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TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | May 3

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – This week’s notebook begins with an item very close to home. For about a year-plus, your favorite columnist has been moonlighting from his main business and that is as a consultant to companies in professional (some college) and amateur sports. One of the main projects was “officially” announced this week by the NBA, although we began dabbling in the area with verbal agreements as far back as October 2025 when the NBA staged preseason games in Abu Dhabi.

In short: “It’s been great.”

Here is the official news release:

ISTANBUL, TÜRKIYE, April 30, 2026 – The National Basketball Association and Globalist Sports Corporation Organisation JSC – a multi-sport organization based in Istanbul – announced a multiyear collaboration for Globalist Sports to launch and operate the NBA Basketball School in Türkiye.

The NBA Basketball School Türkiye will deliver weekly activity in Istanbul and Eskişehir and provide tuition-based basketball development programming for youth ages 6-18, including skill development, 5-on-5 scrimmages and games, and life-skills sessions. The program will tip off with a launch camp from Saturday, May 16 – Tuesday, May 19, in Mersin, followed by a series of camps across Türkiye throughout the summer, including Ankara (June 13–15 and June 26–29) and in İstanbul (July 5–9 and July 18–21). Registration is open now at www.nbabasketballschool.tr.

Former NBA Vice President of International Communications Terry Lyons and his Pivottv Media consulting company assisted Globalist in securing the rights to operate the basketball camps and will work with USA and European basketball coaches and legends to attend the camps and conduct clinics on a regular basis. Lyons worked with the NBA from 1980-2008.

“For us at Globalist Sports, working with the NBA Basketball School represents an opportunity to bring world‑class standards, structure, and ambition to youth basketball in Türkiye,” said Devrim Kıvanç Co-Founder & CEO, Globalist Sports Corporation Organisation JSC. “We are incredibly proud to support the introduction of this programme locally and excited about the long‑term pathway it creates for young players to develop their skills, confidence, and potential as part of a globally recognised environment.”

“The launch of the first NBA Basketball School in Türkiye reflects the country’s growing passion for basketball and our ongoing commitment to supporting youth development across the region,” said NBA Europe and Middle East Associate Vice President Basketball Operations, Henry Utku. “Through this collaboration with Globalist Sports, we are excited for this program to provide young players with access to world‑class coaching, resources, and a structured environment that emphasizes skill development, teamwork, and values that extend beyond the court.”

The NBA Basketball School curriculum, which is designed to develop players and provide parents, coaches and organizations with a better understanding of the process of improvement, was created by the NBA’s International Basketball Operations department in consultation with current and former NBA coaches, players and player development specialists. Since 2017, NBA Basketball Schools have been announced or launched in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary India, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Spain, Switzerland, the UAE and Uruguay.

For the latest about NBA Basketball School Türkiye, follow @nbabasketballschool_tr and NBA Basketball School Türkiye. Fans in Türkiye can also follow the NBA on X, Facebook and Instagram and download the NBA App for the latest news, updates, scores, stats, schedules, videos and more. They can also purchase the latest NBA merchandise at NBAStore.eu.

Here’s a little insight from the inside: The NBA Basketball Schools are amazing. They’re located all over the world (see list above) and the league supports them all with an incredible amount of foundational and institutional knowledge. Everything from software to register and keep track of the campers and coaches to placing some NBA Legends at select events. The NBA runs tournaments between the various camps (Our U-17 boys team from Türkiye won last year’s tournament in Abu Dhabi and hope to defend that title this coming Fall).

I’ve found it quite fulfilling and have been happy to give back to the game that’s given me so much since my very first day in December of 1980.

