Historic Rout Powers Europe as Ryder Cup Slips Further Away for Americans

Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg annihilated world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka as Europe extended its lead to seven points.

ROME — So much for a United States comeback.

If Friday was bad, Saturday morning in many ways was worse for the U.S. in its attempt to win the Ryder Cup.

Only the team of Max Homa and Brian Harman kept Europe from being able to clinch the Cup on Saturday.

The Europeans took three of the four points in the foursomes format to increase their lead to 9½ to 2½ with four matches to play Saturday afternoon.

Rory McIlroy and the Europeans increased their lead Saturday morning at the Ryder Cup :: Alessandra Tarantino/AP

While the Americans at least won their first match outright in the entire event with the Homa and Harman victory over Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka, they came up way short of what will be necessary to retain the Cup, losing three of the four foursomes matches, one in horrifically bad fashion.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and five-time major championship winner Brooks Koepka were annihilated by Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg 9 and 7, the worst-ever defeat in any 18-hole Ryder Cup match. The duo made just one birdie, didn’t win a hole and were done in time to eat a second breakfast.

Captain Zach Johnson’s decision to put Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth out in the alternate shot format was questionable, and they started by losing the first three holes, an ominous beginning to the day.

With the first two matches in bad shape for the Americans, it set a negative tone from the beginning.

The Europeans are just five points away from regaining the Cup they lost in record fashion to the United States two years ago at Whistling Straits when the U.S. won 19-9. Then, it appeared the Americans were on the verge of a dynasty, with several European stars fading.

But Europe has been strong with excellent showings from McIlroy, Hovland, Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood.

Meanwhile, the U.S. stars have struggled, which means playing for pride from this point forward.

Saturday Foursomes

Match 1: Rory McIlroy/Tommy Fleetwood (Europe) defeated Justin Thomas/Jordan Spieth (USA), 2 and 1.

Thomas and Spieth couldn’t find a fairway early, costing them as they bogeyed two of the first three holes and lost all three. They gamely fought back to pull within one hole with birdies at the 13th and 14th holes and added another at the 16th to pull within one hole lost the 17th.

Match 2: Viktor Hovland/Ludvig Aberg (Europe) defeated Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka (USA), 9 and 7.

So much for the idea that Aberg was a risk because he’s never played in a major championship. He’s now 2-0 with Hovland and barely had to sweat Saturday morning. Scheffler and Koepka played the first three holes in 5 over par and lost the first four, never winning a hole, and going on to the worst Ryder Cup match defeat of any played over 18 holes.

Match 3: Max Homa/Brian Harman (USA) defeated Shane Lowry/Sepp Straka (Europe), 4 and 2.

The rare bright spot for the Americans. It took 11 matches for a U.S. team to finally win a full point and they never trailed in this match, going 1 up after a birdie at the 10th and increasing the lead to 3 up through 12 holes. Five birdies and an eagle is impressive in alternate shot and Homa is having himself a very good Ryder Cup. Same for Harman, whose loss on Friday was no shame.

Match 4: Jon Rahm/Tyrrell Hatton (Europe) defeated Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele (USA), 2 and 1

The Americans' best foursomes team coming into the Ryder Cup has struggled, although they made a game of this after falling 3 down through eight holes and again through 11. They won three straight holes to get it tied and then Schauffele couldn’t convert a birdie putt on the 16th that saw them fall down by a hole. Rahm closed out the match by hitting it close at the 17th, and Schauffele could not convert a short birdie putt that would have kept the match going to the 18th hole.

Afternoon fourball matches

12:25 p.m. (6:25 a.m. ET): Sam Burns/Collin Morikawa (USA) vs. Viktor Hovland/Ludvig Aberg (Europe)

12:40 p.m. (6:40 a.m. ET): Max Homa/Brian Harman (USA) vs. Tommy Fleetwood/Nicolai Hojgaard (Europe)

12:55 p.m. (6:55 a.m. ET): Justin Thomas/Jordan Spieth (USA) vs. Justin Rose/Robert MacIntyre (Europe)

1:10 p.m. (7:10 a.m. ET): Patrick Cantlay/Wyndham Clark (USA) vs. Matt Fitzpatrick /Rory McIlroy (Europe)