Leaderboard: Landry surges to the top

GUYANCOURT, France — Europe won six of the final seven matches in Sunday’s Singles to reclaim the Ryder Cup, beating the U.S. 17.5 to 10.5 in a dominating performance at Le Golf National. It’s the sixth consecutive Ryder Cup on home soil that Europe has won; the last time the U.S. has won in Europe is 1993. Francesco Molinari completed the best week ever by a European player, remaining undefeated as he beat Phil Mickelson 4 and 2. BEST MATCH Both Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy expected that their opening match in Singles would be a key one, setting the tone for the rest of the day. Certainly it was a tight one, with neither player going more than 2-up. And it was riveting, as the match reached the 18th hole. But as it turned it, it did not impact the outcome, as Thomas’ 1-up win was one of just four on the day for the Americans. Still, it had plenty of interesting moments, particularly at the final hole. With the match all square, Thomas found the fairway off the tee while McIlroy found a half-buried lie near the lip of the fairway bunker. He tried to punch out sideways to the fairway, but his ball dribbled back into the bunker. Then on his third shot, his ball came out low, clipped the lip, and ran into the water on the other side. Once Thomas safely found the green with his approach, McIlroy conceded the hole and the match. Don’t expect it to be the last time these two players face each other in a Ryder Cup match. BEST AMERICANS The U.S. had four winners on Sunday – Thomas, Webb Simpson, Tony Finau and Patrick Reed. Thomas had to knock off McIlroy and Simpson beat Justin Rose, the recent world No. 1. But the most impressive American performance was from Finau. The Ryder Cup rookie put together six birdies and won nine holes in a bogey-free round to throttle previously unbeaten Tommy Fleetwood 5 and 4 in the fifth match of the day. “I played incredible golf today. I was controlling the ball nicely and made some putts. It was a really hard time for Tommy to get in the match,â€� Finau said. BEST EUROPEANS The Europeans had seven winners on Sunday. Jon Rahm had the thrill of a lifetime, knocking off Tiger Woods 2 and 1. Ian Poulter remained undefeated in Ryder Cup singles, beating world No. 1 Dustin Johnson 2 up by winning four of the last six holes. But the most impressive performance was by Ryder Cup rookie Thorbjorn Olesen. He sat out both sessions on Saturday but had a key victory over Jordan Spieth in the seventh match, winning 5 and 4 in a match that was vital to slow the early U.S. momentum. Olesen made five birdies and never trailed for the last 11 holes to beat Spieth, who had won three points in the team session. “I played great on the front nine,â€� Olesen said. “Holed some really, really good putts and the crowd were mental. It’s been so much fun.â€� BEST STAT Sergio Garcia became the most successful Ryder Cup player in history with 25.5 points ahead of previous record holder Sir Nick Faldo (25). Jordan Spieth is now 0-3 in Ryder Cup singles and 0-3 in Presidents Cup singles. ROOKIE REVIEW USA Bryson DeChambeau (0-3-0) – Despite fighting all the way to the final hole well after the Ryder Cup had been decided and throwing a dart on 18 DeChambeau was left without a point after Alex Noren drained a huge putt for a 1-up win. Justin Thomas (4-1-0) – The MVP of the American team. Thomas was a rookie in name only as he showed he could be the man to build a team around for the next decade and some. Took down Rory McIlroy 1-up in the opening singles match. Tony Finau (2-1-0) – Justified his selection as a captain’s pick with two earned points … the only two earned from all four of team USA’s picks. Finau gave Tommy Fleetwood a 6 and 4 thrashing in singles which was pretty incredible after the first two days of dominance for the Englishman.  EUROPE Tommy Fleetwood (4-1-0) – A stud on debut in the Ryder Cup despite being hammered 6 and 4 by Tony Finau in singles. Prior to that he teamed with Francesco Molinari to become just the second pairing ever to go 4-0 in a single Ryder Cup and the first ever Europeans to do so. Takes the record for most points earned by a European rookie in Ryder Cup history. Alex Noren (2-1-0) – Put some impressive icing on the cake but making a long-range birdie putt on the 18th in the anchor match to win 1-up over Bryson DeChambeau. His accuracy was huge throughout the week. Tyrrell Hatton (1-2-0) – Was unable to keep Patrick Reed from securing a point – going down 3 and 2 in singles.  Thorbjorn Olesen (1-1-0) – After being benched all day Saturday Olesen showed he certainly wasn’t sulking as he made short work of Jordan Spieth in Sunday’s singles. Took care of Spieth 5 and 4 to ensure he added his first Ryder Cup point to his personal tally. Jon Rahm (1-2-0) – Provided one of the biggest highlights of his short career with a singles win over Tiger Woods. Rahm ensured every single European player contributed at least a point with a famous 2 and 1 win. 