While Basketball without Borders is the top of the heap in basketball development, NBA Basketball Schools are intended to introduce and teach the game to children as young as six or eight years old and continue until age 17-18.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Multiple media reports indicate that former Dallas Mavericks team owner Mark Cuban was trying to buy back a controlling interest in the team he loves but sold. Cuban owns 27% of the team after selling off 73% for $3.5 billion to the Adelson family in December 2023. The Adelsons have the right to buy another 20% from Cuban within four years of their deal, which would drop his stake to 7%. … In a recent podcast, Cuban said, “I don’t regret selling. I regret who I sold to,” indicating his displeasure in the direction the team took, mostly concetrating on the basketball operations side. (Initially, the deal indicated Cuban would still remain in charge of the team’s basketball operation). Of course, the Mavericks packaged franchise star Luka Dončić in a controversial trade with the LA Lakers for center Anthony Davis. The deal ultimately cost Nico Harrison, the head of basketball operations for the team, his job. Yet, Lady Luck shined on the Adelsons and Mavericks when the NBA Draft Lottery ping-pong balls gave them the rights to draft this year’s NBA Rookie of the Year in Cooper Flagg, a generational star.

While the trade certainly looked to favor the Lakers, both Dončić and Davis remain quite injury prone and the Mavericks are well on their way to a total rebuild with an extra pair of first round draft choices this June, a 2030 first rounder the Lakers obtained from Golden State and a slew of second round picks to come.

Meanwhile, Cuban dreams of what might have been as he counts a few extra billions from his Mavericks experience which came about after Cuban initially banked billions in a sale of Broadcast.com to Yahoo.

It seems that the Dončić – Davis deal mirrors the Broadcast.com – Yahoo deal. In the end, as times changed, all of them, might be worthless.

ON THE BALLERS: In 2024, when the Oakland Athletics were heading out of the Bay Area, the Oakland Ballers became the newest member of the MLB-partnered Pioneer League, a minor league with a nod of approval from Major League Baseball. In their first season, the Ballers finished with the second-best record in the Pioneer Baseball League at 58-38 and sold over $1 million in branded merchandise, a Top 10 finish amongst all minor league franchises across the USA. In their second season, the Ballers delivered Oakland’s first baseball title since 1989, going 73-23 on the way to the league championship.

With a 10-year license in place at Oakland’s historic Raimondi Park and a solid ownership group in place, the Ballers are allowing accredited investors to share in the next phase of growth. Investors willing to put down a minimum of $10,000 can purchase shares (crowd share).

Recent Funding:

  • The team successfully closed a community round in late April 2025 that raised over $3.77 million from approximately 3,800 fan-investors.
  • In addition to community rounds, the team has opened rounds for accredited investors (individuals with high net worth or specific income levels) which have higher minimums of the $10-grand.
  • Most of the investors have voting power with the right to vote on core team decisions like potential relocation or hiring the Head of Baseball Operations.
  • There’s also Board representation as investors will have the ability to be represented by an elected Fan Director on the team’s board.

WNBA TEAM VALUATIONS: Before we get into the WNBA, let’s first remind everyone that the very Dallas Mavericks franchise that Cuban and the Adelsons are tossing billions at, one way or the other was once worth $12.5 million dollars when the NBA sold an expasnion franchise to Donald Carter in 1980.

Golden State team ownership invested $50 million to obtain the WNBA Valkyries in 2023. By 2025, the club had risen in value 10-times-over and was valued at $500 million when sports business publication Sportico crunched some numbers. Now? Sportico’s 2026 WNBA team valuations have the Valkyries valued at $850 million, leading the pack of WNBA franchises which are valued at an average of $427 million, up 59% year-over-year.

The New York Liberty (playing in Brooklyn) rank a distant second at $600 million, followed by the Indiana Fever ($560M), Seattle Storm ($425M) and Phoenix Mercury ($420M). Not too shabby, we say, noting the Atlanta Dream ($280M) rank last among the 13 WNBA clubs.

That’s a far cry from the opening tip-off of the WNBA back in 1997. Just ask the defunct Houston Comets (in the midst of obtaining the Connecticut Sun for some $300 million, the ultra defunct Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Sacramento Monarchs and Utah Starzz. They all turned in their WNBA chips to the league with no return at all.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: The hometown Boston Red Sox have under-performed in 2026 and it cost manager Alex Cora and a slew of bench coaches their jobs. Sox head of baseball (fancy title of Chief Baseball Officer) pulled the trap-door open for Cora, along with hitting coach Peter Fatse, bench coach Ramón Vázquez, third-base coach Kyle Hudson, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, and major-league hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin. Former Red Sox player and game-planning coach Jason Varitek was “reassigned” to a new (and yet to be named) role within the organization.

