Europe Dominates Day Two of Ryder Cup with Historic Lead

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — The 2025 Ryder Cup is witnessing an unprecedented performance from Team Europe, who currently lead the United States 11.5 to 4.5 after two days of competition at Bethpage Black. This is the first time since the inception of the Ryder Cup in 1979 that a team has swept the opening four sessions on foreign soil.

Entering Sunday’s singles matches, Europe has built a record seven-point lead, surpassing the previous largest advantage in modern Ryder Cup history. Despite this significant gap, 12 points are still available, and the U.S. team knows a monumental effort is required to come back.

Keegan Bradley, the U.S. team captain, faces criticism for his pairings and strategies that have failed to yield success. Among the disappointments is Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player, who is still winless across two Ryder Cups, struggling in both foursomes and fourballs this year with an overall record of 0-4-0. His performance has been alarming as the team looks to regroup.

Meanwhile, Europe’s Tommy Fleetwood has emerged as a star, boasting a perfect record of 4-0-0, while Rory McIlroy remains formidable, holding a record of 3-0-1. Both players helped propel Europe to a commanding 3-1 victory in the afternoon fourballs session and have ignited enthusiasm within the European camp.

Despite the U.S. capturing their first point of the afternoon through J.J. Spaun and Xander Schauffele’s victory over Sepp Straka and Jon Rahm, this was overshadowed by defeats elsewhere. Europe’s dominance was evident as they retained the lead in three out of four matches for much of the session.

Each match featured intense competition, with Fleetwood and McIlroy successfully navigating considerable crowd pressure, particularly from a vocally biased home audience. McIlroy noted the challenges of competing away from home but expressed pride in his performance and resilience.

As the teams prepare for Sunday singles, the U.S. needs a headline-making performance to reverse their fortunes and potentially avoid one of the worst losses in Ryder Cup history. Europe’s record performance is a stark contrast to the struggles of the American team, who have not capitalized on home-course advantage thus far.

“The energy is high, and we need to keep our focus for one more day,” McIlroy said, highlighting the need for Europe to maintain their momentum. The stakes are higher than ever as both teams gear up for what could be a decisive day in Ryder Cup history.