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Ryder Cup Final Rundown: on a spirited Sunday, it’s Europe

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3 years ago

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It’s high school football season in the USA, and every school eventually gets to Rivalry Week. That crosstown school that is NO WAY close to your level of swag, is across the field from you. As adults, we want the kids to reach the proper level of enthusiasm and spirit, but not cross the line into anything resembling violence. That’s where we found ourselves on Saturday evening, thanks to the Lacava Affair. Folks on both sides of the Ryder Rivalry were at the tipping point, poised for a bit of the ultraviolence. Fortunately, cooler heads and hearts prevailed, and the Sunday individual matches went off as intended.

On that note, let’s get down to the grit and gratitude that every golfer showed on Sunday. Let’s run down all ten singles matches from October the first, in Rome, Italy.

Match 1: Scheffler vs. Rahm @ Halved Match

The match between the first- and third-ranked players in the world was every bit as tantalizing as one would anticipate. Rahm jumped out to a lead with birdie at the first, but gave the lead back with a bogey at the third. The next two holes returned to the Spaniard with par-birdie, but the fifth went to the visitor, and the match was 1-up Rahm after five, with just the second hole halved.

Holes seven, eight, and ten were halved, but Scheffler won the 9th and the 11th to take a one-up lead. Back and forth they went, with Rahm winning 12 and 13, followed by Scheffler winning 14 and 15 to one again seize the lead. After a pair of halved holes, the match came down to the 18th. With the weight of the moment on his shoulders, Rahm channeled his Iberian ancestors, Ballesteros, Olazabal, and others, and made a two-putt birdie from NINETY FEET to halve the match.

Match 2: Hovland vs. Morikawa @ 4 & 3 Hovland

This was the first point on the board on Sunday, and it came courtesy of a rejuvenated Viktor Hovland. The Norwegian Narwahl never trailed in his match with former college rival Morikawa. Hovland made birdie at four of the first seven holes, won three of them, and held a two-up lead through ten. Birdies at 11 and 12 won him another pair of holes, giving him a four-hole advantage with six to play. Morikawa battled back with his second, won hole at the 14th, but his game was not the equal of Hovy, and the first match win of the day went to the Blue side.

Match 3: Cantlay vs. Rose @ 2 & 1 Cantlay 

Match the third pitted the wizened veteran Rose against the man-in-his-prime, Cantlay. Over the first half of the match, Rose wasn’t awful, but he wasn’t much more, either. One birdie and one bogey through the 11th green had him staring upward at a three-hole deficit. The Englishman needed to be perfect to the house, to stand any chance of earning a point. He did his level best, winning the 12th, 13th, and 15th holes with birdies. Unbowed, Cantlay countered with a par at 14 and a birdie at 17, to close Rose out.

Match 4: McIlroy vs. Burns @ 3 & 1 McIlroy

It really didn’t matter who the USA side put out against King Rory; that golfer knew that he would be up against a tiger. McIlroy carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, from the battle with competing golf tours, to the pride of the European side. Anyone who measures Roars in individual accomplishments, misses the point. Like many before him, it is the community that he values most.

On this day, McIlroy desired a calm but efficient outward half against Sam Burns, and he did produce it. Birdies at three, five, seven, and nine staked him to an outward 32 and a three-hole advantage. Seasoned competitor that he is, he knew that two-under the rest of the way would be more than enough. No way was anyone coming back from a thruple, unless he posted 29. Burns was game, but had too much hill to summit. In the end, it was McIlroy making birdie at 17 to ice the cake of his fourth point in five matches.

Match 5: Homa vs. Fitzpatrick @ 1 up Homa

Matt Fitzpatrick is one of the enigmas of the European side. Despite a US Open win in 2022, he is not the most decorated of Ryder Cup veterans. He played one of four team matches in 2016, and two of four team matches in 2021. He won zero of them. In 2016, he lost his Sunday match to Zach Johnson, while in 2021, he lost to Daniel Berger. Something is amiss in his international team management, and it continue into 2023. Fitzpatrick won one of two partner matches this year, and once again, came up short in his singles match.

It didn’t always seem to be destined for that. The Englishman won the first with birdie, and made a stout eagle at the 5th, to regain the lead. Fitzpatrick lost his way as the front nine concluded, making zero birdies from six to eleven. Homa won holes eight, nine, and ten, to turn a one-hole deficit into a two-hole advantage. From that point on, it was make-up time for England’s finest. Holes 12-17 were even par for Fitzpatrick and Homa was able to play just well enough to secure a point that might have won the cup back for the USA.

