Shane Lowry holed the decisive putt as Europe held off a superb final day fightback from the United States to retain the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
Europe had gone into the Sunday singles with a seven-point lead, but wins for Cameron Young, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and JJ Spaun left their advantage suddenly looking very precarious.
Lowry trailed by one heading into the final hole of his match with Russell Henley, but produced a perfect drive and then a stunning approach to put him in position for birdie.
Henley produced heroics from the fairway bunker to give himself a chance for birdie, but his subsequent putt fell short. That gave Lowry the chance to etch his name in the history books, and he duly did so, sparking hugely emotional scenes as the Irishman celebrated a moment he quickly appeared to declare the finest of his career.
After Lowry took them to the magical 14-point mark needed to retain, Tyrrell Hatton earned the half point required for outright victory as he tied his match with Collin Morikawa.
“I’ve been so lucky to experience amazing things in this game, that was the hardest couple of hours of my life,” Lowry said.
“The Ryder Cup means everything to me. I won The Open in Ireland, it’s amazing it’s a dream come true, but the Ryder Cup means everything to me.”
Asked about the leadership of captain Luke Donald, Lowry said: “He’s the greatest captain I think that’s ever lived. He’s done the best job.”
The Ryder Cup will head to Ireland in 2027 at Adare Manor, much friendlier surroundings for Lowry and countryman Rory McIlroy after they dealt with significant heckling from the home crowd on Saturday, making for an extremely tense atmosphere at the Long Island course.
On that prospect, Lowry added: “It’ll be a little bit nicer than playing here I know that.”
Donald joins Tony Jacklin as the only the second European captain to win home and away Ryder Cups.
“They fought so hard and all the respect to them,” Donald said of the US team and their efforts at a remarkable fightback.
“But this means a lot. We came here knowing the task was very difficult. Couldn’t be more proud of these guys for everything they’ve come through.”
