They had Tiger Postman Pat as
THE Northern Irishman lost the first but won the next three holes before Thomas birdied the eighth and 10th to level. The match was still all square on the 18th when McIlroy’s CASEY had a nightmare start when his approach to the first plugged in a bunker and he fired his next shot into the water.
But he holed a long birdie putt on the next WORLD No2 Rose looked rattled when asked to hole a short putt on the second and duly missed it and the Englishman gifted Simpson the seventh and eighth to fall three THE heroics of the previous two days perhaps took their toll on Fleetwood.
He started badly by chipping out of a bunker into water at the first and also lost OLESEN was left out of Saturday’s action after an opening loss alongside McIlroy but proved his credentials in wonderful fashion with four birdies in the first nine holes to WOODS wiped out a two-hole deficit with an eagle on the ninth and a birdie on the 12th – but promptly bogeyed the next two holes.
Rahm’s three-putt on the 16th gave the tee shot plugged in a fairway bunker.
He was unable to escape at the first attempt, found the water with his third shot and conceded on the fairway. and a tight contest never had more than one hole in it.
Koepka birdied the 12th and 13th to lead by one with two to play, but Casey levelled with a birdie on the 17th. down. Rose won the 13th to briefly threaten a comeback but made a mess of the 15th.
His birdie on the 16th was calmly matched by Simpson to seal the win. the second. He recovered to take the next two but missed putts at the fifth and sixth allowed Finau to regain control and the American took full advantage. storm into a five-hole lead against Spieth.
Olesen’s only mistake on the 10th gave Spieth a glimmer of hope, but a birdie on the 14th sealed a tremendous win. American a lifeline but the Spaniard shut the door in emphatic fashion with a birdie on the 17th after a 356-yard drive and an approach shot to three feet. IN THE end it was an abject surrender. Phil Mickelson plopped his ball into the water off the tee at the 16th, shook hands with Francesco Molinari, and left the stage for Europe to do what Europe do best at home Ryder Cups. Party.
Within minutes Molinari, ordinarily the most stoic of Italians, was throwing himself into the ecstatic Versailles crowd to be drenched in beer.
Tommy Fleetwood, the other half of the ‘Moliwood’ double act which damaged the Americans beyond repair, was being carried shoulder high on a sea of revellers, while Ian Poulter was dressed as a postbox.
Poulter is the Postman who always delivers at a Ryder Cup and he had just seen off world No1 Dustin Johnson on a fantasy afternoon during which Europe won their fourth session out of five to record their biggest win for 12 years.
Mighty America, with their collection of nine Major champions and a couple of all-time legends, had been routed.
“It felt like we kept running into a buzzsaw,” said Brooks Koepka, the US Open and USPGA champion. Individual titles BJORN AGAIN: Victorious captain Bjorn lifts the cup as Europe celebrate their comeback triumph IN VERSAILLES are all well and good but when it comes to team golf Europe are more than the sum of their parts.
They have now won nine the past 12 Ryder Cups.
For Sergio Garcia, as of last night the most successful player in Ryder Cup history, to be part of Team Europe is to be a member of the most special club in golf.
Garcia said: “To be a of this European Ryder of part Cup team – all of them – has been amazing. There’s not enough money to buy that feeling,”.
“I love the crowds and how, when we win, we win the right way. I love how well we connect, how much fun we have in the team room, how many different options we have to play together – I love everything about it.
“There’s nothing like it. There’s no other week where we open our hearts to guys we play against every other week and we fight as hard as we can for each other.
“Because of that we have been able to be very successful.”
Garcia is the embodiment of this team ethic. When Rory McIlroy strode onto the first tee yesterday to a thunderous reception before the opening singles match, the Spaniard was there to give him a warm embrace. There was some unease when the United States took 3.5 of the first four points to narrow the four-point overnight deficit to one.
Justin Thomas edged out McIlroy at the final hole after the Northern Irishman left his ball in a fairway bunker, then Koepka rescued a half against Paul Casey with an up-anddown from a bunker.
Justin Rose surprisingly fell to Webb Simpson and Fleetwood, unbeaten on an unforgettable debut until yesterday, ran out of petrol against Tony Finau.
But from there the US ran into a blue wall. “There’s always a moment when there’s a spark of light but when that was there for us Europe played a lot of great shots and closed out their matches,” said US