Here’s why USA will win the Ryder Cup
Why we think the Americans will end their 25-year winless streak in Europe
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – History is not on their side. The course isn’t the best match. More than 50,000 strong will be against them.
But the Americans will win the Ryder Cup to retain possession of the 17-inch, 4-pound golf trophy at Le Golf National. The victory — let’s say by a 15 1⁄2- 12 1⁄ 2 margin — will end the red, white and blue’s misery across the pond, a 25-year win- less stretch on foreign soil, with losses in 1997, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 forming a painful sequence.
It’s a daunting task, seeing as the Euros are familiar with the golf course as the French Open is held here on an annual basis. And the European team controls the setup of the course, which
is evident when you see the tight fairways, thick rough, tricky pin placements and greens running a tad on the slow side.
Europe also is a team loaded with talent, with four of the top-10 players in the world, led by FedExCup champion Justin Rose, who has won four times this season. The team’s lowest ranked player is Thorbjorn Olesen at No. 44. All but two players have won this season, and those two are Ryder Cup veterans Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson.
And Europe has Rory McIlroy. But the U.S. has superior firepower, which will overcome any disadvantage. Many believe the team’s biggest question mark is Jordan Spieth, since he hasn’t won this season and was the only player from the U.S. not to make it to last weekend’s Tour Championship. Well, if Spieth is a question mark, he’s the best question mark going, a three-time major champ who made a run at the Masters, was in the final group at the British Open, loves greens on the slow side and has been a success in the Ryder Cup.
The two other Americans who haven’t won this season are Rickie Fowler and Tony Finau, which speaks to the USA’s deep talent.
Now let’s get to the exclamation points, starting with Tiger Woods, who won the Tour Championship for his first win in five years. Playing in the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2012, he remains one of the best ballstrikers in the world and an inspiration to his teammates.
There’s also Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Bubba Watson and Bryson DeChambeau, all of whom have won three tournaments around the world this season.
Koepka won the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, and Patrick Reed is the reigning Masters titleholder.
In all, nine members of the U.S. have won majors compared to five on the European side. One of those nine is Phil Mickelson, the second-best player of his generation who is playing in his 12th Ryder Cup. And the remaining U.S. player is Webb Simpson, who won the 2018 Players Championship.
The team is stacked, the team is tight with one another, the team is ready to win on foreign soil. Come Sunday, the U.S. team will do just that.