The Ryder Cup returns to Europe. The Vieux team had (a little) doubts, but it remained uncompromising within its borders with its victory on Sunday in Rome in the 44th edition of the Ryder Cup. This prolongs the famine of the United States, which has not imposed itself outside its lands for thirty years. The Europeans won the biennial competition with a score of 16.5 points to 11.5.
In the results of the event created in 1927, the United States still leads by a wide margin with 27 victories against 15 (3 for Great Britain, 12 for Europe admitted since 1979) and two draws (1969, 1989). But the Americans conceded their seventh defeat in a row on European soil where their last success dates back to 1993.
For its first foray into Italy since its creation, the Ryder Cup was decided at the time of the first cappuccinos, rather than at the time of the aperitif and spritz. It was in fact on Friday morning from the first session on the Marco Simone Golf course that the Europeans distanced themselves from their opponents by winning the first four games, something unprecedented in the history of the event.
Ideally launched by the Spaniard Jon Rahm, the Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy and the Norwegian Viktor Hovland, the Europeans ended the first day with a five-point lead. An advantage which increased to seven lengths after a demonstration on Saturday morning by Hovland and Swedish prodigy Ludvig Aberg who disgusted world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka by inflicting the heaviest defeat in the history of the competition ( 9 & 7).
An experimental American team
But from Saturday afternoon (session won 3-1) and especially on Sunday during the singles, the Americans finally managed to get the measure of the course and their opponents. They came back to three lengths (14-11) thanks to successes, but the Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and the Irishman Shane Lowry almost simultaneously ensured the European victory against the Americans suddenly overwhelmed by thousands of excited European supporters in a football stadium atmosphere.
The Americans may regret having neglected their preparation: they came, and not all of them, for just one day last month to scout out the Marco Simone with its fairways much more complicated than the American courses built for body-built players. Worse, none of the twelve Americans selected had ever played before this week on the Roman course which has hosted a European circuit event since 2021. Without forgetting that unlike their European rivals, the Americans have played little since the end of August and the epilogue of the season on the PGA circuit.
Cap-gate
This will be part of the inevitable post-mortem and controversies that American golf experiences after each of its Ryder Cup defeats. We will also perhaps know more about the mysterious “cap-gate” which agitated “Team USA”, this boycott by Patrick Cantlay then Justin Thomas of the American team cap for financial reasons according to the specialized press.
The next edition will take place in 2025 in the United States, in Farmingdale, near New York, before returning to Europe in 2027, in Limerick in Ireland.