The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A short-memory aid
Dustin Johnson’s doggedness epitomizes what U.S. needs to end Ryder Cup futility.
CHASKA, MINN. — The American Ryder Cup team could use what might be Dustin Johnson’s greatest asset in golf. Not his power off the tee. His short memory. “Or no memory,” Johnson said with a smile.
Johnson managed to shake off one disappointment after another in the majors — the 82 at Pebble Beach, the bunker blunder at Whistling Straits, the 2-iron out of bounds at Royal St. George’s, the three-putt at Chambers Bay — until he won the U.S. Open this summer at Oakmont.
The Americans have accrued little more than scar tissue against Europe. That’s why U.S. captain Davis Love III has preached all week at Hazeltine National Golf Club that this team, which has
only two rookies, has never played together. That it’s time for a new start.
No need to bring up that Europe has won six of the past seven times, and eight of the past 10 dating to 1995. No need to stew over the last time the Ryder Cup was played at home and the Americans blew a 10-6 lead on the final day at Medinah in 2012, the most crushing loss in two decades filled with defeats.
“In golf, it’s one sport — and maybe being a defensive back in the NFL — you need to have a short memory,” Johnson said Thursday. “So we haven’t talked about Medinah at all. We’re looking forward to this week and these matches and this first session we have coming up tomorrow morning. No talk about Medinah.”
The 41st Ryder Cup gets started today with foursomes matches, and the opening match might set the tone: Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose and British Open champion Henrik Stenson against Americans Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed. Neither partnership has lost a Ryder Cup match.
The four morning matches will be followed by fourballs this afternoon.
The Americans have not lost the opening session since 2006, when Europe had the better team at home in Ireland and sailed to a ninepoint victory. It’s sustaining the momentum over three days that has been the problem.
Love acknowledged as much during a radio interview in which he referred to his squad as “the best golf team maybe ever assembled.” That conversation started over the Americans’ needing more swagger, and Love conceded that when matches turn in Europe’s favor, the Americans tend to play not to lose.
Even with Europe dominating, the pressure still falls to the Americans.
They created a Ryder Cup task force to develop a plan geared toward bringing out their best golf. They brought Love back as captain, giving him a chance at redemption for Medinah. They changed the way they built their team, waiting until Sunday to add the fourth and final captain’s pick in Ryan Moore.
Lee Westwood, playing in his 10th straight Ryder Cup for Europe, took that as a compliment.
“It’s very flattering to Team Europe that the USA have put this task force together and are trying to replicate what we’ve done,” he said. “It means we are successful and we are doing it right . ... Gives us a lot of confidence and puts added pressure on them. You form a task force and it doesn’t go right this week, where do you go from there? You’ve done pretty much all you can do.
“So we’ll see how that goes.”
Europe counters with six Ryder Cup rookies, one of them already feeling more heat than usual. Masters champion Danny Willett came under scrutiny when his brother wrote a column for a British outlet bashing the American fans. Willett met with Love to explain that those were his brother’s comments, not any feelings from the European players.
“Obviously, it put a bit of a downer on my first Ryder Cup,” Willett said after a Thursday morning practice. “Luckily, it’s not too bad with the fans. The fans have still been great.”