Russell Henley played exceptionally well against Shane Lowry in their Sunday singles match at the Ryder Cup on Sunday.
However, Henley has actually received a lot of unfair criticism after failing to beat Lowry, as the Ryder Cup ended up in European hands for the 11th time in the last 15 years.
The 36-year-old from Macon, Georgia, struggled badly during the foursomes matches at Bethpage Black on Friday and Saturday.
Henley’s Ryder Cup partnership with Scottie Scheffler quite simply didn’t work, with the world number one taking the even tee shots drawing huge criticism.
However, by the time the Sunday singles matches rolled around, the five-time PGA Tour winner had discovered his best form.
He made eight birdies against Lowry but it wasn’t enough as the Irishman won the 18th hole to halve the match and retain the Ryder Cup for Europe in the process.
Henley was bitterly disappointed after failing to beat Lowry at the Ryder Cup, but he should have left Bethpage with his head held high.
He gave absolutely everything for the cause last week.
Russell Henley makes statement after failing to beat Shane Lowry at the Ryder Cup
Henley actually deserves huge credit for turning things around against Lowry on Sunday after struggling during the first two days.
He shot six-under par in his Sunday singles match, but unfortunately, that was only good enough for half a point.
Those criticizing him for leaving his putt to win his match short on the 18th hole are out of line; it’s as simple as that.
Now Henley has reacted to the United States’ defeat to Europe at the Ryder Cup last week on his official Instagram account.
He said: “I’m still trying to process everything from this past weekend. My first Ryder Cup was a mixture of amazing moments with my teammates but also bitter disappointment. Congratulations to the European team. What a performance! They deserved every bit of that win.
“Sunday was one of the more special rounds of my life. 8 birdies in Sunday singles would typically get it done, but Shane matched me eye for eye the entire day. Only fitting that it ended in a tie. I have so much respect for him as a competitor!
“Keegan and the co-captains did a great job preparing us and put in so much hard work behind the scenes. I am so thankful for their hard work and it was the honor of my career thus far to play alongside those 11 men. I am really looking forward to some family time and working on my farm for the next couple of months before I start getting ready for 2026 and beyond. To everyone who has reached out with a kind word of encouragement to me, from the bottom of my heart- thank you. I know I’ll come back stronger next year because of this experience.“
Scottie Scheffler shocked Russell Henley on Saturday at the Ryder Cup
While the Scheffler and Henley pairing failed to work during the Ryder Cup, the world number one still left a lasting impression on his partner.
Scheffler was struggling with his game all week at Bethpage Black, and the same can be said for Henley.
However, the 29-year-old Texan showed his class by checking in on how the former Georgia Bulldog was doing.
Keegan Bradley offered huge words of praise for Scheffler after day two at the Ryder Cup.
“I’m going to tell you a story about Scottie Scheffler,“ Bradley said. “Russell Henley, he said Scottie had the weight of the world on his shoulders, he’s the No. 1 player in the world. And he cared more about how Russell was doing than himself.
“Scottie has been the best teammate in our team room this week, without question, period. He has been open to any pairing. He has been open to play any session. Five, four, two. Didn’t matter.“
Once again, regardless of what Scheffler does on the golf course, he proved himself to be a first-class person with the way that he treated Henley during the Ryder Cup.
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