Course experience will put Euros over the top
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – History is on their side. The course is a perfect match. More than
50,000 strong will be cheering their every move. The Europeans will win the Ryder Cup.
Again.
While Team USA is 26-13-2, eight European wins have come in the last
11 matches. Not since 1993 has a U.S. team won a Ryder Cup in Europe. On paper this is the strongest U.S. squad since the early ’80s. It should win against a European squad saddled with five rookies and silly proclamations by the likes of Colin Montgomerie about this being the greatest team Europe has put together.
But this is a very good group of Euros who have extensive experience at Le Golf National, a key element to prior European wins. Meanwhile, Team USA has almost no ties to the course, with only Justin Thomas playing this year’s French Open and Bubba Watson missing the cut here in 2011 after insulting the region and fans.
While this is no Old Course at St Andrews in the intricacy department, playing an annual European Tour event here allows Europe to lean on fond memories of the place. There is also the intimacy of the closing holes, where the 15th, 16th and 18th greens sit in close proximity, forming an arena setting for match play that outmatches any TPC stadium course.
Furthermore, two expected European stalwarts, Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Noren, have won the last two French Opens at Le Golf National, a water-infested U.S.-style design lined with hack-out rough off the fairways. They are sensational ball-strikers who rely more on precision than power, though they can unleash 320yard drives any time.
The biggest question mark for Europe? How will Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm respond to a fairway setup reminiscent of the ’90s when the U.S. would grow high rough to thwart Europe’s long but less accurate teams. McIlroy and Rahm derive so much of that mojo we’ll be hearing NBC’s Johnny Miller talking about it from their ability to overpower a design. Rahm especially likes the course and should be fine if he can control his temper. But McIlroy loses something playing cautious golf.
Still, with Sergio Garcia playing well last weekend in Portugal and two incredible match-play artists in Ian Poulter and Paul Casey back on the squad, Europe is positioned to win what will be a spectacle and an all-time great Ryder Cup in a 14 1⁄2 13 1⁄2 nail-biter decided by a last-match halve between Francesco Molinari and Tiger Woods. Oui merci!