Why Russell Henley deserves so much credit despite missing crucial putt against Shane Lowry at the Ryder Cup

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Russell Henley’s Ryder Cup debut did not go as planned, as he failed to win any of his three matches.

Henley and Scottie Scheffler were expected to be an unbeatable pairing, but they lost both of their foursomes matches.

Henley then faced Shane Lowry in the singles on Sunday and neither player was able to win the full point. 

Their most pivotal moment came on the 18th green, where the American left his putt short and Lowry made his to tie the match.

Everyone will remember Henley’s weak attempt for years to come, but fans should actually give him credit for his performance at the Ryder Cup.  

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Russell Henley played better than people realize at the Ryder Cup

First of all, Henley and Scheffler were unlucky to come up against Ludvig Aberg and Matthew Fitzpatrick on Friday morning.

Fitzpatrick, in particular, played out of this world and there was not much the Americans could do to stop him.

Henley and Scheffler then performed fairly well on Saturday and only just lost 1up to Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre.

Henley’s last chance to redeem himself was in his singles match against Lowry on Sunday, and the scoreline does not tell the full story.

The world number three played the best round of all 22 players, according to Data Golf’s stroked gained statistics.

Henley’s only issue was that Lowry ranked second, as he probably would have beaten any other European player.

So, while USA fans will focus on his disappointing putt on the last hole, it should be noted that Henley actually had a solid performance.

Only two USA players outperformed Russell Henley at the Ryder Cup

Henley ranked third of the 12 United States players in total strokes gained at the Ryder Cup last week.

His approach play was particularly impressive, gaining 3.2 strokes, while his putting (+0.69), chipping (-0.45) and driving (-0.34) were all close to average.

Top 3 USA Ryder Cup players in strokes gained

Only Cameron Young and Bryson DeChambeau played better than Henley throughout the three days at Bethpage Black.

Still, matchplay competitions are about getting results, and Henley will hope to win his first full point at Adare Manor in 2027