An astute student of golf history, European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald knew how challenging winning the Ryder Cup on American soil could be. He also understood that winning the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, on Sept. 26-28 would be doubly difficult.
Donald, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose were all prominent players in the Miracle at Medinah, when Europe staged a historic rally to win 8.5 of the available 12 points in Sunday singles to record a 14.5-13.5 victory at Medinah outside Chicago at the 2012 Ryder Cup. That was the last time Europe won on American soil. The Euros also vividly recall the 2021 Ryder Cup, when the U.S. Team dismantled Europe 19-9 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin for the largest margin of victory in a Ryder Cup since 1967.
So, after Europe tattooed the U.S. 16.5-11.5 outside Rome in 2023, Donald immediately set his sights on the seemingly impossible dream of defeating the Americans at Bethpage Black. He introduced the theme “Our Time, Our Place,” brought back 11 of the 12 players who performed so impressively in Rome, and introduced a campaign of confidence to convince the finest players in Europe that victory in New York was attainable.
Holds On for Victory
“Our theme was we were trying to win for a fifth time away, which we knew would be of the highest challenge in New York,” revealed Donald after Europe staved off a record-setting Sunday singles rally by the U.S. squad to secure a 15-13 victory in the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black amid an electric New York crowd.
“We have talked about it for the past two years, and our practice shirts were based on the four wins we already had in America – in 1987, 1995, 2004 and 2012. Everything we did was centered around that, and to make the guys feel that we had done it quite often. In 10 Ryder Cups since 1983, we had won four of them and we had come damn close three other times. This wasn’t an impossible task. We knew it was going to be difficult. We wanted to inspire them to know it could be done.”
Europe’s two-year plan to earn a Ryder Cup on the road was executed to perfection while making history and marking milestones during the first two days at Bethpage Black. The Euros built the biggest lead in modern Ryder Cup history, becoming the first team from either side to win all four opening sessions while constructing a seemingly insurmountable 11½-4½ advantage over the favored Americans.
The lead was adjusted to 12-5 before Sunday’s singles matches when Europe’s Viktor Hovland was scratched with a neck injury, which gave each side half a point (and also sidelined American Harris English). The longstanding rule regarding an injured player meant Team Europe needed only two points to retain and 2.5 points to win outright.
Americans Fight Back
But those who thought Europe earning two points would be a stroll in the park underestimated the fortitude and fight of an American team that had been outputted and outclassed throughout the foursomes and four-ball sessions.
With the New York crowd chanting U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A, the sons of two PGA of America Golf Professionals – Cameron Young and Justin Thomas – led an American comeback that nearly eclipsed the historic “Miracle at Medinah” comeback authored by the Europeans in 2012. Young, a native New Yorker and the youngest player on either side at 28, popped in a 12-foot birdie on the final hole to defeat Justin Rose – the oldest player in the matches at 45 – 1-up to ignite a euphoric roar that resonated throughout the course.
Moments later, Thomas followed with a birdie at the 18th to hand England’s Tommy Fleetwood his first defeat of the matches, 1-up. Then, the long-hitting Bryson DeChambeau, who had fought his way back from five down after seven holes, exchanged pars with Europe’s Matt Fitzpatrick to halve their match and continue the dramatic American comeback.
“The boys really fought today – it just shows how proud and determined these guys are,” said U.S. Team Captain Keegan Bradley. “There was no moping around and no complaining going into the last day, even though we were way down. There was still a lot of belief in our team room and no one was conceding anything.”
The U.S. Team racked up another full point in the marquee match of the Ryder Cup, when World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler outdueled World No. 2 McIlroy 1-up. The Scheffler victory was particularly meaningful, even though both fatigued players were not at their best after a long week of matches, since Scheffler had become the first American player and first World No. 1 to lose all of his first four matches in a Ryder Cup.
“It’s hard to put into words how much it stings and hurts to lose all four matches the first two days – it was probably one of the lowest points of my career,” said Scheffler. “But one of the coolest things was these guys picking me up last night. The guys on this team, this is a really special group of guys. We have a special captain, and I was proud to be standing there fighting with these guys today (in Sunday’s singles). I think it showed a lot about our team.”
Downplays No. 1 vs. No. 2 Match
McIlroy downplayed the No. 1 vs. No. 2 singles match, but didn’t minimize the Team Europe accomplishment of winning the Ryder Cup for the fifth time in 98 years on American soil.
“It’s pretty surreal – this whole grandstand is full of Europeans singing,” beamed McIlroy, who boosted his record to 16-13-4 in eight Ryder Cup appearances. “I’m so proud to be a part of this team and so proud of the vice captains, all the players and the backroom team. It’s been one massive collective effort.
“Once we won in Rome, we turned our attention to winning in New York. We had the blueprint for a home Ryder Cup, but we needed to manage things a bit different to win an away Ryder Cup.”
Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun and Ben Griffin also posted singles victories to the U.S. comeback, while ties and half-points registered by Russell Henley, Collin Morikawa and Sam Burns contributed to the American rally. Ludvig Aberg, who defeated Patrick Cantlay 2&1, was the only European to earn a full point in Sunday’s singles as the Americans equaled the all-time record with 8.5 points. Ireland’s Shane Lowry birdied the 18th hole in his match opposite Henley to gain a half point and technically clinch retention of the Ryder Cup for Europe.
“The Europeans won only one match today,” reflected Bradley. “You think about the odds of something like that happening. It was incredible out there. But when you go out in sports and you’re battling your butt off to win, it just shows you just how proud these guys are and how much they wanted this and how much this means to them.
“To watch them go out all week and hold their heads high and then go out there today and do what they did was close to a miracle comeback.”
Team Europe’s four pillar players of Tommy Fleetwood (4-1-0); McIlroy (3-1-1), Jon Rahm (3-2) and Tyrrell Hatton (3-0-1) outperformed the U.S. anchors of Scheffler (1-4-0) DeChambeau (1-3-1), Schauffele (3-1-0) and Thomas (2-2) while contributing 13 points to the Europeans’ final total (Lowry also went 1-0-2). Young was an important American contributor with a 3-1 record in his Ryder Cup debut.
“You have to give the Americans credit for giving us a good scare,” admitted Donald, who joined Tony Jacklin as the only European captains to win back-to-back Ryder Cups. “I don’t think we were complacent, but America got the momentum and it snowballed from there. We knew they would fight to the very end – I told our boys that.
“There was a lot of red on the scoreboards today and very little blue, but we made just enough putts to earn just enough points to keep the Cup.”
Despite Early U.S. Woes, Young Shines as Ryder Cup Rookie
The first two days of the 45th Ryder Cup was full of surprises and historic firsts. Not only did Europe win the first four sessions for the first time in 98 years on American soil, but Scheffler failed to score a point (or half point). That marked the first time an American player and a World No. 1 player went 0-4 to start a Ryder Cup competition and continued Scheffler’s frustration after going 0-2-2 (no match wins) in 2023 in Rome.
In a positive bit of history for the American side, Young teamed with Thomas to form the first pairing of sons of PGA of America Golf Professionals to play side-by-side in the Ryder Cup. Young and Thomas did not lose a single hole in their Friday four-balls match en route to a 6&5 victory, as Young became the first American since Phil Mickelson in 1995 to win his first-ever Ryder Cup match by six holes or more. Young then continued his exemplary play by teaming with DeChambeau in the Saturday foursomes to dispatch Europe’s Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick, 4&2.
“It was pretty cool to be back in New York at Bethpage Black (where he won the New York State Open as a young professional) and to play well,” said Young, whose father, David, the PGA of America Head Professional at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Westchester County, New York, was at Bethpage Black to see his son become the first American player to put two points on the board.
“I wouldn’t say I was nervous; it was more like excited to play in front of my home crowd. I had been working for the past two years to make the U.S. Team and couldn’t wait to play my first Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. I had some great partners in all of my team matches, which made it comfortable out there.”
Europe took the pro-American crowd – 55,000 energetic fans daily – out of the equation early by dominating the Friday morning foursomes 3-1 and stretching the lead to 5.5-2.5 after Day 1. The onslaught continued Saturday, with the U.S. Team going down 3-1 in the morning foursomes and falling 3-1 in the afternoon four-balls to enable Europe to build its 11.5-4.5 advantage. Young was the bright spot the first two days for the U.S. with two points, while Fleetwood went 4-0. In the Saturday afternoon four-balls, Spaun hit it stiff on the final two holes for kick-in birdies to give he and Schauffele a 1-up victory over Rahm and Sepp Straka for the Americans’ only point of the afternoon session.
Europe Makes More Key Putts
Where did Team Europe beat Team USA? Putting provided the difference. The Americans struggled to make important putts throughout the three-day competition, while Europe’s Fleetwood, Rahm, Rose, McIlroy and Hatton were making bushels of birdies. In Saturday’s four-ball competition, for example, Europe’s Rose made six birdies in an eight-hole stretch while teaming with Fleetwood to record 11 birdies in 16 holes during a 3&2 victory over the dynamic American duo of Scheffler and DeChambeau.
“It was a special day with the putter,” admitted Rose, the oldest competitor in the 2025 Ryder Cup at 45. “It reminded me of Rome to a large extent …everything was going in with the putter and when I didn’t make it, Tommy would. Our confidence was extremely high and we felt comfortable on these greens all week.”
When the dust settled on another emotion-filled Ryder Cup, it was Team Europe which recorded a rare road win after weathering a spirited Sunday singles comeback by the U.S. for a tense victory.
“No one said it would ever be easy, but to win in New York is very special,” said Donald. “For a few hours there, I wasn’t sure we would get those two or two and half points we needed to win. Hats off to the Americans – they never gave up and never gave an inch.” —Roger Graves
