Scottie Scheffler’s shot on the 18th hole summed up the ugly morning for the United States, which has seen the American dream of winning the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black turn into a nightmare.
After Russell Henley hit a good shot off the tee on 18, Scheffler shanked his shot into the rough, putting the Americans in a precarious spot and ending what had already been a tough day for the United States on a sour note.
Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre’s win in the fourth match capped a day that saw only one American pair win their foursome match — Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Young defeated Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Aberg. The U.S. now trails Europe 8 ½ to 3 ½.
“The guys we played against just played great,” Scheffler said after the morning match. “They did a good job. They holed the key putts. Obviously disappointed with the finish, but battled pretty hard this morning, and going to go out and do it again in the afternoon.”
While the rowdy crowds have been present at Bethpage Black, the Americans are now the ones starting to feel the heat.
As MacIntyre and Hovland celebrated and a Euro chant started from the visiting fans, one person shouted, “You hear that Keegan?! Take your earpiece out!” according to Golf.com.
The tandem of Harris English and Collin Morikawa made it somewhat close, managing to close the gap from being four down by winning holes 14 and 15 before Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood — a dominant pairing in the Ryder Cup — finished them off on the 16th hole.
Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay played a close match with Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, but the European duo seemed to have an answer for every shot that the Americans made. Rahm even sank one of the best shots of the tournament on the eighth hole.
The Europeans came to Long Island on a mission to win a road Ryder Cup, and captain Luke Donald has kept his team focused on that goal.
“We celebrated yesterday because it was a great day for us, but we know there’s a lot more work ahead. Keep the momentum going,” Donald said before Friday’s matches started.