McIlroy’s victory gives Europe a much-needed boost

RORY McIlroy’s stunning playoff victory in the US Tour Championship and subsequent Fed-Ex Cup win, will no doubt give the European team a huge confidence boost heading into this weekend’s Ryder Cup at Hazeltine.

Never before have a European team been given so little a chance against the Americans who are seeking just their third win in the last ten events.

For many years the Americans dominated this event when it was the USA versus Great Britain & Ireland, winning every match from 1959 onwards with the exception of 1969 (which was a tie) and so in a bid to make it more competitive, the “Powers that Be” decided to change the format in 1979 allowing players from the continent of Europe to compete.

However, the USA continued to dominate, winning that year and again in 1981 and 1983 until Europe’s famous victory at the Belfry.

Europe won again two years later and retained the cup in 1989 again at the Belfry with a tie in what will always be remembered for Christy O’Connor Junior’s famous shot against Fred Couples.

The Americans won the next two before Europe began a period of dominance that saw them win seven of the next nine matches, many of them by convincing margins.

However, this time around, both the Press and the Public seem to give the 2016 European team little chance next weekend.

Perhaps it’s the fact that half of the European team (six) are rookies (as opposed to just two on the American side) or maybe it’s just that the Americans seem to be dominating all the major events in the past two years to seem to sway public opinion in favour of the Americans but let’s just wait and see what unfolds.

Europe have had famous victories at Hazeltine before when in 1970 when Tony Jacklin became the first European winner of the US Open since 1926, while Scotland’s Ritchie Ramsay won the US Amateur there in 2006, so let’s hope that it’s a happy hunting ground for Europe next weekend.