Team Europe are closing on an emphatic Ryder Cup victory after retaining a commanding five-point lead over Team USA heading into the Sunday singles in Rome.
Luke Donald’s side began the day five ahead and extended their advantage after edging the Saturday foursomes session, only for Team USA to claim three points in the fourballs and cut the gap to 10.5-5.5 at Marco Simone GC.
Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg had reduced Scottie Scheffler to tears earlier in the day after defeating the world No 1 and Brooks Koepka 9&7, the biggest 18-hole win in Ryder Cup history, only to struggle in the afternoon session and fall to a 4&3 loss to Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa.
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Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka were beaten 9&7 by Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg in the Saturday foursomes at the Ryder Cup in Rome, a record defeat in the competition
Max Homa and Brian Harman claimed their second point of the day when they survived a late comeback from Tommy Fleetwood and Nicolai Hojgaard to earn a 2&1 win, with a Team USA clean sweep temporarily remaining a possibility with two matches left on the course.
Justin Rose and Robert MacIntyre claimed Europe’s first point of the session when they despatched Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas 3&2, before Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick were beaten in a dramatic finish in the final match.
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Justin Rose repeats his heroics of day one by draining this clutch putt to seal a point for Team Europe, this time claiming a 3&2 win over Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth
The Europe were one ahead with two to play against Wyndham Clark and Patrick Cantlay, who quietened the home crowd by birdieing the 17th and draining a sensational 45-foot birdie at the last to snatch a 1up win and session victory for the visitors.
Angry scenes followed on the 18th green, with Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava involved in heated conversations with McIlroy after allegedly standing on his line, before the argument spilled over to the car park and McIlroy had to be ushered away by Lowry.
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A furious Rory McIlroy confronted a Team USA caddie in the car park post-round after an incident on the 18th hole.
Europe need four points in the Sunday singles to regain the trophy and win a seventh consecutive home edition of the biennial contest, while Zach Johnson’s American team need eight points to retain the cup and 8.5 points to end their 30-year wait for victory on away soil.
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Sky Sports’ Jamie Weir dissects the stories surrounding Patrick Cantlay and why day two has led to high tensions between the two teams.
Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa beat Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg 4&3
Burns holed a birdie at the first and converted from 10 feet for a winning par at the third, then responded to Hovland winning the fourth by birdieing the next and gesturing to the home crowd after holing from close range at the sixth.
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Team USA’s Sam Burns sinks the putt to win the sixth hole before gesturing to the Ryder Cup crowd.
Morikawa took advantage of the par-five ninth to reach the turn four ahead and followed a birdie at the 11th by making a 10-foot eagle at the 12th to go six up with six to play.
The two-time major champion missed from four feet at the 13th and six feet at the 14th to lose both holes to Åberg birdies, before a par at the next was enough to give both Americans their first win of the contest.
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Team USA’s Sam Burns makes his par putt on the 15th hole to close out a 4&3 win with partner Colin Morikawa and insists the team believe they can make a Ryder Cup comeback.
“We did a good job out there,” Burns said. “We knew it was going to be tough. We knew the crowds were going to be against us. We just kept fighting, and glad to put a point on the board for our team.”
Max Homa and Brian Harman beat Tommy Fleetwood and Nicolai Hojgaard 2&1
Homa opened with a six-foot birdie and Team USA stayed ahead when Hojgaard missed a birdie opportunity at the third, with the American then draining a 40-footer at the fourth and matching Fleetwood’s birdie at the next.
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Max Homa produced some stunning shots as he was Team USA’s star man winning both his matches on Saturday at the Ryder Cup in Rome.
The Americans pulled further clear when Homa birdied the sixth and Harman took advantage of the ninth to reach the turn four ahead, with the visitors responding to losing the 10th to a Fleetwood birdie by making a brilliant eagle at the par-five 12th.
Hojgaard’s 30-foot birdie at the 14th and Fleetwood’s remarkable chip-in eagle from off the 16th green extended the contest, before Homa secured a second point of the day for him and Harman with a par on the penultimate hole.
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Tommy Fleetwood keeps the hopes alive in his match-up with this spectacular chip-in to ignite the Ryder Cup crowd.
Justin Rose and Robert MacIntyre beat Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth 3&2
MacIntyre slotted in from 15 feet to match the birdie at the first from Spieth, who added another at the fourth, while Rose’s winning birdie at the sixth was cancelled out when Thomas holed from six feet to win the next.
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It was the signature pumped up celebration for Justin Rose as he sinks this 15-foot putt for the birdie and to win the hole.
Rose birdied the ninth and drained a 15-footer at the 10th to move Europe ahead in the match for the first time, with MacIntyre winning the par-three 13th to double their advantage.
A par from Rose was enough to claim the 14th and MacIntyre’s brilliant up and down secured a tie at the next, with the point secure at the next to continue the Scot’s unbeaten start to his Ryder Cup career.
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Justin Rose is rolling back the years on Day 2 of the Ryder Cup, as he sinks this superb birdie to give Europe the lead for the first time in match three.
“Today is everything I’ve dreamed of. I worked hard for it,” MacIntyre said. “Yesterday I felt like I let Justin [Rose] down a little bit but he stood up to the challenge and today he was brilliant again, and thankfully I helped him out.”
Patrick Cantlay and Wyndham Clark beat Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy 1up
McIlroy edged ahead with a 10-foot birdie at the fourth and halved the next after missing his eagle try, having driven the green, with both teams taking advantage of the par-four ninth to leave Europe 1up at the turn.
Rory McIlroy had three wins from three before this loss
Cantlay left himself a close-range birdie to win the 11th and Fitzpatrick drained a 20-footer to match Clark’s birdie at the 13th, while McIlroy moved Europe back ahead when he holed from 10 feet at the 14th.
Cantlay holed from 10 feet to match McIlroy’s birdie at the 16th and made a birdie at the next to pull the contest level heading to the par-five last, where Cantlay recovered from a poor pitch to hole a remarkable 45-foot birdie and spark wild celebrations on the final green.
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Patrick Cantlay amazing three putts on the last three holes helped Team USA claim a point and keep their Ryder Cup hopes alive.
Caddie LaCava appeared to step across the line of a European putt as he waved his own cap in the air in celebration, with a heated debate ensuing on the 18th green and the argument continuing into the car park.
“Obviously they had a great finish and you know, Patrick made three great putts at the end to seal the deal, so hats off to them,” McIlroy said. “They played a great match, and yeah, a few scenes there on 18 and just fuel for the fire tomorrow.”
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