Playing at home won’t be enough for U.S. to beat Europe at Ryder Cup | Golf Insider
The United States team needs to be careful this weekend at Bethpage Black.
The Americans are known to dominate the Ryder Cup when it is played on their home turf. Europe has won twice, which is two more than the U.S. in Europe, since 2000. One of those wins required a big Sunday comeback in 2012 at Medinah, while the other required Hal Sutton being the captain and pairing Tiger Woods with Phil Mickelson in 2004 for some reason.
There has been plenty of speculation on the Americans getting back on the winning track with the help of the New York fans. But this year feels different; the United States needs more than home soil to beat this European team, which is almost identical to the one that blasted the Americans in 2023 in Rome.
“One of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now is winning an away Ryder Cup,” Rory McIlroy said after winning in 2023.
The last road team to win a Ryder Cup was Europe in 2012 at Medinah. The Europeans were down 10-6 going into Sunday, which was the exact deficit the U.S. faced in their Brookline comeback, before winning eight singles matches and tying one to shock the Americans.
McIlroy, despite being one of the most popular golfers in the world, will be the No. 1 villain for the U.S. crowd. He was part of that 2012 squad and beat the man who is this year’s U.S. captain, Keegan Bradley, 2-and-1 that Sunday. That was the last U.S. team Bradley played on, even though he was in contention in 2023 and this year as a playing captain.
“I think about that Sunday almost every day,” Bradley said back in 2020. “I think most of the guys probably do. I just remember how bummed out I felt. It was a tough deal.”
Fast forward 13 years, and Bradley is the U.S. captain while McIlroy is still the best player on the European squad having won several times this year, including completing the career Grand Slam at The Masters.
“If the visiting team is ever going to be competitive, it’s this European team,” said Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan, who is a Ryder Cup historian.
I will take this even a step further. This European team can not only be competitive but can also win on American soil. Returning captain Luke Donald has 11 of the same golfers from Rome. This is nothing like the European team that got routed at Whistling Straits in 2021. This team is strong top to bottom and has Ryder Cup experience.
The best player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, leads the Americans. They also have plenty of experience with Xander Schauffle, Patrick Cantlay, and Colin Morikawa as well as the unpredictability of Bryson DeChambeau.
There is also some inexperience on the U.S. team in rookies Russell Henley, J.J. Spaun, Cameron Young and Ben Griffin.
All of these factors add up to the first close Ryder Cup since 2012.
The Europeans, who are betting underdogs, will pull off the upset and win 15-13 at Bethpage.
There will be plenty of second-guessing of Bradley’s captaincy, and the PGA of America will put all its eggs in one basket to land Tiger Woods as the captain in 2027.
My Top 3 Ryder Cup memories
- 1999 at Brookline Country Club: My passion for golf really started when Tiger Woods won The Masters in 1997, but the Ryder Cup in 1999, and the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, are up there in excitement. With Europe leading 10-6 going into Sunday, it looked like the U.S. was set to lose at home. Justin Leonard’s 45-foot birdie putt to win and the Americans winning the first six matches will always be overshadowed by the premature celebration of the United States. But the golf on that Sunday should always be remembered.
- 2010 at Celtic Manor Resort: Although it wasn’t a U.S. win, the Ryder Cup was a thrilling and interesting event. The weather was the main story as the event was played in October in Wales, where it likes to rain all the time. Matches were delayed and the format was switched up, but the biggest story was the rain suits of the Americans not keeping them dry due to some alterations done by captain Corey Pavin’s wife, Lisa. It was so bad that the Americans had to buy rain gear from the pro shop. As for the golf, it was close with Europe winning 14 1/2-13 1/2 and came down to the last match with Hunter Mahan chunking a chip to lose to Graeme McDowell.
- 2016 at Hazeltine: This is memorable for one reason, and that is the singles match between Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed. The United States, which needed a win after the debacle in 2014, won in a rout, but the emotion in this match was through the roof. Both players played unreal golf, Reed did a Dikembe Mutombo finger-wag, McIlroy shushed the crowd, and after a tense stretch of golf, they fist-bumped each other as a sign of respect. Reed won 1-up.
Honorable mention: 2012 at Medinah and 2014 at Gleneagles: These two Ryder Cups were back-to-back and not fun for anyone rooting for the United States. In 2012, the Europeans paid back the Americans for Brookline with a big Sunday comeback, while 2014 is known for a Tom Watson captaincy that shook the American team.
CU women’s golf wins Ram Classic
The Buffs dealt with tough conditions on their way to winning the Ram Classic at Ptarmigan Country Club in Fort Collins.
Colorado shot 12-under-par at the event that was shortened to 36 holes after Tuesday’s scheduled third round was called off due to heavy rains that began overnight Monday.
Despite the weather, the second round was completed Tuesday morning. The tournament started the third round, but about an hour in, play was suspended again, and then called off for good.
Colorado claimed its first team title since the Coeur D’Alene Collegiate in September 2017.
Junior Maya McVey was Colorado’s top golfer, tying for fourth overall at 4-under.
Skins game
Odds to win Ryder Cup
United States -155
Europe +170
Tie +1000
This week in golf
RYDER CUP
Site: Farmingdale, N.Y.
Course: Bethpage State Park (Black). Yardage: 7,352. Par: 70.
Prize money: None.
Television: Friday, 5 a.m.-4 p.m. (USA Network); Saturday, 5 a.m.-4 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (NBC).
Defending champion: Europe.
Captains: Luke Donald (Europe) and Keegan Bradley (U.S.).
Last time: Europe swept the opening session at Marco Simone in Italy and the Americans never caught up. Europe had a five-point lead going into Sunday singles and Tommy Fleetwood clinched it for a 16½-11½ victory.
