ROME — When asked how the United States rebounds from being dominated in Day 1 of the Ryder Cup, Brooks Koepka said the Americans just have to “keep fighting.”
On Saturday, Koepka and Scottie Scheffler did everything but put up a fight.
The pair lost their foursomes match in historical fashion, suffering the worst loss in Ryder Cup history, 9 and 7, to Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg.
Two Ryder Cup matches have been decided 8 and 7 and three ended 7 and 6. But never has anyone – in singles, foursomes or four-ball – been embarrassed the way Koepka and Scheffler, the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world, were.
Koepka and Scheffler had four doubles, five bogeys, two pars and no birdies. The only holes they halved were Nos. 5 and 7.
Scheffler was seen being consoled by his wife and with tears in his eyes following the match.
On Friday, they twice blew a one shot lead to Jon Rahm and Nicolai Hojgaard in the final four holes while halving their four-ball match.
Americans wilt under pressure in opening day of Ryder Cup as Europe takes commanding 6.5-1.5 lead
Nobody took note of the result more than Rahm, who was criticized by Koepka Friday after his long putt won the 18th hole and tied the match, leading to Europe’s commanding 6.5-1.5 lead.
“I think me and Scottie birdied, what did we say .. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and then lost (the lead),” Koepka said. “So yeah. I mean, I want to hit a board and pout just like Jon Rahm did. But, you know, it is what it is. Act like a child. But we’re adults. We move on.”
Apparently, Koepka was not pleased with the way the Spaniard acted when things were not going his way and possibly after his final putt slammed into the back of the cup before dropping.
Rahm is known for his temper tantrums on the course. After going bogey-bogey on 17 and 18 at the U.S. Open, he slammed a credential sign with his putter as he approached the scoring tent, knocking the sign over.
“Honestly, we’ll be fine,” Koepka said. “We’re all grown-ups. We act like grown-ups. We’ll be just fine. Just got to play and see where it puts you.”
Americans have won two Ryder Cup singles matches 8 and 7: Tom Kite over Howard Clark in 1989, and Fred Couples over Ian Woosnam in 1997.
The previous largest winning margin in an 18-hole foursomes match is 7 and 6, which has happened three times: Kite/Hale Irwin over Ken Brown/Des Smyth in 1979, Mark O’Meara/ Paul Azinger over Nick Faldo/David Gilford 1991 and Keegan Bradley/Phil Mickelson over Luke Donald/Lee Westwood in 2012.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Brooks Koepka/Scottie Scheffler on losing end of biggest beatdown in Ryder Cup history
