Europe on the brink of Ryder Cup greatness after dominant Saturday performance

Europe moved a step closer to Ryder Cup glory on Saturday, building a commanding 11½-4½ lead over the United States as the event heads to Sunday’s 12 singles matches. The lopsided stance at Bethpage Black underscored the momentum Europe has seized through two days of competition and put the onus on the Americans to pull off a monumental comeback on the final day.

Luke Donald, who has four Ryder Cup wins from as many matches as a player, stands on the verge of becoming only the second European captain to win both home and away ties. If Europe closes this out, he would follow Tony Jacklin in a rare double triumph that would etch his name into Ryder Cup history. Europe will carry a record 11½-4½ lead into Sunday and needs just three points to win the trophy on foreign soil for the first time since 2012, a scenario that seemed unlikely to many observers at the start of the week.

The day’s results reinforced a pattern that had already taken shape on Friday: no side has ever recovered from a 10-6 deficit to win the Ryder Cup. The numbers around Europe’s lead emphasize the rarity of a US comeback, with the closest historical parallels on the final day existing in only a handful of cases. The most decisive comebacks on the final day historically have tended to favor the home team, and Sunday will test whether the United States can conjure a miracle of biblical proportions.

Bradley addressed a potential record defeat with a touch of pragmatism, drawing inspiration from an American sports comeback he linked to the New England Patriots’ 28-3 rally in the 2017 Super Bowl. “28-3. I was at that game. I watched it. What a cool thing to have witnessed live in person,” the U.S. captain said, while noting that a 14-14 tie would still leave Europe with the trophy. The Ryder Cup format does not allow extra holes to alter a drawn result, so Sunday’s singles will determine the outcome regardless of any late drama.

Two of the United States’ players who earned points on Saturday — Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Young — echoed a no-quit mindset. DeChambeau, who has been a crowd favorite all week, suggested that anything could happen and that a dramatic comeback would make for a memorable chapter in Ryder Cup lore. Spaun likewise urged his team to “just go for broke,” underscoring the urgent mindset required to overcome a deficit of this size.

Statistical context provided by analysts and historians points to the uphill climb for the Americans. Only four of the 22 Ryder Cups since Europe joined the competition in 1979 have seen a team come from behind on day two to win, and the current margin is the largest ever held by an away team at this stage. If the United States is to overturn the deficit, it would likely need to win 10 of the 12 points available on Sunday, a standard that has proved unattainable for most past editions. The most points secured by either side on the final day in Ryder Cup history are eight and a half, achieved by the United States in 1979 and 1999, and by Europe in 2006 and 2012.

In recent Ryder Cups, the home side has tended to dictate the pace of the event, with margins often exceeding five points in the lead-up to the Sunday singles. The last five editions have seen the home team win by margins of five, six, seven, 10, and five points respectively, illustrating how challenging it is for the trailing team to mount a late-stage rally. The average margin of victory since 1993 has varied widely, underscoring the shifting dynamics that can unfold across a single Sunday.

As Sunday unfolds with 12 singles matches, Europe enters with an opportunity to clinch a record away victory that would mark a historic milestone for the team and a defining moment in Donald’s captaincy. The combination of a robust Saturday performance and a strategic, measured approach to Sunday could yield a result that would be celebrated in European golf for years to come.