- Europe wins Ryder Cup.
- McIlroy shines, USA stumbles.
- Future prospects and reflections.
They arrived, vowed, and conquered. Rory McIlroy’s argument and tirade with an American caddie in a parking lot seemed to be the most memorable moment of this Ryder Cup. The United States then threatened to execute one of the most legendary sporting comebacks in living memory. European forearms perspired beneath the scorching Rome sun.
Europe withstood what was hurled at them thanks to the superb leadership of Luke Donald and McIlroy’s inspired play. A 1612-1112 victory comfortably erases the pain inflicted at Whistling Straits in 2021 when the United States was predicted to dominate the Ryder Cup for at least a decade.
“Don’t miss out! Grab your free shares of Webull UK today!”
Zach Johnson arrived in Rome with the No. 1 player in the world, the PGA champion of the United States, the Open champion, and the U.S. Open champion, but was unable to remedy his history of travel sickness dating back to 1993. Europe outperformed, outfought, and outthought its opponents.
Donald’s methodical leadership will be honored. He was part of a meeting the day after the Whistling Straits debacle, attempting to ensure nothing like it ever happened again. Here, Donald completes the circle. Typically unemotional, he was on the verge of weeping when the cup was won. It strengthens the argument for his return to the leadership of Europe in 2025. The absence of apparent alternatives makes this a plausible possibility.
Johnson, to his credit, refused to cite the massive bias in favor of home countries winning the Ryder Cup as a problem.
Privately, he may lament the loss of his namesake, Dustin, who was a star in 2021 but switched to LIV Golf, derailing his chances of reaching the United States national team. The fact that the majority of Johnson’s playing contingent did not compete between the Tour Championship in late August and their arrival in Italy was always likely to prove costly.
The United States never adequately recovered from a 4-0 loss in the first session. During his post-tournament media duties, Jordan Spieth alluded to a lack of focus. In contrast, the complete European team placed highly at the PGA Championship, which concluded on September 17 at Wentworth.
“Take a step towards financial freedom – claim your free Webull shares now!”
McIlroy was overdue for a solid Ryder Cup performance. Four out of five points earned him a single point. By the end of the match, the Northern Irishman was quoting Roman emperors and leading the spectators in a celebratory hymn. McIlroy defeated Sam Burns by a score of 1 up, 3 up after seven holes, and 3&1 later. McIlroy had the last chuckle over Joe LaCava, the American caddie whose bizarre behavior as play concluded on Saturday sent the Belfast Boy into a frenzy. Poking the beast is never a prudent decision when McIlroy is involved. McIlroy stated that he has had faith in this team for a long time. “Everyone has contributed.” This was statistically indisputable.
Euphoria masked previous anxiety. Jon Rahm lacked the lead over Scottie Scheffler. Patrick Cantlay led Justin Rose at the time.
Max Homa, also known as Max Roma, the American hero of this competition, overtook Matt Fitzpatrick’s lead. Brooks Koepka jumped out to an early lead against Ludvig berg, Justin Thomas did the same against Sepp Straka, Xander Schauffele was playing well against Nicolaas Hjgaard, and Jordan Spieth jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead against Shane Lowry. The United States began the third day requiring 8.5 points to retain the Ryder Cup; for a time in the afternoon, it appeared possible. Donald later confessed, “At one point, I was looking at the scoreboard and wondering how we got to 14 12 points.”
Rahm soothed European nerves by winning the final hole to halve his match. Viktor Hovland easily defeated Collin Morikawa, 4 and 3. Donald is able to breathe. Cantlay’s victory over Rose was exemplary, and Homa’s victory over Fitzpatrick resulted in a 1up victory, but Tyrrell Hatton’s 3&2 victory over Brian Harman added more blue to the scoreboard. Koepka, Thomas, and Schauffele responded valiantly for the United States, but Europe is now within reach.
On the fantastic 16th hole, the reclaiming of the cup was confirmed. There, the greatest spectacle of the week occurred.
Rickie Fowler, who did not hit a ball in either round on Saturday, sliced his tee shot into the wetland at the par-four risk-reward hole. Fowler already trailed Tommy Fleetwood by one point.
Fleet reached the putting surface with a courageous, daring drive. A three would be sufficient to put Europe two strokes ahead with the same number of holes remaining, securing the required half point. The initial putt by Fleetwood left enough room for Fowler to clean up, but the American sportsman conceded. Europe had attained the promised land at the age of fourteen and a half. The end. On the 17th green, Fleetwood completed the victory for good measure.
Robert MacIntyre completed a memorable Ryder Cup debut by defeating Wyndham Clark 2 and 1. The Scot should be pleased with his performance. The final act of the match belonged to Lowry and Spieth, who tied the score. In the midst of raucous celebrations, the trauma and tumult of Whistling Straits seemed light years away.
The five-point victory margin tells the narrative of a match in which Europe dominated but was given the occasional scare on Sunday. Lowry referred to the back nine as “stress” when he viewed the scoreboards.
“This will make Team USA stronger,” said Johnson. In 2025, a home game at Bethpage suggests that the outcome could very well be different. As US teams continue to perform so poorly after boarding a transatlantic flight, “because of” becomes more difficult to calculate. The finest European names are displayed in European games.
