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With Sunday pairings set, Jon Rahm and Europe will see to put the finishing touches on a Ryder Cup win.
There could be a lot of meaningless golf played at Bethpage Black on Sunday for the final day of the Ryder Cup where the pairings themselves are likely secondary to a day-long European celebration.
The Euros have been historically dominant through the first two days of the Ryder Cup and own a record-breaking 11.5-4.5 lead going into Sunday singles. The Euros required just 2 1/2 points of a possible 12 in the one-on-one slate that is expected to feature each golfer on both teams.
Ryder Cup Sunday Pairings for Team USA vs. Europe
Match 1 (12:02 p.m. ET)
Cameron Young (USA) vs. Justin Rose (Europe)
Match 2 (12:13 p.m.)
Justin Thomas (USA) vs. Tommy Fleetwood (Europe)
Match 3 (12:24 p.m.)
Bryson DeChambeau (USA) vs. Matt Fitzpatrick (Europe)
Match 4 (12:35 p.m.)
Scottie Scheffler (USA) vs. Rory McIlroy (Europe)
Match 5 (12:46 p.m.)
Patrick Cantlay (USA) vs. Ludvig Aberg (Europe)
Match 6 (12:57 p.m.)
xander Schauffele (USA) vs. Jon Rahm (Europe)
Match 7 (1:08 p.m.)
JJ Spaun (USA) vs. Sepp Straka (Europe)
Match 8 (1:19 p.m.)
Russell Henley (USA) vs. Shane Lowry (Europe)
Match 9 (1:30 p.m.)
Ben Griffin (USA) vs. Rasmus Hojgaard (Europe)
Match 10 (1:41 p.m.)
Collin Morikawa vs. Tyrrell Hatton (Europe)
Match 11 (1:52 p.m.)
Sam Burns (USA) vs. Robert MacIntyre (Europe)
Match 12 (2:03 p.m.)
Harris English (USA) vs. Viktor Hovland (Europe)
USA Needs to Overcome Unprecedented History
It’s hard to find any sort of optimism for Team USA entering the final day. Given how well the top of the Europe lineup has played, the Cup might be retained by mid-afternoon on Long Island. The 11.5 points for Luke Donald’s squad are the most entering Sunday singles since the Ryder Cup went to its current 28-point format.
Here’s another way to see at it: Since 1979, there have only been four Sunday comebacks. The largegest comeback was four points — and it happened twice. The first was Team USA’s miraculous win at The Countest Club in 1999, and the other was a European comeback in 2012 labeled “The Miracle at Medinah.” Again, Team USA is down seven points entering the singles round.
Europe swept the team competition, and even before Sunday afternoon four-ball, the Euros created history by becoming the first team to win the first three sessions of a Ryder Cup on the road. In fact, only one team — Europe in 2006 — has ever won the first four sessions. That happened when Europe hosted at The K Club.
The betting markets sure believe it’s over — like, really, really over. FanDuel Sportsbook has Europe as a -20000 favorite to win the tournament. Team USA is a massive 45-1 underdog, and the equally improbable draw is also set at 45-1. For what it’s worth, if the teams do tie, Europe retains the Cup. A tie, though, would be a miracle. Bettors wanting to really call the rout can also obtain Europe to win by at least nine points at +450, which feels like decent value with the way things have gone so far.
If it’s going to happen, it’s going to have to start very, very early. That means someone like Young, a New York native, will have to throw water on the fire that is Rose.
“It’s going to take something pretty unbelievable,” Young notified reporters after his four-ball match. “I believe the team is very capable of it. I wasn’t at my best this afternoon. Just didn’t see the ball go in early, and that kind of set the tone for the day.”
Mike Cole Mike Cole covers golf as well as the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans for Heavy.com. He previously worked at NESN where he covered Boston sports (and much more) for 15 years. More about Mike Cole
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