HAVEN, Wis. – Team USA looks to have cracked the code on how to shed the mistakes of the past, going young with six rookies en route to a record-setting 19 point performance in the 43rd edition of the Ryder Cup at Herb Kohler’s Whistling Straits.
Captain Steve Stricker could do no wrong, and gushed about how the team came together during a preliminary practice get together two weeks before the matches on Pete Dye’s Straits course. Even with six rookies making their Ryder Cup debut, the Americans seemed confident and determined to be unified and win back the Cup.
Team USA took control of the matches in Friday’s Foursomes finishing 3-1, and never looked back, winning every session except one, which they tied on Saturday. On Sunday, Team USA managed to increase their six point margin at the start, winning 8 of the available 12 points. When Collin Morikawa missed his putt on the 18th, but secured a halve against Viktor Hovland, the Cup was officially clinched (although his birdie on the par -3 seventeenth unofficially assured at least a 14.5 total and the win). The final tally was 19-9, the highest total since continental Europe joined the fray in 1979.
“Two weeks ago they came together. Showed me a lot about this group of guys,” Stricker said as he started to tear up. “They had a mission this week and you could tell, they played great and they came together.
“From day one, it was about out-preparing, getting the guys here, getting them on the same page. This is a new era for USA golf. They are young. They come with a lot of passion, a lot of energy, a lot of game. They are just so good.”
World No.2 Dustin Johnson became only the 3rd American to post a 5-0 record (Arnold Palmer & Gardner Dickinson were the first to achieve the feat in 1967).
Ryder Cup Results: https://www.rydercup.com/scoring
