FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK | There were moments Sunday when Scottie Scheffler’s voice caught and his eyes glistened and it wasn’t entirely because of the disappointment that came with the Americans’ loss in the Ryder Cup.
The best player in the world, the man who won two major championships over the summer, spent two lost days at Bethpage Black as the Europeans built an advantage too big for the Americans to overcome.
Winless in the Ryder Cup loss at Rome two years ago, Scheffler became only the fourth American player to go 0-4 at home in the Ryder Cup, adding his name to an ignominious list that includes Jim Furyk, Raymond Floyd and Fuzzy Zoeller.
Facing the prospect of being the first American to play and lose five matches, Scheffler ground out a 1-up singles victory over Rory McIlroy in a match that was intensely satisfying even if it wasn’t particularly spectacular.
“My emotions yesterday afternoon when the matches ended, I think it’s hard to put into words how much it hurts to lose all four matches. To have the trust of my captains and teammates to go out there and play all four matches and lose all four, it’s really hard to put into words how much that stings and hurts,” Scheffler said.
“I’ll go back and reflect on that. 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.”
Scheffler wasn’t at his best but he found himself caught in a tempest. Playing twice in foursomes with Russell Henley and later in four-balls with J.J. Spaun then Bryson DeChambeau, Scheffler saw his opponents play a combined 32-under par against him and his partners.
As the American comeback developed Sunday, Scheffler found himself in the middle of it. DeChambeau was playing one group ahead and bringing the crowd to life as he rallied from a 5-down deficit to earn a tie. Scheffler could see Justin Thomas birdie the 18th hole to put the second full point on the Sunday scoreboard for the American team, having heard the roar when Cameron Young did the same thing to win the first point.
“It was a difficult week for me personally. I was just proud to get a point up on the board and keep this thing alive for a little bit longer.”
Scottie Scheffler
“I can’t tell you how much I needed these guys this week, and it’s just a really special group,” Scheffler said.
“It was probably one of the lowest moments of my career, but it turned out to be one of the most special just because I’ve got great friends in this room and I was really proud to be battling with these guys for three days.”
Scheffler, who finished with a 1-4 record, ranked 17th in strokes gained overall and at times lacked the crispness that has elevated him to the top of the game. It was rare to see him as the vulnerable one.
“I think when I go back and look at the first couple days of this tournament, at times, it felt like a perfect storm of things were happening against us, and today we had some stuff that seemed to go right,” Scheffler said.
“And really, at the end of the match, I was just proud to be able to get a point up on the board. It was a difficult week for me personally. I was just proud to get a point up on the board and keep this thing alive for a little bit longer.
“I can’t speak enough to the fight that these guys have in this room. I mean, the battle that we – after the butt-whooping we got the first two days of this tournament, to come back today and play like we did I think really shows a lot of heart. I think it shows a lot of spirit within our team room.”
Ron Green Jr.