When the Sox were 0-0 earlier this spring, the club issued a one-pager on 25 years of stewardship of the franchise, a cozy way of noting we all have limited time on this earth and the Sox franchise owners believe this is their time in space to steer the ship for the good of Boston and New England (see NESN).

There were very proud and noteworthy accomplishments, which included:

  • Ending an 86-year old “Curse of the Bambino by winning the 2004 World Series
  • Since 2002, the Red Sox won an MLB-leading four World Championships (2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018) while claiming five American League East titles
  • The Sox made 12 MLB postseason appearances
  • Off the field, the team ownership invested $500,000 in the preservation and improvement of Fenway Park
  • Major changes included money-making construction of the Green Monster seats, the 521 Overlook, the field-level Jim Beam Dugout seating and even the state-of-the-art MGMMusic Hall concert venue
  • They’ve hosted NHL Winter Classics, Harvard vs Yale college football and the Fenway Bowl, countless numbers of summer concerts and a few college graduation ceremonies

That’s all very good work, to the tune of $14 billion in visitor spending while also raising some serious cash for the JIMMY Fund cancer research and other great community events.

But, the fans of the Boston Red Sox are a demanding bunch. They expect execution, run production, flawless defense and victories. The 2026 club fell short in April and Cora and his coaches paid the price. Boston entered the month of May at (12-19) and, like the race on Patriots’ Day, the season is a Marathon, not a sprint.

Ace pitcher Garrett Crochet is now on the 15-day Injured List with left shoulder inflammation. Newly acquired starting pitcher Sonny Gray was placed on that same IL with a hamstring issue on April 21. Youngsters Connelly Early and Payton Tolle were called up to the Majors a bit early, but both have promising futures.

Interim manager Chad Tracy (up from the WooSox) is holding the reins. There’s 10-of-13 games at Fenway, started on May 1. and 32-of-the-next-56 (57%) of the next portion of the schedule at America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.

One thing is for sure, Sox fans not only get “Sweet Caroline” in the 8th inning, but the one major addition this year in an effort to celebrate America’s 250th is “more Neil Diamond” with a pregame video to the tune of his hit, “America” to begin each home game.

Thank goodness he won’t be singing “Cracklin’ Rosie.” And the Sox will be in big trouble if they hear, “Song Sung Blue.” … Neil, baby, “More Cowbell.”

TIDBITS & NUGGETS II – Here’s some of the stuff I think about:

  • As the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby was staged on Saturday, I couldn’t help but think about the 99th edition, in 1973, when a horse of 16 1/2 hands won the first leg of the Triple Crown. Five weeks later, Secretariat ran the perfect race at the Belmont Stakes to become the greatest thoroughbred race horse in history. That’s 53 years ago, for you mathematically challenged C+ students out there. Secretariat
  • I also think of the 1971 Kentucky Derby when Cañonero II was shipped in from Venezuela with odds as long as his trip only to win the 20-horse race at Churchill. Cañonero II had a crooked foreleg and a $1,200 price tag as a yearling. He won the Derby and The Preakness at Pimlico but fell short (4th Place) at The Belmont when his foreleg acted up. In the Fall of that year, Cañonero II set the Belmont course record and defeated Riva Ridge. He was later purchased for $1,000,000 and later lived the life of a sire in Kentucky. The great, great, great grandson of the legendary Man O’War has this special memory because my father had him in blind draw of horses in a Pan American office pool. Payday.

Every single time I watch this horse race, it brings tears to my eyes:

Also ran thoughts for today:

  • I’ve been getting more SPAM than Monty Python.
  • Blue Horseshoe does NOT love Spirit Airlines.
  • And, speaking of Sprit Air, what would 83-year old Norman Greenbaum think?
  • Instead of the ultra-boring Chicago Sky, why didn’t the Ch-town faithful name their WNBA franchise “The Koalas?”
  • Why didn’t Doral re-name their championship 7,739-yard, par 72 PGA Tour level course, “The Orange Monster?”

Rory Goes Back-to-Back

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By TERRY LYONS, EDITOR of Digital Sports Desk

AUGUSTA – Rory McIlroy (Winner/-12) won his second Masters Tournament, sixth major championship and 30th PGA TOUR title in his 279th PGA TOUR start at 36 years, 11 months, 8 days.

