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sports Diabierna 17 September 2021

Young, stacked US team faces familiar battle in Ryder Cup

(AP) - The Americans
would seem to have a lot
in their favor at the Ryder
Cup.
They are on home soil at
Whistling Straits along the
Wisconsin shores of Lake
Michigan. A full house is
expected, along with louder
than usual cheering for the
Stars & Stripes because of
COVID-19 travel restrictions
for European-based fans.

As for the players? Younger
than ever, to be sure, but no
less stacked. The Americans
have eight of the top 10 in
the world ranking — Europe
only has Jon Rahm at No.
1 — on a team that has won
twice as many majors.

This is nothing new, of
course. With one exception,
the Americans always bring a
better collection of players to
the Ryder Cup.

They just rarely leave with
the precious gold trophy. tend its dominance at the years.” in history, on a short list of victory in the last decade was
43rd Ryder Cup, which was those who have played in Ry- at Hazeltine in 2016 against a
“We have the best players this postponed one year because Europe is bringing winning der Cups over parts of four European team that had six
year,” said Paul Azinger, the of the pandemic. experience to Wisconsin. decades. Garcia has contrib- rookies. Only one of them,
lead analyst for NBC Sports uted 25 1/2 points, the same Matt Fitzpatrick, made it
who still uses pronouns as if Three relentless days of Lee Westwood ties a Euro- amount as this entire U.S. back on another team.
it were 2008 when he was the matches Sept. 24-26 will be pean record by playing in his team combined.
U.S. captain. “And obviously, held at Whistling Straits, the 11th Ryder Cup at age 48. He Whatever experience the The six rookies are the most
they (Europe) roll in with the cliffside course with 1,000 joins Sergio Garcia, already Americans bring are mostly for the Americans since 2008
most confidence and maybe or so bunkers that has host- with the highest points total bad memories. Their lone when they won at Valhalla.
the best team.” ed the PGA Championship
three times in the last 17
The trick is getting the years. American players, it
American players to realize should be noted, have been
that. At the last Ryder Cup runner-up in all three.
in France three years ago, the
U.S. was just as loaded with Why do the Europeans keep
nine major champions on the winning the Ryder Cup?
12-man squad who had com-
bined to win 10 of the last 16 They relish the role as under-
majors. dogs. They seem to play with
a chip on their shoulders,
They got smoked again. perhaps because the Ameri-
cans don’t — and probably
“I feel like on paper, from should — have one on theirs.
head to toe, the world rank-
ing, I would say we’re a stron- “That’s our advantage, I
ger team,” U.S. captain Steve guess, in a way, right?” Ian
Stricker said. “But I don’t Poulter said in a SiriusXM
think our guys feel we’re bet- PGA Tour Radio interview.
ter. They know deep down “That we have delivered
how hard it is to beat them.” when perhaps we shouldn’t
have delivered. And this is
All that matters on paper are the magical question that
the results. Europe has won gets asked all the time. That’s
nine of the last 12 times in what has the American press
the Ryder Cup. And while scratching their head. That’s
the U.S. still holds a 26-14-2 what has the American team
advantage dating to the start scratching their heads at
in 1927, that’s not the real times. On paper — on paper
measure. Continental Euro- — the U.S. team should have
peans did not join the fray delivered.
until 1979, and since then
they are 11-8-1. “It’s for us to enjoy and for
the American team to figure
Europe, with Padraig Har- out,” he said. “There is a level
rington now at the helm of of magic sauce which we’ve
the juggernaut, tries to ex- been able to create over the