Smashing Europe: American young guns target new era of Ryder Cup dominance

Team USA team celebrate with the Ryder Cup trophy after victory against Europe at the  43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin. 

HAVEN, Wisconsin – After suffering its most lop-sided defeat, 19-9, in the Ryder Cup, Team Europe was defiant that it’s not the end of an era and the beginning of a new period of American dominance.

Losing – especially in the fashion they did at Whistling Straits with Americans winning the singles 7-3-2 to cap a dominating week on the shore of Lake Michigan – is not an experience they want to become familiar with.

“I've only lost one other one, and it's dismal,” said Ian Poulter, whose only point was extending his unbeaten streak in career singles play to 6-0-1. “You know, watching the guys out on 18 enjoying themselves is something that you come into this week with visions of that happening for you as a team.

“We've got a great team this week, and we were outplayed. Every session was difficult. They did their job, and they made it painful for us today, and this one's going to hurt for a bit. But you know what, it's things like that this make you stronger going forward.” 

The youngest American team in Ryder Cup history delivered a decisive message with a record 10-point victory over Pádraig Harrington’s team of veterans from Europe. Any hopes of surpassing the miracle at Medinah and rallying from an 11-5 deficit on Sunday were quickly dashed by a talented U.S. team that refused to wilt.

As European stalwarts like Lee Westwood, Poulter and Sergio Garcia – who have represented a seamless transition from Seve Ballesteros and the first generation of European greats – age out, a new generation of fearless, talented and scar-free Americans cycle in with greater numbers than their European rivals.

Sending out rookies in four of the first five matches to clinch the victory, U.S. team captain Steve Stricker and his fresh-faced roster wanted to deliver a message that it’s a new day for the biennial matches that Europe has enjoyed sustained success in for the bulk of the last 35 years.

“They had a mission this week and you could tell, they played great and they came together,” said Stricker. “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.” 

Fittingly, America’s youngest player, Collin Morikawa, delivered the decisive blow with a 221-yard tee shot to 3 feet on the par-3 17th hole to make birdie and get dormie against Viktor Hovland to secure the half point needed to win back the Ryder Cup for America. It became official a hole later when Morikawa was conceded a half point to Hovland.

That followed full points won by Patrick Cantlay, 29, Scottie Scheffler, 25, and Bryson DeChambeau, 28, to get the 3½ points the U.S. needed after staking itself to an 11-5 lead.

The Americans were determined to break the record of 18½ points for a winning side since continental Europe joined the party. Europe won 18½-9½ twice in 2004 and 2006 while the Americans did it once in 1981 with a hall-of-fame roster that included 11 players that won major championships in their careers.

“I woke up this morning and I was trying to tell the guys this is going to be the next era of Ryder Cup team for the U.S. side,” said Cantlay, who beat Shane Lowry 4 and 2. “I said this morning I want to get to 20 points. I wanted to send a message.

“We have a lot of young guys and I think they are going to be on teams for a long time and I want to send a message. I think the young guys on this team get along really well. We sent out rookies maybe four out of the first five matches. I mean, that's unheard of and those guys are performing. Everybody gets along. The atmosphere is light but I know everyone has that killer instinct and we are going to bring that to future Cups.” 

Poulter and Westwood signed off for perhaps the last time as Ryder Cup players with singles wins, preventing the Americans from hitting their desired 20-point mark. Poulter cruised to a 3-and-2 win over Tony Finau while Westwood rallied for a 1-up win over Harris English.

Tommy Fleetwood garnered a half point against Jordan Spieth. But in the final match, Matthew Fitzpatrick hit his approach shot into a creek to give Daniel Berger a 1-up win and give the U.S. 19 points and a 10-point margin. Fitzpatrick’s match record is 0-5 in two career Ryder Cups.

“They obviously got it right this week, a very strong team,” said Harrington of America’s winning formula of big-hitting and in-form horses for course set up to bring out the most in them. “I'm happy for Steve Stricker. You know, he's one of the good guys in golf. If you're going to get beat by a captain, that's a good captain for sure.

“He obviously got his plan right. Whatever their prep was, they did a good job, and they came out and started well and kept the momentum going. It was just a tough one to overcome. I believe that, you know, we did our job, and it just wasn't our week.” 

Ian Poulter shakes hands with Steve Stricker

Despite Rory McIlroy’s first point of the week in the opening singles match against Xander Schauffele, Team USA painted the rest of the leaderboard red to snuff any European ideas of waging an historic comeback.

“No one was more disappointed in the way I played than me,” said McIlroy of his 1-3-0 record this week.

“I wanted to go out there today and show some character and resilience, and I did that, and that was the best thing that I could do for my team. I was emotional because it's a highly charged event and it sucks to lose, it really does. It sucks, and you know, listening to, ‘We're the Champions’ out there and those guys celebrating, if we have an opportunity in Rome, hopefully I'm on that team and it will make getting that Cup back even sweeter.” 

Even Europe’s Spanish strongholds of Jon Rahm and Garcia were no match for the young Americans on Sunday.

Scheffler, the youngest-ever captain’s pick for the U.S., went out against unbeaten and world No. 1 Rahm and promptly birdied the first four holes to seize command with a 4-up lead that Rahm was never able to cut closer than 3 holes en route to a 4-and-3 win that happened almost simultaneously to Cantlay closing out Lowry just a hole ahead.

“I kept the pressure on him the whole day,” said Scheffler.

Garcia was 3-0 in matches with Rahm to run his European career record point total to 28½, but he was no match for America’s brash, ball-bashing DeChambeau, who won the first two holes and never let Garcia get back to square in 3-and-2 win that got the U.S. to 14 points on the brink of securing the Ryder Cup.

“He's an unbelievable player in match play and I knew today was going to be a tough fight and I had to go out and make a lot of birdies,” DeChambeau said.

Dustin Johnson, the oldest American player at age 37, became only the second U.S. player to go 5-0-0 since Europe was included in the Ryder Cup, tying Larry Nelson in 1979 when Johnson secured a 1-up win over Paul Casey. Four of Johnson’s points this week came at the expense of Casey.

Francesco Molinari went 5-0-0 for Europe in 2018.

Despite the dispiriting result, Harrington isn’t down on Europe’s future under the next captain.

“There is a lot of guys in the middle their career now who should be moving on in their golf – they certainly haven't peaked yet,” Harrington said. “Europe, yes, we would look to young guys coming in over the future, but the heart of this team will be here for a few more years for sure. They haven't got to their peaks yet, so we should see some strength going forward.

“There's plenty of guys here. And as much as it would be a tougher week, we'll draw lessons from this week. But most of these guys were winning in Paris, so there's still quite a winning mentality there going forward.”