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McIlroy joined Jack Nicklaus (1956, 1965), Nick Faldo (1989, 1990) and Tiger Woods (2001, 2002) as players to successfully defend their title at the Masters Tournament. He became the fourth player (seven instances) in the last 25 years to win the same major championship in back-to-back fashion (Tiger Woods (2001-02 Masters, 2005-06 Open Championship, 2006-07 PGA Championship), Padraig Harrington (2007-08 Open Championship), Brooks Koepka (2017-18 U.S. Open, 2018-19 PGA Championship)

He joined Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo and Phil Mickelson as players with six major championships (T12 all time), noting only 11 players have more than six major championships

McIlroy’s 30th PGA TOUR victory ties Horton Smith (T16 all time).

The Masters | Final Leaderboard

1 Rory McIlroy 67 65 73 71 276 (-12)

2 Scottie Scheffler 70 74 65 68 277 (-11)

T3 Tyrrell Hatton 74 66 72 66 278 (-10)

T3 Russell Henley 73 71 66 68 278 (-10)

T3 Justin Rose 70 69 69 70 278 (-10)

T3 Cameron Young 73 67 65 73 278 (-10)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

On This Day in Golf History
April 13, 1986 – In one of the most amazing occurrences in golf history, 46-year old Jack Nicklaus won his record 18th major title and his sixth Green Jacket with a one-stroke victory at the 50th staging of The Masters Tournament. Nicklaus shot a final round (65) with a back nine of six-under par (30) to edge Tom Kite and Greg Norman. – Courtesy of Randy Walker, Author of On This Day in Golf History, available via Amazon.com and by clicking HERE

PGA Tour: Masters Preview ’26

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By TERRY LYONS, EDITOR of Digital Sports Desk

AUGUSTA – The 90th edition of The Masters returns to Augusta National Golf Club this week (April 9–12, 2026). As the first major of the year, the tournament carries its usual prestige, but this year’s Masters will be dominated by a historic title defense, a bevy of top-notch challengers, including the World’s #1 player and a field of rising stars.

Top Storylines to Watch

McIlroy’s Encore: After finally capturing the Green Jacket in 2025, Rory McIlroy enters as the defending champion.
Rory McIlroy’s Major Victories

Scheffler’s Dominance: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler remains the betting favorite. With two Green Jackets already in his closet (2022, 2024), a third win would further cement his era of dominance.

The LIV Contenders: Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau arrive at Augusta in peak form. DeChambeau, in particular, is a focus after back-to-back top-10 finishes at Augusta and recent wins on the LIV circuit.

The 2026 Masters has issued 91 invitees and, they are represented by players from 22 different countries and territories outside the United States. Six of the last 10 major championships have been won by players who were ranked No. 3 or better in the Official World Golf Ranking heading into the major championship.

Preview | The Masters

COURSE: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia

ARCHITECT: Dr. Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones Jr.; Perry Maxwell in 1937

YARDS/PAR: 7,565 yards/Par 72

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: TBD

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Rory McIlroy

OVERVIEW: (link)

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 750

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup The Intimacy Masters

Master’s Par Three Contest

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 – (All Times Eastern (EDT)

12 Noon to 2:00pm – ESPN+ Streaming

2:00pm to 4:00pm – ESPN

Overall Schedule: Here’s the basic schedule for the entire week, as published by CBS Sports:

2026 Masters | The Basics:

Tournament site: The Masters

Tee Times: (PGATourCom)

Weather: Weather for today’s Par 3 forecast is set for partly cloudy skies, temperatures reaching 68-degrees but winds at 14 mph. Thursday’s forecast is for sunny skies with temperatures reaching 73-degrees but lesser wind (9mph).

The Masters Begins on Prime this Thursday.

