GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy (AP) — Europe won back the the Ryder Cup on Sunday, just like it always does before its raucous crowd, with Rory McIlroy leading the way and Tommy Fleetwood delivering the decisive point to extend his team’s dominance over the Americans on home soil.
The outcome was never seriously in doubt at Marco Simone. Europe started the final day with a five-point lead. McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton put the Europeans on the verge of the cup, forcing the Americans to win the remaining five matches on the course.
Just like everything else this week, there was little chance of that.
McIlroy was still fired up over what he perceived to be bad behavior by Patrick Cantlay’s caddie on the 18th green the previous evening. He won his match to cap a 4-1 week and was Europe’s top scorer for the first time in the Ryder Cup.
And then Fleetwood hit a signature shot on the signature hole, a drive to 25 feet on the reachable 16th. Rickie Fowler hit into the water and eventually conceded a short birdie to Fleetwood that assured Europe the 14 1/2 points it needed to claim the 17-inch gold trophy.
The celebration was on, just like it always is on European soil, with one exception. The first Ryder Cup in Italy brought its share of chaos as fans raced toward the edge of the 18th green to watch the final match that only decided a result for the record book:
Europe 16 1/2, United States 11 1/2.
The Americans were coming off a record 19-9 win over Europe two years ago at Whistling Straits, confident this would be time they ended 30 years of losing away from home.
Make it 34. They won’t get another chance until Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027.
LPGA TOUR
ROGERS, Ark. (AP) — Hae Ran Ryu completed a wire-to-wire run to her first LPGA Tour title, a three-shot victory Sunday at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
The 22-year-old rookie from South Korea had four birdies and an eagle in her last nine holes at Pinnacle Country Club to shoot a 5-under 66 and finish at 19-under 194 in the 54-hole event. Ryu, the LPGA Q-Series medalist last year, earned $345,000 and is projected to climb into the top 10 in the Race to CME Globe.
Linnea Strom closed with a 64 to finish second at 16 under.
After playing without a bogey while shooting 64s in each of the first two rounds, Ryu dropped two shots to lose her lead with bogeys on Nos. 2 and 5. After making the turn at 1 over for her round, Ryu had birdies on Nos. 10 and 12, then eagled the par-5 14th to move back ahead at 17 under.
She added birdies at 16 and 18 in a back-nine 29. Ryu became the fifth rookie to win this year, and the first to do it while leading after every round since Patty Tavatanakit at the 2021 Chevron Championship.
Four players tied for third at 15 under: South Koreans Jenny Shin (67) and Sei Young Kim (66), Japan’s Yuna Nishimura (68) and Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines (64).
Lexi Thompson, an 11-time winner who is winless since 2019, had a share of the lead after making four birdies in a five-hole stretch from Nos. 7 through 12, but managed only one more birdie and finished in a tie for eighth.
OTHER TOURS
Epson Tour: Isabella Fierro of Mexico closed with a 4-under 68 for a two-shot victory over Laur Wearn in Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic on the Epson Tour. It was Fierro’s first professional victory. … Yuta Kinoshita won for the first time in five years on the Japan Golf Tour, closing with a 4-under 67 for a one-shot victory over Rikuya Hoshino in the Vantelin Tokai Classic. … Johanna Gustavsson closed with a 6-under 65 for a three-shot victory over Moa Folke in the Lacoste Ladies French Open on the Ladies European Tour. … Jaco Ahlers of South Africa closed with a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters on the Asian Tour. … Erika Hara won the Japan Women’s Open with a 4-under 68. Erika Kikuchi was three shots back.
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