Scottie Scheffler is number one in the world ranking. This season he has played 23 tournaments and has made the cut in all of them, winning two of them and being top ten in another 17. His form has provoked comparisons with the best Tiger Woods. Scottie Scheffler suffered the biggest beating in the history of the Ryder Cup this Saturday. That's sport. But, above all, this is Ryder, an unparalleled competition that continues to expand its legend.
Scheffler left the field in tears, with his wife at his side trying to console him without much success. No image better explains what is happening at the Marco Simone in Rome, where a Europe separated by Brexit but united by golf is very close to signing a new victory at home in the Ryder Cup. But Luke Donald's pupils will do well in not to trust because the American beast opened half an eye when he was about to enter the slaughterhouse and Patrick Cantlay restored his hope.
Let no one be fooled. The situation remains under control for the locals. Europe will face the last day, with 12 individual points at stake, with the second largest advantage in its entire history: 5 points. Furthermore, the greatest comeback ever recorded was that of Medinha in 2012 (4 points) so the Ryder Cup seems to have a foot and a half back on the Old Continent.
The day started especially well again, with a huge Severiano Ballesteros banner in the crowded stands of the 1st tee. “Always in our hearts,” it read in Italian. The Cantabrian continues to inspire the successes of his beloved Europe and in Rome he is about to achieve it again. On the green, his son Javier and his inseparable Chema Olazábal were excited, well supported by Luke Donald, revealed as a genius of motivation. An impulse that was transferred to the field.
Europe extended its advantage in a morning to remember. Especially for the Nordic couple, Hovland and Aberg, who shook hands with their rivals on the 11th green. Scheffler was crying inconsolably. The impassive Koepka took it more philosophically, but he will not prevent his name from appearing in the black history books. Jon Rahm also won, of course, the great European standard, after an eternal match against the rocky Cantlay and Schauffele. He did it in the 17th, touching the hole in one with a wonderful shot. But their match was so long (the American pair is worse than the bad guy's horse) that it ended almost when the afternoon matches began, so Donald opted to give the Basque an afternoon rest.
After a first day with zero victories, the United States added its first full point thanks to Max Homa, the only one who seemed to rescue pride in the ranks of Zach Johnson. The Californian repeated his victory in the afternoon, also with Harman as his partner, but things were not looking good for the United States, which was on its way to suffering a historic disadvantage after veteran Justin Rose destroyed Spieth and Thomas with his putt, the Johnson boys.
But in the final stretch of the day, with the sun tinted orange on the Roman horizon, Patrick Cantlay emerged, a figure without a cap but who was not dazzled. With an inspired Rory McIlroy in front of him, the one from Long Beach was able to finish with three birdies to turn his game around and leave the wound at five points. He did it with a memorable shot under pressure on the 17th and sinking a 14-meter putt on the 18th to win, causing the entire American team to euphoria and, in turn, even some clashes with Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy. The beast was threatening to wake up and Europe noticed it.
