The Greatest Ryder Cup Singles Match Was Seven Years Ago

To get ready for the 2023 event in Rome, SI Golf looks back at some of the memorable moments from Ryder Cups past.

In advance of the 2023 Ryder Cup, SI Golf writers and editors will look back at some of their favorite Ryder Cup memories.

It seems impossible that nearly seven years have already passed. I can still smell the grass, feel the adrenaline and you-bet-your-Minnesota-nice hear the roar of that hostile crowd.

The 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine was intense, hard-fought, loud and a ton of fun. So, in those respects, a pretty standard Ryder Cup. But what I’ll always remember is the same thing anyone who attended or watched on television will always remember: Rory vs. Reed.

The quick backstory: In 2016, the U.S. had lost three consecutive Ryder Cups, and the ’16 team featured a host of tweaks on the heels of the ’14 drubbing in Gleneagles. That loss begat the Phil Mickelson post-event press conference, which begat the U.S. Ryder Cup task force, which begat more player ownership of the team, which begat the Davis Love captaincy, which begat … even more pressure on the U.S. to finally snap its drought against the pesky Europeans, who always seemed to come up clutch.

This is all preamble to the greatest Ryder Cup singles match I’ve seen. I suspect it’s also the best singles match anyone alive has ever seen. I don’t know how you top it.

Patrick Reed entered the week looking to bolster his new-ish “Captain America” rep after he went 3-0-1 as one of the lone bright spots for the U.S. in Gleneagles. Rory McIlroy entered Hazeltine ranked No. 3 in the world and fresh off wining two FedEx Cup playoff events earlier that month. McIlroy quickly became the central antagonist in Minnesota, taunting the pro-U.S. crowds, which became more hostile as the event progressed. Undeterred, McIlroy went 3-1 during the team matches. Reed paired with Jordan Spieth for the first two days and went 2-1-1, and the U.S. led Europe by three points, 9.5–6.5, heading into Sunday singles.

Seeking an early jolt, it was no surprise that European captain Darren Clarke sent McIlroy out first. It was a shock that U.S. captain Davis Love III selected Reed to lead off for the U.S. But it gave everyone the match they wanted. It would not disappoint.

At 11:04 a.m., the grandstands surrounding the first tee were jammed, and fans were lined 25-deep all the way along the fairway ropes. McIlroy actually broke into a little dance on the tee as a small group of European fans sang one of their little Cup-themed ditties. May as well try to stay loose.

One thing that’s different about Ryder Cup is the scene inside the ropes following the matches—there are a lot of people in there, as just behind the players, wives, girlfriends, friends, vice captains, captains and the assorted press tail along. This was the match of the week, and with the opening point of Sunday singles at stake, everyone with clean shoes and a credential ducked under the ropes for a front-row view. I tried to count the number of media walking with the pairing and lost count around 100. Both players did well to settle in and par the first hole. Rory drew first blood with a birdie on No. 3, and then things began to escalate.

On the drivable par-4 5th, McIlroy drove to the front of the green, and Reed followed by skipping his tee shot all the way onto the putting surface and canning the eagle putt. All square.

At 6, Rory drilled a birdie and then screamed in Reed’s direction. Reed answered the putt and gave McIlroy a Dikembe Mutombo finger-wag. This level of histrionics had never before been seen at a Ryder Cup. They were still warming up.

On 7 both guys made birdies, and Rory punctuated his by making Reed’s “shushing” motion directly at him. I’ve long since lost my notebook from this day, but I distinctly remember yanking the pad from my pocket and scribbling, “REED/RORY PUNCH EACH OTHER IN FACE?” So, yes, things were redlining out there.

The crescendo arrived on the par-3 8th hole, where both players hit the green and had lengthy birdie putts. McIlroy went first from about 60 feet and poured it right in, following it with his most intense celebration of all: He cupped his hands to his ears and screamed, “I can’t hear you!” at the crowd. With about 20 feet of his own for birdie, Reed buried it and turned to Rory to give him another finger wag. Hazeltine shook. It was the loudest noise, before or since, I’ve ever experienced on a golf course. As the players exited the green, I’d get my answer on whether they might slug each other.

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They actually bumped knuckles. It was cool. A sign of mutual respect, and acknowledgment for just how absurdly great they’d played that stretch of holes.

Things calmed down from there—they had to. Reed won the 16th hole to go 2 up, but Rors won 17 to send the match to 18, where it was always destined to finish. Reed made a 4-footer to win 1 up, and the U.S. team went on to sail past Europe by a final score of 17–11 on a bright sunny afternoon to reclaim the Cup.

But that singles match will forever live in lore. I no longer have my notebook, but thankfully there is video.