The ‘Massacre at Whistling Straits,’ is what the press called it. And we weren’t being melodramatic. The ten-point drubbing that the European team received at the hands of the Americans at the 2021 Ryder Cup remains the most comprehensive victory by either side in the history of the bi-annual team event. Looking back, as shocking as the result was, fans were astounded by the unprecedented display of emotion by the players. Who can forget Rory McIlroy breaking down repeatedly during a televised show that had to be paused to allow the Irishman to regain his composure? “I have never really cried or got emotional over what I’ve done as an individual,” he said. “I couldn’t give a… But this team, and what it feels like to be a part of, to see Sergio [Garcia] break records, to see Jon Rahm come into his own this week, to see one of my best friends, Shane Lowry, make his Ryder Cup debut. … All that, it’s phenomenal and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”
McIlroy had failed to deliver the goods for his team in 2021, earning but a solitary point from a singles match against Xander Schauffele. “I love being a part of this team,” McIlroy had said after winning his singles match. “I should have done more for them this week. I’m glad I put a point on the board for Europe. I can’t wait to get another shot at this,” he’d signed off.
For McIlroy, part of a new formidable team that has depth, experience, and prodigious talent — that time has come. In less than two weeks from now, the 2023 Ryder Cup will commence at the Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome.
Captain Luke Donald has reason to feel confident. The Europeans haven’t lost at a European venue since 1993 and won nine for the last 13 editions. The new squad has three of the finest players in the world — Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Viktor Hovland. The rookies — Ludvig Aberg and Nicolai Hojgaard — are possibly the biggest overachievers in their class. The stunning rise of Aberg, who, until three months back, was still an amateur, is almost unbelievable. In his first three months as a professional, Aberg has notched up a bunch of top finishes, won a big event — the Omega European Masters— and leads the tour in a number of stats, including strokes gained off the tee. The wiry Englishman — Matt Fitzpatrick — answered critics who derided his lack of wins on the US PGA Tour by winning nothing less than the 2022 US Open and is a gritty competitor who is likely to be unbeatable at home. The home advantage applies to both teams in a sense and has to do, sadly, more with the difference in the behaviour of the galleries in the US and in Europe. You only have to watch the episode of the golf show — Full Swing — on Netflix that features Fitzpatrick to get a sense of the kind of heckling non-American players have to contend with in that country. In Europe, spectators are not as vocal and rarely disruptive.
The rest of the European team — Tyrrell Hatton, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, Justin Rose, and Shane Lowry — are equally accomplished as a team. As usual, the Europeans appear to be a much more cohesive unit as opposed to a congregation of individual star performers, which is what US teams have resembled in the past.
But this is precisely the criticism that was levelled at the Americans in 2021, and they absolutely routed the Europeans, so there’s no point romanticising things — Zach Johnson’s team is full of hard-nosed competitors who won’t give a quarter. In the US, golf is a sport first and then a game. There’s no room given for niceties in pro sport there. Not surprisingly, the gamesmanship has begun. None other than the only American to lose to McIlroy in 2021 — Xander Schauffele — has fired the opening salvo in a recent interview by suggesting that the US Team didn’t have to do anything exceptional to win in 2021. “Nothing special,” he said. “It may sound weird, but we didn’t do anything special at Whistling Straits. All the boys who were there are aware of that, and we have quite a few repeat guys on the team. We’ll stick behind our stats, our team leaders, and our captains and go do our thing.” I just hope Donald and the team reciprocate in kind (Nothing special, just another home win) if Europe extends its unbroken streak of home wins this year.
But something is missing in the European challenge. Someone to be more precise. Sergio Garcia, who also happens to be the most successful European Ryder Cup player in history — with 25 victories, 13 losses, and seven halves — and has been the vice-captain of the European Team. Garcia, like all other players who left the DP World Tour for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, was omitted from captain Luke Donald’s playing team. For team Europe to not have Garcia’s counsel and experience to lean on in a Ryder Cup is nothing short of a tragedy.
The 44th Ryder Cup begins on September 29, 2023. For the first time For the first time, the event will be played in Italy and will be held at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club on the outskirts of the capital, Rome. The 7,268-yard course was the venue for the Italian Open and was redesigned a few years back specifically to host matchplay events. It doesn’t get bigger than the Ryder Cup.