Match 6: Hatton vs. Harmon @ 3 & 2 Hatton

The “H Factor” was in play, with the current Open Champion matched against England’s most enjoyable golfer. Hatton played the opening quartet of holes in minus-two, and awakened to a three-up advantage, courtesy of loose play from Harmon. The Georgian got a hole back at five, with birdie, and then came a run of three halved holes, before Harmon gained a second win, reducing the lead to one-up for Hatton.

Holes 10 through 14 were pivotal ones, as the American could muster no better than five consecutive pars. Hatton found his groove once more, made a pair of birdies, and returned to a three-up lead. Harmon’s final birdie of the day came at fifteen, but Hatton countered with his sixth of the day, and claimed another point for Europe.

Match 7: Koepka vs. Aberg @ 3 & 2 Koepka

Everyone is a rookie once, and Ludwig Aberg will hopefully be able to look back on this week as one of learning. The young Swede teamed with Viktor Hovland to win two of three points in partner matches. On Sunday, he found out that singles matches are a different animal, especially when matched against the reigning US PGA champion. Aberg played his first eight holes amid turbulence. Koepka played intelligent golf over the first nine holes, posting two-under and holding a three-up lead until Aberg made eagle at the ninth. Three birdies over the next four holes gave the American a net plus-one, to return him to a three-hole advantage. From there on, each golfer made three pars, and the match was over.

Match 8: Straka vs. Thomas @ 2 up Thomas

It wasn’t the pre-2023 version of Justin Thomas that took the stage on Sunday, but it was close. The Captain’s Pick for team USA played the 18 holes in four-under par, and it was enough to steal a half or full point from the fresh-faced Austrian. Straka had been known to go on runs of sub-par holes for the past two years, and it was one reason that Luke Donald made him a Captain’s Choice for the European side. Straka totaled two-under par for the 18 holes, and was never, it seemed, confident that he was the better man on Sunday.

Match 9: Schauffele vs. Højgaard @ 3 & 2 Schauffele

Xander Schauffele has been something of a forgotten man, since his gold-medal performance at the 2021 Japan olympic games. Schauffele could not have asked for a better opponent on Sunday, to cure some of his ills, than Nikolai Højgaard. The Dane, like Alberg, was a Captain’s Selection, and was in attendance at his first Ryder Cup. He certainly surprised Schauffele with two birdies in the first three holes, to seize the advantage. The X Man rallied, with 3 threes from five through seven, to take the lead. After Højgaard squared matters at the eighth, the duo headed toward the inward nine and destiny.

The second act was all Schauffele. Birdies at 10, 12, 15, and 16. were more than the Dane could handle, and another point went up on the Red side of the board. It was here that the visitors sensed that they might win the rest of the matches, and pull off the shocker of the young century.

Match 10: Lowry vs. Spieth @ Halved

Leave it Lowry. He had to see the board, to know that USA was on the move, and that losses for Europe in the final three singles, would mean a stunning reversal of fortune. Lowry was down three holes after five, to a resurgent Jordan Spieth. With the calm of a veteran, Open champion, Lowry snatched two of the next three holes to narrow the gap. Didn’t matter that Spieth won the 10th, as Lowry grabbed the 11th, then the 14th, to square the match.

If you love drama, this was the steam. Spieth won 15. Lowry then won 16 and 17, to take a one-up lead to 18. With no worse than a half-point due, Lowry had stormed back to collect the final fraction of a point that Europe needed to reclaim the cup from the USA. Spieth’s birdie at the last might as well have been an ace, for Sugar Shane Lowry was sweetest when it mattered most.

Match 11: Fowler vs. Fleetwood @ 3 & 1 Fleetwood

Each of the final two matches was blue early, but with Lowry’s half point, each one ceased to matter. Fleetwood gave his squad what it needed most: confidence. He was never down against Captain’s Choice Fowler, and stood two up through 13 holes. Fowler needed to be better, early, on this day. He was three under through seven, but missed a golden opportunity at the eighth, when Fairway Jesus made bogey. Fowler could do no more than match that five. Fleetwood regained momentum with wins at 8 and 10, including a filthy hole-out from the greenside bunker at nine, and the Roman die was essentially cast.

Match 12: Macintyre vs. Clark @ 2 & 1 Macintyre

Imagine being young Rober Macintyre, in your first Ryder Cup, and you are sent off in the final match. If you have one of the veterans, you might not make it halfway round. Fortunately for the Scot, his opponent was also a rookie, the USA’s Wyndham Clark. Despite being the US Open champion, Clark was not in especially good form heading into this week in Rome. Neither golfer (-2 vs. -1) was sharp on the outward half, and the back wasn’t much more inspired. This match limped home, and might have been a horrific conclusion to the week, had things come down to match the twelfth

Conclusion

When the USA squad looks back on this year’s loss, it will point to two specific periods of time in 2023, as critical. The first was the first week of May, when the Italian Open was contested on the Marco Simone course. Not one USA team member showed up to compete, depriving the entire side of an opportunity to play the course in tournament conditions. The next was the first three weeks of September, when the PGA Tour was done for the year, but the DP World Tour was at full speed. Not one USA team member journeyed east to play former Ryder Cup course in Ireland and France. In a nutshell, it seems that the USA were underprepared, and they could ill-afford to arrive in that state.

