FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Keegan Bradley stood in front of the par-3 17th green, alone and isolated with his thoughts as Sam Burns and Robert MacIntyre studied the green behind him, readying their birdie putts in what was still a tied match.

Bradley’s gaze didn’t break, his eyes trained firmly on a leaderboard some 200 yards down the hill. European fans broke into song around him, finally letting their voices dominate the atmosphere that had drowned them out after a raucous three days at Bethpage Black.

Bradley couldn’t be bothered, standing stunned and silent. The world around him didn’t register. There was too much to wonder about – too much to revel in or second-guess, and a hell of a lot to take in. And while Bradley’s exact thoughts are unknown, they likely went something like this: How did that comeback fall short after looking so promising for so much longer than anyone believed? And how did we survive this long to begin with?

Sunday was a day in which the improbable almost happened. A day that suspended belief for more than a few fleeting moments. Every Ryder Cup, no matter the score, there’s always a moment during Singles when the trailing team finds a glimmer of hope on the scoreboard and wonders, ‘what if?’ It’s the Ryder Cup’s Golden Hour.

The U.S. hardly expected to get a few minutes soaking in that hopeful sunlight, facing a record seven-point deficit after a historically poor first two days at the Ryder Cup. Instead, somehow, they spent the better part of three hours basking in the glow of what was nearly the greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history. A comeback that will ultimately get lost in history because they fell just short.

The U.S. lost the Ryder Cup 15-13, becoming the first home team to lose the event since their collapse at Medinah 13 years ago. They very nearly completed a comeback that would have blown that miracle out of the water. Trailing 11.5-4.5 to begin the day, the U.S. tied the best Singles performance in Ryder Cup history, earning 8.5 of the 12 available points to charge back into contention. No team had ever come back to win from a deficit greater than four points, yet the U.S. made up five points on the final day.

It was a performance that saved the embarrassment that appeared to be coming, in which the U.S. Team not only lost on home soil but got their doors blown off by a team that was better in every facet: on the course and in the captain’s room. A loss of that magnitude would have brought about difficult questions without concrete answers about Bradley, the American players, and the infrastructure that surrounds the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Those questions persist, but Sunday’s performance took a bit of the bite out. The end result was the same, but it felt a heck of a lot better than the reality that stared them in the face a few hours earlier.

“They showed the world today that, really, anything is possible. That was a coin flip there for a second,” U.S. Captain Bradley said. “Never more proud of anything in my life.”

The wave began with Cameron Young, the U.S.’s top points earner alongside Xander Schauffele. Young led for the first 15 holes on Sunday before Justin Rose finally drew even after three birdies in a four-hole stretch. Needing only two points to begin the day (Viktor Hovland’s withdrawal secured Europe half a point before any Singles match started), anything earned from Rose would be fatal, especially considering the command Young had over the match for much of the day. The two remained tied until the 18th, when Young poured in a 12-foot birdie to win 1-up.

Just after him, Justin Thomas did the same, unleashing a hellacious roar as he poured in a birdie at the 18th to win 1-up. Bryson DeChambeau halved the third match with Matt Fitzpatrick, coming from 5 down to level it with a birdie at the 17th and then securing a half-point at the last hole that seemed out of reach for much of the day. When Scottie Scheffler held off Rory McIlroy on the 18th to win, 1-up, and Xander Schauffele dispatched of Jon Rahm, 4 and 3, essentially taking Europe’s two biggest threats off the board, suddenly the unthinkable felt attainable.

It was in that moment that every hope of what the Ryder Cup could be at Bethpage Black, “The People’s Country Club,” just a short train or drive from the cultural mecca of the United States, finally came to fruition. With Europe’s dominant performance through two days, that atmosphere was missing. It turned ugly on Saturday as that passion fed into an unruly atmosphere. But as the U.S. climbed out of an inconceivable hole, the scene became a blissful, palpable celebration.

“Everything kept happening and happening and happening,” Thomas said. “... it was so cool to be part of.”

Ludvig Åberg’s 2-and-1 victory over Patrick Cantlay dampened the mood, but a sea of red littered the board below that lone blue icon. Moments later, J.J. Spaun closed out Sepp Straka, 2 and 1, and Ben Griffin and Sam Burns nudged in front in their matches. The score was now 13.5-9.5, and the U.S. tied or led in all four of the remaining matches.

Yet what almost always happens in these moments happened, as one chink in the firewall made the whole thing collapse. Russell Henley, 2-up through 14 holes on Lowry, lost the 15th hole, then left a 10-foot birdie putt short that would have put Lowry away on the 17th. Then Henley did it again, leaving another 10-foot birdie in the jaws of the hole. That opened the door for Lowry, who burst through it with a 6-foot birdie to tie the match and secure the 14th point to retain the Ryder Cup. Soon after, Tyrrell Hatton clinched the win with a tie against Collin Morikawa, and Robert MacIntyre added another half-point in a draw with Sam Burns.

“The Europeans won one match today. You think about the odds of something like that happening, just on a coin flip would be incredible,” said Bradley. “But when you go out in sports and you're battling your butt off to win, it just shows you just how proud these guys are and how much they want this and how much this means to them.”

This Ryder Cup will be deemed a failure for the Americans anyway. As will Bradley’s captaincy. No home loss is remembered as anything else. Sunday’s performance only made Friday and Saturday all the more maddening, proof that this week could have been so much more for the Americans.

Alas, at least they gave us all that moment in the light.