Tag: Whistling Straits

Ryder Cup live updates: Herbert Kohler, who used to play ‘100 rounds a year,’ sees vision fulfilled

Everything you need to know for the Sunday singles matches at Whistling Straits.

After three years of waiting and speculation, it’s time to put the tees in the ground and balls in the air. The 43rd Ryder Cup is here.

The biennial event between 12 of the best golfers from the United States and all of Europe began on Friday morning at Whistling Straits’ Straits Course in Haven, Wisconsin, and it was all America on Day 1. Europe may have won seven of the last nine events, but they’ll need to come from behind, 6-2, if they’re to win or even retain the cup.

From impressive shots to funny fans and everything in between, stay up to date with all the latest news and analysis from Saturday at the 43rd Ryder Cup.

Ryder Cup: Live scores | Format, scoring explained

Kohler’s vision shines through at Whistling Straits

Herbert Kohler Jr.. who used to golf 100 rounds a year, doesn’t play much anymore.  Kohler’s courses have hosted major tournaments like PGA Championships in 2004, 2010 and 2015. But the Ryder Cup is another breed. It is the most lucrative tournament in golf and draws the largest media presence.

The Ryder Cup is “the granddaddy of all golf tournaments,” Kohler likes to say, comparing it to the World Series in baseball.

He said hosting the Ryder Cup would rank in the top dozen of his professional accomplishments along with the company’s growth record and other achievements.

Kohler was the CEO of the company that bears his family name from 1972 until he stepped down in 2015. The company, based in Kohler, grew dramatically under his leadership. It has around 6,000 full-time workers in Wisconsin, the majority of whom work in Sheboygan County.

It was Kohler’s idea to take the business best known for bathroom and plumbing fixtures into hospitality and golf. The Kohler hospitality arm runs four resorts and hotels in Wisconsin and a golf resort in Scotland.

This Ryder Cup is the last tournament in a three-event deal Kohler inked with the PGA of America years ago.

Kohler’s Wisconsin courses are not selected for any upcoming tournaments at this time.

“You can’t take much more on than the biggest tournament of all, until you do it successfully,” Kohler said.

Kohler has been credited with changing the landscape for golf in Wisconsin with his courses and focus on only hosting major tournaments.

Before the Ryder Cup American Captain Steve Stricker thanked Kohler for his contributions.

“(Whistling Straits is) just one of those iconic places here in our state thanks to Herb (Kohler) and his family,” Stricker said. “It started right here for Wisconsin golf to be quite honest. I mean, when Herb built these courses along with Blackwolf Run, it kind of put Wisconsin golf on the map.

“Other people and other courses have followed behind but we owe a lot to Herb and his family for being able to have a Ryder Cup here in Wisconsin. Really a dream thing for Wisconsinites and people that are involved here. So thanks, Herb, and to your family.”

— Sarah Heuer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker sure looks smart — his picks have hit all the right shots

The six picks opened Stricker up to some measure of criticism. It was unwarranted.

HAVEN, Wisconsin — When Steve Stricker was named the United States Ryder Cup captain in February 2019, he was all set to head into the scheduled 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits with four picks. But four months after the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically altered the golf landscape in 2020, the PGA of America shrunk the automatic qualifiers and gave Stricker two additional selections.

The six picks were the most by any captain in tournament history and opened Stricker up to some measure of criticism, including by those he passed over.

Now with his team holding an impressive 11-5 lead heading into Sunday’s singles matches, it’s fair to say Stricker’s decisions behind his picks – and who he selected – have been spot on.

Stricker only took one seasoned Ryder Cup veteran with those picks in 28-year-old Jordan Spieth, a player who likely would not have been on the team in 2020. Spieth was paired with Justin Thomas at the 2018 Ryder Cup, and the duo went 3-1 in a U.S. loss.

Tony Finau, 32, made his Ryder Cup debut in Paris in 2018 but went 2-1 in his matches. Xander Schauffele, 27, Daniel Berger, 28, and Harris English, 32, are all rookies to the tournament but not to one another nor team competition.

Finau was joined on the 2019 Presidents Cup team by Schauffele and fellow rookie Patrick Cantlay, who played together. Berger was on the 2017 Presidents Cup team, which Stricker captained, and he played with Brooks Koepka.

RELATED: Ryder Cup scoreboard

“You know, some teams that have played together over the years, whether in Ryder Cups or some Presidents Cups, so we wouldn’t put them out there if we didn’t feel good about them, let me just put it that way,” Stricker said.

Scottie Scheffler, 25, was the one true rookie Stricker picked. But, Scheffler had finished second in the WGC Match Play championship and had three top 10 finishes in major championships this year. He also had couple of junior match play titles under his belt and was on the victorious 2017 U.S. Walker Cup team with Collin Morikawa.

With these picks joining two rookie automatic qualifiers in Cantlay and Morikawa, there was a feeling that Stricker’s team didn’t have enough Ryder Cup experience.

He looked at it another way.

“You know, we haven’t been on the winning side (for) too many things, I think two or three times out of the last 12 times – we’re not coming with bad experiences,” Stricker said.

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“I see that as a positive.”

So did the players.

The United States’ recent losing history in the Ryder Cup really meant nothing to them.

