Eight years after its last triumph and after having suffered three consecutive defeats in the tournament, the United States regained the Ryder Cup, and did so comfortably, with a score of 17-11 after having reached the last day, that of the individual matches, with a three-point lead.
The team captained by Davis Love III won at Hazeltine National Golf Club (Chaska, Minnesota) the 41st edition of the Ryder in a mathematical way when Ryan Moore made it 15-10 beating Lee Westwood by one up. With three matches remaining, the United States broke down the resistance of a European team that entered the final day with a tough 9.5-6.5 against.
The United States culminated three days of dominance with its first joy in years. The nineteenth edition of the competition since 1979, when players from continental Europe were allowed to participate, at least two Spanish golfers, Sergio García and Rafael Cabrera-Bello, played a good role.
Sunday called for a new feat in the individual matches, in the style of the so-called ‘miracle of Medinah’, but such feats happen very rarely. Just in case, the team captained by Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke did its best to make sure there were options.
Almost all of the matches were resolved tightly, with the sole exception of those between Brooks Koepka and Danny Willett (5/4), and Zach Johnnson and Matthew Fitzpatrick (4/3). In both cases the point fell on the American side.
Before that, there had been a series of good news for the European team, which fed the thesis of the achievement: Henrik Stenson and Thomas Pieters subdued Jordan Spieth and J.B. Holmes, respectively, Rafael Cabrera-Bello won with some solvency over Jimmy Walker (3/2), and Sergio García put things in Chinese against Phil Mickelson in what was a simply marvelous confrontation.
The Spaniard and the Californian gave a recital of birdies to finish both with -9. Such a great spectacle required a fair distribution of the spoils, which was given with two good putts to the 18th, half a point for each.
By then the duel was almost decided. Wins by Patrick Reed over Rory McIlroy (1up), Rickie Fowler over Justin Rose (1up), Ryan Moore over Lee Westwood (1up), Brandt Snedeker over Andy Sullivan (3-1) and Dustin Johnson over Chris Wood (1up) capped off a triumphant Sunday for the dedicated American crowd.
Despite the defeat, this edition has left several positive readings for the European team, including the enormous growth of a spectacular Thomas Pieters and the good performance of the two Spanish players, with special mention for the debutant Rafael Cabrera-Bello.
The United States dominated 5-3 after the first day of play
At the end of the first day of competition, the United States dominated Europe by 5-3. The Americans had an absolutely devastating start, with victories in the four foursomes of the morning, in three of the cases with clear superiority.
One of them was the one between Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer, who paired up by decision of Darren Clarke, who left Rafael Cabrera-Bello on the bench. Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson overcame the Spanish-German duo by 4/2 despite Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer controlled the situation until the 11th. Both even took the lead in the partial score after taking advantage of a North American bogey on the second hole.
The equality of the field was maintained until the 12th hole, where Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson recovered ground before stringing together a furious streak of five consecutive winning holes that ended the resistance of Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer.
In the other matches, Jordan Spieth-Patrick Reed beat Henrik Stenson-Justin Rose by 3/2; Phil Mickelson-Rickie Fowler beat Rory McIlroy-Andy Sullivan by 1up; and Dustin Johnson-Matt Kuchar beat Lee Westwood-Thomas Pieters by 5/4.
The complicated European situation was significantly fixed in the afternoon fourballs, where Sergio Garcia and Rafael Cabrera-Bello paired up. The Spaniards, very solid throughout the match against J. B. Holmes-Ryan Moore, solved the match with a convincing 3/2, adding one of the three points obtained by Europe at this stage of the tournament.
Sergio Garcia and Rafael Cabrera-Bello controlled the situation at all times, gaining a solid four-hole lead at the ninth hole. Two birdies by the Canary Islander on the first and sixth holes, which became a partial point in the duel, gave the island player’s debut in a Ryder Cup even more sparkle.
Of the rest of the matches, the United States only won the Brandt Snedeker-Brooks Koepka match against Martin Kaymer-Danny Willett (5/4). On the other hand, on the European side, the points obtained by Justin Rose-Henrik Stenson against Jordan Spieth-Patrick Reed (5/4) and Rory McIlroy-Thomas Pieters against Dustin Johnson-Matt Kuchar (3/2) fell.
USA increased lead to 9.5- 6.5 after second round
The second round of the Ryder Cup served to confirm the epic nature of a confrontation that raises passions. The Americans, after the foursomes and fourballs, slightly increased their lead over the Europeans, where the Spaniards Sergio García and Rafael Cabrera-Bello once again played a leading role.
After the 5-3 first day, it was Europe’s turn to come back, a desire expressed on the course during four foursomes full of spectacularity and emotion. Rory McIlroy and Thomas Pieters solved their duel against Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson with great solvency (4/2), while Justin Rose and Chris Wood scored another point for the Europeans after effectively dominating Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson (1up).
The Americans took a breather with the victory of Brandt Snedeker and Brooks Koepka by 3/2 against Henrik Stenson and Matt Fitzpatrick, a winning dynamic that seemed to be reproduced in the duel between Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth and Sergio García and Rafael Cabrera-Bello, who were clearly ahead by four holes at the 13th tee.
The epic, then, took over the Spaniards, endowed with a reaction capacity that ended up astonishing everyone present, reediting old sensations that in the past took both the European team and the Spanish representatives who have contributed so much to the Ryder.
Step by step, with commendable serenity and accuracy, Sergio García and Rafael Cabrera-Bello alternated hits to the general astonishment and the growing fear of Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth, who could even have lost the match after a comeback to remember that brought the tie to the partial scoreboard.
Later, in the afternoon fourballs duels, the Americans regained the initiative, having overcome the worst of the day. It is true that Rory McIlrory and Thomas Pieters, tremendously solid, returned to score points for Europe after beating Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson by 3/1, but it is also true that the rest of the matches, although evenly matched, fell on the American side, including the one between Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer, again a pair, as in the first round, who lost by 2/1 to the thrust of Phil Mickelson and Matt Kuchar, always ahead in the scoreboard of the play-off.
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