The Agonizing Wait for US Ryder Cup Victory Is Over for US

With only two victories in Ryder Cup since 2000, it was beginning to look like the US was losing its competitive edge. However, Steve Stricker’s Americans routed the Euros in one of the most lopsided victories since Europe did the same thing to the US in 2004.

The rookies were surprisingly brilliant. And some golfers, not those on the U.S. team, have probably seen their last outing in Ryder Cup.

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At the heart of the victory was a guy who has less ego than just about anybody you will ever meet: Steve Stricker, an admitted cheesehead from Edgerton, Wisconsin, former Presidents Cup captain, former team partner of Tiger Woods and currently best loved man in American golf. How did he manage a cadre of all-stars?

“It’s a culmination of a lot of things,” Stricker said in entertaining post event press conference. “This started months ago. For me, three years ago two, and a half years ago.”

Dustin Johnson, who went 5-0-0 in points, the most possible in a Ryder Cup, was quick to give Sticker all the credit as well as the so-called rookies, at least one of whom is a double major winner and two of whom were his partners.

“They didn’t play like they were rookies. They stepped up to the plate and they all wanted it,” Johnson chimed in. “The one thing we all have in common is we all hate to lose. And so that’s how we came together.”

While that sounds good, watching it in person, with Xander Schauffele puffing on a cigar almost as big as he is, and Dustin Johnson with a spirit-induced grin, and Collin Morikawa balancing a magnum of champagne on one knee and the rest of the team members giggling when they weren’t talking, was priceless.

Jordan Spieth characterized the victory as unfinished business. He explained he’d been on a losing team twice in Europe.

“We needed this one,” he said. “It’s one thing to win it over here, and it is a lot easier to do so, and it is harder to win over there.”

From time to time, the conference was taken over by the guys asking each other things. Brooks Koepka got a shout out for the tee shot he hit at the 17th which landed about a foot from the hole. DJ wanted to know what it was like to fly a drive 400 yards, which Bryson DeChambeau did on the 5th hole.

DeChambeau didn’t really answer that, but he did note that winning the Ryder Cup was better than any tournament victory in his life.

When asked who the emotional leader of the team was, surprisingly, Justin Thomas pointed to Johnson.

“Poor guy went out there, tried to get six points, but all he could do was five. He is our leader. We’re following grandpa into the abyss,” he joked. (Five is the maximum number of points anyone could win.)

Stricker said he thought the key to everyone being relaxed and ready to go was that he simplified. He had no speeches, no movies, no special guests. He just wanted to give the team time to rest when they needed to, have physiotheraphy when they needed to, eat when they needed to. He said he knew they all wanted to win, and that he thought it was an insult to Brooks Koepka for anyone to think that he didn’t want to be on the team.

“I’ve been on a losing team,” Stricker said, “and I’ve been on a winning side, team, and we just want these guys to enjoy the experience.”

Enjoy it they did. Johnson had his party stamina challenged, which he took personally indicating that there was nothing wrong with his ability to celebrate.

Thomas suggested that Koepka and DeChambeau hug it out in the press conference, and they obliged. So ended a joyful US Ryder Cup press conference.

Johnson will probably play one, perhaps two more Ryder Cups before he ages up. But the rest of the team has the potential to play at least three of them, maybe more. The U.S. should be set up with a passel of partnerships for at least a decade. It will remain to be seen who comes up for Europe as Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter have reached Ryder Cup retirement age. They will surely throw a new Sergio or new Rory at us in the years ahead.

Next. 2021 Ryder Cup: Winners and Losers from Whistling Straits. dark

Speculation now starts as to who will be the 2023 US Ryder Cup Captain for each side. Most believe it to be Zach Johnson for the U.S. and Lee Westwood for the Euros with Ian Poulter not far behind. Stricker would not confirm or deny any info on the next US captain except to say that it’s not him.

Finally, the anger of Ryder Cup that began many years ago is gone. Whether it was killed off by the pandemic or because so many Europeans have a base in the U.S. is hard to tell. But it was a nicer competition maybe because so many of the players love playing in it.

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