Team USA needs to capture the spirit of Brookline to retain Ryder Cup

Team USA heads into Sunday’s singles matches trailing Team Europe 10-6, the same deficit they faced at Brookline in 1999

The United States is facing a big deficit going into Sunday’s singles matches at the Ryder Cup, but for captain Jim Furyk it’s not something he hasn’t overcome before.

In 1999 at Brookline, Team USA went into the singles session trailing the Europeans 10-6, the same lead Team Europe has now. Back then, the Americans were able to rally and win the Ryder Cup 14.5 to 13.5.

Furyk, as well as players Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, was on that American team and knows winning despite such long odds is possible. When asked if he remembers what captain Ben Crenshaw told the team before that historic comeback, Furyk didn’t mince words.

“I remember every d**n word of it,” he said after Saturday’s play.

Furyk is now in the same position Crenshaw was in 1999, having to inspire his team after two lackluster days at Le Golf National outside Paris. Coming off a sweep in Friday’s afternoon foursomes session, the Europeans won the first three matches in the morning session on Saturday. Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas were able to salvage a point for Team USA in the final match. The two teams split the afternoon matches, giving Team Europe a 10-6 lead going into Sunday.

While Spieth and Thomas rescued the Americans, winning both their matches on Saturday, Woods has so far come up empty. Woods is coming off winning his first tournament in five years at the Tour Championship last week but has lost all three of his matches in Paris. Furyk suggests the effort he put into that dramatic win at East Lake may have taken a toll on him.

“Emotionally, what he put into his comeback to this season, the amount of golf he played leading up trying to make the Ryder Cup, trying to, basically, almost win the FedEx Cup, he put a lot of work and effort into it and played a lot more golf than he’s used to,” he said. “That takes a mental toll, and I think he was a little tired earlier this week.”

While Woods and his playing partner, Patrick Reed, struggled, the European team of Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood continued to shine. “Moli-Wood” is the first European duo to go 4-0 in a Ryder Cup. Furyk says the strong play of the Europeans, rather than any shortcomings of his own team, is responsible for putting Team USA behind.

“We’ve been outplayed. I don’t think there’s a guy in my team room that would argue with me,” he said. “Right now, they’ve played better golf, and we have to be able to do just that tomorrow. We have to go out there, start out hot, put a little pressure on them, and we have to be the better team tomorrow.”

Just as he knows what it’s like to stage a comeback, Furyk is also familiar with the agony of defeat. In 2012 at Medinah, it was the Europeans who erased a 10-6 USA lead to win the cup. Furyk, Woods and Mickelson were on that team, as well. The captain says the memory of that loss sticks with him even more than the win at Brookline.

“It sure sucked being on the other side, I will say that,” Furyk said. “It was one of the worst days of my career.”

If the Americans are to come back, they will need a fast start. Thomas has been the bright spot for them and will play the first match against Rory McIlroy at 12:05 p.m. local time (6:05 a.m. EST).

The U.S. needs eight points from the 12 singles matches to retain the cup, while Europe needs 4.5 points to take it from them on European soil and extend a home winning streak that extends back to 1993.