He missed it partly due to poor positioning leaving him too straight in on the 6-ball, forcing him to hit that shot much harder than he'd like, and he just didn't hit it hard enough to get the cue ball back off the side rail to the middle of the table which would have left him a much more manageable shot on the 7-ball. Yes, on these big pockets he still should have made the cut shot, but he undercut it badly. It ended up being the difference in the match.
Yeah, you only had to watch a couple shots the Euro team missed badly in the first match but the balls still went in, to know that is the case. However, Sky's miss on the cut shot that likely cost us winning that first match was undercut so badly that even the loose pockets didn't save him. I'm sure his final thought before that shot was "just don't overcut it as it will likely go in off the side rail if I undercut it". He just undercut it way too much even the buckets couldn't save him. After that, mentally he had no chance having to step right back in the box the next match. Shane looks awesome so far - that final match shutting out Shaw was a huge boost for the US team to end the session with a lead.
