Before I get started, I must say Daniel Berger and Justin Thomas are truly “one of us”. While confidence was high and the US had a 9-3 lead Saturday morning, this newly formed dynamic duo proceeded to dig in to a cooler during their walk to the first tee box, throw beers in to the stands, and then shotgunned aforementioned beers thanks in part to the encouragement of the screaming fans.
This is more what you expect from your degenerate buddy who rambles on about a “beer per hole” at your local public course before blacking out and throwing up by the 12th hole. This is not what you expected to see at Whistling Straights. But either way, the crowd and golf fans ate it up!
The USA’s Dominant Performance
The USA finished the Ryder Cup with a 19-9 win, the largest margin of victory in the modern era. The victory was sealed by Colin Morikawa while there were still 7 matches going on the course!
This is the first time the US has won since Paris in 2018 and only their 2nd win in the last six attempts. On top of that, it is just the third victory for the US in the last 10 meetings between the teams.
U.S.A. Captain, Steve Stricker, was quoted as saying “from Day 1, it was about out-preparing. Just getting these guys here, getting them on the same page. This is a new era of USA golf. They are young, they come with a lot of passion, a lot of energy, a lot of game, and they are just so good. This is the greatest team of all-time, right here.”
And Captain America is not wrong, the Americans have 9 players who sit in the top 11 of the World Ranking. Even the likes of world greats, McIlroy and Rahm, could not bail out the Europeans. Look at the roster for the USA which includes Thomas, DJ, Koepka, Spieth, DoucheChambeau, Morikawa, Schauffele, Cantlay, and of course, Phil!
The USA is building a dynasty and should have a solid team for years to come.
On top of that, could you imagine the emotion for Steve Stricker to win the Ryder Cup with team USA in his home state of Wisconsin? When asked about it, he responded “you know, I never won a major, but this is my major, right here”.
Bryson was built for 4-Ball
While I may not be the biggest Bryson DeChambeau fan, I will say that what he was capable of doing with his driver this weekend was more than entertaining. On Friday, we saw Bryson hit an absolute bomb of a drive, 417-yards, on the 5th hole which is a par 5. It left him with a 72-yard shot in to make eagle. Normally, would you go for a shot like that? No, but when your partner has been playing smart and setting themselves up for pars, you can get as aggressive you like.
Thomas and Cantlay with an epic comeback
After falling behind by three holes, the Thomas and Cantlay duo managed to claw their way back in to the fight. They made birdie on 9 and then came back to hit an eagle on 16 to tie up the match. Even though they only tied and got half a point, it was still a comeback of the ages.
Mickelson and Curry Bromance?
As I am sure you all saw, on Friday Phil and Steph were hanging out, talking strategy, and slapping high fives after Bryson would bomb the ball. I know the two of them have been seen hanging out quite a bit with Phil even hitting a flop shot over Steph at a recent tournament. Just one more of the crazier things you see at the Ryder Cup.
As if one NBA MVP wasn’t enough, Michael Jordan was also spotted smoking cigars and sipping wine with Ahmad Rashad while watching Dustin Johnson play.
Bryson and Koepka Hug?
With all of the heated words and Bryson meltdowns, would you have ever guessed that on Sunday morning the two would share a hug? A lot of analysts thought the drama and lack of cohesion would be the downfall for team USA. However, I guess certain things are more important than petty rivalries.
DJ is Back
Dustin Johnson had a rough ending to the year; however, he was able to put that behind him and show why he is a Master’s champion and one of the best golfers in the world. DJ went 5/5 and basically showed that age is just a number as one of the oldest members of the team. Also, it just goes to reiterate my point above, if a 37-year-old is one of the team’s oldest guys, this core group will be dangerously good for a very long time.
In summary, it was a statement win for Team USA and overall a very entertaining Ryder Cup. It had just about everything anyone could ask for; Bombs by Bryson, shotguns by Berger and Thomas, and a full out beatdown by DJ. In the words of Maximus, “are you not entertained?”