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JEJU ISLAND, South Korea (AP) — Justin Thomas was looking at a three-stroke lead at THE CJ CUP with one hole to play Saturday, which would have set him up nicely for his second win in three years at South Korea’s only PGA TOUR event. But the 18th hole saw a big swing in the scoring at the NINE BRIDGES course. South Korean-born New Zealander Danny Lee holed a long eagle putt to finish with a 68. Thomas, who won the inaugural CJ CUP in 2017, bogeyed the 18th for a 70 and he and Lee were tied with a three-round total of 15-under 201. Australian Cameron Smith was in third place, three strokes behind, after a 68. Jordan Spieth shot 70 and was in a three-way tie for fourth, four behind. Related: Leaderboard The biggest movers Saturday were last year’s runner-up Gary Woodland and first-year professional Collin Morikawa. Their 65s moved them into a tie for seventh place which included Ian Poulter (66) and Graeme McDowell (68). Defending CJ CUP champion Brooks Koepka withdrew from the tournament before the third round after aggravating a left knee injury a day earlier when he slipped on wet concrete. J.B. Holmes also withdrew after the first nine holes of his third round with an unknown ailment. Koepka, playing his second event since stem cell treatment on the knee Aug. 25, shot a 3-over 75 on Friday at NINE BRIDGES after opening with a 69. He was 13 strokes behind Thomas in the limited-field event with no cut. “After consulting with my doctor, I have decided to withdraw from the CJ CUP and head home for further tests,” Koepka said in a statement. “I appreciate everyone’s concerns and support. I’ll keep you posted as I learn more.” Koepka returned to Florida to meet with his doctors, leaving his status for the HSBC Champions in two weeks in China uncertain. He missed the cut two weeks ago in his season debut at Las Vegas. The CJ CUP is the first of three PGA TOUR events in Asia, continuing next week at The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in Japan — which will feature Tiger Woods — and ending with the World Golf Championships event in Shanghai.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. –  Staring his opponent face-to-face, especially in front of a hostile crowd, brings out Patrick Reed’s best. He’ll meet a foe from one of his most memorable performances on Masters Sunday. Reed will start the final round with a three-shot lead over Ryder Cup nemesis Rory McIlroy. Sunday’s setting will be much different than the context of international Cup competition in which Reed has excelled. The patrons of Augusta National are too polite to be partisan, of course, and Reed has ties to the home of the Masters after leading nearby Augusta State to consecutive NCAA titles. He may not have a rowdy crowd to fuel his fire on Sunday, but he’s facing an opponent much larger than a screaming mass of humanity. He’s playing against history. Reed stands between McIlroy and the Career Grand Slam. Two impressive rounds in Saturday’s soft conditions set up this final-round showdown. Reed shot 67, including two eagles on Augusta National’s famed par-5s, while McIlroy was two shots better after a bogey-free round. Reed insists that his focus will be on the golf course. Alister Mackenzie’s masterpiece is challenging enough, after all, but there’s no way to ignore the stakes when he steps to the first tee Sunday. “We’ll obviously still be feeling it,â€� McIlroy said. “It’s the last round of a major championship. Patrick is going for his first and I’m going for something else.