Padraig preps his squad for potential rally in singles matches
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — As expected because of the large deficit his team is facing, European captain Padraig Harrington has front-loaded his singles lineup for Sunday’s final day of the 43rd Ryder Cup matches with his best, most experienced players.
Europe will enter trailing 11-5, and no team ever has over- come a deficit that high. So Harrington is leas- ing off with Rory McIlroy playing Xander Schauffele, followed by Shane Lowry against Patrick Cantlay and world No. 1 Jon Rahm against Scottie Scheffler.
From there, Sergio Garcia will play Bryson DeChambeau, followed by Viktor Hovland against Collin Morikawa, Paul Casey against Dustin Johnson, Bernd Weisberger against Brooks Koepka, Ian Poulter (who has a 5-0-1 career singles record) against Tony Finau, Tyrrell Hatton against Justin Thomas, Lee Westwood against Harris English, Tommy Fleetwood against Jordan Spieth and Matt Fitzpatrick against Daniel Berger.
“It’s hard to put a lineup out,’’ Stricker said. “You have so many possibilities and you sort of have an idea of what they are going to do, and I’m sure they have an idea of what we are going to do, as well. But I just feel so good about all 12 of my guys.’’
➤ Three years ago, Johnson was 1-3 in the U.S. Ryder Cup loss to Europe in France. After Saturday’s two sessions at Whistling Straits, Johnson, at 37 the senior member of the U.S. team, won both of his matches to get to 4-0 for the week with Sunday’s singles looming.
The last American player to win each of the first four sessions was Larry Nelson in 1979. Johnson has a chance to tie Nelson’s mark of 5-0 from that 1979 Cup.
“Everything’s been working for Dustin,’’ said Morikawa, who’s paired with Johnson to win two matches. “He’s a veteran. He’s the oldest guy on our team, and it’s a very quiet leadership, but he makes his presence known. When he needs to say something, he says something.”
➤ No one is having a more miserable Ryder Cup than McIlroy, who’s 0-3 after losing with Poulter to Johnson and Morikawa in fourballs and is on a five-match losing streak, dating to 2018 in France.
“Obviously disappointing,’’ McIlroy said. “Disappointing not to contribute a point for the team yet. So hopefully just go out tomorrow and try my best to get a point, and hopefully we can rally and at last give them something to maybe sweat about tomorrow in the middle of the afternoon.’’
Garcia encouraged McIlroy with a few words during the matches Saturday and expressed support for his struggling teammate afterward.
“I told him the absolute truth,’’ Garcia said. “I told him that not only me but the whole team is proud of him no matter if he goes 5-0 or 0-5. that we love him and that we are always proud of the effort that he makes and the heart that he puts into his golf and into the team. It’s as simple as that.”