The Field w Update, Tee Times and Leaderboard

The Field: (link)

Update:

Thursday, April 2

Phil Mickelson / WD

Tee Times: (link)

Masters Leaderboard: (link)

CHAMPIONS’ DINNER MENU

Here’s what Rory McIlroy as in mind for Wednesday Night at Augusta National:

The Masters ‘26 | Tournament Odds

Odds Courtesy | Betting Hero

Scottie Scheffler +500

Bryson DeChambeau +1000

Jon Rahm +1000

Rory McIlroy +1300

Xander Schauffele +1500

Matt Fitzpatrick +1800

Ludvig Åberg +1800

Cameron Young +2200

Tommy Fleetwood +2200

Hideki Matsuyama +2700

Justin Rose +2700

Robert MacIntyre +3000

Min Woo Lee +3300

Collin Morikawa +3500

Patrick Reed +4000

Brooks Koepka +4000

Chris Gotterup +4500

Russell Henley +4500

Si Woo Kim +4500

Jordan Spieth +4500

Viktor Hovland +5000

Shane Lowry +6000

Nicolai Højgaard +6000

Jake Knapp +6500

Justin Thomas +6500

Akshay Bhatia +6500

Maverick McNealy +6500

Adam Scott +7000

J.J. Spaun +7000

Patrick Cantlay +7000

Sepp Straka +8000

Tyrrell Hatton +8000

Jacob Bridgeman +8000

Jason Day +8000

Sungjae Im +10000

Sam Burns +10000

Harris English +10000

Corey Conners +10000

Cameron Smith +10000

Marco Penge +10000

Daniel Berger +12500

Kurt Kitayama +12500

Gary Woodland +12500

Rasmus Højgaard +15000

Ben Griffin +15000

Keegan Bradley +15000

Aaron Rai +15000

Alex Noren +15000

Ryan Gerard +15000

Sam Stevens +17500

Harry Hall +17500

Wyndham Clark +17500

Aldrich Potgieter +17500

Brian Harman +17500

Max Homa +17500

Ryan Fox +22500

Casey Jarvis +22500

Kristoffer Reitan +22500

Nick Taylor +25000

Dustin Johnson +25000

Nicolas Echavarria +25000

Carlos Ortiz +25000

Michael Kim +25000

Max Greyserman +35000

Sergio Garcia +35000

Haotong Li +35000

Matt McCarty +35000

Andrew Novak +35000

Tom McKibbin +35000

Sami Valimaki +50000

Michael Brennan +50000

Bubba Watson +50000

John Keefer +50000

Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +50000

Charl Schwartzel +50000

Zach Johnson +50000

Davis Riley +75000

Angel Cabrera +100000

Mason Howell +100000

Fifa Laopakdee +100000

Ethan Fang +100000

Brian Campbell +100000

Vijay Singh +100000

Jose Maria Olazabal +100000

Brandon Holtz +100000

Naoyuki Kataoka +100000

Danny Willett +100000

Jackson Herrington +100000

Fred Couples +100000

Mateo Pulcini +100000

Mike Weir +100000

Mickelson to Miss Masters

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AUGUSTA – (Wire Service Report) – Phil Mickelson announced Thursday on social media that he will not compete in the upcoming Masters.

“Unfortunately I will not play in the Masters Tournament next week and will be out for an extended period of time as my family continues to navigate a personal health matter,” Mickelson wrote on Instagram. “I have great respect for Augusta National Golf Club and it is definitely the most special week of the year. I wish everyone the best of luck and will be watching.”

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Mickelson, 55, joins Tiger Woods as high-profile golfers who will miss this year’s tournament at Augusta National. Woods announced Tuesday that he would be “stepping away” while he seeks treatment following a rollover crash last week in Florida that resulted in a DUI charge.

A three-time Masters champion (2004, 2006, 2010), Mickelson made his first appearance in the event back in 1991. This will mark just the fourth time that the six-time major champion will not be in attendance for the event at Augusta National.

Mickelson missed the first four events of the LIV Golf season in 2026 while tending to a family health matter. He returned for LIV South Africa, finishing 7-under-par to end up T48 in a 54-man field.

Ten LIV golfers will compete in the Masters on April 9-12: Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, Tom McKibbin, Carlos Ortiz, Jon Rahm, Charl Schwartzel, Cameron Smith and Bubba Watson.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour Brunch | SONY Open

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The 2026 PGA Tour Season | Honolulu, Hawaii

Europe Keeps the Ryder Cup

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OLD BETHPAGE – (Wire Service Report) – Shane Lowry of Ireland drained a 6-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to halve his match, and Team Europe survived a surprise rally by the United States team to retain the Ryder Cup on Sunday at Bethpage State Park’s famed Black course.

