5 major factors behind Team Europe’s success against USA in the Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup closed its curtains on Sunday, leaving the golf world with the sense of emptiness that accompanies the conclusion of any great event. That void will gradually be filled with new achievements and new heroes, but what happened at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club has little chance of being forgotten.
It was a weekend of historic proportions, with Team Europe at the center of it all. It is not the first time that the United States has lost a Ryder Cup, and in all likelihood it will not be the last. But the tremendous quality of collective play displayed by the Europeans will be difficult to match, let alone surpass.
What were the keys to this spectacular performance? Logically, it was not one detail or another, but the sum of disparate factors that worked with the precision of a Swiss watch.
Let's take a look at five of the key factors that helped Europe win the 2023 Ryder Cup.
5 Key Factors Behind Team Europe's Ryder Cup Success
As a team event, the collective component plays an essential role in the Ryder Cup. The captain and his decisions are so important that they can win or lose the tournament. For this reason, the fundamental factors of victory or defeat do not always lie in the good or bad performance of one or more players.
The five essential aspects of the European victory in the Ryder Cup were the following
#1 Pre-competition preparation.
Europe's approach to the pre-competition phase proved to be the best. The 12 players on Team Europe continued to play in official tournaments, some more than others, until the week before the Ryder Cup.
The American players, on the other hand, had no competitive action after the TOUR Championship. Only Max Homa and Justin Thomas played in the Fortinet Championship, while Brooks Koepka played in the LIV Golf Chicago.
#2 Team Performance
The European team play was at the highest level. Suffice it to say that out of 16 matches, they won nine, halved three and lost four. In foursomes, they were nearly unbeatable with seven wins and one loss.
In fact, the U.S. won only one of the four team rounds, Saturday's foursomes, three matches to one.
#3 Three halves in a row
Europe started the Ryder Cup by winning all four matches on Friday morning, a tough blow to recover from. The United States almost came back in the afternoon matches, but the Europeans knew how to play just enough to keep them from doing so.
The first three four-ball matches on Friday afternoon were almost identical. All three reached the 18th hole with the United States leading, and in all three cases a European putt denied them victory.
Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Justin Rose, in that order, holed the tying putt on the final hole of their respective matches. Had the Americans made those victories, the story could have been different.
#4 Rory McIlroy
Even before the start of the event, it was known that Rory McIlroy would play a key role in the team. The Northern Irishman did not disappoint, turning in his best Ryder Cup performance to date.
In five matches, he won four and lost one. He finished as the team's and the tournament's leading scorer. Other Europeans with great performances were Viktor Hovland and Tyrrel Hatton, both with 3.5 points each.
#5 Luke Donald
One way or another, all of the above brings us to captain Luke Donald. He set the pre-tournament strategy, he demanded his players stay active, he picked teams and pairings with surgical precision.
But he also created an atmosphere of camaraderie on the team that was unmistakable. Players who are used to play the sport alone with their caddie came to competition hugging and identifying with each other. That is without a doubt a leadership success.