Wayne Riley
Well, the 2021 – sorry, 2020 – Ryder Cup is now in the books, and what an event it was. Sure, it didn’t deliver the anticipated drama and excitement because it was so incredibly one-sided from the get-go, but I’m not sure we’ve ever seen a team produce such highquality golf from start to finish. This American side might be the best ever in the history of the competition and I’m confident they would have defeated the best European teams from the past.
Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say you were beaten by the better team. Before the event, the Americans were far stronger on paper and also seemed better suited to conquering Whistling Straits, which proved a fantastic host venue for golf’s biggest event.
On top of that, the US captain, Steve Stricker, instilled a sense of determination and pride in his team. He’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet and everyone wanted to play for him. If you don’t get along with Strick, there’s something wrong with you.
When I watched the Americans lift the trophy, I was in the Sky compound and we all looked at each other and said, “Where’s the weakness?” It’s about as star-studded as a team gets. There’s not one player you think the Europeans should have defeated consistently. The scary thing for the Europeans is not only the combined age of the team but also the strength in depth. The likes of Webb Simpson, Billy Horschel and ‘Mr Ryder Cup’ Patrick Reed didn’t make the team and every year a new batch of talented players make their way on to the PGA Tour off the never-ending collegiate production line.
Dustin Johnson was the oldest player at 37, and sensationally delivered five points from five. The rest of the team were young and hungry and the rookies – Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele in particular – were an absolute revelation. I think Stricker will captain again in Italy and Phil Mickelson will get the gig in New York in 2025.
Padraig Harrington had an incredibly tough job on his hands, and while he made some mistakes, I don’t think anything he did would have changed the outcome. And, anyone suggesting this tarnishes his legacy in any way is severely misguided. Future captains will also have a hell of a job stopping this American juggernaut, a task made even harder by the fact European stalwarts like Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Lee Westwood are unlikely to make any more appearances.
So, what can the Europeans do? Well, some form of task force, for want of a better phase, should be set up, as much as the Americans were derided for doing a similar thing after Gleneagles. This group needs to share information, learnings and insight and also identify a crop of players who are likely to be key members of the European team going forward – the likes of the Hojgaard twins, Robert Macintyre, Thomas Pieters and Guido Migliozzi.
These players then need to be given high-profile pairings in the biggest European Tour events and bringing back the Seve Trophy would allow them to get some competitive match-play experience. The Americans play the Presidents Cup every two years, so they have big match-play events every season. The same thing should be happening for the Europeans. It’s also vital that Europe’s best youngsters force their way into the world’s top 50, so they can compete in WGCS and Majors and get invites to PGA Tour events. They need experience playing against the very best on a regular basis. If not, it could be a long decade for Team Europe.
“Future captains will have a hell of a job stopping this American juggernaut”