“For me, the change of culture,” Finau said of what the new blood on the Ryder Cup team meant before competition began. “We have a whole new team. We have a team with no scar tissue. There’s only a handful of us that has even played in a Ryder Cup, and the few of those, we have winning records. So we actually don’t have guys on our team that have lost a lot in Ryder Cups. So what I mean by this is a big one is we’ve got a whole new team. We’ve got a whole different group of young guys that are hungry.”

With no baggage to carry onto the first tee, Stricker’s picks helped the U.S. team set an impressive pace to the Ryder Cup.

As a group they went 5-1-1 on Friday to give the U.S. its biggest first-day lead in 46 years.

“We’re just off to a good start, and we’re really building some really positive memories and positive experience,” Cantlay said after he and Schauffele won in Friday morning foursomes. “And we’re going to use that later.”

Did they ever.

Unburdened by history and only building in confidence, Stricker’s picks continued to pay off in Saturday’s matches, which included a couple of highlights:

Schauffele: He became the first U.S. rookie since 2012 to open his Ryder Cup career by winning his first three matches. He also went 36 holes of play before trailing, surpassing Phil Mickelson (34 in 1995) for the best stretch over the last 30 years.

Spieth: By going 1-1 with partner Justin Thomas on Saturday thanks to overcoming a 3-hole deficit in the morning session, the pair has four victories as a tandem in their Ryder Cup careers. Only Arnold Palmer and Gardner Dickinson (five) have more as a Ryder Cup duo.

Scheffler: Rolled in about a 9-foot putt in for birdie on No. 15 and then another birdie on No. 16 to give him and Bryson DeChambeau a victory over Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland in fourball play.

English: Striped a 234-yard approach to the green on No. 18 to 32 feet, allowing him to make par and force Shane Lowry to do the same to earn a full point after the Europeans had led for 15 consecutive holes.

Through two days the six captain’s picks combined to go 8-5-1 to stake the Americans to a commanding lead heading into Sunday’s singles matches. Now, Stricker’s team needs just 3½ more points to win the Ryder Cup for the second time in three years.

And while Ryder Cup singles play can be the ultimate crucible in the sport, the performance of the captain’s picks over the first two days no doubt has lowered the flame beneath them.

“It’s just a big momentum swing from our match going 1-down and going into 14 and the potential of it being 10-6 again like it was at Medinah (Country Club in 2012), for us to be able to flip that match was huge and to be able to win the last match on Saturday was good momentum as well,” Scheffler said. “Go out tomorrow, everything is a level playing field. I think we have a lot of guys on this team that really hate losing, and so individual matches tomorrow, I think guys are going to be fired up and ready to play. Hopefully finish this thing off.”

Contact Jim Owczarski at jowczarski@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat at @JimOwczarski or Facebook at facebook.com/JOwczarski.

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Ryder Cup: It all comes down to this, Sunday singles matchups and predictions as U.S. team holds an 11-5 lead over Europe

Star-studded matchups will decided winner of the Ryder Cup.

European Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington and his 12-man European team are still holding out hope that they can pull off the biggest comeback in Ryder Cup history on Sunday.

All 12 Americans have won a match at the 43rd Ryder Cup as Team USA built an 11-5 lead over Europe at Whistling Straits.

“Six points is a tough one to make up tomorrow,” said Harrington, who was on the losing end of USA’s rally from a 10-6 deficit in 1999 and on the winning side in 2012 when Europe rallied from the same deficit, “ but I think we were a half-point short of that in the Miracle at Medinah on Sunday, so we’re just going to have to push for that tomorrow.”

It’s the largest lead Team USA has held over Europe in the modern era (since 1979) – largest since 1975 – and matched the 2004 European squad that thrashed the Americans. The Americans need to win 3 ½ points out of 12 on Sunday to win the Cup for the first time since 2016.

Team Europe had its first non-losing session on Saturday afternoon, splitting four Four-Ball matches, but for much of the day it looked as if Europe would have won three of the four matches before the U.S. flipped a match late in the day. How big a difference will that make in the outcome?

“Very big. 11-5 versus 10-6, that’s a big difference in my book,” U.S. captain Steve Stricker said.

But the Europeans refuse to relinquish the golden trophy it claimed in Paris in 2018 without a fight.

“We’re still not out of it,” said Shane Lowry, who holed a clutch 10-foot par putt on 18 to secure a full point in the afternoon. “It’s a long day tomorrow, 12 matches. If any 12 of us were going out against any of them in the match play, we would fancy our chances. We just have to believe. It’s all about believing.”

“If that doesn’t go in, Europe’s got no shot tomorrow,”

The 34-year-old Irishman, who sat out Saturday morning’s foursomes session, was looking on his phone Friday night when an inspirational quote popped on the screen and stuck in his mind.

“It was like if you’ve got a 1 percent chance, you have to have 100 percent faith. And I just think that we really need to live by that tonight and tomorrow and go out and give it our best,” Lowry said. “If we can win three or four of the games early on, you just never know. Golf is a funny game. If you’ve got a chance, you just never know.”

Dustin Johnson leads the Americans with a 4-0 record this week and has the perspective of being on the 2012 U.S. side that blew a 10-6 lead in the Miracle at Medinah. “You know, it’s not over,” said Johnson. “We’ve still got to go out, and everybody needs to play well. We’ve still got to get, what, four points, or 3 1/2. You know, it’s not over.”

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But England’s Ian Poulter didn’t mince words. “We’re not in a good position and it’s going to take a beyond monumental effort,” he said. “So we need a couple of miracles.”

