2021 Ryder Cup: Winners and Losers from Whistling Straits
By Tim Letcher
The 2021 Ryder Cup is over and the American team beat the European side in record-breaking fashion. There were plenty of highs and lows at this week’s event. Here is a look at the winners and losers from this year’s Ryder Cup.
Winners
Steve Stricker – The United States captain made all of the right decisions this week in winning the cup in his home state of Wisconsin. From the players he selected to the pairings he sent out each day, Stricker looked like a genius in leading the U.S. to victory.
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Dustin Johnson – The most veteran player on the U.S. side led his young team to the win with his nearly flawless play. DJ played in five sessions and earned five points for the Americans.
Jon Rahm – The world’s number one player, paired with Sergio Garcia, kept the Euros from being shut out for the first couple of days. He lost on Sunday but this competition would not have been nearly as close without Rahm.
Patrick Cantlay – Fresh off his FedEx Cup victory, Cantlay stayed hot this week at the Ryder Cup. Cantlay went 3-0-1 this week, including a 4&2 win over Shane Lowry in the Sunday singles. It’s been a magical couple of months for Cantlay.
Scottie Scheffler – He was seemingly the only controversial pick that Stricker made but Scheffler was outstanding this week. He went 2-0-1 and beat Rahm in the Sunday singles match.
Losers
Padraig Harrington – The European captain was “outcoached” by Stricker all week. He was somewhat saddled by a European team with some players who were simply not able to help, but Harrington seemed to struggle to keep up with Stricker’s moves.
Rory McIlroy – The Europeans needed McIlroy to come up big this week and he did not. While he did beat Xander Schauffele on Sunday, McIlroy went 1-3-0 this week, which was a big disappointment.
Paul Casey – If Casey wakes up with nightmares of seeing Dustin Johnson, no one could blame him. Casey appeared in four matches this week and lost all four. And DJ was on the winning side in all four. Yikes.
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Ian Poulter – He has been a nemesis to the Americans for years in Ryder Cup play. But this time around, Poulter was 1-2-0 and was basically a non-factor. He did remain unbeaten in singles, topping Tony Finau, but that was after the matter had been decided.
Matthew Fitzpatrick – He hoped to avenge his winless appearance in the 2016 Ryder Cup this week. Instead, he went 0-3-0 to remain without even a half point in two appearances.