Congratulations to Europe. Once again, they proved themselves to be the Ted Lasso of teams. They showed the world that they like each other, and that they can pass this affinity and affection down, from one generation to the next.

Featured image credit RyderCup.com 

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Pingback: Zach: I wouldn't change anything - Fly Pin High

  2. Pingback: Morning 9: Europeans reign in Rome | Zach: I wouldn’t change anything | Cantlay denies protest claim – GolfWRX

  3. Luuuuuuke

    Oct 1, 2023 at 7:57 pm

    Luke and the Euros know that the US are all individualistic players and that it why he started with the Foursomes which is way more team-oriented in play and decision making than Fourball which is more hitting your own shots all the way. The individualism proved right again, as for sure the US came back a bit thanks to the Fourballs and the Singles on Sunday.
    Until the US can properly become a team, they will always struggle when travelling Away, as they are just not playing together.

    Reply Report comment

  4. PJ

    Oct 1, 2023 at 2:12 pm

    When the “Captain” doesn’t choose the best players you get this. As the saying goes….when you play stupid games you win stupid prizes. Hopefully Zach Johnson won’t ever be allowed near the Ryder Cup again and the US Team will choose 1 – 12 in points. Until then we will get more of the same. The USA got beat by a team with players on it that have never even played on a professional tour. Pathetic.

    Reply Report comment

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

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4 weeks ago

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Jun 1, 2026

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GolfWRX is on site this week at the Memorial Tournament, with both Alistair Cameron and Tour Photographer Greg Moore on the ground in Dublin, Ohio, where a strong field is assembled to pay homage to the Golden Bear.

In addition to WITB galleries, we’ve already been treated to an in-hand look at Tommy Fleetwood’s new TaylorMade Spider putters.

Check out links to all our photos below.

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Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

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4 weeks ago

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Jun 1, 2026

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Around the world, the golf wheel spun this final week in May of 2026. From New Jersey to Austria, with stops in Korea, Texas, and North Carolina (don’t let me route your next trip) the world’s finest put their golf games on display. There were three playoffs, some known commodities and some new talent. It was the sort of week that we hope to have at this point in the seasons. June and July afford double-digit major events, and perhaps, one of this week’s champions will use this success as a springboard to new heights. Time to run it all down, tech style, in this week’s Tour Tech Rundown.

Thanks to WITBHub, Today’s Golfer, GolfWRX, and Inside Tour Golf for initial research into equipment.

PGA Tour @ Charles Schwab Challenge: Heroic Henley denies Cole

Eric Cole did nearly everything that a fellow can do, to secure a first PGA Tour title. He stayed one shot clear of Ryder Cup player Ben Griffin. He kept US Open champion Gary Woodland and wunderkind Michael Brennan two shots distant. He posted 70 on day four to reach twelve under par. And then, Russell Henley revealed his Dr. Strange cloak. Henley made 47 feet of birdie putts on holes 16, 17, and 18, to jump from minus-nine to twelve-deep, and secured a spot in a playoff with Cole. The duo returned to the final tee, and put on a stripe show.

Both golfers found the fairway off the tee, and Henley improved on his regulation play with an approach to four feet. Cole did himself proud, tucking an iron to a dozen feet, but he was unable to convert the putt for three. Henley is one of the best putters on tour, and he proved it once more by draining a putt for a fourth consecutive birdie, and a sixth PGA Tour title. For Eric Cole, that first victory should come, and soon. He has done everything necessary to earn the chalice lift.

Henley’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Titleist TSi3 at 10 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5 TX
  • Metal: Titleist TS3 at 16.5 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX
  • Hybrid: Titleist TSi2 at 21 degrees. Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT hybrid 100 TX
  • Iron: Titleist T250 4-iron. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
  • Irons: Titleist T100 5-6 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
  • Irons: Titleist T100 7-9 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
  • Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 48 and 50 degrees. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue X100
  • Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 54 and 60 degrees. Shaft: rue Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue S400
  • Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron T5 Tour Prototype

LPGA @ Shoprite LPGA: Welcome back, Celine!