“Hopefully we can rally and at last give them something to maybe sweat about tomorrow in the middle of the afternoon,” said Rory McIlroy, who is winless this week.

“We have a big task tomorrow, and hopefully let’s see if we can make history,” said Sergio Garcia, who teamed with World No. 1 Jon Rahm to win three points and represents one of Europe’s few bright spots.

Sunday singles matchups and predictions

Schauffele vs. McIlroy

Schupak: Schauffele is undefeated this week; McIlroy is winless and has looked lost. This one goes to Team USA.

DiMeglio: I didn’t see McIlroy going 0-2 on the first day and then dropping to 0-3 on the second day. I can’t see him ending the Ryder Cup 0-4. Somehow, he’ll find his form for the victory. Even against the gold medalist.

Cantlay vs. Lowry

Schupak: This is an intriguing matchup. Love the fight Lowry showed but Cantlay, the FedEx Cup champion, is a silent assassin and lives for these moments too. Point for USA.

DiMeglio: The USA fans are going to start sweating as Lowry takes down Cantlay. The par putt he made to give Europe a win in Saturday Four-Ball was a gift to his mother, who was celebrating her birthday. The good vibes continue.

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Scheffler vs. Rahm

Schupak: Scheffler beat Rahm in the WGC Matchplay and has played well with DeChambeau as a Ryder Cup rookie, but Rahm has been the MVP of the Ryder Cup, albeit on a losing side. He’s been a stud and is going to earn a fifth point for his team.

DiMeglio: Poor Scheffler. Rahm has been the best player this week and will end the week 4-0-1 with his second singles victory in the Ryder Cup; he beat Tiger Woods in Paris in 2018. He’s the No. 1 player in the world and playing like it. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I have Europe winning the first three matches.

DeChambeau vs. Garcia

Schupak: This is one of the best matchups. Garcia is having another great week and while DeChambeau has been enjoying the fan support, I think Garcia will ball strike him to death. Point for Europe.

DiMeglio: Make that Europe winning the first four matches. Garcia came into the week as the all-time points leader in Ryder Cup history and he will add three points to the total – taking him to 28.5 – with his win in singles. He just finds a way to win in the Ryder Cup.

Morikawa vs. Hovland

Schupak: Oh, boy. I may have to walk with this group because this matchup is a thing of beauty. I can’t pick between these two. I’m calling this one a tie, but it won’t be a pillow fight.

DiMeglio: Two young studs go at it but Morikawa has the slight edge because he hasn’t played four matches like Hovland has. USA puts red on the board.

Johnson vs. Casey

Schupak: Johnson can do no wrong this week. When he’s in full flight, he’s almost invincible and will be too much for Casey.

DiMeglio: DJ is back on form, the form that won him a Masters and a FedEx Cup in 2020. Too much firepower for Casey to handle.

Koepka vs. Wiesberger

Schupak: Let’s hope Koepka doesn’t need another ruling. Either way, he’s going to be too much for Bernd. I really liked the way Koepka played on Saturday afternoon. He’ll get a full point for Team USA and could be the clincher, if someone else doesn’t beat him to it.

DiMeglio: Koepka is just the better player. Wiesberger has played well in his Ryder Cup debut, but Koepka is Koepka and he’s healthy enough to finish off his Ryder Cup week with a win.

Finau vs. Poulter

Schupak: Poulter has been hugely disappointing. Finau has been a solid contributor and he’s got another point in him for Team USA if he keeps putting like he did on Friday. Down goes Poulter’s undefeated record in singles. Point for USA.

DiMeglio: This will be interesting. Finau’s power and passion against Poulter’s precision and passion. I’ll go with the guy who is on form – Finau, who won the first FedEx Cup Playoffs event.

Thomas vs. Hatton

Schupak: Hatton acknowledged he was struggling on Saturday. Thomas is one of Team USA’s fiery leaders. He’s going to get a full point for his team.

DiMeglio: Thomas will shotgun some more beers after he wins his second singles match in the Ryder Cup in as many tries. Just the better player.

English vs. Westwood

Schupak: It’s Lee Westwood’s last stand and I don’t think he’s going to go out with a bang. Very cool to have his son on the bag, but English has the more complete game at this point in their careers. Point for USA.

DiMeglio: English is on form; Westwood is not. USA point.

Spieth vs Fleetwood

Schupak: Jordan Spieth has never won a singles match in international competition since turning pro. That streak ends on Sunday. He gets another point for Team USA.

DiMeglio: I think Fleetwood should have played at least one more match. He pulls out the win.

Berger vs Fitzpatrick

Schupak: The anchor match will be anti-climatic, but Berger won’t let up just because Team USA has already won the Cup. Berger’s going to battle to the end and get a W for Team USA.

DiMeglio: Berger is on form, Fitz is not. Yes, I wrote that for the English-Westwood match, but it characterizes the entire 43rd Ryder Cup. The USA was in form, Europe was not. The end result? USA wins 18-10.

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Lynch: Dodgy decisions, aging stars and poor play ensure Europe’s Ryder Cup dominance is over

There’s actually a reasonable argument that the seeds of Europe’s struggle were sown more than two years ago.

HAVEN, Wisconsin — A consequence of runaway victories in the Ryder Cup is that the post-mortem commences before the deceased has officially even hit the slab, and so it is with the European team that seems likely destined for defeat Sunday at Whistling Straits.

