42nd Ryder Cup
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, FRANCE
Sunday afternoon at Le Golf National ended the way so many of these biennial events have in the recent past. This time, it was 2018 Open de France winner Alex Noren providing the final blow in a 17.5 to 10.5 drubbing of the visitors. Europe has now won six straight times on home turf and nine of the last 12 editions overall.
Familiarity Breeds Contempt (by definition): “extensive knowledge of or close association with someone or something leads to a loss of respect for them or it”.
This proverb could not be more wrong in this case.
Consider that the Euros had logged 230+ competitive rounds at the annual host venue of the Open de France and the USA had nearly none by comparison (8), you would had to have on a serious set of blinders to not see what was forthcoming. The Euros were the course horses.
The home team boasted the two most recent Open de France winners on their squad, (Tommy Fleetwood, 2017), as well as three-time runner-up Francesco Molinari. Throw in vice-captain Graeme McDowell’s back-to-back wins in 2013 and 2014 and the evidence was overwhelming insofar as course knowledge and what was required to win here, and they executed.
As for the USA squad, they had missed cuts by Bubba Watson in 2011 and Brooks Koepka in 2014. For emphasis, that was seven and four years ago, disrespectfully.
Other than that, the only other action was cup rookie Justin Thomas’ T8 back in July. That’s it. Besides Thomas, none of the other 11 could fit this year’s Open de France (or last year’s) into their busy schedules.
Contempt: “the feeling that a person or thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn.”
As it should be then, Thomas was the top star for the U.S and their top point-getter with a 4-1-0 record. One guy accounted for 4 points; the other 11 guys accounted for 6.5.
Good on Thomas for showing up. Both in September and more importantly, back in July. He became the first American since Corey Pavin in 1995 to record 4 points and was one of a scarce few bright spots for the visitors.
Star:
Sergio Garcia: since missing the cut at the Masters as defending champ, the Spaniard mustered two worldwide top 10s in his last 12 starts, both European Tour events. One, a sneaky T7 at last week’s Portugal Masters. Two, a T8 at the Open de France, which included a week-low 64 in R3.
The T7 was crucial to brush off the rust. He hadn’t played since a T24 at the Wyndham five weeks prior, which left him 128th in the FedExCup standings, missing the FEC Playoffs for the first time. That ended a seriously forgettable TOUR season with more missed cuts (8) than made (7) and no podiums for the first time since 2011.
The captain’s pick went 3-1-0 this week, however, and became the all-time points leader in Ryder Cup history with 25.5, surpassing his not-so-favorite 2008 captain Nick Faldo (Valhalla).
In Friday afternoon fourballs, he and Noren crushed USA captain’s picks Phil Mickelson and rookie Bryson DeChambeau 5-and-4. That result gave Team Europe its first lead of the week (Europe 4; USA 3) and they never looked back.
Garcia’s Career Record: 22-12-7
Singles: 4-4-1
Scrub:
Phil Mickelson: the Father of the Task Force and the now all-time leader in overall matches with 47 (Faldo, 46), went 0-2-0, including a 4-and-2 beatdown by Molinari in Sunday singles, the clinching point for Team Europe. Mickelson, 48, walked off with his latest errant shot, a watered tee ball at the par-3 16th, which was quickly followed by a hole and match concession and the first of several celebrations.
Mickelson’s Career Record: 18-22-7
Singles: 5-6-1
Star:
Francesco Molinari: the reigning Open champ is still not getting the recognition he deserves. At No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking, repeat, No. 5, he entered as the second-highest OWGRer on the squad to No. 2 Justin Rose. Rose by the way, now owns the Olympic Gold, the FedExCup, and the Ryder Cup.
The Italian, who finished a career-best 17th in the FEC standings, has three worldwide wins in 2018 and two runners-up. After a demoralizing MC at THE PLAYERS, which led to a myriad of changes in his camp, he won three times and finished runner-up twice in his next six starts.
Molinari went a perfect 5-0-0 this week, just the second player to accomplish that in the current format, joining Larry Nelson in 1979. That included a perfect 4-0-0 mark teamed with Englishman Fleetwood, the first-ever Euro duo to accomplish that and just the second overall (Lanny Watkins-Nelson/1979).
Molinari’s Career Record: 5-3-2
Singles: 1-1-1
Diary of 4-0-0:
Friday morning fourballs: the duo beat captain’s pick Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed 3-and-1 in the last match of the session, averting a shutout.