Soo Bin Joo had her eyes on a maiden LPGA title. She held the lead after two rounds, then hit a red light at the intersection of can-I and how-To. Joo posted plus-two on day three in New Jersey, and dropped to a T4 finish, which was still a career-best for the young Korean golfer. Instead of a new face, a familiar face returned to the top of the podium.

Celine Boutier was the It Girl in 2023. She collected four victories, including a major title at Evian. Boutier reached world number one status, then simply faded into the background. No wins came her way over the next 30 months. On Sunday, she collected LPGA victory number seven, at the same trace as LPGA victory number two.

Day three saw Boutier manage the windswept Seaview Bay course with six birdies and a bogey. She was challenged in the end by Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who signed for a 66 of her own. Yubol came up one shot shy of the top ladder rung. Finishing in third place at -7, two back of the winner, was Ireland’s Lauren Walsh.

Celine’s Suitcase

  • Driver: PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-1 at 9 degrees. Shaft: Graphite Design AD IZ-5
  • Hybrid: PXG 0311 Black Ops at 19 and 22 degrees. Shaft: KBS Hybrid Prototype
  • Hybrid: PXG 0311 Gen5.
  • Iron: PXG 0311 P Gen 4 5-9 irons
  • Wedge: PXG 0311 T Gen 4 PW
  • Wedges: PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II at 50, 54, 58 degrees
  • Putter: Bettinardi Studio Stock 3 DASS

DP World Tour @ Austrian Alpine: KK? KK!

Kota Kaneko has a rhythmic name. It has strong vowels and a run of voiceless stops in its crunchy K sounds. On Sunday in Austria, Kaneko put a stop to a challenge from Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia and everyone else, and claimed a first-ever title on the DP World Tour. Gouveia did well to reach 16-under par over four days, but Kaneko held firm, two shots in the clear.

Davis Bryant of the USA also forged a strong challenge for the win. He ended in a tie with Gouveia for second place. Kaneko began and finished his final round in a bit of a malaise, but he caught fire midway through. Birdies at 10, 12, and 13 provided the necessary cushion to cruise to the finish line without breaking a serious sweat.

Kaneko’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Ping Max G440
  • Metals: TaylorMade Qi4D at 15, 16.5, 21, and 24 degrees
  • Irons: TaylorMade P760 5 and 6 irons
  • Irons: TaylorMade P7TW 7-9 irons
  • Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design at 46, 52, 56, and 60 degrees
  • Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Cruiser Arm Lock #7

Korn Ferry Tour @ UNC Health Championship: Improbably Alvaro

Alvaro Ortiz may have had a bit of scare on the outward nine on Sunday, but he came through in clutch fashion in the end. Ortiz began the day bogey-double, and added another double bogey at the 11th hole. He was mired in a downward trend, spiraling away from the top of the leader’s board. Ortiz found hope at the 14th, where his first birdie of the day tumbled home. Inspired, he closed with birdies and 17 and 18 to catch Ross Steelman at 10-under par, and the duo returned to the 18th deck for overtime.

The extra session concluded in brief time. Ortiz, buoyed by his newly-retrieved confidence, hit the fairway with driver, then approached to six feet and drained the putt. Gobsmacked, Steelman could do little more than smile and applaud, as his run at the top came to a close. The victory was the first for Ortiz on the KFT, and will implant him squarely in the chase for a PGA Tour promotion.

Alvaro’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Ping G430 MAX driver at 9 degrees loft
  • Metal: Ping G430 MAX 3W
  • Iron: Ping iDi Driving Iron
  • Irons: Ping Blueprint S irons
  • Wedges
  • Putter: Scottsdale TR Piper C

LIV @ Korea: Me llamo Joaquin

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann had been away from the LIV winner’s circle throughout all of 2026. This week in Korea, he reminded us that he is still a force to consider. Niemann chased down Taylor Gooch over the closing holes at Asiad Country Club, then claimed victory with a hole-one birdie in extra time. Bryson DeChambeau claimed solo third, one shot in arrears at minus-eleven. Dustin Johnson finished on fourth, one putt farther back.

Niemann’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Ping 440 LST
  • Metal: Ping G440 Max at 15 degrees
  • Metal: Ping G425 Max at 21 degrees
  • Hybrid: Ping G430 at 25 degrees
  • Irons: Ping Blueprint S 5 through PW
  • Wedges: Ping S159 at 52, 56, and 60 degrees
  • Putter: Ping PLD Anser

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Russell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge

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4 weeks ago

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May 31, 2026

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Driver: Titleist TSi3 (10 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70 6.5 TX

3-wood: Titleist TS3 (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX

7-wood: Titleist GTS3 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Project X Denali Black 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T250 (4), Titleist T100 (5-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (7-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (48-10F @47, 50-08F @51, 54-10S @55, 60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48), S400 (47)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X5 Tour Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

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