Ryder Cup rookies will face new pressure
USA will have 3 and Europe 5 this week in Paris
They are hardly rookies when it comes to professional golf.
They have won tournaments the globe over. They have played in major championships, in World Golf Championships, in other big tournaments around the world. They have played in front of massive crowds; they have played when the pressure is ratcheted up.
But the Ryder Cup is a different ani- mal, where the atmosphere makes hearts race and grown men quiver playing for flag and team, where bad shots by the opposing team are cheered and good shots receive a golf clap. One-third of the 24 players starting Friday when the matches commence will find out what all the fuss is about, and a special spotlight will follow them in the 42nd biennial tussle between the U.S. and Europe at Le Golf National in Paris.
How the eight rookies — Justin
Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau for the Americans, and Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Jon Rahm, Alex Noren and Thorbjorn Olesen for the Europeans — cope with the weight of the Ryder Cup will go a long way in determining who claims possession of the gold, 4-pound trophy that stands just 17 inches tall.
Thomas is an elite player who is ranked No. 3 in the world and has three victories this season after winning five events, including the PGA Championship, last season. He was 3-1-1 in the 2017 Presidents Cup. Still, he doesn’t know what will happen to him this week.
“I know how crazy it is,” said Thomas, who’s been to the Ryder Cup three times as a spectator, in 2004, 2008 and in 2010 at Celtic Manor in Wales, where he played in the junior Ryder Cup. “I am definitely going to rely on some of the veterans and other guys who have played if I’m uncomfortable. I’m excited to play my first Ryder Cup. I kind of know what it’s going to be like, but it’s going to be different inside the ropes.”
Paul Azinger, who was 3-1-0 in his Ryder Cup debut in 1989, played in the competition four times and captained the U.S. to victory in 2008, downplays the worries about rookies.
“Sure, there’s nothing like the Ryder Cup, and no one knows how the rookies will do,” Azinger said. “But to me, you’re playing well enough to be on the Ryder Cup team, it doesn’t matter if you’re a rookie. We had six at Valhalla and we won by 5 points in 2008 and the rookies played great. You know why? Because they were playing well coming into the Ryder Cup.
“I think it’s a non-factor.”
But it was for Europe in 2016 at Hazeltine in Minnesota. Europe had six rookies who combined to win just 7.5 points as the U.S. crushed Europe by 5.
“It depends who the rookies are,” said Justin Rose, who will be playing in his fifth Ryder Cup and was 3-1-0 in his debut in 2008. “I think maybe our rookies last time around, playing away was a big deal. Guys that were pretty much European Tour players, and then coming to play in that type of atmosphere and arena, I think that was a big jump.
“I think maybe our rookies this year are maybe a little more experienced and they’ve been up there in some huge events. We have guys who know how to get it done, guys who are going to be comfortable playing in Europe, and I think that’s a big advantage for our rookies this time around over the six rookies we had last time around.” Fleetwood agreed.
“I do feel like a rookie, but at the same time, look at the likes of our rook- ies and their rookies,” he said. “And while we’re not familiar with the Ryder Cup, we’ve all played on big stages.
“Then you look at our four picks — Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter. To be able to pick those four guys is massive. We have players with a massive Ryder Cup aura about them in the locker room and on the golf course, and that will be massive for the rookies.”
Garcia said he’ll do whatever he can to get the five European newbies in a comfortable state.
“That will be one of my duties,” said Garcia, who was the youngest player in Ryder Cup history when he made his debut in 1999 at 19. He went 3-1-1 that year and has played in the Ryder Cup seven other times. “You have to be as comfortable as you can be in the Ryder Cup and I have to help them in that sense.”
U.S. captain Jim Furyk didn’t hesitate when he selected DeChambeau and Finau with two of his four discretionary picks.
“Rookies provide a spark,” said Furyk, who played in the Ryder Cup nine times. “I loved having the rookies on the team, seeing the fire in their eyes, seeing the spark they provided to the team. We wanted the best 12 players on our team and the best 12 who will help us be successful. And that can come from both veterans and rookies as well.”
Since 1979, the initial year players from continental Europe took part in the Ryder Cup, 71 rookies have played for Europe and 80 for the U.S. The results have been mixed, as Europe’s first-timers have a 75-107-38 record, while the U.S. newbies have gone 112-118-41.
This year’s rookies have stellar resumes heading into their Ryder Cup debut. Thomas has eight victories the past two seasons, DeChambeau is No. 8 in the world and has three wins this year, and Finau, while winless, has 11 top-10s and is ranked No. 16 in the world.
“Yeah, Justin Thomas is a rookie, but come on,” said Patrick Reed, who was 30-1 in his 2014 debut and 6-1-2 overall in the past two editions of the Ryder Cup. “He’s a major winner, won the FedExCup, has a bunch of wins. He’ll be fine. Bryson has three wins this year. He’ll be fine. Finau is a birdie machine. He’ll be fine. And their rookies are very good.
“It will be fun to see what they do.”