Friday afternoon foursomes: a 5-and-4 thrashing of Thomas/Jordan Spieth, the only loss of the week (of four) for the U.S. pairing.
Saturday morning fourballs: a 4-and-3 beatdown of Woods/Reed (again) for the Euros eighth straight win.
Saturday afternoon foursomes: a 5-and-4 embarrassment of Woods (again) and DeChambeau in the first match of the session, the Euros ninth point in the last 10 matches.
Scrub:
Dustin Johnson: the World No. 1 played in all five sessions and went a dismal 1-4-0. He won the very first match of the week 4-and-2 (with Fowler) and then disappeared. Johnson lost the next two with Fowler, one with Koepka, and then lost 2 UP to Poulter in singles. The final L brought the Euros to within 1.0 point of retaking the 17-inch trophy.
Johnson’s Career Record: 6-9-0
Singles: 6-6-0
Star:
Tommy Fleetwood: the rookie was No. 2 in points for the winners with 4 after a 4-1-0 record. The newly dubbed Moliwood was unstoppable as a pair with his only setback a 6-and-4 takedown by captain’s pick Tony Finau in Match No. 5 on Sunday. Fleetwood, who MC’d at this year’s Open de France as defender, quickly reverted to the previous year’s form, aided by London resident and counterpart Molinari.
Scrub:
Tiger Woods: arriving off his triumphant return to the winner’s circle at the TOUR Championship, the 42-year-old was on the losing side of yet another Ryder Cup. The GOAT was a different type of goat this week, departing with an almost sympathetically bad 0-4-0 mark, the worst record of any of the 24 participants.
He lost twice with Reed and once with fellow captain’s pick DeChambeau. Then, playing in his 37th career match, he couldn’t conjure even a halve against cup rookie Jon Rahm. All were crucial L’s, and surely demoralizing for the team, but the singles loss was the most crucial.
Woods was Match No. 4 on Sunday. Thomas (Match No. 1) and Webb Simpson (No. 3) had already delivered wins and Koepka (No. 2) halved. Finau, one match behind, notched the USA’s third win in the first four contests and the visitors were charging, now within one point.
Then, rookie Thorbjorn Olesen, who hadn’t played since Friday AM, drubbed Spieth 5-and-4, followed shortly by Woods’ L, and the comeback was officially over. Olesen by the way, was a co-runner-up at the 2011 Open de France and T3 in 2017.
Woods’ Career Record: 13-21-3
Singles Record: 4-2-2
Star:
Henrik Stenson: the 42-year-old captain’s pick bagged a perfect 3-0-0 mark. He was 2-0 in alternate shot with Rose, taking down World No. 1 Johnson both times in the process, and then put the icing on the cake with a 5-and-4 brush aside of Watson. The latter was one of four matches that remained on the course after the Euros had already won back the cup and the first of those four to be decided. Celebration No. 2 for the home team.
Stenson’s Career Record: 10-7-2
Singles Record: 3-2-0
Scrub:
Rickie Fowler: the 29-year-old didn’t win this past season and hasn’t won since the 2017 Honda. He arrived off a T8 (BMW Champs) and T7 at the TOUR Champ after missing the first two Playoffs events (oblique) and went 1-3-0.
Paired w/ DJ, won the first match of the week and then lost three straight, including a 2-and-1 loss on Sunday that allowed Garcia to enter the record books.
Fowler’s Career Record: 3-7-5
Singles: 1-2-1
Star:
Tony Finau: the 29-year-old captain’s pick went 2-1-0 in his debut, including a 1-1-0 mark paired with Koepka. His two wins were the only points of the four U.S. captain’s picks, which collectively went 2-10-0. Finau did his part in Sunday singles with the aforementioned 6-and-4 drubbing of Fleetwood, bringing the U.S. to within one point (10.5 to 9.5). However, the Euros won the next six matches and seven of the final eight (Reed 3-and-2 over rookie Tyrrell Hatton).
Collectively, all 12 players on Team Europe earned at least one point while three players on the U.S. squad, all captain’s picks, threw up goose eggs. Joining Woods and Mickelson with big fat ZEROS was rookie DeChambeau (0-3-0), who lost two times 5-and-4, one each with Mickelson and Woods, and then in the 12th match on Sunday, stiffed his approach to the par-4 18th for a conceded 3 and an apparent halve before Noren, fittingly, dropped a birdie bomb from 25 miles away for the full point.
As mentioned, Noren won the Open de France here back in July and celebrated on the 18th green with his caddie. This celebration lasted a lot longer and involved a lot more people.
