The United States has controlled this Ryder since the opening session on Friday morning but now comes the decisive Sunday singles session. The first four sessions of two-man games are critical, but Sunday’s finale does dole out 12 of the possible 28 points in a Ryder Cup, allowing room for significant comebacks. We saw that last time this event was held on American soil in 2012, when the Euros pulled off their biggest comeback ever, erasing that 10-6 deficit in the Medinah Miracle to retain the cup.
Ryder Cup 2016: Tee times, pairings, match schedule for Sunday at Hazeltine
With a three-point lead after the first two days, the USA needs to get 5 of 12 points in Sunday’s finale.
The Euros will start this Sunday with a three-point deficit, the tally through the first four sessions sitting at 9.5 to 6.5. So this is far from over and we’ll know how things might be trending from those early matches. The captains’ consensus opinion is that, when you’re trailing, the best strategy is to put your strongest players out first. You hope the big guns at the top come through for you, put a few points up on the board and make it closer to start a roll of momentum down the match board and back to the weaker players. It’s how these Sunday singles always seem to work and this year is no different, with a dream matchup in the leadoff spot.
Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy will get it going on Sunday. Those two have, indisputably, been the heart of their respective teams. McIlroy continues his hot month only here he’s playing in front of a hostile crowd so he’s not only hitting incredible shots, but also repeatedly taunting his hecklers while he whips American opponents. Reed has shown similar emotion, especially at the end on Saturday when he almost single-handedly beat the European power duo of Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose.
Reed’s round included a hole-out eagle that shook the ground at Hazeltine. That was only a part of his career round and we know Reed likes to scream and yell and pump up the crowd with every great shot. He did that and more on Saturday evening and now he gets his Euro counterpart. There will be lots of good golf shots and lots of yelling and an all-important opening point on the line.
The draw for all these sessions at the Ryder Cup is blind. So one captain has no idea who he is pitting against on the other team. You hope when both orders are rolled out that you get some juicy matchups and that’s the case this year. In addition to that epic leadoff struggle, we’ll also get a Jordan Spieth vs. Henrik Stenson match, a Rickie Fowler vs. Justin Rose battle, and a Phil Mickelson vs. Sergio Garcia match.
Here’s the full schedule for Sunday’s final session (all times ET):
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