Europe wins the Ryder Cup thanks to Fleetwood’s strong performance and despite a comeback from the US team.
ROME — Europe resisted a fierce American fightback to secure the four points required to reclaim the Ryder Cup with England’s Tommy Fleetwood sealing the deal in a nerve-jangling climax on Sunday.
The Americans, in pursuit of the greatest comeback on the last day of the biennial event, regained their confidence after being outmatched and outperformed for two days at the Marco Simone course.
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Unfortunately, they were unable to overcome a challenging five-point difference and Fleetwood secured the victory for Europe when Rickie Fowler conceded the 16th hole.th
The Briton has a two-point lead with two holes remaining and is guaranteed at least a tie.
Mr. Fleetwood successfully achieved a 3&1 win, marking the start of celebrations for Europe as they maintained their undefeated home record against the Americans for 30 years and sought revenge for the 19-9 defeat at Whistling Straits in 2021.
Despite the 16-1/2-11-1/2 final score remaining consistent with the gap at the beginning of the day, there were occasions where a victory for the US team seemed attainable.
th Ryder Cup
According to Europe team captain Luke Donald, today’s Ryder Cup was challenging due to the strong performance from the Americans. Despite this, he commends his 12 players and feels proud of their victory in the 44th Ryder Cup.th
On Friday, the Ryder Cup began with a clean sweep of 4 wins during the morning foursomes.
“We had a strong start that was exactly what we needed. However, a few matches turned into losses. We continued to check the scoreboard, wondering where we could make up 14 and a half points.”
“We consistently had individuals in the rear who appeared impressive.”
Mr. Fleetwood, aged 32, was surprised to receive attention after earning three points in four matches.
He stated that he would have preferred not to be in that scenario. He did not want it to end up with one of us in the rear.
“I didn’t feel well when I had to take the tee shot on the 16th hole. It’s always unpleasant to see a ball go into the water, but I still had to prepare and make my shot.”
“It is an amazing feeling after an amazing pressure.”
In the end, the Americans bore the consequences of a disappointing beginning where they were unable to secure a victory on the first day. However, they departed with their dignity restored.
“Currently, my competitive drive is hindering my ability to function,” stated Zach Johnson, the captain of the American team. “We will evaluate our performance without making any excuses. Europe simply outperformed us.”
Donald positioned his singles order with top players Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, and Rory McIlroy, ranked third, fourth, and second respectively. The goal was to finish the job quickly in the first four matches, especially after McIlroy’s involvement in unpleasant incidents the previous night.
UNSTOPPABLE HOVLAND
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Norway’s Mr. Hovland, who was exceptional throughout the week, proved to be unbeatable as he defeated Collin Morikawa on the 15th hole.th
The 4&3 victory was achieved with seven birdies and is represented by the color green.
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In the first game, Spain’s Masters champion Mr. Rahm and top-ranked player Scottie Scheffler engaged in an intense competition that ended in a tie. Rahm secured the win on the final hole with a perfectly placed long-distance putt.th
Mr. Scheffler missed a green-side chip, leaving a hole.
Mr. Scheffler was emotional after a 9&7 loss in the foursomes with Brooks Koepka, but he bounced back with impressive play. “We needed to come together and find something to rally around, because we were struggling at the beginning of the day,” Mr. Scheffler shared with the press.
At the seventh Ryder Cup, Northern Ireland’s McIlroy triumphed over determined first-timer Sam Burns with a score of 3&1.
Mr. McIlroy, Europe’s talisman, ended up with four points to take his career Ryder Cup tally to 18, and said it made up for the pain of Whistling Straits.
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this year’s Zozo Championship
“We were hoping to visit Rome this year and make up for our previous performance,” stated the calm Mr. McIlroy, who had a confrontation with Patrick Cantlay’s caddie on the 18th hole of the Zozo Championship this year.th
Following the defeat on Saturday, there was a sense of disappointment and frustration.
I took advantage of the small incident that happened last night. I used it as motivation.
In another location, the American competitors were dominating the scoreboard with Mr. Cantlay’s impressive performance in a challenging fourball match against Justin Rose, resulting in a 2&1 victory and giving the team renewed optimism.
Tyrrell Hatton, a British golfer, calmed his nerves and won the match 3&2 against Brian Harman, the current British Open champion. This win puts Europe just half a point away from victory.
Johnson’s American team had not yet completed their efforts. Koepka defeated young Swedish player Ludvig Aberg, while Max Homa successfully navigated a tense 18 holes.th
The hole was the deciding factor in securing a 1-up win for Matt Fitzpatrick, who unfortunately missed his birdie putt and lost the opportunity to secure Europe’s victory.
When Xander Schauffele defeated Nicolai Hojgaard, the score became 14-10 and Europe’s nerves were on edge.
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Mr. Fowler’s tee shot at the 16th hole ended up in the water hazard.th
When Mr. Fleetwood discovered the green, Europe could relax. He had a three-foot putt to secure the hole, but when Mr. Fowler gave it to him, the 32-year-old Englishman raised his arms in relief.
After all the final details were taken care of, the celebration could officially commence. However, people in the United States were already anticipating the event at Bethpage in 2025.