HAVEN, WIS. – A chunk of Europe's Ryder Cup history, 40-something Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are part of their program's glorious past.

They are also winless through two days of the 43rd Ryder Cup for a European team that trails the Americans 11-5 entering Sunday's singles matches.

Europe's best and world No. 1 ranked Jon Rahm is its future. He showed Saturday with his ball-striking and a putting exhibition that tried — but couldn't — carry his teammates with him.

He was 5-under par in a Saturday afternoon match that ended on the 17th green for one of only five points his team has earned so far. Rahm has earned 3½ of them.

"This afternoon he was unbelievable," playing partner Sergio Garcia said. "I was No. 1 spectator watching a great guy do great thing after great thing after great thing. It was awesome to be part of. I was so happy. I was just trying to keep him up and make sure he's heading in the right direction."

Afterward, he was asked if he had to put his putter in an ice bucket.

"Believe it or not, this hasn't been my best week tee-to-green, but it's one of my best weeks on the greens," Rahm said. "I think my putt on 10 was pretty much the first one I missed this week so far. I've been making every putt that I need to and then some."

Where's Rory?

His team's emotional leader, Rory McIlroy hasn't won a point so far and didn't play a Ryder Cup session Saturday morning for the first time since he first played in a Ryder Cup in 2010.

He will go out first for Europe on Sunday in a singles match against Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele.

Ranked 15th in the world, McIlroy played three matches these first two days and never reached the 15th hole. He lost those three matches 5-and-3 and twice 4-and-3 for the European team. Only Rahm, Garcia and 2019 British Open champion Shane Lowry has won a match so far.

"Obviously disappointing," McIlroy said after he and Poulter lost 4-and-3 to Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa on Saturday afternoon. "Disappointing not to contribute a point for the team yet. So, hopefully, just go out tomorrow and try my best to get a point. Hopefully, we can rally and at last give them something to maybe sweat about tomorrow."

To concede or not to…

In golf, the closest they come to vulgar gestures is what American Justin Thomas did in Saturday's morning matches and Europe's Shane Lowry and the United States' Bryson DeChambeau followed up on in the afternoon: Thomas and Lowry each held out their putter toward the hole to measure a club's length after their opponents didn't concede a short putt.

DeChambeau did them one better when he laid his putter down against cup's edge after he putted a short one that wasn't conceded.

"I think I understand their point of view," DeChambeau said. "Sometimes really early on in the match it's like they're trying to see how your putting is. I understand that. But, for me, it was 2 ½ feet. It was nothing. It was straight up the hill. It was one of those things I felt probably should have been given just as a courtesy."

Blowing in the wind

A change of wind in both direction and strength left DeChambeau 228 yards Saturday afternoon from where Friday's 417-yard drive landed on the par-5 sixth hole. He took his drive right over thousands of fans and the hole's double-dogleg and eagled it with a three-foot putt on Friday.

He still made a birdie Saturday after he hit his third shot out of a juniper bush and made a clutch putt.

Etc.

  • All six U.S. rookies won a match the first two days. That's the most on one U.S. team since 2008, when the Americans won the Cup in Louisville. Four of those rookies have unbeaten records: Morikawa 3-0-0, Schauffele 3-0-0, Patrick Cantlay (2-0-1) and Scottie Scheffler (1-0-1).
  • On Friday, Jordan Spieth nearly ran himself into Lake Michigan after he played an extraordinary shot from a drop-off left of the 17th green. On Saturday, Tyrrell Hatton fell trying to reach his ball after he hit it left of the fourth green and slid on his behind until he could stand and regain his balance down near the lake.