Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The United States team will send out the No. 1 player in the world in the opener of 12 Ryder Cup singles matches Sunday as it tries to overcome a five-point deficit.
Top-ranked Scottie Sheffler will have to regain his confidence as he faces off against world No. 3 Jon Rahm of Spain in the opening singles matchup with Europe holding a 10 1/2-5 1/2 lead at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club outside Rome.
Europe needs to win four points to earn the Ryder Cup title, with a singles victory worth one point and a tie worth a half point.
Scheffler was reduced to tears after he partnered Saturday with Brooks Koepka in a 9 & 7 thrashing from Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg in a foursomes match. It marked a low point for the U.S. team, which lost three of four morning matches Saturday before rallying to win three of four in the afternoon when Scheffler sat out.
The Americans then will send out two of its hotter players Sunday when Colin Morikawa faces off against Hovland in the second match of the day, while Patrick Cantlay meets Justin Rose of England.
Morikawa teamed with Sam Burns in four-ball on Saturday afternoon to earn a 4 & 3 win over Hovland and Aberg. Cantlay won the last two holes in four-ball as he partnered with Wyndham Clark to rally for a 1-up victory over Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Matt Fitzpatrick of England.
Burns will face McIlroy in the fourth singles match, followed by Max Homa against Fitzpatrick and Brian Harman against Tyrrell Hatton of England.
In the seventh singles match, Brooks Koepka will face Aberg, followed by Justin Thomas against Sepp Straka of Austria. Xander Schauffele will face Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark, while Jordan Spieth meets Shane Lowry of Ireland and Rickie Fowler faces Tommy Fleetwood of England.
In the anchor singles match Sunday, Clark will face Robert MacIntyre of Scotland.
–Field Level Media