Europe has both arms around Ryder Cup after bolting to a seven-point lead
Roy McIlroy and Shane Lowry celebrate on the 18th hole during the 2025 Ryder Cup on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park on Saturday. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
Rory McIlroy heard it all day from the fans at Bethpage Black.
The obscenities started before Saturday’s Ryder Cup action, continued throughout the morning foursomes session and reached their pinnacle early in his afternoon four-ball match with Shane Lowry against Justin Thomas and Cameron Young.
When the day ended, McIlroy had the last laugh.
He not only silenced the American supporters with a pair of victories, but he is within an arm’s reach of the away Ryder Cup victory that he declared would be one of the greatest accomplishments of his career.
McIlroy and Lowry’s 2-up four-ball victory highlighted another incredible day for the Europeans, who took an 11 1/2-4 1/2 lead after two days as they continued to embarrass the Americans on their home turf.
“Hugely satisfying,” McIlroy said of his win. “It's Shane and I's first full point as a partnership. We got a half yesterday. Yeah, look, another blue point on the board. That's what we wanted to do. I'm so proud of this guy. He was with me — he was there for me all day. I'm drained, to say the least, and he dug in big time when he had to.
“I chipped in when I could here and there, but the credit goes to this man today.”
Europe won three of four foursomes matches and three of four four-ball matches. It needs only 2 1/2 points Sunday, which features 12 singles matches, to retain the trophy. Team USA faces a daunting task, needing 10 points Sunday to win. No team has ever overcome more than a four-point deficit during the singles play.
Europe, led by a mind-blowing display of clutch putting, is the first team since 1979 when the current 28-point format began to record at least 11 1/2 points before the singles session.
The Europeans have won all four sessions, and Saturday morning they became the first team to win each of the first three on foreign soil.
The sun barely rose by the time fans broke into “[expletive] you, Rory” chants, and the emcee of the on-course pregame show egged them on by repeating it in the microphone.
On the 16th hole of McIlroy’s foursomes match, a 3-and-2 win with Tommy Fleetwood over Harris English and Collin Morikawa, he yelled at the American crowd to “shut the [expletive] up.” Located in the right rough 149 yards from the pin, McIlroy then fired a shot within 38 inches of the hole.
“In between shots, say whatever you want to me," he said. "That’s totally fine. But just [give] us the respect to let us hit shots, and give us the same chance that the Americans have, I guess.”
The insults became overly personal in his four-ball match, including remarks about his family. A large police presence followed the group, and at least 20 police officers, some on bicycles, joined them at hole 10.
Two fans were ejected, New York State police spokesman Beau Duffy told the AP.
McIlroy released all his pent-up emotion on the 14th hole after sinking a nine-foot birdie to go one hole ahead. He let out a huge roar after retrieving the ball, pumping his fist and bouncing in exuberance.
He was asked if the crowds took it too far.
“When you play an away Ryder Cup, it's really, really challenging,” he said. “It's not for me to say. People can be their own judge of whether they took it too far or not. I'm just proud of us for being able to win today with what we had to go through.”
Once the win became official on the 18th green, Lowry and McIlroy, the Irishman and the Northern Irishman, embraced in a lengthy bear hug.
“It was intense,” Lowry said. “It was like something I've never experienced. But this is what I live for. This is it. This is honestly the reason I get up in the morning, for stuff like this. This is what I love doing. I love being a part of this team. I really want us to win this tournament.”
Elsewhere among four-ball matches, Justin Rose and Fleetwood outlasted Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau for a 3-and-2 win. Rose birdied six of his first eight holes.
Scheffler, the world No. 1, became the first American player to lose a match in each of the first four Ryder Cup sessions.
In the day’s last match, Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton, a last-minute replacement for Viktor Hovland (neck), won the 18th hole for a 1-up win over Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay.
Team USA had one foursomes win (a 4-and-2 win for DeChambeau and Young over Fitzpatrick) and a four-ball triumph (a 1-up decision for J.J. Spaun and Xander Schauffele over Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka).
U.S. captain Keegan Bradley, a native New Englander, is trying to draw inspiration from the Patriots’ 34-28 comeback win in Super Bowl LI. “28-3. I was at that Super Bowl,” he said. “I watched it. What a cool thing to have witnessed live in person.”
With the way things have been going, consider that a pipe dream.
“It was a really challenging day,” McIlroy said. “I'm going to sleep well tonight.”
Newsday's Carissa Kellman contributed to this story
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
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