FLOORED ON THE SHORE
EUROPE ARE BLOWN AWAY BY THE YOUNG AMERICANS
There was no miracle this time. Not against this American team. Against a riotous backdrop of colour and noise, the 43rd ryder Cup was reclaimed by the United States with a record margin of victory to justify the belief that this might be as good a side as the old competition has seen.
It was the sixth time in the last eight ryder Cups that the home side have won by a margin of five points or more but this 19-9 success — the first time any team has reached that magical mark — felt different. With an average age under 30, this team surely mark a new era for American golf.
Patrick Cantlay, who delivered four points out of four in a glittering debut, summed up the mood. ‘This American ryder Cup team is going to be around for a while and we wanted to send out a message as to what we can do,’ he said. Buddies for the most part since they were playing one another in college golf, the feeling that they were ready to make a statement was fully realised.
Appropriately enough, it was Open champion Collin Morikawa, the youngest of them all at 24, who clinched the trophy-winning halfpoint against Viktor hovland.
‘We didn’t just want to win, we wanted a dominant win,’ said Morikawa. ‘everyone showed up.’
Indeed — and particularly Dustin Johnson, the oldest man in the team, who became the first American since Larry Nelson in 1979 to win five points out of five.
Leading by a margin of six points going into the singles, American captain Steve Stricker frontloaded his order in an effort to get the party started early and it paid spectacular dividends. The trophy was won by the fifth singles match, the earliest it has been claimed by America since 1981.
You had to feel for the two Spaniards who had practically played America on their own for much of the first two days. Like Seve Ballesteros and Jose-Maria Olazabal before them, the singles proved a struggle as exhaustion set in, playing opponents feeding off the energy of the crowd.
Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau were impressive in keeping the hammer down. The former won the first four holes against world No1 Jon rahm, all with birdies. Naturally, rahm responded with a couple of birdies of his own but Scheffler was not to be cowed.
As for Mr Box Office, DeChambeau followed his prodigious drive on to the first green with a second golden moment at the sixth, another par four driveable for him.
This one was playing a bit shorter and his caddie wisely talked him into hitting a three wood. As he put his driver back into the bag, an audible groan went up from the packed gallery.
‘hey guys, relax!’ the Mad Scientist shouted over to them. ‘I’m still going for the green!’ At his best, he’s pure gold, isn’t he?
Sergio Garcia chipped in at the 10th to halve the hole and then got back to two down at the 12th. Credit DeChambeau with his reply at the par four 13th, a lovely wedge that finished six inches from the hole. So it continued, before ending in a 3&2 victory for DeChambeau — the first singles loss for Garcia since 2008.
‘I’ll remember this for a lifetime,’ said DeChambeau.
They used to say putting the first point on the board in each series of matches was vital. Well, for the fourth time in five sessions europe won the first point on offer and little good it did them once more.
This time it was rory McIlroy, posting an unexpected success against Olympic gold medallist Xander Schauffele for his first point of the week and his first singles win since Gleneagles 2014.
It was a welcome contribution, of course, but far too late from a player in whom europe invests so much. McIlroy let out a loud bellow when he sank a birdie putt to go three up at the 14th.
There has been plenty of social media chatter that he doesn’t care but the truth of the matter was shown in that moment and particularly in emotional television interviews he gave after his victory.
‘I should have done more for my team-mates,’ he said, as he broke down in tears. ‘I can’t wait for another shot. It is, by far, the best experience in golf.’
McIlroy is hardly alone as a big name not living up to expectation at a ryder Cup. Tiger Woods, anyone? Phil Mickelson? People should give rory a break. It happens. Next up was Lowry, fresh off his stupendous winning putt the previous evening in his fourballs match. Now he was up against a man who really can putt. What a month it has been for Cantlay. Then came Scheffler and DeChambeau and now the Americans were queuing up to put the winning point on the board. The fifth match out was Morikawa against hovland. They were playing matches against one another in college when the last ryder Cup was played in 2018.
They turned pro on the same day in 2019 and now, just over two years later, Morikawa is a double major winner and hovland ranked 14th in the world.
This ryder Cup ended in appropriate fashion at the 17th,
the ferocious par three that sorts the good from the great.
With the sweetest five iron imaginable, Morikawa struck the ball to 2ft.
He was one up with one to play and the guaranteed half-point was all that America needed.
Coming up behind, there was no stopping the relentless red tide. Well, not until the trophy was won, that is.
Thereafter, there were victories for Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood — personal milestones on what will surely be their final Ryder Cup appearances but meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
By then, the focus was firmly elsewhere as celebrations broke out all over this wonderful golf course.
What an American team this proved to be.
There really might never have been one better.