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As defending champions, the Europeans needed to reach just 14 points to ensure the Cup stayed with them. Despite starting the day just 2 1/2 points away, it took about five hours, 15 minutes from the first tee time before Europe finally clinched it.

Lowry entered No. 18 1 down in his match against Russell Henley, after Henley missed a 10-footer to put away the match at No. 17. Henley hit a remarkable shot from the sand onto the 18th green, only to miss another 10-footer to seal his victory.

Lowry drained his putt to give Team Europe the final half-point boost it needed to reach 14, and several teammates joined him on the green in raucous celebration.

It marks Team Europe’s 11th win in the last 15 Ryder Cups and its second in a row under captain Luke Donald of England.

The United States was outplayed throughout Friday and Saturday and needed 10 of an available 12 points to pull off the largest comeback in Ryder Cup history.

Despite clutch performances by Cameron Young, Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler — who won his first point after an 0-4-0 start — the Americans and first-time captain Keegan Bradley came up short and will have plenty to address before the 2027 Ryder Cup in Ireland.

The United States’ loss also ended a five-match winning streak for the hosts in the event. No visiting team had won the Ryder Cup since Europe’s “Miracle at Medinah” comeback in 2012.

Europe entered the day leading 11 1/2 points to 4 1/2, but the scoreline became 12-5 before a match began.

Norway’s Viktor Hovland withdrew from singles after hurting his neck Saturday morning and being unable to move it when he awoke Sunday. The U.S. took Harris English out of the lineup in the event’s rarely used “envelope rule,” and the match counted as a draw.

–Field Level Media

Ryder Cup | Sunday Pairings

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2025 RYDER CUP | 12 Sunday Pairings for Match Play

Match 1, 12:02 p.m. ET: Cameron Young (USA) vs. Justin Rose (EUR)
Match 2, 12:13 p.m. ET: Justin Thomas (USA) vs. Tommy Fleetwood (EUR)
Match 3, 12:24 p.m. ET: Bryson DeChambeau (USA) vs. Matt Fitzpatrick (EUR)
Match 4, 12:35 p.m. ET: Scottie Scheffler (USA) vs. Rory McIlroy (EUR)
Match 5, 12:46 p.m. ET: Patrick Cantlay (USA) vs. Ludvig Aberg (EUR)

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Match 6, 12:57 p.m. ET: Xander Schauffele (USA) vs. Jon Rahm (EUR)
Match 7, 1:08 p.m. ET: J.J. Spaun (USA) vs. Sepp Straka (EUR)
Match 8, 1:19 p.m. ET: Russell Henley (USA) vs. Shane Lowry (EUR)
Match 9, 1:30 p.m. ET: Ben Griffin (USA) v. Rasmus Højgaard (EUR)
Match 10, 1:41 p.m. ET: Collin Morikawa (USA) vs. Tyrrell Hatton (EUR)
Match 11, 1:52 p.m. ET: Sam Burns (USA) vs. Robert MacIntyre (EUR)
Match 12, 2:03 p.m. ET: Harris English (USA) vs. Viktor Hovland (EUR)

RYDER BUB-KIS

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OLD BETHPAGE – (Wire Service Report) – Team Europe is all but assured to win the 45th Ryder Cup after Saturday’s one-sided show at Bethpage Black, leaving more spotlight on the home fans’ interactions with Rory McIlroy.

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The Europeans and captain Luke Donald hold a commanding 11 1/2-4 1/2 lead over the United States team ahead of Sunday’s 12 singles matches. They need 2 1/2 points from those matches to retain the Cup and three points to win outright.

On Saturday morning, Europe became the first visiting team in Ryder Cup history to win the first three sessions when it took morning foursomes 3-1. McIlroy and company made it four straight sessions with another 3-1 edge in the afternoon fourball.

