Page 18 - AT

A18 SPORTS
Thursday 27 sepTember 2018
American stars seek

European success

in the Ryder Cup

By DOUG FERGUSON world. It can make a case
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVE- as one of the best teams
LINES, France (AP) — The since the days of the "Big
American team at the Ry- Five" in the late 1980s when
der Cup is one of the stron- Seve Ballesteros, Nick Fal-
gest ever. do, Bernhard Langer, Ian
It features nine players who Woosnam and Sandy Lyle
have combined to win began this run of European
31 major championships, dominance.
nearly half of those by Tiger But it's not about what they
Woods, who signaled his achieved before getting to
return last week by winning the Ryder Cup.
the Tour Championship. It It's about who they be-
has Dustin Johnson, who is come playing under a flag,
back at No. 1 in the world. for a tour, and playing for
One of only three Ryder each other.
Cup rookies on the team "I think that the strength of Jordan Spieth of the US, Patrick Reed, Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas, from left, walk to the 18th
green during a practice round for the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines,
is Justin Thomas, who al- Europe has been we all get outside Paris, France, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018. The 42nd Ryder Cup will be held in France from
ready has won a major and behind one another, and Sept. 28-30, 2018 at Le Golf National.
reached No. 1 in the world. even whatever differences Associated Press
Europe? we may have, we put them
That's the team that usually to the side for this week and start Friday on the first tee the thick rough at Le Golf the Saturday night before
wins the Ryder Cup, espe- we're a cohesive unit," Rory at Le Golf National before National, and who makes his first U.S. Open victory
cially at home. McIlroy said Tuesday. "And a grandstand that has just putts. Europe, however, has on the phone with Dustin
These are not "mops" on that's the way we try to be." under 7,000 seats. Adding a spirit about it that has al- Johnson (it wasn't a long
the European team, the These are two of the stron- to the plot is that the Ameri- lowed for a spotless record conversation).
word Thomas Bjorn used gest teams, the first time cans are defending cham- at home the last 25 years. "The American team has
to describe two of his cap- the Ryder Cup has ever pions for only the third time Webb Simpson is playing become a little more co-
tain's picks. featured all 10 players from since 2002. his third Ryder Cup and hesive in the last few years,
Europe has five major the world ranking. Ultimately, the Ryder Cup is already has seen 23 play- and I think that's to do with
champions, four players That only raises the antici- decided by who keeps the ers from Europe on those the younger guys com-
among the top 10 in the pation when the matches ball in play, especially with three teams. But it's not ing on board and really
about names. "I think they embracing the Ryder Cup
are strong every year in the and making it a very impor-
Ryder Cup no matter who is tant part of their careers,"
on the team, or what form McIlroy said. "You've seen
they are in," Simpson said. Jordan and Rickie and J.T.
"They have a great team, and those guys. They hang
obviously. They get the Ry- out together. They spend a
der Cup well. You know, lot of time together, and it
2016 was a great example seems like the togetherness
of how we're getting the is just a little bit more than
Ryder Cup ... we're getting maybe it used to be back
a lot better." in the '90s and early 2000s."
The Americans showed Come Friday, it's about
that at Hazeltine, the first making putts and winning
year after the Ryder Cup the 18th hole, something
Task Force intended to Woods believes has held
build a model of continu- the U.S. back, especially
ity. It's the European way, overseas.
and the U.S. can only hope Europe still likes to play the
it will end 25 years of losing underdog role, even hav-
the Ryder Cup away from ing won eight of the last 11
home. times in the Ryder Cup. It
It helps that so many of has reason to feel like one
their young players are in France with such a load-
friends outside the Ryder ed lineup the Americans
Cup, even outside golf. offer. Then again, it was like
Thomas and Jordan Spieth that in 1997 at Valderrama
have been close since they when the Americans had
were 14 and picked to rep- five major champions and
resent the U.S. at the Evian eight players among the
Junior Masters — in France, top 15. Europe had two of
no less. Thomas and Rickie the top 15 in the world —
Fowler are neighbors in Flor- Faldo and Colin Montgom-
ida. Brooks Koepka spent erie. Europe won.q