In Rematch vs Fleetwood Mac, American Ryder Cup pairing of English and Morikawa gets the same result

Farmingdale, NY (AP) – It can be fair to say no one is going to knock a Ryder Cup on a role – one that is so good, it has its own nickname: ‘Fleetwood Mac’. But Harris English and Collin Morikawa against one of the best teams in Europe, well, who never looked like a fair battle. US Captain Keegan Bradley did not put the two together, but twice, and bad luck they both spoke against Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood. The Americans did not get past the 16th hole in any game, and their loss of 3 and 2 in Saturday’s fours would have been worse if they had not won two holes in a row to sharpen the match by the end. “We gave it a good fight,” English said. “We could easily have taken a knee in the middle of the round, and we didn’t.” Nevertheless, it felt like the most predictable result of America’s stationary attempt at a day 2 rally. The US entered four-ball matches with 8 1/2-3 1/2, and with English and Morikawa both on the bench. The mating of two of the PGA tour’s more accurate but shorter drivers on a long track with cut rough was one part of a analysis discussion that Bradley set aside by saying, “We have a plan and we will stick to it” when he was pushed in after announcing his day 2 Series. The number-cruncher note that has generated the most buzz comes from Datagolf.com. The site has already arranged 132 possible four pairings that could come from Bradley’s 12 players grid. The English-Morikawa duo: No. 132. Even the data crossers of the website, brothers Matt and Will Courchene, said it was not that confusing formula. “English and Morikawa are the two worst players in the American team,” Matt Courchene said. “That’s the most important thing.” It’s nothing against them. These are probably the 12 best players the US has to throw there. English was a runner -up in two majors this year. Morikawa has already won two majors, but in 2025 was not in great form, with his statistics among the greatest culprits in his game. “We just had a small middle of the piece where we started missing a few wells and beat some bad shots, and it will essentially cost you against two of their best players,” Morikawa said. On the other hand, Fleetwood and McIlroy combined to make pits of 112 feet over the 13 holes they won or tied. They shot 6, among more than 16 holes in the alternative shot format, a number that English said was “pretty hard to beat”. “May have made a few more wells yesterday,” English said. “We finally started making some today. But against the duo they played very well together. They are a difficult team to beat. ‘ Fleetwood improved to 6-0 lifetime in four. McIlroy is 9-5-1. Even the Courchenes, who did not understand all Bradley’s decisions, and especially not this one, admitted that the Americans ended up in the Buzzsaw. They also spoke to the reality that all the number crunching in the world cannot predict the one thing that no captain can control. The Americans, Matt Courchene said, “played under their expectations, and it seems that everyone blames Keegan. The players still hit the shots.” ___