Team Europe seemed to make every putt it needed, which the statistics bore out. According to the website Data Golf, Europe is a whopping 9.55 strokes better than the U.S. on the greens this week, including 4.39 strokes gained during Saturday’s fourballs alone.

“These guys are 12 very able guys that know how to prepare and get ready. Certainly I’m not going to take credit for that,” captain Luke Donald said. “That is more about their grit and their determination to hole those putts more than anything.”

They did so in the face of raucous American fans who tried their best to counter European songs with more pointed barbs.

McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Shane Lowry of Ireland defeated Justin Thomas and Cameron Young, 2 up, in the face of constant jeering that prompted extra security guards and around 10 state troopers to join the match at the turn.

The crowd chanted “(Expletive) you, Rory” at the first tee and elsewhere on the course. Another popular chant was “U.S. Open, U.S. Open,” a reference to McIlroy squandering leads there in 2023 and 2024.

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On the 16th hole of his foursomes match, McIlroy yelled at fans to “shut the (expletive) up” when fans heckled while he was addressing his ball. He proceeded to stuff his approach shot to 3 feet, setting up Tommy Fleetwood’s clinching putt in a 3-and-2 win over Harris English and Collin Morikawa.

“Look, in between shots, say whatever you want to me. That’s totally fine,” McIlroy said after that win. “But just let us — you gave us the respect to let us hit shots, and give us the same chance that the Americans have, I guess.”

At the ninth green of the fourball match, Thomas signaled to the U.S. fans to be quiet for McIlroy. Word trickled out to the fans on social media that their heckling was becoming the focus of the day. “Don’t say anything naughty about Rory,” one American fan said sarcastically.

McIlroy released some emotion with a yell at the par-3 14th, where he rolled in his first birdie of the afternoon to put Europe 1 up.

At the par-3 17th, Thomas spun his tee shot to 13 inches of the cup and Europe conceded the birdie. McIlroy was loudly heckled up to the moment he hit his birdie try, which slid past. But Lowry sank his birdie to halve the hole, and the pair of friends finished the job at No. 18.

“When you play an away Ryder Cup, it’s really, really challenging,” McIlroy said. “It’s not for me to say. You know, 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 also got feisty in the second match, in which Fleetwood and countryman Justin Rose prevailed 3 and 2 over the Americans’ stars, Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau.

Fleetwood and DeChambeau got in a shouting match as they walked to the 16th tee, with Scheffler’s caddie Ted Scott also involved. The spat began on the previous green.

“I was waiting to putt,” Rose said. “The (Americans) were obviously working on their read … so I sort of waited a few seconds and then I felt like they came up again and I was sort of — I questioned whether — 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.”

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DeChambeau didn’t address the confrontation afterwards.

Outplayed and outmaneuvered all weekend, Keegan Bradley and the Americans would need to make history to pull off a comeback. The largest Saturday margin overcome in Ryder Cup history was 10-6 — by the U.S. in 1999, and by Europe in 2012.

A home-team winning streak is also in jeopardy; Europe’s last Ryder Cup win in the U.S. came in 2012 at Medinah.

“I think anytime at a Ryder Cup, the captain is to blame or to be celebrated,” Bradley said. “So we all have to do a better job, but most importantly I have to do a better job as a captain, and you know, who knows, I feel like the guys have played pretty well. The Europeans have just played, like, way better.

“Sometimes that happens, but we’ve still got another day. Who knows? You never know. We can go out there and win. What do we got to win, 10? Wild stuff happens in sports all the time.”

J.J. Spaun prevented a shutout when he birdied Nos. 17 and 18 to turn a 1-down deficit into a 1-up win alongside Xander Schauffele over Spaniard Jon Rahm and Austrian Sepp Straka.

The last match also arrived at No. 18 all square, and Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton hit identical approaches within 3 feet of the cup, Hatton’s ball kissing Fitzpatrick’s. Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns couldn’t make birdie, handing Europe a 1-up victory.

Hatton was a late substitute for Norway’s Viktor Hovland, who aggravated a neck injury during morning foursomes and is questionable to play Sunday.

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World No. 1 Scheffler has had a nightmare week, becoming the first player since the Ryder Cup format changed in 1979 to go 0-4 in the opening four sessions of the event. He will face McIlroy in singles on Sunday.

