Collin Morikawa, the 24-year-old world No. 3, delivered the
winning half-point when he tied his match with Viktor Hovland at Whistling
Straits.
He was one of eight 20-somethings on a U.S. team that
featured nine players in the world’s top 11 — all gunning to regain the coveted
trophy Europe won in France three years ago.
“Speechless,” U.S. captain Steve Stricker said, tearing up
as he spoke of the commitment that resulted in a dominant victory.
The Americans became the first team to record 19 points,
beating the previous record of 18½, which each team has achieved twice in in
the past.
“This is the greatest team of all time right here,” Stricker
said. “These guys are unbelievable.
“They come with a lot of passion, a lot of energy, a lot of
game. They are just so good.”
World No. 2 Dustin Johnson, the oldest member of the team at
37, provided a template for his younger colleagues with his 1-up singles
victory over Paul Casey, which gave him a perfect 5-0 record in a maximum five
matches.
He became the first American since Larry Nelson in 1979 —
and just the fifth player ever — to go 5-for-5 when he prevailed in a tightly
contested battle with Casey that saw them tie the first five holes.
Johnson took the lead for good at the eighth, but never led
by more than two and couldn’t put Casey away until the bitter end.
Johnson said he shared a key trait with his young teammates
that fueled their bid to prevent Europe from winning a fifth Ryder Cup in six
editions.
“We do not like to lose,” he said. “We had a lot of rookies
on the Ryder Cup, but it didn’t feel like they were rookies … and they didn’t
play like they were rookies. They stepped up to the plate and they all wanted
it.”
They made that clear from the start and took an 11-5 lead
into Sunday’s 12 singles matches. The six-point gap was more than either team
has ever overcome on the final day to lift the trophy.
It meant the Americans needed just 3½ points to win the Cup.
Padraig Harrington’s Europe needed nine to retain it, and it
was clear when the U.S. powered to the lead in most of the early matches that
they wouldn’t do it.
Morikawa, who won his second major title at the British Open
this year, assured the U.S. of victory with a brilliant birdie at the par-three
17th, where he blasted his tee shot to three feet to 1-up with one to play.
He missed a six-footer at 18 to win the match outright, but
the American celebrations were already underway thanks to his half-point.
Scottie Scheffler, a Ryder Cup newcomer with the lowest
ranking among the U.S. players at No. 21 in the world, opened the floodgates
when he took out world No. 1 Jon Rahm 4-and-3.
Rahm, who had excelled all week amid Europe’s overall
struggles, became just the third world No. 1 to lose a Ryder Cup singles match.
“We all saw it, we knew it was happening,” Jordan Spieth
said of Scheffler’s convincing victory, which Johnson called “one thing that
could really push the U.S. team.”
Rory McIlroy gained the first point of the day with a
victory over Olympic champion Xander Schauffele, but his first win of the week
was no cause for celebration as he contemplated the flood of red on the
scoreboard.
“I’m incredibly proud to be a part of this team,” McIlroy
said, his voice cracking. “I’ve been extremely disappointed that I haven’t
contributed more for the team.”