FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 28: Rory McIlroy of Team Europe reacts alongsidse the Ryder Cup trophy as Team Europe celebrates their 15-13 win over Team America during the trophy presentation ceremony during the Sunday singles matches of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 28, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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Europe stormed into New York City, reminiscent of the 1776 New York Campaign, and easily secured a 15–13 victory over the United States at Bethpage Black Golf Course.
The lone bright spot for the U.S. was Ryder Cup rookie Cameron Young. The New York native went 3-1-0, the best record on his team. He earned two points—one in foursomes, one in fourball—before closing out his week with a singles win.
“I think I would have set the course up differently, but I don’t know. They just played better than us,” said Captain Keegan Bradley.
Xander Schauffele matched Young for the most U.S. points, finishing with three after wins in fourball, foursomes, and singles. JJ Spaun and Justin Thomas both earned USA two points a piece.
Overall, Team USA’s performance can only be described as poor. Heading into Sunday, they trailed 11.5–4.5. After Viktor Hovland’s cervical spine disc issue forced him to withdraw from singles, the teams split the points, putting Europe up 12–5. The U.S. play on Friday and Saturday was so poor that Europe needed only to split the remaining matches to tie the largest Ryder Cup victory margin in history.
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 27: Shane Lowry of Team Europe reacts after making a birdie to tie the 15th hole 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)
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Key American players Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau, and Justin Thomas combined for just two points across 11 matches going into Sunday. Scheffler went 0-4 in fourball and foursomes, becoming the first World No. 1 to do so. The U.S. collapse drew comparisons to 1776, when General George Washington was driven from Long Island and later New York City in one of the Continental Army’s most devastating defeats.
By contrast, Europe’s stars shone. Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Rory McIlroy, and Justin Rose won every match they played. McIlroy and Jon Rahm both posted winning records against tough opposition.
On Saturday, Europe gained a staggering 9.55 strokes on the greens, while the U.S. gained less than two strokes off the tee, falling woefully behind in total strokes gained.
Contributing factors to the American defeat included poor player form, questionable pairings, an inability to adjust lineups, and ineffective coaching. According to Data Golf, Bradley twice sent out the worst possible pairing—Collin Morikawa and Harris English.
The U.S. mounted a late charge in Sunday singles, winning 8 of 12 points, but it wasn’t enough. Shane Lowry secured the clinching half point against Russell Henley, sealing Europe’s triumph. With this win, Europe has now claimed 11 of the last 15 Ryder Cups.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/break80/2025/09/28/the-beatdown-at-bethpage-how-the-us-lost-the-ryder-cup/
