Ryder Cup: Team USA needs historic finish to avoid familiar fate

The United States Ryder Cup squad will have to match the biggest comeback in Ryder Cup history to regain the cup, one they have lost seven of the previous nine matches.

Europe won Saturday afternoon’s foursomes 3½-½ to move to within four points of retaining the trophy. Captain Paul McGinley’s men lost the morning’s fourballs 2½-1½ before making it 7-1 in foursomes matches over two days. The alternate shot foursomes have been the clear-cut difference so far.

Sunday’s format is every man for himself in the individual 12 matches. Europe in 2012 went 8-3-1 on Sunday, so it can be done but it will require writing another page for the history books.

The Americans are faced with a mountainous challenge of overcoming a four-point deficit going into the final day on Sunday at Gleneagles in Scotland against the red hot Europeans.

We surely know it can be done. In 2012, the Europeans were down the same margin 10-6 at Medinah in Chicago and came back in remarkable fashion topple the dazed Americans. The only other time in the history of the Ryder Cup a team came back from this far behind was when the Americans rallied in 1999 at the memorable “Battle of Brookline” outside of Boston.

Momentum is certainly not on the Americans’ side. Onlookers witnessed golf excellence on Saturday when Europe’s Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson had an amazing 12 team birdies through 16 holes – a Ryder Cup record in the format – including one on each of their final 10 holes in their 3 & 2 win over Bubba Watson and Matt Kuchar. In the match, six holes were halved with birdies to highlight a true shootout.

What looks to be a Sunday Scottish stroll for the Euros does not comfort McGinley, who knows history can repeat. “We are not finished. We have a lot of work to do and we have to be on it in the morning.”

In spite of it all, US Captain Tom Watson remains hopeful. “We have come back from 10-6 before. They know it and I’ll reiterate it.”

Hopeful may be a stretch though. The last time the Americans won on European soil was in 1993, such a long time ago.