Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood maintained their perfect Ryder Cup record together as Team Europe built a record-equalling 8.5-3.5 lead after the Saturday foursomes in New York.
McIlroy and Fleetwood won both foursomes matches together during Europe’s 2023 success in Rome and repeated the feat on away soil, beating Collin Morikawa and Harris English for a second successive day.
They withstood a brief fightback from the American pair and hostile home crowd to win 3&2 and earn one of three points for Luke Donald’s side in another impressive session, with their five-point advantage leaving them just 5.5 points away from retaining the trophy and six for outright victory.
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Rory McIlroy had some stern words for the US crowd before he hit one of the shots of the week on the 16th hole at the Ryder Cup
Jon Rahm joined Fleetwood in registering a third win of the week, partnering LIV Golf team-mate Tyrrell Hatton to 3&2 win over Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, while Bob MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland held off world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley to claim a 1up victory.
Team USA’s only point came in the top match, where Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Young secured a 4&2 win over Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick, with Keegan Bradley’s side now requiring a historic comeback to avoid a home defeat.
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How Europe extended lead in New York
A fast start from Team USA saw Young almost hole his approach into the first and left Åberg having to hole his putt to halve the hole with birdies, with the New York native the chipping in from the fringe to win the third.
Europe claimed the next but saw the hosts take control when DeChambeau and Young claimed three holes in four from the seventh, with Fitzpatrick holing a 15-foot birdie at the 12th to avoid falling further behind.
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Team Europe’s Ludvig Åberg holes a pressure putt on the first at Bethpage Black after a brilliant approach shot from Team USA’s Cameron Young.
A conceded birdie at the 16th closed out a first Ryder Cup foursomes point for DeChambeau, but Europe quickly extended their advantage when McIlroy and Fleetwood continued their unbeaten starts to this year’s contest.
The pair responded to losing the opening hole to grab a two-hole advantage after birdieing their next four holes, with pars then enough to win the seventh and eighth and reach the turn four clear.
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Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood produced another impressive foursomes display for Team Europe
Fleetwood missed a par putt at the 14th and English birdied the next to briefly threaten a comeback, only for McIlroy – having offered an expletive-laden reply to a heckle in the crowd – to fire a stunning approach into the 15th and close a match-winning birdie.
Rahm and Hatton won the first two holes of match three and shared the next two with birdies, before bouncing back from losing the fifth and seventh holes by claiming the eighth when the Spaniard produced a sensational chip in.
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Jon Rahm chips in a sensational shot on the eighth at Bethpage Black to win the hole for Europe.
Hatton birdied the 12th before the pair wrapped up victory with two holes to spare, with American hopes dashed further when Scheffler became the first world No 1 in history to lose the first three sessions in a Ryder Cup.
Hovland and MacIntyre won two of the first five holes but saw their lead disappear when Scheffler birdied the 11th and Henley made one at the par-five 13th, before edging back ahead with a birdie-two at the 14th.
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Viktor Hovland holed a crucial putt to secure Europe the foursomes session at the Ryder Cup.
Both captains watched on as Hovland holed a clutch par-save at the 17th to maintain Europe’s lead in the match heading to the last, where a par was enough for another point – matching Europe’s three-session advantage when they won their first away Ryder Cup in 1987.
“Russ [Henley] and I battled hard out there,” Scheffler said. “The guys we played against just played great. They did a good job. They holed the key putts. Obviously disappointed with the finish, but battled pretty hard this morning.
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Team Europe extended their Ryder Cup lead further as Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre beat Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley in the Saturday foursomes
Europe are just the fourth side in Ryder Cup history to win each of the first three sessions, with all the previous three going on to win, leaving Donald’s side firm favourites to register a first away victory – from either team – since the 2012 ‘Miracle at Medinah’.
More to follow…
Who will win the Ryder Cup? Live coverage of the final day begins from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage at 4.30pm and the opening tee shot at 5.02pm. Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
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