Ryder Cup 2025: Europe wins after surviving Team USA's furious comeback
The public crowned Team Europe as the victor of the 45th Ryder Cup by Saturday evening.
The Europeans had a seven-point advantage and became the first team since 1979 (when Team Europe debuted) to accrue 11 1/2 points through the first four sessions. The greatest Ryder Cup comeback entering the singles session since then was four points.
Team USA staged a ferocious comeback Sunday as the tide began to turn at Bethpage Black — winning five of the first seven matches and earning a half-point in another — but it was too little, too late.
Europe held off Team USA to win the Ryder Cup, 15-13, on a tense afternoon that erased the sentiment from Friday and Saturday that had many tabbing this year’s event the “Beatdown at Bethpage.”
Europe officially retained the Ryder Cup as Shane Lowry’s 6-foot, 3-inch birdie putt on the 18th halved his match with Russell Henley. Henley missed a 10-foot, 3-inch birdie putt immediately before Lowry’s attempt. Europe led 14-11 after clinching the result and officially won when Tyrrell Hatton halved with Collin Morikawa, making the score 14 1/2-12 1/2.
“I didn't envision myself going up the 18th needing a birdie to retain the Ryder Cup,” Lowry said. “It was like the worst two hours of my life. It was horrible. It was.
“But I said to my caddie walking down 18, ‘I've got an opportunity to do the greatest thing I've ever done today,’ and I did it. And I'm very proud of myself.”
Europe won once Sunday: Ludvig Aberg’s 2-and-1 win over Patrick Cantlay in the fifth match. It is the first time a team won only one singles match since 1957.
“You think about the odds of something like that happening, just on a coin flip would be incredible,” U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said. “But when you go out in sports and you're battling your butt off to win, it just shows you just how proud these guys are and how much they want this and how much this means to them, and to watch them go out all week and hold their heads high and then go out there today and do what they did is close to a miracle.”
Europe is the first team to win an away Ryder Cup since the 2012 “Miracle at Medinah” in Illinois, a 14 1/2-13 1/2 win for the Europeans after trailing 10-6 entering the final day. This year marked the closest Ryder Cup since.
“I think everybody was surprised how good of a scare we gave the Europeans today,” said Scottie Scheffler, who earned his first win of the competition, a 1-up triumph over Rory McIlroy in the first Ryder Cup singles match between the world’s No. 1 and 2 golfers.
The Europeans led 11 1/2-4 1/2 entering the day. That lead became 12-5 after Viktor Hovland (neck) withdrew, and his match was halved as Harris English sat for Team USA.
A twinkle of belief came from the first two singles matches, when Cameron Young and Justin Thomas each drained birdie putts on the 18th to secure respective 1-up victories over European juggernauts Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood.
“That last bit there where we were making a run, I don't know about any of you guys, but I haven't felt anything like that playing golf before,” Young said.
In the third match, Bryson DeChambeau surged from a five-hole deficit through seven to halve his match against Matt Fitzpatrick.
When Scheffler, who started 0-4, finally got off the schnied in Sunday's fourth match, the feeling of something historic potentially happening permeated through the Farmingdale air.
“One of the coolest things was these guys picking me up last night,” Scheffler said. “The guys on this team, this is a really special group of guys.”
He briefly took a 1-up lead on the 10th, but McIlroy tied it with a 32-foot, 8-inch birdie putt on the 11th. Scheffler regained the lead, which he never surrendered, after McIlroy bogeyed the 15th.
“Scottie and I both didn't have our best,” McIlroy said. “It was a bit of a pillow fight if I'm honest.”
Xander Schauffele defeated Spaniard Jon Rahm, 4-and-3, in the sixth match. Then J.J. Spaun’s 2-and-1 victory over Sepp Straka cut Team USA’s deficit to 13 1/2-10 1/2, the last result before Lowry silenced any doubt.
Plenty of other memorable stories come from Europe’s fifth victory on American soil. Luke Donald cemented his spot among the all-time great Ryder Cup captains with back-to-back victories. Fleetwood climbed in the record books, and the 45-year-old Rose led a putting clinic on Saturday. Both Hatton (3-0-1) and Lowry (1-0-2) went unbeaten. And the list goes on.
But no one will savor the accomplishment more than McIlroy, who handled vitriol from the fans all weekend. After Europe’s 16 1/2-11 1/2 victory in Rome in 2023, he called his shot that his side would win at Bethpage Black.
Two years later, he quipped: “It's nice to be right.”
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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