AP Photo/Ashley Landis
The rout is complete.
The United States came into the final day of the Ryder Cup with a commanding 11-5 lead and only expanded it, winning the prestigious contest over Europe by a 19-9 mark. The United States needed 14.5 points to win the competition, while Europe needed 14 points to retain its 2018 title.
Europe has dominated the Ryder Cup in the 21st century, winning seven of the 10 matchups. But the United States took back the title in blowout fashion, a performance that won’t soon be forgotten.
Sunday Singles Scores
(Europe) Rory McIlroy def. Xander Schauffele, 3 and 2
(USA) Patrick Cantlay def. Shane Lowry, 4 and 2
(USA) Scottie Scheffler def. Jon Rahm, 4 and 3
(USA) Bryson DeChambeau def. Sergio Garcia, 3 and 2
(USA) Collin Morikawa draws with Viktor Hovland
(USA) Dustin Johnson def. Paul Casey, 1 up
(USA) Brooks Koepka def. Bernd Wiesberger, 2 and 1
(Europe) Ian Poulter def. Tony Finau, 3 and 2
(USA) Justin Thomas def. Tyrrell Hatton, 4 and 3
(Europe) Lee Westwood def. Harris English, 1 up
(USA) Jordan Spieth draws with Tommy Fleetwood
(USA) Daniel Berger def. Matt Fitzpatrick, 1 up
Recap
McIlroy got Europe off to a good start Sunday, knocking off Schauffele.
And that was about where the positive vibes ended for Europe.
Cantlay, Scheffler and DeChambeau all cruised, leaving the United States just a draw away from clinching the competition.
Morikawa obliged.
Golf Channel @GolfChannel
“THE INEVITABLE HAS HAPPENED.” ????????????<a href=”https://twitter.com/collin_morikawa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@collin_morikawa</a> clinches the half point to win the 43rd <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RyderCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RyderCup</a> for <a href=”https://twitter.com/RyderCupUSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@RyderCupUSA</a>. <a href=”https://t.co/p5PkCi3QxZ”>pic.twitter.com/p5PkCi3QxZ</a>
It was all smiles for the United States at Whistling Straits.
“It’s unbelievable. The atmosphere is absolutely electric, and I wouldn’t want it any other way,” DeChambeau said of the U.S. fans in attendance. “It’s quite a scene, one that I’ll remember for a lifetime. As a team, we performed really, really well.”
Golf Channel @GolfChannel
“Quite a scene, one that I’ll remember for a lifetime.” <a href=”https://twitter.com/b_dechambeau?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@b_dechambeau</a> on his <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RyderCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RyderCup</a> experience with <a href=”https://twitter.com/RyderCupUSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@RyderCupUSA</a>. ???????? <a href=”https://t.co/62zM3a97Cl”>pic.twitter.com/62zM3a97Cl</a>
The United States golfers didn’t just want to win Sunday, they wanted to dominate. They wanted to set a new standard for the country’s Ryder Cup prospects going forward.
“I woke up this morning and I was trying to tell the guys, ‘Let’s get to 20 points,’ because this is going to be the next era of Ryder Cup team for the U.S. side,” Cantlay told reporters. “We’ve got a lot of young guys. I think they’re going to be on teams for a long time, and I wanted to send a message.”
Message received.
Any questions about whether this group could come together as a team, given some of the past rifts between players like DeChambeau and Koepka, were more than answered in Wisconsin.
“These guys all came together,” a choked-up Steve Stricker, the United States’ captain, said after the win. “Two weeks ago they came together. Showed me a lot about this group of guys. They all showed up for the practice rounds, all the assistant captains showed up for the practice rounds. They had a mission this week, and you could tell it. They played great.”
With six of the top seven players in the official world golf rankings on the team, the United States should have come out victorious. But dominating in such comprehensive fashion was a statement of what Europe can expect to face from these group of players in the years to come.
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