Americans take afternoon session to cut European lead to 5 at Ryder Cup

It's still a massive lead for the Europeans, but Team USA can carry a glimmer of hope to Sunday's Ryder Cup singles session thanks to a strong close on Saturday.

Patrick Cantlay birdied the final three holes on his own ball to flip the final point of the day from blue to red and deliver a 3-1 victory in the afternoon. That cut the Europe lead to 10.5-5.5 with the 12 singles matches yet to be played at Marco Simone.

If the Americans are going to storm back and retain the cup, it would set a new record for the biggest Sunday charge in the history of the event. A team has held a five-point edge heading to singles five separate times in the Ryder Cup, delivering a victory each time. A four-point comeback on Sunday is the largest deficit overcome, with the Europeans accomplishing that last in 2012 at Medinah.

Afternoon 4-ball session

Burns/Morikawa 4 and 3 over Hovland/Aberg

Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa were arguably the weakest American players on Day 1 of the Ryder Cup, but the pair turned things around on Saturday afternoon in four-ball. The duo won four of the first six holes and raced out to a 4-up lead. Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg were coming off a record-setting 9-and-7 victory in the morning but couldn't maintain their torrid pace in the afternoon. The Scandinavians actually fell behind 6-down at one point before eventually losing the match 4 and 3.

Homa/Harman 2 and 1 over Fleetwood/Hojgaard

After winning the first American point of the event in the morning, Max Homa and Brian Harman supplied another one in a thrilling match against Tommy Fleetwood and Nicolai Hojgaard. Homa was a man on fire the entire round, with six birdies and an eagle on his own ball. Perhaps his best moment was an outrageous pitch from the thick rough that saved par on No. 15.

Fleetwood followed that up by holing out for eagle from off the green on No. 16, but the Americans closed things out on the next hole. Homa has now supplied 2.5 points of the total 4.5 won by the visitors.

Rose/MacIntyre 3 and 2 over Spieth/Thomas

The oldest player at the Ryder Cup delivered yet again on Saturday afternoon as Justin Rose secured a full point alongside Robert MacIntyre over Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. The Europeans were actually 1-down heading to the ninth hole before the Europeans blitzed their opponents with four wins in a six-hole stretch to turn the match on its head. Rose once again carried the squad, but MacIntyre supplied a couple of big moments down the stretch with clutch putts on 13 and 15. The most puzzling moment of the match came on the 16th tee when U.S. captain Zach Johnson told Spieth to switch from driver to 3-wood off the tee. Spieth promptly hit his drive into the water as the Americans lost the hole. Thomas and Spieth - once thought of as one of America's most dominant teams - finish the team portion of this Ryder Cup with an 0-2-1 record.

Clark/Cantlay 1-up over McIlroy/Fitzpatrick

The final match of the afternoon was also the only one to need the 18th hole as the decider. Neither side held more than a 1-up lead with 13 holes tied throughout the round. Cantlay's clutch birdie on the 17th leveled the teams and set up a dramatic showdown on the final hole. He wasn't done there, either, pouring in a deep 43-foot birdie on the closing hole to flip the match over from a potential loss into a much-needed win.

Morning foursomes session

McIlroy/Fleetwood 2 and 1 over Spieth/Thomas

Rory McIlroy continued his perfect Ryder Cup thus far with a second win alongside Fleetwood to improve his record to 3-0. After the Europeans took the opening three holes, the match with Thomas and Spieth evolved into a back-and-forth affair, with only three holes in 17 failing to produce a winner. McIlroy's hot putter down the stretch helped deliver the victory as the four-time major winner poured in a 25-footer on No. 15 and a match-sealing 12-footer on No. 17. It's the first time in McIlroy's illustrious Ryder Cup career that he's started the event 3-0. The foursomes victory also puts Fleetwood in special company as he remains unbeaten in the format.

Hovland/Aberg 9 and 7 over Scheffler/Koepka

The most shocking result of the day - and potentially in the history of the Ryder Cup - came in the second match of the day. Hovland and Aberg absolutely pounded World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka 9 and 7 to deliver the most lopsided match victory ever in the event. Not only did the match not make it to the 12th hole, but it was done in just over two hours. Hovland and Aberg were red-hot from the start, with wins on the opening four holes. The Scandinavian duo finished an absurd 6-under through the 11 holes, while the Americans ballooned to a 7-over score.

Homa/Harman 4 and 2 over Lowry/Straka

It only took 11 matches, but the Americans finally delivered a win thanks to Homa and Harman. The pair of rookies used an electric start to the back nine to separate from Sepp Straka and Shane Lowry. Heading to No. 10 tied, Homa and Harman went birdie, birdie, eagle to open a 3-up advantage. Team USA clinched the point in style, with Homa chipping in for eagle after Harman drove it just over the par-4 16th green. The final tally was a remarkable 7-under alternate-shot score in seven holes on the back nine.

Rahm/Hatton 2 and 1 over Cantlay/Schauffele

The anchor match looked over, with Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton sitting 3-up heading to No. 12, but Cantlay and Xander Schauffele had other ideas. The American duo ripped off three straight hole wins to level the match and set the stage for a dramatic finish. A short birdie miss by Schauffele on No. 16 gave the Europeans a 1-up lead before Rahm once again delivered in the clutch. The Spaniard nearly aced the par-3 17th for the second day in a row to deliver yet another full point for the Europeans.