OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST Xander Schauffele will lead the charge as the United States seek to finish off Europe in today’s singles matches at the Ryder Cup.
The US take a whopping six-point lead — 11-5 — into the final day as they vie to regain the coveted trophy won by Europe at Le Golf National in France in 2018.
No team has come back from more than a four-point deficit in singles to win the biennial trans-Atlantic match-play showdown.
In 1999 at Brookline in Massachusetts, the US rallied from a 10-6 deficit to beat Europe. In 2012, Europe roared back from a 10-6 deficit to stun the Americans in the “Miracle at Medinah” in Illinois.
Both US captain Steve Stricker and Europe captain Pádraig Harrington had those editions on their minds as they decided the order in which they would send up their singles players at Whistling Straits.
Schauffele will take on four-time major-winner Rory McIlroy in the opener at 5.04pm Irish time. European stalwart McIlroy has struggled through a dismal week, losing three matches and sitting out one session over the first two days.
Patrick Cantlay, who locked up US PGA Tour Player of the year Honours in winning the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup play-offs crown, then takes on Irish newcomer Shane Lowry, who is coming off an adrenaline-boosting four-balls win for Europe in which he drained an 11-foot birdie putt at the 18th to secure the victory.
American Scottie Scheffler, the lowest-ranked player on the US side at 21 in the world, then faces a daunting task against world number one Jon Rahm, who has teamed spectacularly with Spanish compatriot Sergio Garcia over the first two days.
Then comes big-hitting Bryson DeChambeau against Garcia, Collin Morikawa against Viktor Hovland, and in the sixth match world number two Dustin Johnson against veteran Paul Casey.
Johnson has keyed the US surge this week, with four victories in four matches so far. A singles victory today would make him the first American since Larry Nelson in 1979 to go five-from-five.
The United States need 14.5 points — just 3.5 points from 12 singles matches — to win the cup. As holders, Europe need 14 points — nine from singles — to retain it.
Despite the lopsided numbers, Johnson, like Stricker, said the Americans’ couldn’t afford to be complacent.
“It’s not over,” said Johnson, the oldest player on the team at 37, who was on the US team victimised at Medinah.
Although Schauffele is a Ryder Cup rookie, he has experience of the similar team event of the Presidents Cup and he, too, was leery of getting ahead of himself.
“I don’t think any of us are getting too far ahead of ourselves,” Schauffele said. “It’s 12 points for grabs and we are all trying to take care of our own business.”
That’s just what both Stricker and Harrington want their players to do.
“They have to just go out there and win their own individual match,” Harrington said of what his side must do to complete an historic comeback.
“They have to focus on that and not look at that bigger picture, focus on their individual self and play their game and win that and then just see how it adds up.”
Stricker said he’d urged his players only to keep their focus and maintain their momentum.
“No one is taking this day [today] for granted at all,” Stricker said. “We are totally focused on what we need to do to get the job done.”
Ryder Cup singles matches (Irish time)
- Xander Schauffele vs Rory McIlroy – 5.04pm
- Patrick Cantlay vs Shane Lowry – 5.15pm
- Scottie Scheffler vs Jon Rahm – 5.26pm
- Bryson DeChambeau vs Sergio Garcia – 5.37pm
- Collin Morikawa vs Viktor Hovland – 5.48pm
- Dustin Johnson vs Paul Casey – 5.59pm
- Brooks Koepka s Bernd Wiesberger – 6.10pm
- Tony Finau vs Ian Poulter – 6.21pm
- Justin Thomas vs Tyrrell Hatton – 6.32pm
- Harris English vs Lee Westwood – 6.43pm
- Jordan Spieth vs Tommy Fleetwood – 6.54pm
- Daniel Berger vs Matt Fitzpatrick – 7.05pm
