FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — A capsule summary of the matches Saturday in the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black:
Europe 3, United States 1
Young, the best U.S. player on Day 1, nearly holed out after DeChambeau hit
his opening drive to 70 yards. Aberg made an 11-footer to tie that hole and not until No. 3 did the Americans take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The Americans took advantage of a Europe three-putt from 8 feet on No. 7 to expand the lead. The match ended when Young drained a 10-foot birdie putt on 16.
The Americans took the lead after one hole but were 4 down after eight. Europe started taking off when Fleetwood made a 30-foot birdie putt to win No. 2, then followed with a 7-foot make on No. 3 for another win. English and Morikawa won two straight holes to pull within two on the 16th hole. That’s where McIlroy stepped away from his approach shot in the rough to tell heckling fans to shut up, then stiffed the shot to 3 feet. Fleetwood converted to end the match. The Euros made 112 feet worth of putts on the 13 holes they won or tied.
The Europeans birdied three of the first four holes and were 2 up early, only to make a pair of bogeys that allowed the Americans to square the match when Cantlay made a downhill 15-footer for par. The key was the par-3 eighth. Rahm tried to chip from the deep collar of a bunker, his feet in the sand. The key was getting up-and-down. He holed it for a birdie. Rahm hit his approach to 5 feet for birdie on No. 12 to go 2 up and the Americans couldn't cut into the lead. It ended when Rahm hit his approach to 3 feet on the 16th and Hatton made it for birdie.
The Europeans had four birdies in five holes at the start. The Americans had four birdies in six holes to stay close. Hovland made an 18-foot birdie putt at the par-3 eighth for a 2-up lead, but the Americans caught them again. Scheffler made birdie on No. 11 and stuffed a wedge to 5 feet on the par-5 13th that Henley made to square the match. MacIntyre hit his tee shot to 4 feet for birdie on the 14th and a 1-up lead. The Americans were poised to square the match at the 17th with a 12-foot birdie putt — Europe had 12 feet for par. Henley missed the birdie. Hovland made the par. The match ended when Scheffler hit a clunker of a wedge from 104 yards into the collar of a bunker, and Europe had an easy par and the win.
Europe 3, United States 1
Lowry gave Europe its first lead by hitting an approach from 210 yards on the par-5 fourth to 20 feet then making the eagle putt. Thomas tied it with a 20-foot birdie on No. 9. Lowry made key putts on 15 and 17 to match birdies with the Americans and hang onto the lead, and on 18 he stuffed his approach from 103 yards to 5 feet to seal the win.
In one of the great fourballs performances, Fleetwood and Rose combined to make 12 birdies in 15 holes. Rose made three straight birdies to start the day and made 16- and 15-footers on Nos. 16 and 17 to help seal this match. In between, he made a 7-footer on No. 7 to pull the Euros into a tie, and a hole later made a 21-footer to take the lead for good. Of the nine holes he won or tied on his own ball, he made 93 feet worth of putts. Scheffler became the first player to start the Ryder Cup 0-4 under the current format that dates to 1979.
Straka made a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 2 and Schauffele answered with a 40-foot eagle putt on the fourth. Europe pulled ahead with birdies on the seventh and ninth for a 2-up lead, and Spaun answered with a birdie on the 10th. Europe remained 1 up with two to play when Spaun hit his tee shot to 3 feet for birdie on the par-3 17th, and a wedge to 2 feet for birdie on the 18th for the only red American point of the session.
In the tightest match of the afternoon, 15 of the 18 holes were halved. Fitzpatrick made an 8-foot birdie on the ninth for the first lead. Burns holed a 35-foot birdie putt on the 10th, only for Fitzpatrick to match him from 25 feet. Burns squared the match with an 8-foot birdie on the par-3 14th and then Hatton and Cantlay matched birdies on the 15th, 16th and 17th holes. The match ended when both Europeans hit wedge to 2 feet and the Americans couldn't answer.
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