The social media second-guessing was underway by the end of the first session — which shared a demoralizing symmetry with the two that followed it: USA 3, Europe 1 — and built as steadily as the afternoon breeze off Lake Michigan. Even that roomy scoreline might have suggested matters were more competitive than they actually were.

Predictably, criticism has centered on decisions made in combat by Captain Padraig Harrington.

Why bust up Friday morning’s only winning team (Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm)?

Why send out Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick in Saturday’s Foursomes when they produced just a single birdie in that same format on Friday?

Why Ian Poulter, his worst ball-striker, for alternate shot, a format in which his struggles would also doom his partner?

Why sit Shane Lowry, who brought an inspiring, fiery intensity to Saturday’s Four-Ball, for two of the first four sessions?

One cynical fan even wondered why Harrington invested so much of the continent’s hopes in players from a nation that had left the European Union — the six English team members had, through three sessions, combined for just two half-points in eight matches.

While dissenters criticized, loyalists rationalized. As Europe fell ever farther adrift, complaints grew about loud-mouthed, abusive fans. There were some (there always are), but the lopsided score in favor of the home team robbed their bellowing of the usual nastiness.

Objection dismissed.

There were suggestions that the absence of European fans due to the pandemic travel ban was hugely impactful — a sleight of speech that ignores one salient fact: had the entire gallery been from Europe, they would still have had nothing to cheer about. There’s not much reason to whoop if your team is finding the center of the clubface as often as a blind man does a black cat in a dark room.

There’s actually a reasonable argument that the seeds of Europe’s struggle were sown more than two years ago, and allowed to take root during the COVID chaos.

In May of 2019, the European Tour’s tournament committee ratified Harrington’s request to reduce his number of captain’s picks from four to three. Later, as the qualification process for both teams was compromised by schedule changes forced by the pandemic, the captains took differing tacks. Steve Stricker got six captain’s picks instead of the usual four, half of his team. Harrington could have pushed for more picks too, but opted against, despite the European Tour schedule being more ravaged than its U.S. counterpart.

He believes forcing guys to qualify is preferable, and that being picked creates more pressure. A defensible outlook, sure, but an optimistic one when a pandemic is upending the schedule and limiting the amount of travel and starts being made by players. In the end, Harrington’s picks have arguably been less disappointing than his automatic qualifiers, particularly those who occupied the final two spots on that list.

Westwood made the team thanks to three second-place finishes (in Dubai to end 2020, and back-to-back weeks in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship). In 14 events since, he has one top-20 finish, and that was a T-18. Fitzpatrick won that event in Dubai nine months ago, but has had only one impressive finish since April.

Would they be here if Harrington had fewer automatics and more picks? Possibly. After all, his options were slender. Justin Rose is in middling form. Victor Perez the same, and untested. It’s barely an exaggeration to say Europe’s non-playing vice-captains had more merit than some in its starting lineup.

Harrington has all the attributes one expects in a worthy Ryder Cup captain: an impeccable playing career that brought him three major titles, deep experience in this team competition, the unqualified respect of his players, and a (sometimes manic) attention to detail. Those are traits that often lead to a winning captaincy. Unfortunately, he also has a so-so squad that arrived in beggarly form and that is for the most part performing poorly. That almost guarantees a losing captaincy.

All is not lost, obviously, but the chances of a comeback for the Old World on Sunday are awfully faint. Defeat should not come as a shock. The European empire has held almost unbroken sway for two decades, but this week was always going to be a struggle. Circumstances favored Stricker building a team from America’s next generation. Tiger Woods is sidelined, Phil Mickelson was gracefully ushered to the back benches and old-timers Matt Kuchar and Bubba Watson didn’t qualify. Stricker faced just one tough call, and made the right one: to leave Patrick Reed (and his inner circle) at home.

Harrington, however, had no choice but to bet on the last stand of Europe’s aging generation, to hope for one last stirring lap from thoroughbreds who are, in Ryder Cup terms at least, much more likely to stumble into the glue factory than streak to glory. Not only did the trusty old nags fail to perform, even his show pony — Rory McIlroy — has been woefully disappointing.

For 20 years, American players have heard how they need to be more like the Europeans if they want to own the Ryder Cup again. Regardless of what happens Sunday, that existential crisis is now firmly Europe’s to ponder. They have two years to figure out the generation of players who will build a new empire. Because the old one is over.

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Ryder Cup: United States and Europe split Saturday Four-Ball; Americans lead 11-5 heading into Sunday singles

Recaps of all four matches from Saturday afternoon’s Four-ball matches.

HAVEN, Wis. – Affable and animated Shane Lowry put on quite a show in the first match of Saturday afternoon’s Four-Ball action.

Partnered with Tyrrell Hatton against USA’s Tony Finau and Harris English, Lowry knew he had to come up with his best golf to help Europe climb out of a substantial hole at Whistling Straits in the 43rd Ryder Cup.

He did just that.

Lowry birdied the first three holes, added four more and then got up-and-down from 140 yards on the 18th hole to hold off Finau and English, 1 up. After driving his tee shot on 18 into a bunker, he laid up but then knocked his third to 10 feet and with Europe needing full points and not half-points, canned the 10 footer.

Europe needed all of Lowry’s heroics because the quiet and gentle English, who teamed with Finau to pummel Lowry and Rory McIlroy, 4 and 3, Friday afternoon, wasn’t going to let his opponent be a one-man show.

