The US team entered the final day of the Ryder Cup having lost its status as the clear favorite. The hosts had lost all four sessions in the first two days, and before the individual duels, the European team needed to collect only a trio of the 12 possible points for victory. This task, which seemed easy on paper, proved more difficult than expected for the Europeans, as the Americans fought to the end, clinging to every point.
Norwegian Viktor Hovland was unable to play due to injury, and the organizers recorded the match with Harris English as a draw. It was this half-point that kept the fate of the tournament uncertain for a while.
The most dramatic match of the day was between Bryson DeChambeau and Matt Fitzpatrick. The English player scored five points in the first seven holes, practically eliminating his opponent from the field. But DeChambeau did not give up, changed the course of the game, and eventually managed to finish the duel in a draw. In fact, this game reflected the course of the whole day: almost every meeting was decided on the last hole, and the most frequently recorded result was "1 up."
Only Xander Schauffele's game stood out from the general picture - he won 4&3 against Jon Rahm. In other matches, although the Americans gained an advantage, the difference was not significant. Even Scottie Scheffler, who had an unsuccessful tournament, managed to defeat Rory McIlroy by a minimal margin.
The main guarantee of the European team's away victory was Ludvig Öberg - he was the one who won the only individual victory. However, the team was "stuck" at 13.5 points for a long time. Although the rules considered it sufficient for Europe to score 14 points to retain the title, the players themselves knew that this would not be accepted as a complete victory.
Only in the last four matches were the guests able to snatch three more draws and eventually bring the score to 15 points. This gave the European team a historic victory on the road. All players deserve congratulations, but especially Rory McIlroy - because this season is considered the most successful of his career.