â€� That “something elseâ€� may be the biggest achievement in professional golf. Using McIlroy’s quest for history as motivation could work to Reed’s advantage. He said Saturday evening that he’s trying to tap in to the energy and emotion that he exhibits in match play. This is the man who shushed the Scottish crowd at Gleneagles. He hurt Jordan Spieth’s hand with a violent high-five after holing out for eagle at Hazeltine. His singles match against McIlroy in 2016 may have been the peak of his match-play heroics. They played a four-hole stretch on Hazeltine’s front nine in 9 under par. McIlroy held his hand to his ear after making a long birdie putt on the par-3 eighth, imploring the American fans to increase the intensity of their cheers against him. Reed wagged his finger at McIlroy after making a birdie of his own on the same hole. He closed out the 1-up victory by hitting his approach shot to 6 feet on the final hole, setting off a celebration that whipped the crowd into a college-football frenzy. On Saturday, Reed and McIlroy combined for nine birdies and three eagles. McIlroy nailed a bump-and-run into the hole for eagle on the par-5 eighth, punching downward in excitement as he tied the lead. Playing in the group behind, Reed responded with three consecutive birdies on Nos. 8-10. “I was able to get into that (Ryder Cup) mode,â€� he said. That run set the stage for his dramatics on the second nine. Reed’s lead was down to two shots after his bogey at the 12th hole, but he responded with eagles on both 13 and 15. He pumped his fist furiously, showing the fire we’ve grown accustomed to in Cup competition, after chipping in on the par-5 15th. He was five shots ahead at the time, but his bogey at the par-3 16th and McIlroy’s birdie at 18 cut the advantage to three shots. “Patrick has a three-shot lead,â€� McIlroy said. “All the pressure is on him. He has that to sleep on that tonight.â€� A major is the next step in Reed’s progression. He already owns a World Golf Championship and a FedExCup Playoffs event among his five PGA TOUR victories. McIlroy knows how to win majors – he owns four of them – but now he has the extra weight of a historic accomplishment on his shoulders. Only five men have won all four of golf’s major championships. How important is the accomplishment? Tiger Woods called it “the ultimateâ€� after completing the Career Grand Slam at St. Andrews in 2000. Few know better than McIlroy that anything can happen on Masters Sunday. He may have finished in the top 10 in each of his past four trips to Augusta National, but this is the first time since 2011 that he’s had a realistic opportunity to win the Green Jacket. He started the final round with a four-shot lead, only to go down in flames with a final-round 80. The tee shot that he hooked near the cabins left of the 10th fairway was the start of a second-nine 43. It was McIlroy’s first chance to win a major, and the only 54-hole lead he’s lost in one of golf’s Grand Slam event. It’s easy to say that McIlroy would already own all four major championships if he’d closed it out here seven years ago, but he isn’t so sure. He called that loss “a turning point in my career.â€� “I feel like it made me a better player,â€� he said earlier this week. “I feel like it made me a better person.â€� Reed and McIlroy can’t ignore the rest of the leaderboard on Sunday, though. Rickie Fowler is in third place, two shots behind McIlroy and five behind Reed. Jon Rahm is another shot back. Both shot 65 on Saturday. But by the time they reach Amen Corner, it could be a mano-a-mano duel. That’s where Reed thrives. It’s a theme that dates back to his college days at Augusta State. He led the small school, which only competed at the Division I level in golf, to back-to-back NCAA titles. He went 6-0 in match play at those two NCAA Championships. His finest performance came against a hostile crowd. He beat Peter Uihlein, then the No. 1 amateur in the world, 8 and 7 in front of Uihlein’s home fans in Stillwater, Oklahoma.   “They are going to have a good time going at it,â€� Fowler said of the two men in the Masters’ final group. And we’ll enjoy watching it. This could be the classic Masters that we all anticipated.

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