English birdied the first two holes and then traded blows with Lowry throughout a tight, tense match. The two birdied the sixth to tie and the two each birdied the 10th to tie. At the time Europe led, 1 up. Hatton got into the act with a birdie on the 11th to put his team 2 up, but Finau birdied the 13th to cut the lead in half.

English then birdied the 14th from short range but Hatton knocked in a 40-footer for a huge tie. Lowry kept Europe ahead when he made a tough par on the 15, which was matched with a gut-check par from English.

On 16, English nearly chipped in for eagle while Lowry nearly dropped a 40-footer for eagle. Both teams made birdie and Europe led 1 up with two to go.

Ryder Cup: Live scores | Format, scoring explained

After Hatton and Finau parred the 17th, it set up a final-hole showdown.

English actually chipped for the win from 40 feet, but the ball drifted by and he settled for par. And then Lowry ended the show with a brilliant putt.

“I didn’t know I was going to make it, but I was going to do my best,” Lowry said. “Today’s my mom’s birthday. That was for her.”

– Steve DiMeglio

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The Spaniard duo wins again, taking down Spieth and Koepka

HAVEN, Wisc. – Earlier this week in Europe’s team room, Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm posed for a picture in front of the image of Spanish legends Jose-Maria Olazabal and Seve Ballesteros. They replicated the iconic image of Ollie climbing atop Seve’s shoulders to see where a shot had gone – with Garcia hopping on to the back of Rahm. Good thing Rahm has broad shoulders as he’s done his best at the 43rd Ryder Cup to lift all of Europe and give his team a glimmer of hope heading into Sunday’s singles session.

In bright sunshine and gusting winds on Saturday afternoon, Rahm and Garcia did their best job of channeling the incredible success of Ballesteros and Olabazal in international competition and were the second coming of their Spanish Armada days.

As partners, Garcia and Rahm, the World No. 1, won three out of a possible three points and were the lone bright spot for Team Europe, edging Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth in a Four-Ball match, 2 and 1. (Rahm earned another half point in a Friday Four-Ball with Tyrrell Hatton.)

Rahm pitched close to win the first hole, but Spieth erased Team USA’s deficit with an eagle at the par-5 second. It would be an uphill battle all afternoon for the Americans as Rahm won the third hole with a par and then sank a 45-foot birdie putt at the fourth hole that had perfect line and pace and disappeared into the heart of the cup.

Rahm did it again at the seventh. With Spieth stalking a birdie putt from closer range, Rahm canned a 15-foot birdie putt and pumped his fist. When Spieth’s birdie try slid by, the Spanish Armada 2.0 led 3 up.

Team USA fought back with Koepka doing the heavy lifting. He poured in birdie putts at Nos. 8, 10 and 13 to win all three holes and erase the deficit. Spieth’s putter turned colder than the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, including the cruelest 360-degree lip out you’ll ever see at No. 12.

Europe pulled ahead for good when Spieth missed another 10-foor birdie putt and Rahm rolled in his birdie effort from 7 feet. But Rahm wasn’t done yet. He holed a 29-foot birdie at 16 that left Garcia grinning from ear-to-ear and mouthing the words that he loved his partner. And why wouldn’t he? After all, it was Rahm’s fifth birdie of the day and further proof that the U.S. Open champ is golf’s current alpha male.

– Adam Schupak

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Ryder Cup rookie Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau take control late and win

Talk about a proper golf match.

The American bomber unit of Scottie Scheffler and Bryson Dechambeau took on Team Europe’s all-hair team of Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland in one of the best matches of the week Saturday during the afternoon Four-Balls session of the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wisconsin.

Every time one team made its move, they were met with an immediate response before the match ultimately ended in favor of the Americans, 3 and 1.

Hovland canned a 14-footer for birdie on the par-3 third to take an early 1-up lead before DeChambeau followed suit with a 23-footer to tie the match on the par-5 5th. The Americans took their first lead two holes later with a Scheffler par on No. 7. The Europeans answered with consecutive wins on Nos. 8 and 9 to flip the match at the turn.

DeChambeau began the back nine with another birdie from distance, this time from inside 30 feet, to square the match once again. Fleetwood earned his first win of the match with par on the par-3 12th which the Americans responded to with a DeChambeau birdie two holes later. Scheffler joined in on the fun with a 16-footer to give the Americans a 1-up lead with three to play. The Texan ran with the momentum to another win on the 16th with a birdie after Hovland missed a nine-footer of his own for birdie.

DeChambeau and Scheffler tied Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton on Friday in Four-Balls after losing a 1-up lead with three to play on the final hole. Fleetwood and Hovland also tied Friday afternoon against Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay.

DeChambeau and Scheffler both improve to 1-0-1 in the format, while Fleetwood earns his first loss at 2-1-1 and Hovland at 0-1-1.

– Adam Woodard

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Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa move to 3-0 as a pair

For the first time in his Ryder Cup career, Rory McIlroy lost two matches in the same day on Friday. For the first time in his Ryder Cup career, Rory McIlroy was benched, as captain Padraig Harrington held him out of Saturday foursomes.

Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa stood  2-0 as a pair entering the match, including a win early Saturday morning. McIlroy and Ian Poulter were dominated Friday morning as a pair. So, not the most ideal match-up for the European side down 9-3 going into four-ball.

