For the first time in six years, Lee Westwood has lost a match at the Ryder Cup.
Boo Weekley and J.B. Holmes never trailed in a fourballs match Saturday afternoon and beat Westwood and Soren Hansen 2 and 1. That ended Westwood’s unbeaten streak at 12 matches, dating to a singles loss to Scott Verplank at The Belfry in 2002.
Westwood, who halved both his matches Friday, was 7-0-5 in the last three Ryder Cups.
He was tied with Arnold Palmer for most consecutive Ryder Cup matches without a loss. Palmer was 11-0-1 from 1965 to 1971.
The Englishman was only aware of the record on the flight to Valhalla, and even when it ended, he said it mattered little.
“It was more about winning points for the team than an individual record,” Westwood said. “The Ryder Cup is not about individuals. It’s about the team. While it’s nice to be tied with Arnold, it’s disappointing to have not won a point.”
Westwood had a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th to extend the match, but missed it left. It was the first time in six Ryder Cups that Westwood failed to win a match going into Sunday singles.