Ryder Cup 2023 Top 10 Best Shots

Playing in the all-important lead-off Sunday singles match against world No.1 Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm was in trouble on the 10^th hole after flaring his tee shot wide. With Scheffler safely on the green and the match tied, Rahm faced a massive sidehill lie, a ball deep in the cabbage and a small bridge stationed directly in front of him. But Rahmbo pulled off the shot of the Ryder Cup, somehow muscling his ball out to finish inside Scheffler.

Heading to the driveable par four 16^th hole with a 1up lead over Rickie Fowler on Sunday, Tommy Fleetwood’s moment had arrived. After Fowler’s drive found the pond to the right of the green, Fleetwood stepped up and smoked his driver arrow straight on to the green. It was effectively the shot that clinched the Ryder Cup for Europe; Fleetwood left his eagle putt short, Fowler conceded the birdie, the match was dormie and the half point Europe required for victory was safely locked up.

Despite the end result not going in his team’s favour, Patrick Cantlay’s Ryder Cup will be a memorable one. There was HatGate, his interminably slow play on Sunday (his match against Justin Rose fell two and a half holes behind) and the constant jeering he received from the partisan European crowd. But the 43-foot birdie bomb Cantlay made as dusk was beginning to settle on Marco Simone on Saturday was pure brilliance. It sparked jubilant celebrations from his American teammates and his caddie, Joe La Cava — the man responsible for the most controversial moment of the Ryder Cup. Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick both missed their putts to halve the match and the US team had a heartbeat heading into Sunday.

After teaming up with Tyrell Hatton for a 4&3 win Friday morning, Jon Rahm was having a much harder time of it in the afternoon foursomes session. He and Nicolai Hojgaard were 1down against Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka heading down the final hole. But after finding the front of the green in two, Rahm buried a 33-foot eagle putt to halve the match and dash US hopes of a fightback.

One of the best Ryder Cup performers for the US team this year was Max Homa and in Saturday’s Fourball, the lanky Californian stepped up to the plate. With Europe in the box seat to win the 15^th hole and eat into the US pairing’s lead, Homa holed a superb chip shot from the rough to win the hole and take a 3up lead with three holes to play.

Tommy Fleetwood’s look-away, chip-in eagle on the 16^th was pure theatre. With his ball sitting down in the rough, Fleetwood slid the club underneath it like a bunker shot, carrying his ball just on to the green. It tracked towards the hole and Tommy knew where it was going: he looked away just before it disappeared in the hole, grinning with both astonishment and bemusement. It kept the match alive but he and partner Nicolai Hojgaard would eventually succumb 2&1 to Max Homa and Brian Harman.

Max Homa finished off his Foursomes match on Saturday with a classy chip in from behind the 16^th green. Homa knew it was in the hole almost as soon as he hit it, walking it in and taking off his cap as he watched it disappear in the hole. It was the US team’s first full point of the cup and shifted the momentum of the contest ever so slightly.

Rahm’s laser-like iron on the par three 7^th hole on Friday was almost perfect. Playing with Tyrell Hatton against the US pairing of Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns, Rahm was the last of the group to tee off but his result was by far the best. His shot clanked the flag stick before lipping out, leaving him with a tap in birdie that won the hole.

Brian Harman displayed his classy short game with a tasty chip-in from behind the fifth green on Sunday. The Open winner won the hole to reduce his early deficit against Tyrell Hatton, however, he would eventually go down 3&2 to the enigmatic Englishman.

In the Foursomes on Saturday, Rory showed deft touch with a terrific flick from off the green on the 17^th hole. Displaying Cabrera-like hands, Rory managed to stop the ball on the second bounce right next to the hole, however, it was to no avail — Patrick Cantlay stroked in a birdie that levelled up the match.