Harrington hindsight: US just too good or were European mistakes made?

Europe suffered a crushing defeat in their defence of the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, losing by a record margin to a dominant United States side. So what went wrong?

GLOOM: Padraig Harrington and Paul Casey reflect on defeat in the Ryder Cup.

When did it start to go wrong?

Arguably the answer to that question can be found as far back as May 2019, when Europe captain Padraig Harrington's request to have three wild cards rather than the four Thomas Bjorn had the previous year was approved by the European Tour's tournament committee. When the coronavirus pandemic decimated the golfing calendar and forced a one-year delay, Harrington was given the chance to have up to eight wild cards but stuck to his guns, believing that being selected places even more pressure on players to perform.