After winning the morning foursomes 3-1 to extend their overnight lead to five points, Luke Donald’s troops resisted the crowd abuse and won the fourballs session 3-1 to become the first away team to win the first four sessions and take a 11.5 to 4.5 lead into Sunday’s 12 singles.
The abuse of McIlroy and Lowry was relentless, but with a concession at the 18th, they finished with five straight birdies to beat Justin Thomas and Cameron Young 2-up in a highly-charged encounter where the crowd frequently crossed the line.
“Yeah, hugely satisfying,” said a physically and emotionally jaded McIlroy, who fell into Lowry’s arms at the last like an exhausted child.
“It’s Shane and I’s first full point as a partnership. We got a half yesterday, but it’s nice to get another blue point on the board.
“I’m so proud of this guy. He was there for me all day. I was drained to say the least, and he dug in big time when he had to.
“I chipped in when I could here and there. But the credit goes to this man today.”
As for the abuse meted out to them, McIlroy was diplomatic when asked if the fans went too far.
“Look, when you play an away Ryder Cup, it’s really, really challenging,” said the Masters champion.
“You know, it’s not for me to say. People can be their own judge of whether they took it too far or not.
“I’m just proud of us for being able to win today with what we had to go through.”
It was a gritty triumph for the Irish duo, who were targeted by an oiled-up New York crowd from the get-go.
In the Co Down man’s case, it’s been the same story since the first morning as US fans made frequent mentions of his marriage and last year’s US Open “choke” against DeChambeau, while Lowry was constantly insulted over his weight with frequent references to “cabbage”, “potatoes”, and “pigs”.
The heckling got so bad the Offaly man unleashed a powerful “F**k you” and pointed to the heckler when he made a 20-footer for eagle at the fourth to put Europe ahead.
It was a non-stop distraction for McIlroy and after being forced to step off a putt on the sixth, he told the referee: “I won’t putt until they shut up.”
At the 10th, a fan screamed as McIlroy was standing over his tee shot and Lowry had to be held back from wading into the crowd by caddie Darren Reynolds before pointing out the perpetrator to law enforcement.
On other days, McIlroy has done the heavy lifting, but Lowry was the strong man on day two as he produced key birdies down the stretch.
“It was intense,” Lowry beamed. “It was something I’ve never experienced, but you know, this is what I live for.
“Honestly, this is the reason I get up in the morning for stuff like this.”
As for the abuse, Lowry said: “Look, we knew what we were going to get coming here. It was a very tough day. Being out with Rory doesn’t make it any easier. I think he’s getting the brunt of it.
“But I think we dealt with it very well. You know, I said at the start of the week, I don’t know what way I’m going to deal with it but I’m going to be myself and I was myself out there today and thankfully that worked.”
Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose put the first point on the board and condemned Scottie Scheffler to become the first American player ever to lose a match in each of the first four sessions.
The world No 1 and partner Bryson DeChambeau fell 3&2 in a match that included a tense exchange of words between players and caddies after Rose felt he was being distracted by DeChambeau and his caddie Greg Bodine as he prepared to take his putt at the 15th.
“Yeah, it was a shame that the match got to that point because it was actually a really great match,” Rose said.
“I was waiting to putt, the boys were obviously working on their read, obviously going through a lot of their sort of whatever, calculations and bits and pieces, so I kind of waited a few seconds, and then I felt like they came up again, and I was like, it’s my putt, right, or however I said it.
“Maybe I didn’t say it as politely as I could have said it in the moment, but by no means was there any disrespect or anything like that, but obviously it was taken the wrong way.”
Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka had a two-up lead over JJ Spun and Xander Schauffele at the turn but lost 1 up as the Americans birdied the lat two holes.
Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton took on Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay in the final match.
How it happened
Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry beat Justin Thomas & Cameron Young 2-up
Lowry burst into life at the par-five fourth, where McIlroy got abuse from the crowd, and the Offaly man rammed in a 20-footer for a winning eagle, pointed at the culprit and roared “F**k you”, putting Europe 1 up.
Lowry defiantly celebrated another birdie at the fifth, which doubled Europe’s lead, and after McIlroy had to step off a 35-footer at the sixth – “I won’t putt until they shut up” and missed, made a 10-footer for birdie that maintained their advantage.
Young closed the gap to one with a 35-footer at the seventh, and when Lowry lipped out trying to match Thomas’ birdie at the ninth, they were all square.
The next three were halved before McIlroy put Europe ahead again with a nine-footer at the short 14th, where Thomas lipped out from six feet for a half.
Europe were up in all four matches and McIlroy let the crowd know, pointing to the scoreboard as he strode to the 15th.
Thomas bravely birdied the 15th with McIlroy and Lowry spinning approaches in tight, but the Offaly man struck back to maintain Europe’s lead, screaming “come on”, as he rolled in his eight-footer.
Europe were 1-up with two to play when Thomas hit his approach stone dead at the 17th, but Lowry matched him from five feet and clenched his fist.
When Thomas failed to make a 20-footer at the last, it was over, and Lowry and an exhausted McIlroy fell into an emotional embrace.
Tommy Fleetwood & Justin Rose beat Scottie Scheffler & Bryson DeChambeau 3&2
Rose almost aced the third to put Europe 1 up, but DeChambeau’s tap-in eagle at the fourth squared the match, and Scheffler birdied the next to give the US the lead.
The world number one made another birdie at the sixth, but Rose matched him to remain 1 down, then birdied the seventh and walked in another at the eighth for Europe’s sixth birdie in eight holes to put them 1 up.
While Fleetwood stiffed his approach at the 10th to put Europe 2-up, DeChambeau birdied the 11th to cut the gap to 1-down.
But Fleetwood responded with a birdie at the 12th, then made a 25-footer at the 13th to ensure they matched Scheffler’s birdie and remained 2-up.
When Rose made his seventh birdie at the 14th, Europe were 3-up with four to play and on their way, even after an exchange of words with DeChambeau after they halved the 15th in birdies with Rose upset at the American’s caddie for encroaching on his line as he sized up his putt.
Jon Rahm & Sepp Straka lost to JJ Spaun & Xander Schauffele 1 up
Straka put Europe 1 up at the second. But while Schauffele eagled the fourth from 35 feet to tie and the sixth was halved in birdies, Straka birdied the seventh to restore Europe’s 1-up lead before the indefatigable Rahm doubled their lead with a birdie at the 10th that was quickly erased by Spaun’s 40-footer at the 12th.
The Americans levelled the match at the 17th and birdied the last to win.
Tyrrell Hatton & Matt Fitzpatrick beat Sam Burns & Patrick Cantlay 1up
Hatton came in as a replacement for Hovland, who had a neck injury. The first eight holes were halved before Fitzpatrick birdied the ninth to make it 1-up.
The Americans levelled with Burns’ birdie two at the 14th but after halving the next three holes in birdie, Europe birdied the last to take the spoils.
