Europe took a commanding Ryder Cup lead over the USA by dropping just two points on Saturday to stand on the brink of a demolition job with a 11.5-4.5 lead.
USA captain Keegan Bradley will analyse the damage from a brutal beatdown over two days at Bethpage Black.
The visitors are now 2.5 points away from retaining their title, with only 28 points available over the duration of three days.
Europe can win the match by claiming three more points, with Luke Donald’s side only the second team in the 28-point system the first four sessions at one Ryder Cup since the 2006 European team and the first to lead by more than 11 points heading into singles.
“I didn’t really imagine this,” said captain Luke Donald. “The job is never done till it’s done. So I’m not going to sit here and be complacent.”
The United States, hoping to avenge their dreadful 2023 defeat in Rome, were instead left clinging to only shreds of hope as they would need 10 points from Sunday’s 12 singles matches to win, it means Keegan Bradley’s team can only lose two matches on Sunday.
“I’m seeing what looks like to be historical putting. They’re making everything,” said Bradley. “They’re a tough team to beat.”
Hard-hitting fan favourite Bryson DeChambeau tried to light a spark for the home team as he teed off first for the Americans and secured a point alongside Cameron Young in the first match of the day.
But nearly everything went Europe’s way from there, as the visitors won the remainder of the morning foursomes and kept the momentum going in the afternoon.
English duo Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose opened the scoring for Europe in the afternoon fourballs as they put on a putting clinic to beat DeChambeau and top-ranked Scottie Scheffler 3&2.
The match fell into conflict briefly as the two sides got into a heated exchange after Rose directed DeChambeau’s caddie off the 15th green, as tensions between fans and players escalated across the pastoral venue.
With the defeat, Scheffler became the first American to lose a match in each of the first four sessions of a Ryder Cup, a surprise collapse after a terrific year in which he claimed six titles, including two majors.
Rory McIlroy, the most experienced golfer on either side in his eighth Ryder Cup, seemed to thrive off the U.S. fans’ ire as he and Ireland’s Shane Lowry put in five straight birdies to finish 2UP on Justin Thomas and Cameron Young.
Twice major winner Xander Schauffele and rookie J.J. Spaun barely cracked a smile as they birdied the final two holes to get the demoralised U.S. a point in the day’s penultimate match, finishing 1UP on Spain’s Jon Rahm and Austrian Sepp Straka.
Tyrrell Hatton, standing in for injured Norwegian Viktor Hovland, won the final match of the day with a birdie putt on the 18th hole, as he and Matt Fitzpatrick finished 1UP on Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay.
The home team historically has a big advantage in the biennial matchplay competition but the holders got the hot start to lead 5-1/2 to 2-1/2 on Friday, spoiling U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the biennial competition.
Asked how he would motivate his team ahead of Sunday, Bradley invoked his beloved New England Patriots, who overcame a 28-3 deficit against the Atlanta Falcons for the biggest Super Bowl comeback in history in 2017.
“I was at that Super Bowl. I watched it. What a cool thing to have witnessed live in person,” he said.
Reuters contributed to this report
