The 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y., was supposed to be when Team USA flexes its muscles. Yes, they lost convincingly in Rome two years ago. But as Rory McIlroy stated back then, winning a road Ryder Cup is incredibly difficult.
The last time either side won on the road was in 2012, donned “‘”The Miracle at Medinah.”
The Europeans faced a 10-6 deficit entering Sunday singles. They pulled off a miraculous comeback for a 14.5 to 13.5 victory, tying for the largest deficit overcome in modern Ryder Cup history.
Well, if the Americans are going to win back the Cup, they will need to shatter that record.
After Saturday afternoon’s four-ball session, Team Europe holds an 11.5 to 4.5 lead. It is the largest two-day lead the Europeans have ever held, going all the way back to 1927, per The Athletic’s Justin Ray.
The utter domination has left fans stunned, with one even invoking the legendary Mike Tyson.
“If you haven’t been watching the Ryder Cup, think back to watching a Mike Tyson fight when he was in his prime,” one X user wrote.
Another just brought facts.
“This is just a beatdown. The two best US golfers can’t beat a 45-year-old (Justin) Rose. (Tyrrell) Hatton drinking beer for lunch thinking he was resting, and just coming out on fire,” another wrote.
He was referencing what happened during four-ball on Saturday.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau were beaten by Rose and Tommy Fleetwood, 3 & 2. The match, honestly, was not even as close as that score indicated.
Meanwhile, Hatton and Matthew Fitzpatrick put the last point on the board for Europe, winning the 18th hole to defeat Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns.
Words cannot truly express just how dominant the players from across the pond have been. McIlroy is playing phenomenally, despite the over-the-top heckling. Fleetwood has nearly matched the Americans by himself, winning four matches already.
On the flip side, Scheffler became the first player in modern Ryder Cup history to lose all four opening matches.
Longtime golf journalist Alan Shipnuck explained it in simple terms.
“I’m not sure if Europeans are better at golf than Americans, but they are definitely better at everything related to the Ryder Cup: team-building, mastering a quirky alternate shot format, putting in the clutch, and, especially, picking captains & pairings. It’s not a fair fight.”
Like Tyson versus his opponents in the 1980s, this Ryder Cup is also not a fair fight.
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