Saturday four-balls | Match recaps

Team Europe require just 2½ points in the Sunday singles to take the Ryder Cup with them back across the Atlantic.

In securing a 3-1 win in Saturday's four-balls at Bethpage they became just the second team - after the Europe side of 2006 - to win all four sessions in a Ryder Cup since Great Britain & Ireland joined with continental Europe in 1979.

J.J. Spaun's birdie-birdie finish gave the United States a lifeline but can they complete the greatest comeback in history from 11½-4½ down?

Let's take a look how we got here in a recap of session four.

Day 2 Afternoon Four-balls

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry bt Justin Thomas and Cameron Young 2 UP

FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 27: Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry of Europe celebrate winning their match during the Saturday afternoon four-balls matches of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 27, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

McIlroy and Young both hit a pair of brilliant shots into the first but missed good birdie chances before Lowry put Europe in early control with a 21-footer on the fourth for eagle and an eight-footer on the next. The fans were particularly raucous towards the pair from the island of Ireland and while Lowry was celebrating his birdies with gusto, it came to a head on the next as McIlroy refused to putt until the crowd calmed down. And while he missed his birdie putt, Lowry made his for a half to go eagle-birdie-birdie. Young then holed a 36-footer on the seventh and this time those fans were cheering rather than heckling, as Thomas played his role of hype man to deafening roars. But Thomas was also contributing with his clubs and after making a clutch putt to save par at the eighth, he holed a 20-footer on the ninth to even the match up. McIlroy was yet to make a putt of note but he holed a nine-footer on the 14th and exploded in celebration to heap the pressure on Thomas, who missed his birdie chance as Europe went 1 UP. The match went all the way to the 18th as Thomas and Young kept battling but Lowry made a birdie to end it and McIlroy moved past José María Olazábal to become Europe’s seventh highest points-scorer on 21½. On Sunday he has the chance to go level with Seve Ballesteros.

“We're just so happy that we could get a blue point on the board,” said McIlroy. “It's our first full point as a partnership. We weren't able to get one at Whistling Straits. We got a half yesterday and a full one today.

"Just really happy that I'm able to walk inside the ropes with this man, and he was there for me today.”

Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose bt Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau 3&2

FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 27: Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose of Team Europe celebrate on the 16th hole green after defeating Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau of Team United States, 3&2, during the Saturday afternoon four-balls matches of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 27, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Rose moved Europe 1 UP with a stunning approach to the third but DeChambeau hit back in spectacular style on the next when he was inches from an albatross. DeChambeau and Scheffler then both put approaches inside six feet on the fifth - with the former taking advantage - to edge the hosts ahead. The standard of golf in the match was excellent and that continued on the seventh as Rose put an approach to seven feet to level it up. The Englishman was clearly in the zone and as he holed a 21-footer on the next, he was walking it in three feet from the hole. Fleetwood had not been at his best but he produced an approach to concession range at the tenth and he and Rose went 2 UP. DeChambeau unleashed one of the biggest celebrations of the week after a 12-footer for birdie on the 11th but the English duo were relentless and both got inside seven feet at the next, with Fleetwood converting. It was a similar situation on the 14th, this time with Rose making the putt, to move Europe 3 UP with four to play and hands were shaken on the 16th green.

“Watching Justin Rose on the golf course is some of my proudest few hours on the golf course,” said Fleetwood. “I absolutely loved it. So blessed to be by his side today. Absolutely amazing, what a golfer, what a human being, and to get another point on the board for the team, obviously feels massive, and yeah, Justin, I can't speak highly enough about him.”

J.J. Spaun and Xander Schauffele bt Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka 1 UP

FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 27: J.J. Spaun of Team United States reacts after making a birdie on the 18th hole as he and teammate Xander Schauffele defeated Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka of Team Europe, 1-up, during the Saturday afternoon four-balls matches of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 27, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Straka made a birdie from 13 feet at the second but Schauffele hit back brilliantly as he holed a 40-footer for eagle at the fourth. Rahm may have come into the match 3-0-0 but it was his team-mate doing the heavy lifting and a 12-footer from the Austrian edged Europe back in front. Rahm gave them some breathing room from eight feet at the ninth but Spaun - who had been relatively quiet - had the crowd making some serious noise on the next when he holed from 42 feet on the tenth. The next six holes were halved before Spaun breathed life into the U.S crowd, albeit briefly. He hit a tee shot to four feet at the 17th and approach to three at the last to flip that match completely on its head.

Spaun said: "I leaned on my partner for a lot of wisdom and guidance, and he helped me push through and finish strong there at the end. I just felt like at the end there, birdies weren't going to be enough. But we put the pressure on and hit good shots, and Xander said on the back nine, let's just string good shots together and try to make putts, and that's what we did, and it ended up working out for us.

"I think at this point of the tournament, any point matters. Small victories and we've just got to carry some sort of momentum going into tomorrow."

Schauffele added: "His two final approach shots. He's a dog. I think everyone that knows him pretty well knows that. He played unbelievably well. It's a tiny, tiny victory in what happened today. Obviously we got beat again in the match. It's going to be a quiet team room. I'm just proud of J.J.; he's a rookie, and that's one of the hardest points you can earn in that fashion, too, so he did a great job. "

Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick bt Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay 1 UP

FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 27: Matt Fitzpatrick & Tyrrell Hatton of Europe celebrate on the 18th green with Team Europe Captain Luke Donald & Alex Noren during the Saturday afternoon four-balls matches of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 27, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

Viktor Hovland was meant to be playing alongside Fitzpatrick but a neck injury saw the Norwegian replaced by Hatton at the last moment. Fitzpatrick missed a very short putt to win the second and from 12 feet for eagle to win the fourth but when he stuck one to eight feet at the ninth, a very tight match finally had a leader. It looked like it would go back to tied at the tenth as Burns holed from 36 feet but Fitzpatrick followed him in from four closer to keep Europe’s nose in front. The next four holes were tied but Burns produced a moment of brilliance on the 14th, chipping in to level things up. The next three holes were then halved in birdies with Hatton making three in a row before Hatton and Fitzpatrick’s balls collided as both men put their final approaches inside three feet to hand Europe another victory.

“It was a very tight match,” said Hatton. “Both sides, just weren't holing putts. Really happy with how we played under pressure there. Fitzy holed some nice putts in the middle, and then what a shot he's hit in there on the last.

“For us to finish, what is it, four birdies in the last four, amazing.”

Fitzpatrick added: “That was by far one of the best afternoons I've ever had on a golf course, by far, by far. To birdie 15, 16 and 17, I mean, what a man. What a man. And then for us both to hit shots like that into the last one, this is amazing.”