The comeback that almost was: Team USA’s incredible rally on the final day of the Ryder Cup was one for the ages
By Kyle Feldscher, CNN
Farmingdale, New York (CNN) — There was a moment – a long, bewildering, incredible moment – when it seemed possible.
Team USA entered the final day of the Ryder Cup facing a massive seven-point deficit, the largest in this tournament since it took on its current format in 1979. The team trailed 11.5-4.5 after two full days of competition and the Europeans only needed two-and-a-half points to retain the trophy.
There was no hope. There was no chance. And then, in what seemed like a blink of an eye on Sunday afternoon, everything changed.
“They were fighting the whole way, even when things were not looking good, and I didn’t expect anything different today from these guys,” said Keegan Bradley, the captain of Team USA, “who are determined, proud, and playing for each other, playing for their team, playing for their country, and they showed the world today that, really, anything is possible.”
Hometown hero Cameron Young won his match against Justin Rose, who had played sterling golf the day before and looked untouchable. Bryson DeChambeau stormed back from a five-hole deficit to steal a half-point from Matt Fitzpatrick. Justin Thomas, who looked hopelessly lost on Friday morning, sank a putt on the 18th hole to defeat the seemingly invincible Tommy Fleetwood.
When world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler won his match against Rory McIlroy, all the pieces seemed like they were falling into place.
Suddenly, the entirety of Bethpage Black felt like it was caught up in an enormous tidal wave that was lifting the American fans and their players toward the most incredible comeback this event had ever seen. And they almost pulled it off.
As Bradley said, “That was a coin flip there for a second.”
Changing an ugly narrative
The story of this tournament had been the clashes between fans and Team Europe’s stars, with McIlroy at the center of it. Before the day started, it seemed the only thing that would be remembered from Bethpage would be the ugly scenes that played out on Saturday afternoon when the atmosphere nearly boiled over from an intense golf tournament to an embarrassing, alcohol-fueled meltdown by the American fans.
Insults were hurled at McIlroy with such ferocity that his playing partner Shane Lowry had to be held back from going over the ropes to get at the fans. There were insults about Jon Rahm’s weight being shouted from the gallery. Video on social media showed a drink coming out of the gallery and hitting McIlroy’s wife in her hat, sparking more anger from the Northern Irishman.
It was the kind of unacceptable behavior that some had feared would take place at Bethpage, known as one of the rowdiest venues in a typically polite sport governed by its unwritten rules of etiquette. Much of that calmed down on Sunday as the American fans finally had something to cheer about, but there was still more than enough abuse aimed at McIlroy from the spectators throughout the day.
“Anybody that was out there could pretty blatantly tell you that there was some things said, and Cam [Cameron Young] and I said it to Shane and Rory yesterday that we felt for them,” Thomas said.
“It was unfortunate. Cam and I just wished that we gave them something to cheer for instead of people to cheer against. I think that was kind of the main consensus of the last two days, that we weren’t giving them enough to cheer for, and they were just trying to help us win.”
“I guess that’s the New York fans for you.”
A Sunday afternoon to remember
Those disappointing images and sounds will certainly linger. But what most American fans will remember from this Ryder Cup is the comeback that almost was.
When play crossed Round Swamp Road, the roadway that cuts between Bethpage Black and separates the 14th and 15th holes, this tournament flew into the stratosphere. Roars ping-ponged around the course as the Americans charged back into the competition, winning hole after hole and giving themselves a chance.
“[Bradley] had a message for us to worry about our own point,” said Xander Schauffele, who defeated Rahm. “Obviously, it was hard not to peek when there was some USA chants ripping through the property. But for the most part, [Bradley’s] message to us was to focus on our point and nothing else, whether you look at the board or not. However you operate is how you’re supposed to do it. So that was kind of the mentality that I think all of us carried today.”
When Fitzpatrick missed his putt on 17 to put himself and DeChambeau on equal terms heading into the last hole, the place exploded. It felt like a wave was picking up and carrying the American players and their fans into history, a comeback that would live on in golf lore forever.
“Man, I gave it everything I had today for the team. Like my dad always said, you’ve just got to keep swimming. You can’t give up. That’s what I did today,” DeChambeau said afterward.
“I’m very proud of the way I finished after being 5-down. Super emotional for me right now. I put my heart and soul into this Ryder Cup, and albeit, it wasn’t the points that I wanted to get for the team, I’m very proud of the way we fought today.”
Shane Lowry puts an end to the charge
Even when Russell Henley failed to put away Lowry on the 17th with a birdie putt, it still felt like destiny was on Team USA’s side. Henley put his drive into a fairway bunker on 18 while the Irishman was safely in the short stuff in the middle of the hole. But Henley recovered remarkably, sticking his approach shot 10 feet from the hole and seeming to seal a victory in the match.
But Lowry – the gregarious and intense giant of Team Europe who seems to love this competition more than any other – outdid his opponent by stuffing his iron shot within five feet. The pressure piled onto Henley. He had to make his birdie putt to secure another point for Team USA and hold off the Europeans for another few minutes. He missed and there was no doubt that Lowry would sink his putt.
The Irishman nailed it and went berserk, running around the green and jumping into the arms of his caddie and anyone else who’d have him.
“I’ve been so lucky to experience amazing things in this game but that was the hardest couple of hours of my whole life. Honestly, like, I just can’t believe it. I can’t believe that ball went in. I stood over it going, ‘This is it,’” Lowry said through tears after the match.
“The Ryder Cup means everything to me, honestly. I’ve won The Open in Ireland. It’s amazing. It’s a dream come true.
“But the Ryder Cup for me is everything, like, and to do that there today on the 18th green in front of everyone, it was so hard out there. I mean, fair play to the U.S. lads. We knew they were going to come out fighting.”
‘I’ll remember this the rest of my life’
At the 18th green, the Europeans cheered, and the Americans hung their heads. It was so close they could taste it. History was within their grasp, and it slipped away.
“We’d be stupid to sit here and be like, we’re going to – all of us thinking this is going to happen. We know it could, but we just wanted to come out and battle, and that’s what we did,” Thomas said after his match when the result was still in doubt.
There will be questions asked in retrospect. Should Bradley have laid out Bethpage Black differently instead of removing the teeth from one of the most difficult courses in the world? Should Bradley really have played the combination of Harris English and Collin Morikawa twice in morning foursomes sessions? Should the rules around what happens when a player has to pull out due to injury change after Viktor Hovland’s injury meant a crucial half-point for the Europeans?
Those things clearly don’t matter much to the American players in the immediate aftermath of the first home defeat in this competition since 2012. They aimed to make history with their comeback but instead did so with their defeat. And ultimately, they ran into a European buzzsaw.
“When you perform at that high of a level, that’s as high of a level as a Ryder Cup Team has ever played on for those two days, I think. When that happens, they just beat you sometimes,” Bradley said.
For Bradley and the rest of his team, it’s a brutal feeling but a memory – especially of that hour or so when it seemed possible, maybe even likely, that the US could pull off the comeback of all comebacks – that will linger forever.
“I’ve got a real weird relationship with this tournament. A lot of heartbreak. But I still love it, and I love the guys. I love being out here again. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to do this again,” Bradley said. “I’ll remember this the rest of my life.”
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