With Team Europe requiring a heroic performance on Sunday to have any chance of retaining the Samuel Ryder Trophy at Hazeltine, RyderCup.com takes a closer look at the 12 mouth-watering singles match-ups.
Darren Clarke’s side trail 9½-6½ with 12 ties left to come in Minnesota with Davis Love III’s American side needing just five points to claim victory for the first time since 2008.
The last time the score was 9½-6½ going into the final day singles was in 2010, when it was Europe who were leading.
Want a good omen, though? The American team have an advantage going into the singles for only the fourth time since 1985, having led going into the final day in 1995, 2008 and 2012. In two of those – ’95 and ’12 – Europe came back to win.
Since 1995 the team that was behind going into the final day singles have won on three occasions – Europe in 1995 (two back), USA in 1999 (four back) and Europe in 2012 (four back).
Team Europe will make another piece of history should they complete an incredible comeback on Sunday – no team has ever lost a session 4-0 and have gone onto win The Ryder Cup.
Match 1: 11.04 – Patrick Reed vs Rory McIlroy
In the opening – and perhaps most exciting – tie of the day, Patrick Reed takes on Rory McIlroy in a clash featuring the two most pumped up men this week at Hazeltine. Reed will be looking to become the American’s top points scorer for the second consecutive Ryder Cup after winning 3½ points in his debut at Gleneagles two years ago. He would finish with the same total should he beat McIlroy today. Having already equalled his best Ryder Cup points tally over the first two days, the Northern Irishman has won 2½ points from his three previous singles matches and will have now played in every session since his debut at Celtic Manor – a total of 19 sessions.
Match 2: 11.15 – Jordan Spieth vs Henrik Stenson
Henrik Stenson went out second in the 2014 final day singles, when he lost one up to Reed. This will be the fourth time this week that Stenson and Jordan Spieth have been paired against one another, with the American having claimed two points from the three matches compared to Stenson’s one.
Match 3: 11.26 – JB Holmes vs Thomas Pieters
JB Holmes beat Soren Hansen in his singles in 2008. Should Thomas Pieters win his singles match, he would become the first European rookie to win four matches and earn four points in a single
Ryder Cup. He also becomes the first European rookie since 1999 to play all five games. In 1999 Sergio Garcia, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Paul Lawrie were all rookies and played all five.
Match 4: 11.37 – Rickie Fowler vs Justin Rose
Justin Rose will aim to maintain his unbeaten Ryder Cup singles record which has seen the Englishman win two and half one tie – including victories over Phil Mickelson in 2008 and 2012 and a half against Hunter Mahan two years ago.
Match 5: 11.48 – Jimmy Walker vs Rafa Cabrera Bello
Jimmy Walker won his 2014 singles tie against Lee Westwood. Rookie Rafa Cabrera Bello has played three games so far this week winning, one, halving one and losing one.
Match 6: 11.59 – Phil Mickelson vs Sergio Garcia
Mickelson and Sergio Garcia played against each other in 2004, when Garcia prevailed 3 and 2. The American will be playing in his 11th singles match – equalling Arnold Palmer’s record – and his 45th Ryder Cup game, just one short of Sir Nick Faldo's all-time record of 46. A Mickelson win would give him his 22nd point, moving him to third in the all-time American list of leading points scorers. Mickelson equals Arnold Palmer's American record for most singles games - 11. Garcia has now played in all sessions for the fifth time during his career has a singles record of won three, lost four.
Match 7: 12.10 – Ryan Moore vs Lee Westwood
Lee Westwood will be playing in his 44th match. Should the Englishman win it would be his 21st point and would see him join Bernhard Langer in joint second place in the European Ryder Cup list for most matches won. A win for Westwood would see him win his 24th point and move alongside Langer again into joint second in the list for most points won by a European player, just one behind Sir Nick Faldo. Playing rookie Ryan Moore, Westwood has three wins from his previous nine singles matches.
Match 8: 12.21 – Brandt Snedeker vs Andy Sullivan
Brandt Snedeker, taking on European rookie Andy Sullivan, who plays on Sunday for the first time since the first session, is the only American to have a 100 per cent record so far this week, with two wins from two matches played.
Match 9: 12.32 – Dustin Johnson vs Chris Wood
Dustin Johnson has a 100 per cent winning record from his two previous Ryder Cup singles matches. He is the only American this week to lose two matches prior to the singles. Chris Wood won his only previous game and is the only European not to lose so far this week.
Match 9: 12.43 – Brooks Koepka vs Danny Willett
Both playing in their first Ryder Cup, the ninth match out is the only tie to feature two rookies.
Match 11: 12.54 – Matt Kuchar vs Martin Kaymer
Matt Kuchar has won one of his three previous singles matches. Martin Kaymer, who has lost all three of his matches so far this week, has won two of his three previous singles matches and lost the other. Holed the all-important putt four years ago at Medinah.
Match 12: 13.05 – Zach Johnson vs Matthew Fitzpatrick
Zach Johnson, playing European rookie Matt Fitzpatrick in the anchor game on Sunday, is getting used to playing the anchor role in Ryder Cup singles. Was last out in 2014, when he halved with Victor Dubuisson, and played in the 11th match in the singles in 2010, when he beat Padraig Harrington 3 and 2. Has a singles record of won two, lost one, halved one.