The first hole was halved after Poulter and Johnson both made birdie. Johnson gave himself an eagle look on two to win the hole, it didn’t drop, but his tap-in birdie was good enough to win the hole after McIlroy’s birdie putt lipped out.

Poulter made birdie on the par-5 fifth to bring the match to all square, but an American win on six gave the U.S. duo a 1 up lead once again. Morikawa hit a fabulous iron into the par-3 sixth and capitalized on the birdie putt to go 2 up.

Morikawa needed just par on the eighth, and all of a sudden McIlroy/Poulter were in a 3 down hole. The next six holes were halved, until Collin Morikawa buried a mid-range birdie putt on the 15th. Rory McIlroy had a birdie putt to extend the match, but ran it by on the left side.

Johnson and Morikawa finished the group sessions 3-0 as a pair.

– Riley Hamel

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Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm’s caddie Adam Hayes get into heated disagreement over drop Saturday at Ryder Cup

Things are getting chippy at the Ryder Cup.

What’s a Ryder Cup without a little fire and intensity?

In the morning on Saturday Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger shared some displeasure with a rules official. With the Americans holding a 9-3 lead entering Saturday afternoon’s Four-Balls session at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wisconsin, things got a little chippy in the match between Jordan Spieth and Koepka and Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia.

More specifically, Spieth and Rahm’s caddie, Adam Hayes.

It all started on the par-5 5th. Rahm’s front foot slipped on his tee shot and he hit his ball right into the water. All four players walked off the tee and agreed where the ball crossed into the penalty area. When the players approached the drop area, according to NBC/Golf Channel on-course analyst Jim “Bones” Mackay, “someone tried to influence the decision on where to drop,” with a 20-yard difference of opinion. Spieth didn’t take too kindly to that and let his opinion be heard, which led to a sparky discussion between him and Hayes.

Said Spieth during the lively discussion: “I didn’t raise my voice, buddy.”

Spieth, Hayes and Rahm all spoke after the hole was finished, the boys traded fist-bumps and the match carried on with the Europeans holding a 2-up lead.

“No question Adam was very, very passionate in what he had to say and there were certainly a couple people who thought he overreacted in terms of his opinion,” added Bones.

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Ryder Cup Saturday Four-Balls pairings, predictions as Team USA leads Team Europe

Everything you need to know for Saturday afternoon at the Ryder Cup.

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HAVEN, Wis. – Europe is still in trouble.

After falling behind, 6-2, on the first day of the 43rd Ryder Cup, Europe needed to mount a huge comeback Saturday, starting with morning Foursomes.

World No. 1 Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia, the all-time points leader in Ryder Cup history, stormed back from a 3-down deficit after three holes to topple Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger in the first match.

Exactly what Europe needed.

But then USA superiority took over. Once again.

Dustin Johnson teamed with Collin Morikawa to win for a second time, toppling Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton, 2 and 1. Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, who lost Friday morning, pulled out a 2-up win over Bernd Wiesberger and Viktor Hovland. The U.S. was 3 down after six holes.

And in the anchor match, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay won their second match, 2 and 1, against Lee Westwood and Matthew Fitzpatrick.

And now the scoreboard reads 9-3 USA; they’ve won each session, 3-1.

The U.S. needs 5.5 points with 16 matches remaining to win back the Ryder Cup.

Europe captain Padraig Harrington needs a 3-1 session in afternoon Four-Ball play to have a chance in Sunday singles and is bringing Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter and Tommy Fleetwood off the bench. U.S. captain Steve Stricker will just keep telling his charges to try and win every session.

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Four-Balls pairings and predictions

Saturday, Sept. 25

1:26 p.m. ET

brooks koepka and jordan spieth (USA) vs. Jon Rahm and sergio garcia (EUR)

DiMeglio: Here’s the marquee match. An interesting pairing of Koepka and Spieth but it makes sense. Koepka probably still angry about not getting a drop Saturday morning and Spieth is playing well. But the Spanish Armada is too much to handle and the duo will go to 3-0 this week with another victory.

Schupak: I’m intrigued by this Koepka-Spieth pairing in what is going to be a fun match to watch. But the Spanish Armada 2.0 has been unsinkable so far and I don’t think the Americans can sink this battleship. Another point for the Spanish boys, who have been the lone bright spot for Team Europe.

1:42 p.m. ET

TONY FINAU and HARRIS ENGLISH (USA) vs. shane lowry and tyrrell hatton (EUR)

DiMeglio: Finau and English were sensational in Friday Four-Ball. Lowry was not, Hatton’s lost twice. The firepower of Finau and English proves too much as the U.S. continues to roll.

Schupak: This is a very evenly-matched Four-ball, but Finau was really feeling it on Friday afternoon. He and English gelled well and I expect them to earn another point for Team USA.

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1:58 p.m. ET

Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler (USA) vs. tommy fleetwood and viktor hovland (EUR)

DiMeglio: Bombers DeChambeau and Scheffler against the precision of Fleetwood and Hovland. On the massive ground of Whistling Straits, that screams USA victory. But Fleetwood has never lost in Foursomes of Four-Ball and Hovland, playing in his fourth match, will provide the difference. Another desperately needed point for Europe.

Schupak: DeChambeau will be a blast to watch and pairing him with Scheffler was an inspired choice. Fleetwood still doesn’t have a loss in his Ryder Cup career and with Hovland as his partner he’ll stay that way – which begs the question, why didn’t he play in the morning session? And here’s one more question: Anyone know where in Europe Fleet-Land is located?

