The second day of the Ryder Cup is in the rearview with the United States picking up where it left off Friday, grabbing five points between the morning and afternoon sessions and extending its lead to 11-5 over the Europeans entering the final day of competition. The lead is the largest for the Americans entering the singles portion of the Ryder Cup since 1975.
Foursomes was again a fruitful format for the U.S. as it won three of four matches to go up 9-3 in the morning with only Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia -- the same two who won their foursomes match on Friday -- getting on the board early. Rahm now accounts for 3.5 of the Europeans' five points, and with the victory, Garcia became the winningest player in Ryder Cup history.
Afternoon four-ball was the first session of the week that the U.S. did not win, but it did get a 2-2 split. This after the Americans won 3-1 in both sessions Friday and again Saturday morning in foursomes.
The Americans have to feel good about how Saturday transpired as they inch closer to victory over the Europeans. The U.S. is now a -5000 favorite to win the Ryder Cup, according to Caesars Sportsbook, as it has 11 of the 14.5 points necessary to pick up the victory entering singles on Sunday. With 12 matches to be played on the third day of the event and the Americans expected to be favored in nearly all of those matches, a win may just be academic at this point.
The United States is looking for its second straight win on home soil and just its third overall since the turn of the century. Keep on reading for a detailed breakdown of each session on Saturday.
2021 Ryder Cup results, scores
United States leads 11-5 | Day 1 scores
Morning foursomes: 3-1 U.S (9-3 overall U.S.)
| Match | United States | Score | Europe |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brooks Koepka / Daniel Berger | 3&1 > | Jon Rahm / Sergio Garcia |
2 | Dustin Johnson / Collin Morikawa | < 2&1 | Paul Casey / Tyrrell Hatton |
3 | Jordan Spieth / Justin Thomas | < 2 UP | Bernd Wiesberger / Viktor Hovland |
4 | Xander Schauffele / Patrick Cantlay | < 2&1 | Lee Westwood / Matt Fitzpatrick |
Morning foursomes played out much the same way they did Friday. The Americans got the edge by a 3-1 margin, but Rahm and Garcia again got the better of their U.S. counterparts, this time winning their match 3&1 over Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger. The U.S. actually led by three through five holes but won only one hole over the remainder of the competition as the world No. 1 Rahm and Garcia came alive with their backs against the wall.
The Americans absorbed the blow after giving up the first point by taking the next three available. Each of the three points scored for the U.S. were as laborious as they were well-earned. Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa at one point were 5 UP in their match before losing three holes in a four-hole span; however, they were able to close on a high note. Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas trailed by three through six before taking seven of the final 12 holes. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele had to dig themselves out of a hole, too, after going down one after the fifth.
"We're playing really, really good golf as a team," said Spieth on NBC after the foursomes match in the morning. "Everybody's pretty confident in each other. We've all known each other a long time. It's pretty fun, we're having a blast off the course, and I think it's helping feed into our rounds as well."
Afternoon four-ball: 2-2 tie (11-5 overall U.S.)
| Match | United States | Score | Europe |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tony Finau / Harris English | 1 up > | Shane Lowry / Tyrrell Hatton |
2 | Brooks Koepka / Jordan Spieth | 2&1 > | Jon Rahm / Sergio Garcia |
3 | Scottie Scheffler / Bryson DeChambeau | < 3&1 | Tommy Fleetwood / Viktor Hovland |
4 | Dustin Johnson / Collin Morikawa | < 4&3 | Ian Poulter / Rory McIlroy |
For the first time all week, the Americans did not win a session as they split 2-2 with the Europeans in Saturday afternoon's four-ball. Given the deficit they're now playing from it was a good-but-not-great outcome for the Euros, though, who will now need to mount the single-largest comeback in Ryder Cup history on Sunday.
What started as a promising afternoon with two consecutive match wins -- Shane Lowry and Tyrrell Hatton over Tony Finau and Harris English and then Rahm and Garcia going 2&1 over Koepka and Spieth -- turned into a strong U.S. finish. There was never any real doubt for Johnson and Morikawa as they won 4&3 and lost only one hole all match, but the big one between Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler fell in favor of the U.S. with Scheffler's big day culminating with a walk-off putt for the win.
"Getting 2-2 and staying the same place with the lead we've created is huge," said DeChambeau. "We haven't had this great of an opportunity in a long time. Hopefully we can get the job done tomorrow."
Johnson is now 4-0 in this Ryder Cup and has a chance to improve to 5-0 in singles on Sunday. Schauffele is also 3-0 for the Americans, while Rahm is 3-0-1 for the Europeans with Garcia also at 3-0.