FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — The Europeans were looking for someone, anyone, to hit a shot or make a putt and bring an end to a golf drama that was becoming unexpectedly unbearable.
Who better to do it than Ireland’s Shane Lowry, the man who lives for the Ryder Cup?
It was Lowry who brought a cold stop to America’s dream of a historic comeback Sunday, first with a wedge to 6 feet on the 18th hole, then by making the putt to tie his match with Russell Henley and give Europe its cup-clinching 14th point.
“I said to my caddie walking down 18, ‘I’ve got an opportunity to do the greatest thing I’ve ever done today,’” Lowry said. “And I did it. And I’m very proud of myself.”
Two memorable scenes followed. The first — the 6-foot-1, 225-pound golfer leaping off the putting surface and getting big air. Then, the green, white and orange Irish tricolor tumbling from the stands, Lowry snatching it up and tying it around his neck.
Europe went on to halve two more matches to wrap up a 15-13 win after coming into the day leading by seven.
A bonus for the 38-year-old whose lone major title is the 2019 British Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland: Europe will defend the cup two years from now in his home country, at Adare Manor in Limerick.
Lowry adds his name to a long list of Irish golfers who have come up big at golf’s biggest team event: Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell, Christie O’Connor, Phillip Walton.
The Ryder Cup is, of course, bigger than one country — in Europe at least — and nobody has bought into the importance of this biennial event more than Lowry, the man who saved the day at Bethpage.
“The Ryder Cup means everything to me, honestly,” he said.
This was expected to be a drowsy Sunday, thanks in part to Lowry’s putting over the first two days of the tournament.
With his partner, Rory McIlroy, fending off a hostile crowd, it was Lowry who made testy putts of 8, 5 and 5 feet over the last four holes to hang onto a 2-up victory in Saturday’s best-ball matches.
When that match ended, Sunday looked like a mere formality. Europe held the biggest lead ever under the current format that dates to 1979.
When European captain Luke Donald tabbed Lowry to go off in the eighth match against Henley, who had struggled all week, it had the makings of a match that would conclude long under the haze of half-smoked victory cigars.
As it turned out, Europe won only one match the entire day, and needed every point, and half-point, it could get.
“I didn’t envision myself going up the 18th needing a birdie to retain the Ryder Cup,” he said. “It was, yeah, like the worst two hours of my life. It was horrible.”
With Europe’s lead down to four and no blue on the board, Lowry was facing a 2-down deficit walking to the 15th tee box.
He drew within one with an approach to 4 feet for a birdie. Lowry headed to 18 needing to win the hole to pull out the crucial half-point. Henley drove into an uphill lie in a bunker but hit his shot to 10 feet. Lowry then stepped up and put his approach inside of Henley’s, but 4 feet closer on the same line.
A few minutes later, Lowry was celebrating a victory at a Ryder Cup that looked all but over when the day started, but produced one of the more dramatic finishes in the history of the cup.
Did he think it would all come down to him?
“Honestly, I just can’t believe it,” he said. “I can’t believe that ball went in. I stood over it going, ‘This is it!’”
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AP Ryder Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/ryder-cup
By EDDIE PELLS
AP National Writer
