Heading into the Ryder Cup, it appeared the American squad, led by a resurgent Tiger Woods, had the potential to overwhelm the European team. After all, 11 of the Top 20 golfers in the world were teeing it up for the Americans, and only five from the European team, led by former World No. 1 Justin Rose.
But as has often been the case in recent decades, the European team coalesced into a powerful unit in France, and the Americans faltered. Down 10 to 6 heading into Sunday singles matches, the Americans needed a stunning comeback to retain the Ryder Cup. The U.S. team started well on Sunday, but in the end a sea of blue points overwhelmed the Americans on the final day, handing the Europeans another victory.
Woods shouldered some of the blame: “It’s disappointing because I went 0-4, and that’s four points to the European Team,” he said. “And I’m one of the contributing factors to why we lost the cup, and it’s not a lot of fun. It’s frustrating because we came here, I thought we were all playing pretty well, and I just didn’t perform at the level that I had been playing, and just got behind early in the matches and never got back.”
European captain Thomas Bjorn said his group came together as a team over the week: “The way they bonded with each other, there were things they had done, and how they just get together and do a proper job—they were determined,” he said. “They just set out to do a job themselves, and I mean, it was an easy job to guide them in that direction.”
Final Score: 17½ – 10½
Golf Town Ryder Cup Recap:
Day 1—The first day in France started well, with the Americans looking strong out of the gate, taking almost all of the morning fourball matches. But Tommy Fleetwood and British Open winner Francesco Molinari demonstrated they would be a force throughout. The afternoon it was all Europe, with Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter leading a sweep.
Final after Day 1: Europe 5-3
Day 2—The morning didn’t go much better for the Americans, with only Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas taking a single point in the morning. They rallied in the afternoon, but McIlroy and Poulter continued to pound the Americans, leaving the Europeans with a commanding lead heading into the final day.
Final after Day 2: Europe 10-6
Day 3—The singles matches had to go overwhelmingly in favour of the Americans for the U.S. team to make a comeback. While it started well, with Thomas, Brooks Koepka, and Webb Simpson heading out early for the U.S. team and either posting wins or halves. But Tiger Woods couldn’t hold off Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth’s erratic play saw him fall to Thorbjorn Olssen, and Dustin Johnson’s miserable Ryder Cup continued against Ian Poulter. When Phil Mickelson, who had a terrible performance in what is likely his final Ryder Cup appearance, hit his approach into the water on the 16th hole against Italian Francesco Molinari, the Europeans had officially won the cup, giving them their fourth win in the past five competitions.
Ryder Cup final score: 17½ to 10½
The Stars of the Ryder:
Francesco Molinari: The British Open winner’s great 2018 season continues, posting a perfect record in three days at the Ryder Cup, bettering Phil Mickelson in singles competition, and becoming a leader on the European team. Molinari made an incredible five points in five matches, making him perfect on the week.
Henrik Stenson: Thumping American Bubba Watson in Sunday singles, the big Swede was also a perfect 3-0 on the week, providing a steady veteran presence for the European team.
Tommy Fleetwood: He was smoked by Tony Finau on singles, but won four out of five possible points throughout the week, becoming a nearly unstoppable team when paired with Molinari.
Justin Thomas: Beating Rory McIlroy in the final singles match, Thomas came away with four points in five matches, clearly setting himself up as a leader for the American team going forward.
Webb Simpson: The short-hitting American bettered Justin Rose in singles on Sunday, giving him a couple of points, and becoming one of the rare bright spots for the U.S.
The Disappointments:
Tiger Woods: The best golfer of his generation capped off a comeback a week ago, winning the Tour Championship. But the big cat’s woeful Ryder Cup record continued in France, dropping all four of his matches, losing on Sunday to Jon Rahm 2 and 1. Hardly Tiger-esque, for some reason he simply can’t find success in team-oriented play at the Ryder Cup, finishing with a career record of 13-18-3. Remarkable.
Phil Mickelson: A captain’s pick by Jim Furyk, Mickelson has rarely performed up to his legendary status in the Ryder Cup. This one wasn’t any different. After playing poorly in the afternoon on the first day, Mickelson sat Saturday, and then was smoked by Molinari on Sunday. At 48, it is likely Mickelson’s last Ryder Cup appearance, and if that’s the case, he’ll finish his career in the event with a losing record.
Patrick Reed: The patriotic, uber-enthusiastic U.S. squad member had a miserable week. Word is that former playing partner Jordan Spieth didn’t want to play with the controversial Masters champ (leading Reed’s wife to spout off about it on social media), and Reed couldn’t muster a single point.
Your report together with the television coverage was so biased against the European Team that it is embarrassing.The US media must learn balance in its coverage or the rest of the audience will simply turn off.The Europeans were just better.Get over it and focus on the world rather than only a part of it,i.e.the US.