The state of play

Before taking two steps forward, let’s take one back. Remember what we wrote earlier this week in the preview? We suggested that there is something about Luke Donald and his task that feels a little familiar.

Consider this. He’s an Englishman with short-cut fair hair. He’s facing a difficult opponent in an iconic Italian city. He’s had to draw together a diverse group of skilled individuals. And congestion has become a talking point.

Yes, it’s all very reminiscent of Charlie Croker’s Italian Job and, with just the singles to come, it feels an awful lot like the European team are careering down the motorway, giddily driving minis up the ramp and into the back of the bus because they lead the Americans 10.5-5.5 and need just four points to regain the Ryder Cup.

Perhaps the only thing that can now go wrong is that the European bus driver gets cocky on the road back to the hotel – and even then you suspect Donald would insist that he has a great idea.

The match started in sensational style for the Englishman. He tweaked the format of the week and reintroduced foursomes, a European speciality, to Friday’s first session. As with Paris in 2018, the home team won the first alternate shot series 4-0, but this thrashing established a lead instead of overhauling a deficit.

Europe extended the advantage to 6.5-1.5 whereupon congestion became an issue. Not traffic congestion as in The Italian Job, however, but American blocked noses and that, frankly, was the least of their problems. Because we also noted in the preview that this year’s Team USA is inferior to the mighty 2021 team. What we didn’t quite appreciate how disjointed they would appear on day one or that they’d spend Saturday morning losing another foursomes session (this time 3-1) on the course while dealing with rumours of a split team room, with Patrick Cantlay the root cause, off it.

The gruesome low point? World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and the five-time major winner Brooks Koepka losing to the Scandinavian youngsters Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg 9&7.

A bounce back of sorts was almost inevitable because Europe had played so well and the United States so badly – and so it proved. The Americans grabbed the first two fourball points on Saturday afternoon, Europe pinched the third, and then it all became very, very tasty.

Cantlay had been copping flak all day. He was initially said to be boycotting the US cap because he objected to receiving no pay in the Ryder Cup. It was later argued that the caps a) don’t fit him, and b) he is getting married on Monday and doesn’t want a hat tan. None of those possibilities bothered the European fans who cheerily waved their hats in his direction and sang “hats off to your bank account”.

Fired up, he won 17 and 18 with birdies to land the final point of the day and then pointed to his forehead while his team-mates entertainingly waved their own caps in the air. The drama had only just started. Cantlay’s opponent Rory McIlroy still had a putt to halve the match after his celebration and his caddie Joe LaCava was seen waving his hat very close to the Northern Irishman. Moreover, he didn’t like being told to stop doing so and the contretemps flared up again outside the clubhouse with the pair shouting in each other’s direction.

Absolutely tremendous scenes because a match that had all the jeopardy of a game of Jenga with granny while nibbling Saturday lunch has now been injected with all sorts of magnificent niggle ahead of the singles session. Strap in. This could be terrific fun.

What history says

There is no denying the enormity of the American task.

No less than 10 of the last 12 Ryder Cups have been won by the home team with the Europeans 6-for-6. Moreover the two outliers in that stretch really were quite exceptional. In the first (2004) a ruthlessly efficient Bernhard Langer took on a haplessly muddled Hal Sutton while the second (2012) was so outlandish it has gone down in history as the Miracle of Medinah.

What of pre-singles positions? There have been 10 matches in the 21st century. In the first of them (2002) the score was level heading into a winning Sunday for Europe. The other nine? Only one team (Europe in 2012) overturned a deficit heading into the 12 singles matches.

If the United States win this, Zach Johnson might be the next pope.

Brian Harman to beat Tyrrell Hatton at 27/20

Like all of his compatriots, the Open champion struggled on day one but he then completed a pair of victories on Saturday. His victory at Royal Liverpool was not match play, of course, but he was pitted against Tommy Fleetwood and relished going up against the hostile galleries. That characteristic should hold him in good stead in these singles. He’s also likely to keep gunning for the point even if the match situation looks bleak.

Rory McIlroy to beat Sam Burns at 8/11

In his career the Northern Irishman is 40-19-4 playing match play on his own and he’s won three of his six Ryder Cup singles. He’s had a fine week, he’ll be hungry to mop up the match result and Burns has had his struggles from tee to green. The course is a test from the tee and that doesn’t suit him.

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