The bleeding continued for Team USA on Saturday at the 45th Ryder Cup, as Europe dominated yet another session to seize an 11.5–4.5 lead after two days at Bethpage Black. The Americans, already reeling after a sluggish Friday, dropped three of four foursomes matches in the morning to fall behind 8.5–3.5 before splitting the afternoon four-ball session. What began as a tense showdown on American soil is rapidly devolving into what some are calling the “Bethpage Black Blowout.”
For the third straight session, the U.S. struggled to find rhythm or momentum. Of the three matches they lost in the morning foursomes, only one reached the 17th hole. Barring a miracle, the Americans appear headed toward their 11th Ryder Cup loss in the past 15 meetings—and their first defeat on U.S. soil since 2012. Europe also became just the second road team in Ryder Cup history to sweep the first three sessions.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had a chance to turn momentum late in the anchor match alongside Russell Henley. Trailing 1 down with two holes to play, Henley missed a 13-foot birdie attempt at the par-3 17th that would have squared the match. On the par-4 18th, Scheffler inexplicably flared a wedge from just 116 yards into the right rough, sealing the loss. Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and Norway’s Viktor Hovland calmly two-putted to close out a 1-up victory.
Scheffler’s defeat dropped him to 0–3 this week and extended his Ryder Cup drought to seven straight matches without a win, dating back to Europe’s 16.5–11.5 triumph in Rome two years ago.
Spain’s Jon Rahm and England’s Tyrrell Hatton continued their dominance, dispatching Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele 3 and 2. Whenever the Europeans seemed in trouble, Rahm’s short game rescued them—none more spectacular than on the par-3 eighth, where he holed a miraculous 49-footer from an awkward stance on a bank above a bunker.
Rahm is now 9-1-3 in his last 13 Ryder Cup matches, and he and Hatton have never lost in foursomes as partners. Their win stretched Europe’s lead to 7.5–3.5 at the time.
The lone bright spot for the Americans came from rookie Cameron Young, who alongside Bryson DeChambeau routed Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Åberg 4 and 2. The U.S. duo won four of the first 10 holes and never let Europe back in.
Young, who grew up in New York and once set the Bethpage Black scoring record as a 20-year-old, has been a revelation. He became the first American rookie since Patrick Reed in 2014 to win his first two Ryder Cup matches by at least four holes. On Friday, he and Justin Thomas thumped Åberg and Rasmus Højgaard 6 and 5 in four-ball play.
Europe quickly answered as Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood rolled past Collin Morikawa and Harris English 3 and 2. The U.S. pair trailed by four after eight holes, and questions will swirl around captain Keegan Bradley’s decision to send them out again after they were drubbed 5 and 4 by the same European duo on Friday.
Fleetwood’s Ryder Cup record improved to 10-3-2, giving him the highest winning percentage (.733) among 51 Europeans with at least 10 matches played, per Elias Sports Bureau. He and McIlroy are now 4-0-0 in foursomes together, one of Europe’s most reliable pairings.
As play concluded Saturday, the scoreboard showed 11.5–4.5 in Europe’s favor, leaving the U.S. with an uphill—and nearly impossible—climb on Sunday. They would need 10 of the 12 singles points to reclaim the Cup, a task no team has ever accomplished from such a deficit.
For Europe, the formula remains the same: depth, chemistry, and the unrelenting brilliance of stars like Rahm, McIlroy, and Fleetwood. For the U.S., it’s a sobering reminder of a recurring Ryder Cup theme—on paper, they may be favorites, but in match play, Europe continues to reign.
