Sprint to the finish: Ryder Cup Sunday singles matches and predictions

The mission is clear for the United States: They must find a way to win 8½ points out of a possible 12 on Sunday to win the Ryder Cup. It’s a long road to the win, but let’s look at how the Americans might get there.

Match 17: Jordan Spieth (USA) vs. Graeme McDowell (EUR): Spieth has been excited all week, playing great golf alongside Patrick Reed. McDowell hasn’t played a single hole from start to finish off his own ball all week.

PREDICTED WINNER: Jordan Spieth (USA)

Match 18: Patrick Reed (USA) vs. Henrik Stenson (EUR): Stenson sat out the afternoon session on Saturday, citing a back injury. Even a healthy Stenson might struggle against Reed, who is always playing with something to prove.

PREDICTED WINNER: Patrick Reed (USA)

Match 19: Rickie Fowler (USA) vs. Rory McIlroy (EUR): Everyone gets the showdown they wanted on Sunday. It’s a two-time major winner this year against the only player in major championship history to finish in the top 5 in all four majors but not win one. McIlroy should pull this off, but Fowler will be game.

PREDICTED RESULT: Halve

Match 20: Hunter Mahan (USA) vs. Justin Rose (EUR): Justin Rose has been unbelievable in this Ryder Cup, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t speed past the struggling Mahan on Sunday.

PREDICTED WINNER: Justin Rose (EUR)

Match 21: Phil Mickelson (USA) vs. Stephen Gallacher (EUR): Gallacher has played in one match all week before getting sent to the bench. The crowd will be raucously on his side, but Phil Mickelson is raring to go after sitting out all of Saturday.

PREDICTED WINNER: Phil Mickelson (USA)

Match 22: Bubba Watson (USA) vs. Martin Kaymer (EUR): This one’s a bit of a toss up. Both won a major this year and both have been rather unimpressive this week. If Watson gets up early, he could pull this one off. If not, he may mope to a loss.

PREDICTED WINNER: Martin Kaymer (EUR)

Match 23: Matt Kuchar (USA) vs. Thomas Bjorn (EUR): Matt Kuchar has been off all week except for a nice stretch in a fun match against Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson on Saturday morning. Bjorn hasn’t been much help to his team, but he’s never lost a singles match and this is probably his Ryder Cup swan song as a player.

PREDICTED WINNER: Thomas Bjorn (EUR)

Match 24: Jim Furyk (USA) vs. Sergio Garcia (EUR): This marks the third time these two have played in a Ryder Cup singles match, splitting the ’99 and ’12 matches. Garcia is 2-4 all-time in singles matches, so this may be a momentum swing for the U.S.

PREDICTED WINNER: Jim Furyk (USA)

Match 25: Webb Simpson (USA) vs. Ian Poulter (EUR): Simpson hasn’t played in a day-and-a-half while Poulter seems to have found some semblance of his Ryder Cup self. This should end quickly, and hopefully it’s not the final nail in the U.S. coffin.

PREDICTED WINNER: Ian Poulter (EUR)

Match 26: Keegan Bradley (USA) vs. Jamie Donaldson (EUR): Keegan Bradley has to be annoyed he didn’t get to play on Saturday. With something to prove, Bradley will want to lead the charge if his match still matters.

PREDICTED WINNER: Keegan Bradley (USA)

Match 27: Jimmy Walker (USA) vs. Lee Westwood (EUR): Walker looked tired on Saturday afternoon and gets almost maximum rest before landing in the penultimate match against Westwood. Westwood is a great team player, but 3-5 all-time in singles matches.

PREDICTED RESULT: Halve

Match 28: Zach Johnson (USA) vs. Victor Dubuisson (EUR): McGinley shows his confidence in the young Frenchman by putting him out there as the last defense. Tom Watson has to be hoping Johnson will be inspired to pull out a winning point if the U.S. is still in it late in the day.

PREDICTED WINNER: Victor Dubuisson (EUR)

The U.S. and Europe will split the singles session, with Europe winning their third Ryder Cup in a row, this time by a 16-12 count.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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