The Ryder Cup: Not So Fast, Sailor!

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What makes the Ryder Cup the most unique competition in sports is that it’s a team event in a sport that is really not about team.

Golf is an individual game. You go solo. You play for yourself. Yes, you’re competing against opponents, but it’s basically you against the golf course.

That is, except for those few instances when nations are matched up against each other.

The most notable by far is the Ryder Cup, the US against Europe, played every two years alternating courses across the pond.

This year it was played on the famed and difficult Bethpage Black course in Farmingdale Long Island. In other words, it was virtually a New York City venue.

For the record, the European team defeated the Americans. The final tally was 15-13.

Those are the basics, but there is far more to the story of what transpired over the three days of the intense battle last weekend. It was the first time in six years the Cup was not won by the host country.

As usual, we won’t waste space on statistics and facts that are easily available if you’re curious.

This year’s Ryder Cup seemingly was a perfect set-up for the Americans.

They possessed the world’s #1 player in Scottie Scheffler. Their popular captain, Keegan Bradley, who declined to name himself as a player as well as the coach, he was that qualified, is a New York native. He played his college golf at St. John’s in Queens, was extremely familiar with Bethpage, and even named Cameron Young, another New Yorker to the twelve-man squad.

The thinking was, the raucous crowd support would help vault the USA to a triumph, answering Europe’s victory in Rome in 2023.

It shouldn’t be surprising to anyone anymore that quite often what you expect to happen in sports does not materialize. In fact, it is frequently the sharp opposite, and in a collective shaking of heads we ask, “how did this happen?”

Most of what we witnessed at Bethpage was the unexpected. But there is an element of the other side that was unsettling and unfortunate.

The first two days of the event were based on team play. Four matches in the morning called four-ball, meant that the two teammates on each side would alternate shots until a hole was completed. The afternoon quartet of matches, labeled foursomes, would be decided by the best ball of the four players.

The final day would be singles matches. The kind of play we amateurs know well. You win, lose, or tie (halve) a hole, keep score and move on. There would be 12 of those. Everyone plays.

Sorry to be so specific, but the non-golfers reading this deserve to know what we’re talking about.

Now let’s get to the drama.

The Europeans thoroughly dominated the Americans the first two days. It wasn’t close and for the US it wasn’t pretty. The US barely won one match in each of the sessions.

Scotty Scheffler became the first #1 player in the world to lose all four of his matches the first two days. Bryson DeChambeau, the second heralded performer was almost as futile. Europe, meanwhile, had heroes galore. Led by Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and Justin Rose, the Europeans opened up a virtually insurmountable 7-point lead going into the Sunday singles.

That meant all Europe needed was 2 1/2 points to capture the Cup. Neither side had issues getting to the green, but when they got there the defending champs were uncanny in sinking putts, long and short, while the Americans, including the usually impeccable Scheffler, fell apart at this crucial part of the game.

So, the final day would be anti-climactic, right?  No team had ever had a bigger mountain to climb. The final result was a foregone conclusion.

Not so fast, sailor!

As it turned out the stunning shock of the first two days was a mere prelude to the crazy happenings of the final session which saw hard-to-imagine reversal of fortunes right before our very eyes, and an admirable valiant effort by the Americans that nearly paid off. Scheffler faced off against McIlroy in the marquee matchup. They were mostly even throughout until Scottie edged in front at the 14th and held on to finally get a W.

In the first match, Cameron Young, the Ryder Cup rookie took a commanding 3-shot lead over the oldest performer, 45-year old Justin Rose, only to see Rose erase the deficit.

Then, Young sank a birdie putt to triumph. If there was an MVP award on the American side, it would be Cam Young in a runaway.

Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Thomas were nip-and-tuck till Thomas sank a birdie putt on 18 for another American success.

The most amazing was Bryson DeChambeau, like Scheffler, underperforming for the most part, staged a masterful  comeback to wind up with a tie against Matt Fitzpatrick.

DeChambeau was 5 shots behind after 7 holes, then went on a rampage with four straight birdies, and prevented Europe from getting a full point.

Throughout the day, the big picture indicated a very long long shot for an American comeback. But as you watched, the contest remained up in the air. The Americans were amazingly hanging in.

Ultimately, Ireland’s Shane Lowry ended the drama with a birdie on 18 to tie Russell Henley. The half-point put Europe over the top. Kudos to their outstanding coach Luke Donald.

Now the prologue in order of importance.

Viktor Hovland had to withdraw on the final day due to a neck injury. The rules say the match is halved meaning Europe and the US would each receive 1/2 point.

That was a huge advantage to the Europeans. Either the team with the healthy player would get a full point, or there should be a sub on hand who would go in and play.

The rule is not fair as it is.

It was no surprise the second-guessing of US captain Keegan Bradley got hot and heavy for various reasons. In sports today there has to be someone to blame. The fact is, Europe’s golfers outplayed the US pure and simple. The Americans were beaten the first two days because they couldn’t make putts and Europe did.

Finally, the conduct of the crowd cast a damper on the majestic aura of what the Ryder Cup has meant forever. There’s no question that unsportsmanlike actions by the throng have been evident in past competition both here and in Europe.

This time, however, the salty New York crowd crossed the line with vile profanity aimed at Shane Lowry, and particularly Rory McIlroy and his wife.

It’s easy to say it’s totally uncalled for, but I’m afraid, as we’ve seen elsewhere in sports, lately in tennis, it’s a sign of the times. A bad sign.

Despite all that, I like to think that what we see in the Ryder Cup is an unmistakable testament to the camaraderie and support you only see in team endeavors.

When I see golfers, flock together sitting on the lawn watching and cheering their teammates play a hole, when I see Scottie Scheffler moved to tears in telling how the rest of the squad picked him up after his two-day difficulties, when I see Shane Lowry, the man who made the decisive putt say the event means everything to him, I know there is something special in the Ryder Cup that sets it apart from everything else.