OT: Ryder Cup - Day One, general discussion - Europe sweeps opening session

Submitted by Amazinblu on September 29th, 2023 at 7:08 AM
The Ryder Cup began very early this morning in Italy outside Rome. A talented European team swept the first (Foursomes - alternate shot) session to take a 4-0 lead. The second set of matches (Four ball) has started with the Europeans maintaining their momentum from the morning. The last Ryder Cup was played at Whistling Straits near Kohler / Sheboygan, Wisconsin where the US dominated the Euros for a lopsided win. Will you watch? What do you think of the course, players, format, etc?
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Blue Vet

September 29th, 2023 at 7:19 AM ^

I'm not a big golf guy so I may be missing the obvious, but how can the Ryder Cup have a home-field advantage?

There are no refs to be swayed by screaming crowds. Golfers get to scout the course beforehand so local knowledge can't be a great advantage. Both golf teams are sleeping in hotels instead of comfortably at home.

So can someone explain why the US hasn't won in Europe in 30 years?

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goblu330

September 29th, 2023 at 7:26 AM ^

Well, the actual answer to that doesn’t have a whole lot to do with where it is played.  The European team typically has much greater chemistry and seem to genuinely enjoy the team atmosphere more.  The US team usually feels like 12 different corporations doing a very complex merger.

But there is “home field.”  The Ryder Cup is not a typical event.  The crowd is very loud, especially in Europe, and the teams feed off it.  Additionally, many of the courses they play in Europe are really soft with slower greens.  American professionals almost uniformly prefer faster greens (within reason).  I don’t remember the last time a US team putted well in an “away” Ryder Cup.

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GoBlue96

September 29th, 2023 at 7:29 AM ^

Golf is such a mental game that once something bad gets into the players heads it's hard to get out.

The coaching aspect of Ryder Cup gets way overblown by the media.  I love the shots of the captains riding around in golf carts with walkie talkies as if anything they do makes a difference.

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agentzero

September 29th, 2023 at 7:35 AM ^

No refs to be swayed, but the golfers are definitely motivated by home crowds. And if home golfers can be motivated, surely away golfers can be intimidated.

RE: the course: The DP World (European) Tour adds the chosen course to their tournament rota the few years before, allowing guys to get actual tournament reps at the course instead of just practice rounds. Also, there is quite a lot of course manipulation by the home teams. Historically, US players hit the ball longer but much more offline, so the fairways are narrowed, the rough is grown tall and thick, and the greens are slowed down from what the players are used to in the US. 

There isn't one thing to point to as to why the US hasn't won in Europe in 30 years, but lots of individual reasons in each year, that I think add up to an overall down streak. And with each loss, the pressure grows, making the win that much harder to acquire. Kind of similar to how The Game went for Michigan for the first 20 years this century.

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Amazinblu

September 29th, 2023 at 8:24 AM ^

One other aspect of the crowd, and I’m not sure how many tickets are sold for each day of the competition - but, I’d assume the crowd size is about the same as for a PGA Tour event / major. That would mean 30,000+ fans on the course. So, what’s the difference? It is - in a regular tour stop / major - you’ll have players on the entire course - playing all 18 holes - spread out. On the first two days of a Ryder Cup - you have four “groups” playing the course. So, the fans are usually packed around the four groups and specific holes in play. It’s a lot louder - and many Euro fans bring the football spirit when cheering.

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Yahtzee

September 29th, 2023 at 9:49 AM ^

The advantages of "home-field" in the Ryder Cup is mainly the home crowd atmosphere.  Another advantage that is often overlooked is the home team also sets the course up to best suit their players abilities.  Example, at Whistling Straits they had a couple drivable par 4's that benefited more US players than Europeans.  

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Bluesince89

September 29th, 2023 at 8:42 AM ^

I just want to watch Hovland. While I think he's great already, I think this guy is going to dominate the game for the next couple of decades. Amazing to watch him play. 

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ontblue1

September 29th, 2023 at 2:02 PM ^

My exact thought. The top golf event by a long shot and one of the top 5 sporting events...period.

The intensity and pressure is off the charts.

In many ways you can thank Seve for making it what it is.

This thing meant everything to him and he pulled Europe out of a "who cares" state of mind to make this thing so intense.

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goblu330

September 29th, 2023 at 4:36 PM ^

The Euros made some putts but the US gagged for sure.  Jordan Spieth… my man?  And Homa and Clark can’t halve that match.  They just can’t.  That is like losing a game with a 15 point lead with 5 minutes to go in s basketball game.  And they didn’t lose it because their opponents played well.  They just lost it because they could not win it.

The only silver lining is that the European team may go to sleep tonight thinking this thing is over.  It really is far from it.

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mvp

September 29th, 2023 at 11:06 AM ^

I'll be watching.  Much better afternoon start than the morning obviously.  We'll see.

Grumpy old man mode: maybe don't put the outcome in the headline at 7:08 AM for matches that started at 1:35AM in case anyone wants to be watching on delay...

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Amazinblu

September 29th, 2023 at 12:14 PM ^

The US seemed to be poised to gain ground in the four a ball matches - but, the Euros fought hard and halved the first two matches - while McIlroy and Fitzpatrick won convincingly. There’s one hole remaining in the final afternoon match - and the Euros will have a solid lead after Day One’s matches conclude. The Euros will lead by at least four (4) points - most likely 6-2. The US has to put together a very solid day of play tomorrow. If the US loses this last hole (in the remaining match) - the lead will be five (5) points - 6 1/2 to 1 1/2… a massive deficit.

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Amazinblu

September 29th, 2023 at 12:43 PM ^

A day of really dominating play by the Euros - a five (5) point lead after Day One. The Euros were behind on the back nine in three of the four afternoon matches - and, came back to tie / halve each of them. There were eight (8) matches today - Europe won five and tied the other three. It will be very interesting to see what happens during the weekend.

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tigerd

September 29th, 2023 at 12:37 PM ^

European team is much more focused and emotional. Kicking the USA teams ass. Wish we could replace Zach Johnson as captain mid match. What a dud of a captain.

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Amazinblu

September 29th, 2023 at 2:15 PM ^

Lou, respectfully, they only lost the 18th - a par five, in two of those three final matches. They halved the 18th in the third match (the first to be played). Regardless, not being able to take advantage of a hole they should compete strongly on (because of their length / experience) - is a major reason they are down five points after Day One.

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Amazinblu

September 29th, 2023 at 2:48 PM ^

Lou, I agree - in each of those three matches the US had a lead on the back nine. The format was four ball - so, you don’t have to deal with the awkwardness of alternate shot and your partner putting you in a tough spot. I’m not sure of the appropriate word - but, the US play was “weak” at best - to be very kind.

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Amazinblu

September 29th, 2023 at 1:19 PM ^

Perhaps a very competitive spirit. Not sure if you heard, but one thing Luke Donald did was have a locker set up with Seve Ballesteros’ gear from his Ryder Cups. Seve was instrumental in changing the format of the Ryder Cup - specifically, changing the structure of the opponent the US side faced. The format had been the US vs Great Britain & Ireland. Seve drove the inclusion of the rest of Europe. Needless to say, it’s been far more competitive and interesting since that change was made. Rahm’s putt on the 18th to win the hole and halve that match was incredible.

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