GOLF AMERICA’S
think the most important thing for the US team is a lot of young guys that are great players have bought into the Ryder Cup.
“I think that was probably missing in previous generations.”
The USA have not won or retained the Ryder Cup in Europe since 1993.
But three-time Major winner Spieth, who lost in Gleneagles and Paris, said: “This is unfinished business.
“This was one of those first wins. We needed to win this one and it was a massive stepping stone for this team and the group.
“It’s one thing to win it over here and it is a lot easier to do so and it is harder to win over there.
“If we play like we did this week, the score will look the same over there in a couple years, and that’s what we’re here for.”
Best
Ian Poulter claimed an American team with eight players in the world’s top 10 was the best he had ever faced.
US teams have had better rankings than the Europeans before but not the same unity or focus.
But FedEx Cup winner Patrick Cantlay revealed he urged his teammates on Saturday night to rack up 20 points to “send a message” for the future.
“I was trying to tell the guys — this is going to be the next era of Ryder Cup teams for the US side.”
Cantlay was one of six rookies on the team who contributed a combined 14 points.
Dustin Johnson, the team’s oldest player at age 37 who went 5- 0, said: “It didn’t feel like they were rookies just because they have all played well in such big moments and big tournaments.”
WHEN Europe’s players won in 2018 they enjoyed some fun at the expense of an American journalist who had predicted a US victory would precede a decade of “blowouts”.
But after their record defeat at the hands of a new generation of American stars at Whistling Straits, it will be no laughing matter if it turns out the prediction had been just slightly premature.
FedEx Cup winner Patrick Cantlay was one of six rookies on the victorious US side but, with his side 11-5 ahead going into Sunday’s 12 si ngles matches, had been urging his teammates to reach 20 points “to send a message” to their opponents.
Three-time Major winner Jordan Spieth also boldly claimed that the likes of Cantlay, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler and Daniel Berger — who are all in their 20s — could even buck the trend of home winners and repeat the same 19- 9 scoreline at Marco Simone Golf Club in Italy in 2023.
Record
Whistling Straits proved one too many for the likes of 48- year- old Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter (45) and Paul Casey (44).
Sergio Garcia (41) did win three points al ongside World No.1 Jon Rahm, although it will be a tall order for the pair to live up to their billing of the new ‘Spanish Armada’ and emulate the 11-2-2 record of Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal.
Rory McIlroy, who had been the first to call out the American journalist in that post- event press conference in Paris, said: “I said at the start of the week, it seems the way the Ryder Cup is going the home team certainly has an advantage every time that we play this thing.
“That was apparent in Paris a couple years ago. I think it was pretty apparent this week, as well. You go back to Hazeltine, same sort of thing. This is the pattern that we are on.
“But obviously the US team, there’s phenomenal talent on that team. A lot of young guys, and I think the most important thing for the US team is a lot of young guys that are great players have bought into the Ryder Cup. I think that was probably missing in previous generations.
Team
“Guys like Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, the sort of heartbeat of that US team, they really bought into the team aspect of Ryder Cups, Presidents Cups.
“And having guys like that on the team, yeah, they are going to be formidable opposition from now until I’m probably not playing Ryder Cups, whenever that is, in hopefully 20 years’ time.”
Attention now turns to who will captain each side in 2023, with US captain Steve Stricker ruling out a second spell and two-time Major winner Zach Johnson — one of his vicecaptains — set to be handed the role.
Lee Westwood is the favourite to lead Europe’s bid t o regain the trophy.
Westwood has made no secret of his desire to succeed
Padraig Har r ington as Europe’s captain, although the fact he recovered from two down with four to play to beat Harris English in his otherwise- meaningless singles means he still harbours ambitions of a record 12th appearance as a player.
“It might be the last match I’ve played in the Ryder Cup,”
Westwood said. “I’d rather it wasn’t, but I’m 49 next April, and the likelihood is it is. I got to share it with my son (Sam, his caddie). Won my point.”
Lowry insists that he has no regrets about his week and said his experience eclipsed his Open win in 2019.
“It’s just so hard to describe, I spent years trying to make it to