U.S.A Beats Europe to Win First Ryder Cup in 8 Years
The U.S. Team has won the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2008. Beating Darren Clarke’s European side 17 to 11.
It was an exciting weekend in Minnesota as the biennial event hit Hazeltine National Golf Club. While both teams talked a big game heading into Friday’s start it was the Americans who dominated most of the three-day action. As Davis Love III’s final captain’s pick Ryan Moore won the final point on Sunday, the U.S. had managed their largest margin of victory for 35 years!
The 41st meeting of the two sides was not without its dramas. Before practice sessions were even finished Europe had an issue with rookie and Masters champion Danny Willett’s brother who had written an article bashing American fans. Both Clarke and Willett were forced to apologise for the piece but it seems the damage might have gotten to the English golfer who went 0-3 over the weekend and labeled his first Ryder Cup appearance a four-letter word.
Another issue for Clarke could be that half of his team were Ryder Cup rookies. With that much new blood it was difficult to know how they would perform in the high-pressure event and handle the American crowds, who at times were rowdy and rude. Just ask Rory McIlroy who asked for a fan to be removed on Saturday after the World Number Three felt he had “crossed the line.”
Speaking to reporters after yesterday’s defeat, McIlroy admitted it was only a small minority of American fans misbehaving and even pointed to a possible source of the issue.
“95 per cent of the people out there, the American gallery are absolutely fantastic, they really are,” said the Northern Irishman. “But this week, at times, it went a little bit too far. But you know, that’s to be expected. When you are teeing off at 7:35 in the morning and you’re seeing people on the first tee with a beer in their hand and matches aren’t finishing until 4:30, 5:00 in the afternoon, I know I would be done at that point. I don’t know what I would be saying!”
Spain’s Sergio Garcia went a bit further in his assessment of the minority telling BBC Radio 5 Live, “It is unfortunate because I think 85 per cent of the people are great and I love playing in America - my girlfriend is American - but that 15 per cent is really bad and it makes them look bad. I feel ashamed for my girlfriend because I know how bad she feels when she hears all the things they tell us but it is what it is, simple as that.”
Despite the dramas the U.S. Team was ecstatic to win the Ryder Cup. After 2014’s thrashing at Gleneagles, the Americans took the mission to once again win the event extremely seriously. Forming a task force to iron-out the issues that have plagued past teams. And it seems that it was a positive route to go with the American Team looking sharp, focused and together throughout the week in Minnesota. Although it looks like the task force might still have one job left before Paris 2018…
