McIlroy says Europe silenced critics with class in Ryder Cup victory
Rory McIlroy called for more respect in golf, saying the Ryder Cup should unite fans, not divide them.
PGA
File the following 700 words or so under this heading: I believe it even if I can’t prove it.
The Ryder Cup gave us two days of European dominance, until the United States halted the Euro’s crescendo by finally showing some American-made guts on the final day. That’s the good news for the Yanks.
The bad news? Europe still won, 15 points to 13, and will continue to cradle the Cup going forward until the U.S. somehow manages to organically shift how it views competition.
Europe thrives on Ryder Cup team concept during competition
I believe (but can’t prove) the Euros excel in Ryder Cups because team golf is baked into their societal DNA. Europe, like much of the world, thinks collectively. It’s more “we” than “me.” Myriad reasons for that, including the close proximity of so many different countries with different cultures, which encourages a holistic mindset.
We Yanks, meanwhile, are rugged individualists who tend to look out for No. 1. Selfishness does not show up so much in our team sports, which rely on everyone pulling in the same direction to achieve success, but the “I’m gonna get mine” mentality is apparent in golf.
Never was my theory proven more correct than during the first two days of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York, where Europe became the first road team to sweep the opening four sessions of team play since the Americans and Europeans began going head-to-head in 1979. (Before that it was the U.S. vs. only Great Britain and Ireland). Europe led 11 ½ to 4 ½ entering Sunday’s singles matches, the largest two-day lead in modern Ryder Cup history.
Europe feels comfortable and confident playing team golf, with its format of foursomes (alternate shot) and four-ball (best ball), the latter consisting of two-man teams with each competitor playing his own ball. That’s not to suggest the Euros can’t hold their own in singles. They trailed the U.S. 10-6 entering the final day of the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah, needing eight points to retain the Cup. They stunned the Americans by collecting 8½ to make the final score 14½-13½.
That is the nub of it. Europe dominates at team golf and still can be really good in singles. The U.S. stinks at team golf and must play out of its mind in singles to have a chance, which is exactly what happened at Bethpage (Aside: New York should never host another Ryder Cup, so over-the-top obnoxious were fans toward the Euros, and Rory McIlroy in particular). The Stars and Stripes won six of the 11 singles matches and tied three others to come close to executing an amazing comeback.
Instead, the final-day rally proved my point that U.S. golfers are best served when allowed to do their own thing. Exhibit A: Scottie Scheffler, who defeated McIlroy 1-up to avoid going 0-5 at Bethpage. Scheffler’s record in the past two Ryder Cups fell to 1-6-2, including 0-4 in foursomes. (He also was 0-3-1 at the 2022 Presidents Cup).
Scottie Scheffler plays better when left alone
Scheffler, ranked No. 1 in the world, is the best player to roam the fairways since Tiger Woods, who not coincidentally also struggled at the Ryder Cup. Woods recorded 13 wins, 21 losses and three ties in 37 matches across eight appearances. Yet his singles record was a respectable 4-2-2.
How to explain? Both Scheffler and Woods need to be in complete control on the golf course, and that is not possible at the Ryder Cup until the singles matches. Before that, Scheffler must pair with and put up with a teammate. He says he enjoys the camaraderie, and he got emotional talking about his struggles after Europe clinched the Cup Sunday, but the results suggest Scheffler would prefer his only partner be caddie Ted Scott, not Russell Henley or Bryson DeChambeau.
Compare Scheffler’s preference for going solo to that of Ireland’s Shane Lowry, whose 6-foot birdie putt on 18 secured the win for Europe. Lowry won the 2019 British Open on his home soil, yet winning the Ryder Cup meant more to him than hoisting the Claret Jug.
“The Ryder Cup means everything to me,” Lowry said. “Honestly, I’ve won The Open in Ireland. It’s amazing. A dream come true. But the Ryder Cup for me is everything.”
You won’t hear many Americans say they would rather win a team competition than an individual major championship. Which is why Europe will keep winning Ryder Cups until the U.S. figures out there is no “I” in team.
Sports columnist Rob Oller can be reached at roller@dispatch.com and on X.com at @rollerCD.
Read his columns from the Buckeyes’ national championship season in “Scarlet Reign,” a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Dispatch. Details at OhioState.Champs.com