2:14 p.m. ET

dustin johnson and collin morikawa (USA) vs. ian poulter and rory mcilroy (EUR)

DiMeglio: Johnson and Morikawa have played as well as anyone, winning two matches. Johnson is 3-0. Still, while Poulter and McIlroy have been off form, the urgency of Europe’s situation gets the two going and McIlroy will be McIlroy in this anchor match. Another 3-1 session, but this time it’s Europe gaining the three points. That will bring that matches to 10-6 going into singles.

Schupak: Rory looked lost on Friday and sat the morning session. DJ and Morikawa, in contrast, are rolling and I expect them to continue to do more damage unless Poulter goes Poulter-geist mode. This is the better format for him, but Team USA will continue its rout in the afternoon session.

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Ryder Cup: Americans cruise in Saturday Foursomes, open commanding lead over Europe

Recaps of all four matches from Saturday morning’s Foursomes matches.

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HAVEN, Wis. — With the sun glistening off Lake Michigan on Saturday morning, Xander Schauffele drilled a 31-foot birdie putt at the seventh hole at Whistling Straits for the win. His foursomes partner, Patrick Cantlay, fetched the ball from the hole and clenched his fist.

That moment, which tied their match with Englishmen Matthew Fitzpatrick and Lee Westwood, gave Cantlay a discernible lift and led to a rare show of emotion from “Patty Ice,” who admittedly says he gets into a trance when he’s playing and hasn’t figured out how to break out of it. That hasn’t been a problem at the 43rd Ryder Cup.

Cantlay and Schauffele rode the momentum of that winning putt at No. 7 to win three of the next four holes and build a 3-up lead on their way to a 2-and-1 victory.

Cantlay’s putter heated up with a clutch eight-foot par putt at No. 8 and then he drilled a 23-foot birdie putt at the ninth to grab the lead. As the putt fell, Cantlay detonated cheers in the pro-USA gallery, encouraging them to make some noise by raising his arms like a cheerleader. But he wasn’t done egging the crowd on. As he walked off the green, he put his left hand to his ear and pantomimed that he couldn’t hear them. They responded in kind.

Team USA made birdie at No. 10 and won the 11th with a par to open a 3-up lead and never looked back, with Schauffele sticking his approach at 15 from 151 yards to two feet for a kick-in birdie.

Ryder Cup: Live scores | Format, scoring explained

Cantlay and Schauffele improved to 2-0 in foursomes for the week and 4-0 in the alternate-shot format counting their Presidents Cup record in 2019. How close have these two teammates, who regularly play practice rounds on the PGA Tour together and took a trip to Napa with their significant others after the Tour Championship, become?

“They’re finishing their own sentences,” said Cantlay’s longtime swing instructor Jamie Mulligan.

On Saturday morning, they finished off Fitzpatrick and Westwood for another full point as Team USA extended their lead to 9-3 at the conclusion of the morning Foursomes session.

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— Adam Schupak

Spieth, Thomas battle back to earn crucial point

Through the first six holes of Saturday morning’s Foursomes matches at the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth were even par. Not bad, but not good enough.

The Americans trailed European rookies Bernd Wiesberger and Viktor Hovland by three holes after the opening stretch, but fought back around the turn with wins on Nos. 7, 9 and 10 to even the match.

When Team USA failed to find the green in regulation on No. 11, Wiesberger buried a 10-footer for birdie to reclaim the lead. After a pair of pars on the 12th and 13th holes, the Americans won the 14th and tied the match with birdie after Wiesberger’s second shot from the fairway went just 68 yards, leaving another 44 yards to reach the green. Team USA earned its first lead of the match on the next hole after the Europeans struggled off the tee en route to an ill-timed bogey.

After winning the last two holes with pars, the Americans played their way to at least half a point thanks to an eagle on the par-5 16th to take a 2-up lead with two to play.

Similar to Friday morning’s incredible flop shot, Thomas put Spieth in trouble down the left side of the par-3 17th. Unlike Friday morning’s incredible flop shot, Spieth couldn’t find the green and the Europeans got a late win to send the match to the 18th , the only match of the morning to reach the final hole.

On the 18th the Americans found the fairway but were short of the green on the approach. After missing the fairway right off the tee, Team Europe’s approach found the water short of the green, opening the door for the Americans to cruise to victory with a concession, 2 up.

Thomas improves to 2-2-0 in the format, with Spieth now 3-2-2. Wiesberger lost in his Foursomes debut, while Hovland is now 0-2-0 in the format.

– Adam Woodard

Garcia makes Ryder Cup history in win alongside Rahm

HAVEN, Wis. – Facing a sizable hole after Friday’s play, European captain Padraig Harrington turned to world No. 1 Jon Rahm and all-time Ryder Cup points leader Sergio Garcia to commence a Saturday comeback.

Then the Spaniards, with Europe down 6-2, started colder than the football weather that greeted the second day of play and fell into a 3-down abyss.

But the Spanish Armada righted the ship.

After losing the first three holes, the Spaniards, as they did in the first match on Friday, put blue on the scoreboard and sent hope back to their teammates. Instead of hanging around and hoping Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger would start making mistakes, Rahm and Garcia turned the match around.

Rahm and Garcia cut the deficit to 2 down with a birdie on the sixth, to 1 down with a long par putt from Garcia on the eighth, and then squared the match when Garcia chipped in from just in front of the ninth green.