-Field Level Media

Ryder Cup: Hatton for Hovland

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OLD BETHPAGE – (Wire Service Report) – Englishman Tyrrell Hatton stepped onto the first tee instead of Norwegian star Viktor Hovland for the final fourball match of the Ryder Cup Saturday afternoon.

Minutes before the 1:13 p.m. ET tee time, it was announced that Hovland was scratched due to a neck injury.

Hovland was slated to play alongside another Englishman, Matt Fitzpatrick, against Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay.

The 28-year-old played in the morning foursomes sessions with Robert MacIntyre of Scotland. They beat Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley, 1 up.

Hovland later told reporters it was the same injury that caused him to withdraw from the Travelers Championship in late June, something that’s bothered him “on and off.” Hovland took painkillers and received physio treatment during his foursomes match.

“I didn’t want to risk it for the match in case it got worse, and I couldn’t continue, especially in fourballs when you are hitting every shot,” Hovland said.

Hovland’s availability for Sunday is now in doubt.

“I’m going to get some treatment this afternoon and tonight and hopefully I will be OK for the singles tomorrow,” he said.

If he cannot play, the United States team will have to select a player to scratch, and the canceled match will go down as a half-point for each side. Both captains must put a player’s name in a sealed envelope ahead of time in the event of an injury.

Hovland was the 2023 FedEx Cup champion on the PGA Tour and is playing in his third Ryder Cup. Hatton, meanwhile, is playing his first fourball session of the week after going 2-0-0 with Spaniard Jon Rahm in a pair of foursomes matches.

–Field Level Media

Europe Makes a Stand

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OLD BETHPAGE (NY) – Europe’s Rory McIlroy stared down USA veteran Patrick Cantlay through the home stretch and made sure a European advantage wouldn’t be dented at the last moment.

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Thanks to stellar performances from McIlroy, Jon Rahm and their compatriots, Team Europe leads the United States team 5 1/2-2 1/2 after the opening day of the 45th Ryder Cup on Friday at Bethpage Black, one of the toughest golf course in the USA and a public course at that.

Europe led 3-1 after foursomes (or alternate shot) in the morning and the United States scored the first point of fourball (best ball) to make it closer. But the other three matches were under some degree of European control.

Spanish star Rahm and Austria’s Sepp Straka closed out a 3-and-2 win over Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun. Then, Justin Rose’s birdie putt at No. 18 sealed a 1-up win for him and fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood against Bryson DeChambeau and Ben Griffin. Fleetwood birdied Nos. 11, 14 and 16 to put them at dormie with two holes to go.

Cantlay and Sam Burns played the anchor match against Northern Ireland’s McIlroy and Irishman Shane Lowry. Cantlay tied the match singlehandedly by birdieing Nos. 10, 12 and 13 around a birdie at No. 11 by Lowry.

They stayed all square when Cantlay’s putt lipped out at No. 14, and again when McIlroy followed Cantlay’s 18-foot birdie at No. 16 with a birdie putt of his own. At the par-3 17th, McIlroy and Burns drained birdie putts, leaving the final point hanging in the balance at No. 18.

After Cantlay dumped his approach into a bunker, Burns and McIlroy had identical 11 1/2-foot putts for birdie. Neither managed to convert, making it the first halved match of the week.

Cameron Young stood out for the U.S. in his first Ryder Cup match. After sitting out morning foursomes, the native of Scarborough, N.Y. teamed with Justin Thomas on a 6-and-5 drubbing of Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg and Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard.

Young, who won the New York State Open at Bethpage Black as an amateur, picked up four holes for his team, including Nos. 12 and 13 to end the match early.

Scheffler and DeChambeau, considered the Americans’ two best players, combined to go 0-4-0 on the day. In foursomes, Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton of England took down DeChambeau and Thomas, 4 and 3, while Aberg and England’s Matt Fitzpatrick prevailed 5 and 3 over Scheffler and Russell Henley.

Per Elias Sports Bureau, Scheffler joins Ian Woosnam (1991) and Tiger Woods (1999, 2002) as the only players ranked No. 1 in the world to lose twice on the first day of a Ryder Cup.

– Field Level Media