Skipper Bjorn shoots down claims that US locker-room fallout gifted Cup to Europe
BY DALE RANKIN THOMAS BJORN is adamant Europe’s impressive performance – and not the divisions that have since emerged among the United States – was the key to their Ryder Cup success.
Europe’s captain oversaw a convincing 17.5-10.5 win in Paris, after which Patrick Reed has been critical of Jordan Spieth and Jim Furyk and there have been reports of a Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson fallout.
The US team featuring 11 of the world’s top 17 players had been the favourites to win in Europe for the first time in 25 years. But even amid the dysfunction they have gradually demonstrated they were confronted by a team that excelled. Bjorn has praised Europe’s team spirit and said: “Sometimes you’ve got to go with one team played better than another. Somebody’s going to win and somebody’s going to lose.
“This time it was our turn. I don’t want to put too much on if anything went wrong in their team room. I don’t believe in that. Obviously when you lose sometimes it can be hard and difficult to deal with, when you have expectations of yourself.
“From what I saw from the outside I thought Jim Furyk did a good job. It just didn’t work out for them but I would like to put it down to our 12 players just playing really well.”
Europe’s seventh success from the past nine Ryder Cups came amid home advantage, which they will not have in two years’ time in Wisconsin.
There had also been some European supporters booing the Americans on the first tee at Le Golf National but even with the benefits that come through being the hosts, Bjorn believes Europe can retain their trophy.
He said: “Home advantage is great. Obviously you get your fans. I don’t think there’s anything that says you can’t win away from home but it’s certainly tougher away from home.
“I don’t think me trying to stop them booing was going to stop those things and initially it was there. I heard a bit of it early on and it’s not something we particularly want or like but when you get a big sporting occasion these things happen.
“It’s fans being over-passionate about supporting their own team but for me it happened on the first tee and that was about it.”
Bjorn’s vice-captain Graeme McDowell believes the key to success came down to players treating each other as equals and “leaving their egos at the door”.
In the fallout from the loss of the trophy, Reed, the self-styled Captain America, was first to break rank by suggesting the reason why a team with six of the world’s top 10 in it – plus 14-time Major winner Tiger Woods and veteran Phil Mickelson – failed so badly was because there was no sense of equality.
Reed claimed Spieth, one of the USA’s best performers over the last three events, did not want to reprise his successful partnership with him and he was given no say in the matter.
McDowell said while the United States played up to their egos the opposite was true of a self-deprecating European team.
He said: “It was the difference between bringing your egos with you, which was apparently on the American locker-room wall – and I’m not sure what that means. It’s not how you build a team, right? You leave your egos at the door. You come together and you play together.
“My objective opinion this week was that’s what the guys are great at and they do it naturally.
“You don’t have to teach it – you can’t teach it – they just do it naturally. You can’t tell them how to do it, they just do it and are very good at it.”
Europe had their own stars and Major winners – Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and Francesco Molinari – but there was never any sense of entitlement or superiority.
McDowell said: “Just having an opinion on things, seeing the ways these guys come together is my big takeaway from the week.
“It is the adage of ‘Yeah, the Europeans have camaraderie blah, blah, blah’ but I’ve seen it with my own eyes this week.
“The golfing achievement level from Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy all the way down to the rookies, for example, it’s a real thing.
“But these guys, the top players, are able to embrace the young guys, bring them up to a level, partner with them and make them feel an equal to where they could perform with each other.” weeks are and you don’t know if you are going to get many more.
“So if this is my last I will have gone out on a real high note but I will be fighting hard to make the next team.”
In the unlikely event that Paris is to be Poulter’s last Ryder Cup appearance, his fancy dress celebration will live long in the memory.
The 42-year-old, who beat Dustin Johnson two up in the final-day singles, said of his postbox outfit: “Don’t worry, it’s already packed.
“It was one of the first things I put in the case. It’s a nice souvenir.
“It was pretty special being able to celebrate in front of that crowd. Especially when you think of the backdrop we had. “With 15, 16, the back of 18 where so many fans were gathered.”