It wasn’t long before the greatest team event of golf began on Long Island, New York.
European captain Luke Donald will play the second straight game after he succeeded in Rome two years ago, since he confirmed he will be planning a Bethpage Black coup in his second straight game.
What statistics will bring him a sleepless night? Let’s take a look.
11 of the last 13 Ryder Cups won by the home team
It’s big – it’s a statistic that everyone knows, but European teams are eager to overcome.
In fact, Rory McIlroy solved the problem in a bold way within minutes of confirming Rome’s victory.
He said: “I’ve said that to the last six to seven people: I think one of the biggest achievements of golf at the moment is winning the Ryder Cup, and then he said: “That’s what we do at Bethpage.” ”
Visitors will also be encouraged, and the two exceptions to the Ryder Cup rule are two groups of their predecessors.
In 2004, Bernhard Langer was a great captain in Europe, but he also helped Hal Sutton to be disastrous for the Americans.
In 2012, Europeans accomplished miracles in Medinah.
That’s good news.
The bad news is that in the 21st century, the only time the home team failed to win the Ryder Cup was the misfortune of the captain, or the opposition literally saw a golf miracle.
Three of Europe’s last four visits to the United States have resulted in heavy defeats
Apart from the first point, the European team knew that before and after the Medina Miracle, they were hammered as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
Last time they were out, in the 2021 Whistle Channel, they were hit 19-9 and never seemed to win.
Prior to 2016, the final score was 17-11, and 16.5-11.5 in 2008.
They will try to explain these results. In 2021, there are still common restrictions, so there are few supporters. In 2016, the team was the weakest lineup in Europe this century. Nick Faldo was impressed by Hal Sutton’s captain in 2008.
But they will also realize that history should have great doubts about their previous tasks.
Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy is the European figurehead, and these insiders believe that the top three golfers on both sides will go a long way in deciding the entire game.
Indeed, in the 21st century, the contributions of the top three players on both sides are exactly the same as the final result of the Ryder Cup.
So, this makes McIlroy’s efforts absolutely critical.
His record was impressive in the home Ryder Cup.
But in the United States, this is only 6-8-2.
The good news is that he beat 3-2-0 twice, which was a good effort, but the last time he read 1-3-0 on his login book, he ended in tears.
Tommy Fleetwood also has a poor away record
If the top three in Europe are crucial to the team’s chances, Tommy Fleetwood needs to step up too (McIlroy, Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre are the top three in Europe in the world, although if Jon Rahm is almost certain that he would almost usurp the Scots if he wasn’t at Liv).
Fleetwood made his amazing debut at Le Golf National in Paris in 2018, winning all foursomes and four goals with Francesco Molinari before losing his singles.
He also performed well in Rome two years ago. He combined two four-man wins with McIlroy, losing four of his games, but then his defeated Rickie Fowler regained the Ryder Cup.
The result of the two weeks reached 7-2-0, which is grand for any calculation.
But he was on the bench in both foursomes at the 2021 Whistle Channel, where he won two four-goal half points with Viktor Hovland and won his singles 0-1-1 in Jordan Spieth’s singles game.
Donald will want to find a way to ensure Fleetwood is doing well on Long Island. His statistics are very important.
Matt Fitzpatrick’s Whole Ryder Cup Record Rot
At first glance, the British Ryder Cup record was awful, and the fact that wasn’t lost on social media when wildcards were announced.
Many insist that the 2022 U.S. Open should not be considered given that he has not been able to earn points in the past.
Donald disagrees because he will know there are mitigating factors in Fitzpatrick’s record.
For example, when he debuted in 2016, he played fours with Henrik Stenson but he didn’t have the familiar ball, after he was replaced on the bench for the first day of the action.
In 2021, he was paired with a golfer again, who usually didn’t play (Lee Westwood), and the two lost twice.
He was ignored by four balls twice.
What is that? In 2016, his last game, despite his loss, the result of the entire game was his finale after just a few holes. Same as above in 2021.
Donald needs some good news, here’s it: both of these failures with Westwood went into the 17th hole, so it’s not shocking.
On the first afternoon of 2023, Fitzpatrick’s partner McIlroy wrecked Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele with 5 and 3 points before being beaten the 18th Green the next afternoon. He also lost to the singles in the US and lost to scorer Max Homa on the final green.
At that time, there were two close failures.
Still, if Fitzpatrick loses the first game, the pressure will increase.