The Spaniards took their first lead with a 10-foot birdie from Garcia on the 12th and then went 2 up with a solid par on the 12th. After the lead was cut to 1 up, Garcia came up with a spectacular shot from 244 yards on the par-5 16th, the ball coming to rest four feet from the hole.

Now 2 up, the Spaniards closed out the match on the 17th, 3 and 1.

“It was important, but we need more,” Garcia said of the win. “What we did is not enough, not the situation we are in. We are hoping that our troops rally hard in those last few holes because we need a little shift. If not, it’s going to become a big uphill battle. So very proud of the way we played obviously on the personal side. So happy and thrilled to play with Jon, and the way I felt the two days in how we pushed each other and helped each other. Just excited about the golf we played.”

Rahm and Garcia have now won the only two matches Europe has captured.

Garcia has won a record 27.5 points and moved to 20-13-6 in Foursomes and Four-Ball play. He also won a record 24th match.

Rahm is the 12th different player to partner with Garcia.

– Steve DiMeglio

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DJ, Morikawa roll again, this time over Casey, Hatton

Remember Dustin Johnson, who won the Fed Ex Cup and then captured his first Masters? He looks eerily similar at Whistling Straits as he and Collin Morikawa rolled to a comfortable victory in their early match on Saturday, leading wire to wire.

Like they did on Friday, when the duo collected seven birdies in a 3-and-2 win over Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland, DJ and Morikawa blew out to an early advantage. This time, they rolled in birdies on the first three holes.

Casey and Tyrrell Hatton didn’t go down without a fight, using birdies on 11, 13 and 14 to pull within one, but the Euros fouled up No. 15 and the Americans closed things by halving No. 17.

For Casey, the magic has worn off a bit — he’s playing in his fifth Ryder Cup, but he’s been beaten all three times — the first time he’s lost more than one time in a Ryder Cup.

— Tim Schmitt

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Ryder Cup live updates: Can U.S. extend big lead on Saturday?

Everything you need to know for Saturday at the Ryder Cup.

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After three years of waiting and speculation, it’s time to put the tees in the ground and balls in the air. The 43rd Ryder Cup is here.

The biennial event between 12 of the best golfers from the United States and all of Europe began on Friday morning at Whistling Straits’ Straits Course in Haven, Wisconsin, and it was all America on Day 1. Europe may have won seven of the last nine events, but they’ll need to come from behind, 6-2, if they’re to win or even retain the cup.

From impressive shots to funny fans and everything in between, stay up to date with all the latest news and analysis from Saturday at the 43rd Ryder Cup.

Ryder Cup: Live scores | Format, scoring explained

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Pre-matches

Watch how the players warm up on a dark, chilly range along Lake Michigan.

Ryder Cup: Golfweek predicts the Saturday morning Foursome matches

Steve DiMeglio and Adam Schupak make their picks for the Saturday morning matches.

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The American squad has its biggest lead after one day at the Ryder Cup since 1979.

Their European counterparts will need to get moving on Saturday to cut into the 6-2 deficit enjoyed by the home team at Whistling Straits.

The heart of Team Europe, Rory McIlroy, will not be playing Saturday morning as captain Padraig Harrington has benched one of his main players. The other Euros not playing in the Foursomes are Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and Ian Poulter.

Not playing early for the U.S. will be Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler, Harris English and Tony Finau.

Saturday morning Foursomes

8:05 a.m.

Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger (USA) vs. Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia (EUR)

Steve DiMeglio: A sense of urgency has set in for Europe and this leadoff match could prove vital. And Europe has two guns ready to deliver as Rahm and Garcia will move to 2-0 this week with the win.

Adam Schupak: John Rahm has been the one bright spot for Team Europe, earning 1½ points on Friday. Garcia is the king of Foursomes and paired with Rahm, they were shades of the old Seve-Ollie Spanish Armada. They will earn their team a full point.

8:21 a.m.

Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa (USA) vs. Paul Casey, Tyrrell Hatton (EUR)

Steve DiMeglio: A liked a lot of Hatton’s action Friday afternoon and Casey can’t continue his less-than-stellar play, but Johnson and Morikawa will move to 2-0 this week with another win.

Adam Schupak: I love that Johnson-Morikawa are paired together in foursomes. This team rolled to an easy victory on Friday morning and I expect them to do so again, this time against the Englishmen.

Ryder Cup: Scores | Updates | Yardage book | How to watch

8:37 a.m.

Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth (USA) vs. Viktor Hovland, Bernd Wiesberger (EUR)

Steve DiMeglio: Europe sends out two rookies and they will provide a surprising win as Hovland will come up big.

Adam Schupak: Spieth sat out the afternoon session and should be well-rested while Thomas seemed to find his stride late in his Four-Ball match. The American duo is just too tough with a home crowd pushing them on for a pair of rookies.

8:53 a.m.

Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay (USA) vs. Lee Westwood, Matt Fitzpatrick (EUR)

Steve DiMeglio: Cantlay and Schauffele were solid in Australia and will remain undefeated in Wisconsin. They are just playing too well and the U.S. will lead 8-4 after the third session.

Adam Schupak: I picked against Cantlay-Schauffele on Friday morning and I’m not making that mistake twice. These guys are so comfortable playing together and I’m surprised Harrington sent Westwood back out, who struggled in his one session. I think the U.S. builds on its lead.

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