While he did not win a full point on Sunday, Bryson DeChambeau certainly seemed to play a vital role in inspiring Team USA towards threatening what would have been one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history.
In the early stages of Sunday at the Ryder Cup, it appeared that Europe were well on their way to securing a comfortable victory. There was plenty of blue on the leaderboard, with Luke Donald‘s men needing just two points from 11 matches to get across the line.
Perhaps the most surprising scoreline came in match three with Matthew Fitzpatrick 5 up after seven holes against Bryson DeChambeau.
Fitzpatrick had never won a singles match in the Ryder Cup. Meanwhile, it seemed absolutely imperative that DeChambeau got a full point if Keegan Bradley‘s men were going to pull off the impossible in New York.
Matthew Fitzpatrick comments on Bryson DeChambeau after their Ryder Cup match
Of course, DeChambeau went on to produce a stunning fightback. The LIV Golf star won the eighth and ninth holes. But as the pair reached the 14th tee, Fitzpatrick remained 3 up.
DeChambeau ended up winning three of the next four holes to level things up. In the end, it felt like a missed opportunity for the American not to win, with the pair halving the 18th. DeChambeau hit a poor approach into the final green.
The two-time US Open champion is not every player’s cup of tea, by any means. He was involved in a fiery exchange with Justin Rose the previous day. But Fitzpatrick suggested that he had no issues coming up against him.
“He was fine. Bryson’s character, he’s got a lot of energy. You get in that environment with the home crowd, I think it was very helpful to get off to a great start. To be up so early was helpful at that point just to keep the crowd not really on his side as such. Was kind of much more tame. But no issues with Bryson. I knew what he was about, and that’s what excites the fans over there and that’s great,” he said.
“There were no issues. It was obviously a good match. I wish it ended a little bit differently but in the end it was a half-point.”
How Matthew Fitzpatrick helped Rory McIlroy poke fun at Bryson DeChambeau in the celebrations at Bethpage
DeChambeau’s only win of the week came alongside Cameron Young, as they beat Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Aberg on Saturday morning.
He certainly did not enjoy the return to the Ryder Cup he would have hoped for. Bradley played him five times, and he only managed to deliver 1.5 points.
Fitzpatrick was not afraid to poke a bit of fun at his opponent in the celebrations on Sunday. Video emerged showing Fitzpatrick encouraging Rory McIlroy to drape the European flag over DeChambeau’s name.
It was petty in many respects, with DeChambeau lauded by his teammates for how much he cared. But you could also understand why some of the European players were not too bothered about upsetting anyone given what they had dealt with.
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