versus the world number two back on the 1st tee, and both Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy bash their drives down the track.
Young A/S Rose (3)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (1)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 1UP (1)
Scheffler v McIlroy
USA 5-12 Europe
Matt Fitzpatrick is in position B on 1, compared to Bryson. But he wedges from 100 yards to seven feet, while DeChambeau, from position A, leaves himself nine feet short. DeChambeau’s putt dies off to the left, but Fitzpatrick rolls his in, and there’s a first splash of blue on the board!
1UP Young v Rose (2)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (1)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick 1UP (1)
USA 5-12 Europe
Keegan Bradley on being forced to withdraw Harris English … “It’s tough … a strange rule … but we gotta go with what the rules say … he took it so well, I’m really proud of him.”
… and on his team’s chances of turning things around: “I was at that Falcons 28-3 … Tom Brady! … we can be the Patriots today, why not? … I told [the players] to remember how cool it would be when you were 16, to go out at Bethpage Black and represent your country … no matter the score … go out there and enjoy the day … win your match and don’t worry about anything else.”
Justin Thomas leaves himself a similar putt to the one nailed by Cameron Young. But he leaves it one turn short, and a wee bit too far out on the high side as well. Over to Tommy Fleetwood from 13 feet … but his effort is always staying out on the left. Hole halved. Meanwhile back on the tee, two erstwhile US Open champions turn up for work. Matt Fitzpatrick finds the rough down the left, while Bryson DeChambeau – who only has one point from four matches this week – goes long and right. And very nearly reaches the green! What a start! Bedlam, bedlam, bedlam.
1UP Young v Rose (1)
Thomas A/S Fleetwood (1)
DeChambeau v Fitzpatrick
USA 5-12 Europe
… and as for the match itself, Donald adds: “Zero complacency … we know how strong these guys are … they’re very dangerous at singles … the crowd will be behind them … we have to take care of our own matches and try to win the session.”
Donald: injured Hovland is ‘devastated’
Luke Donald reports on Viktor Hovland’s injury. “He started stiffening up yesterday morning … tried to go out yesterday afternoon … it got worse and worse … went to get an MRI last night … was really stiff this morning … tried to go through his warm-up but just couldn’t play … he’s devastated … gutted … he wants to go out there and represent Team Europe … it’s very unfortunate.”
Justin Thomas hasn’t brought his best stuff this week … but he did make a couple of big putts yesterday, while also doing his best to conduct the crowd. And that’s not nothing. Back on the 1st tee, he welcomes Tommy Fleetwood in a friendly manner – the pair were kind of bystanders when Justin Rose and Bryson DeChambeau engaged in philosophical debate yesterday – before they take turns to crack their opening tee shots into the right-hand rough. That position didn’t do Cameron Young any harm.
The USA need a fast start … and they get one, Cameron Young walking in a gentle left-to-right uphill slider from 25 feet! The crowd don’t need much to get them going … but by heck, that’s got them going! Over to Justin Rose, whose effort is always staying out on the high side. The hosts hit the lead in short order!
1UP Young v Rose (1)
USA 5-12 Europe
Rose wedges in first. Over the flag. A little bit too juicy. His ball lands on the back portion of the green, and only spins back to 20 feet. The door ajar for Young, but having elected to bump and run, he gets too much of the former and not enough of the latter. He’s 25 feet short. A slightly nervy start by the opening pair.
Pre-hubbub postbag. “I wonder if Scottie Scheffler wished his name and not Harris English was in the envelope. He looked a shadow of himself yesterday” – Fin
“Cantlay going fifth. Going to be a logjam of players” – Tim Stappard
“Was Trump’s involvement in the opening day was an early hinderance to the team? Pulling focus away from the players? Or am I falling into the trap of making everything about Trump?” – Owen Gentleben
The first match takes to the tee, amid the expected bedlam. The USA may be a long way behind, but the towel hasn’t been thrown in by the crowd yet! Justin Rose is two points from two this week, and his singles record is W2 L3 T1. He batters his opening drive over the dogleg and onto the fairway. He’s playing Cameron Young, who has two points from three matches and has been, along with Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas and JJ Spaun, one of the USA’s better players. He finds the rough down the right. It is on!
This has happened twice before in the European era. In 1991, Steve Pate struggled with injury after a car crash during the week; the US star played on the Saturday but another match on Sunday was too much for him. David Gilford was the European who stepped aside. In 1993, Sam Torrance had a toe infection; Lanny Wadkins voluntarily made way, not wanting to deny a less experienced player their opportunity. On both occasions, the USA went on to win the trophy.
Viktor Hovland out injured: USA 5-12 Europe
The neck injury that kept Viktor Hovland out of the fourballs yesterday afternoon hasn’t cleared up. The Norwegian can’t play today either, so the Envelope Rule comes into effect.
Yesterday, when Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald lodged their selections for the Singles, they also had to provide a sealed envelope containing the name of a player who would have to withdraw if a player from the other side is ruled out through “illness, injury or other emergency reason.” The man in the USA envelope is Harris English.
In reality, both captains will have been aware that Hovland’s withdrawal was possible, as he’d been replaced at short notice by Tyrrell Hatton in the fourballs yesterday. Which explains why English v Hovland was the final pairing. Now that match has been effectively struck off, and regarded as tied.
As such, both teams have been awarded half a point. There will now only be 11 matches, and Europe only need two points from them to retain the trophy, and two-and-a-half to win it. Harris English ties with Viktor Hovland.
English A/S Hovland (F)
USA 5-12 Europe.
Preamble
Oh wow. Oh my.
!
Now, then. We’re either about to witness a procession – let’s be fair, we should witness a procession, because Europe only require two-and-a-half points out of 12 to retain their trophy or three to win it again – or one of the great sporting comebacks/capitulations of all time. It’s as binary as that, and we don’t write the rules. So here’s how it’ll unfold from the get-go (all times UK) ….
5.02pm: Cameron Young v Justin Rose
5.13pm: Justin Thomas v Tommy Fleetwood
5.24pm: Bryson DeChambeau v Matt Fitzpatrick
5.35pm: Scottie Scheffler v Rory McIlroy
5.46pm: Patrick Cantlay v Ludvig Åberg
5.57pm: Xander Schauffele v Jon Rahm
6.08pm: JJ Spaun v Sepp Straka
6.19pm: Russell Henley v Shane Lowry
6.30pm: Ben Griffin v Rasmus Højgaard
6.41pm: Collin Morikawa v Tyrrell Hatton
6.52pm: Sam Burns v Robert MacIntyre
7.03pm: Harris English v Viktor Hovland
… and none of it can come a moment too soon. History ahoy, one way or another! It’s on!
