Ryder Cup debacle: Europe’s golfers go down against the USA

Ryder Cup debacle
Europe’s golfers go under against the USA

The Ryder Cup is a prestigious event: the best golfers in Europe and the USA fight as a team for the title for their continent. It’s always emotional, often exciting too. This year, however, it is clear from the start. And it will be bitter for the defending champion.

The only 24-year-old Collin Morikawa made the triumph for the favored US team at the 43rd Ryder Cup perfect on the 18th green of the Whistling Straits Golf Course. To the deafening cheers of around 40,000 fans, the Americans recaptured the golden trophy from the defending champions from Europe in the prestigious continental comparison on Sunday. With Morikawa’s draw against the Norwegian Viktor Hovland, the challengers took an unassailable lead with 14.5 points before the end of all twelve individual matches.

The favorite US selection of Captain Steve Stricker started on the final day with a clear 11: 5 lead in the final singles on the spectacular golf course on the shores of Lake Michigan in the US state of Wisconsin. With the success, the Americans improved their record in the most important team competition in golf to 27 wins, 14 losses and two draws. The dominance of the young US stars in front of the home audience was overwhelming. The Americans, who on average were much better placed in the world rankings, left the defending champions from Europe hardly a chance on all three days. In the end, the individual class of the US stars won against the much-invoked team spirit of the Europeans.

Lone fighters get together

However, there was also something like team spirit to be felt in the otherwise mostly focused lone fighters from the USA. The stars pulled themselves together and fully concentrated on winning the Ryder Cup. The best example of this was that muscle man Bryson DeChambeau and four-time major winner Brooks Koepka put their personal feud on hold for the Ryder Cup week and put all their skills at the service of the team.

The Europeans were denied the much-needed “miracle of Whistling Straits” on the day of the final. The deficit of Captain Padraig Harrington’s team after the first two days was just too big. The players around the world number one Jon Rahm from the twelve Eintel matches would have needed nine points to defend the title from Paris three years ago.

After this bitter defeat, the Europeans will now have to think about how they want to position their team for the future. It is questionable whether the three English veterans Lee Westwood (48 years old), Ian Poulter (45) and Paul Casey (44) will still be part of the 44th Ryder Cup in Rome in two years’ time. Another European veteran made positive headlines on the Whistling Straits Golf Course. The 41-year-old Spaniard Sergio Garcia celebrated his 25th match win on Saturday afternoon in his tenth Ryder Cup participation. No other player has won more victories in the history of the competition.

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