Brennan: U.S. fails to close the door on Europe at Ryder Cup
CHASKA, Minn. — Oh, for a killer instinct. If only the United States could have kept up the pressure, if only the Americans could have followed a magical morning with another dominating performance in the afternoon Friday at Hazeltine National.
If only…
How often have we said that about U.S. Ryder Cup teams over the last two decades, when the Americans have lost eight of the last 10 matches?
After the USA rocketed out of the blocks with a majestic 4-0 shutout of the Europeans Friday morning in alternate-shot foursomes, it gave most of that lead right back in the afternoon four-ball competition, losing 3-1.
While the U.S. team still held a 5-3 lead going into Saturday’s play, it’s not hard to imagine what might have been: 7-1? 6-2? Even 5 ½ to 2 ½?
Instead, the Americans couldn't answer the Europeans' inspired afternoon play and allowed them to climb right back into this competition. If the USA could have followed up that undefeated morning with similar dominance in the afternoon, it could have all but knocked Europe out of the 2016 Ryder Cup on the first day.
Europe storms back as USA leads 5-3 in Ryder Cup
Now, lucky Europe has been let off the hook, and has built momentum into the weekend matches, with none other than veteran Sergio Garcia leading the way.
“It was important (to win in the afternoon) mainly because, obviously, we didn’t have a good morning and we needed to go out here and do something better than we did this morning,” said Garcia, who improved his Ryder Cup team-play record to a scintillating 16-6-5. “Hopefully we can get at least three points this afternoon and it will be amazing and we’re back in it.”
They did. It was. They are.
“They seemed to birdie every hole,” U.S. captain Davis Love III said. “We played pretty well in the afternoon but they just outplayed us. We just ran into a couple buzz-saws. It’s frustrating a little bit to not come out a little bit further ahead. I know Darren (Clarke, the European captain) is happy with the momentum.”
He sure is.
“That’s the Ryder Cup,” Clarke said. “This morning, the guys were disappointed, but they showed tremendous bravery and heart and desire with how they played this afternoon.”
The Americans’ start was the stuff of dreams. Or, perhaps, the stuff of a task force. That doesn’t sound nearly as romantic, but two years’ worth of meeting and strategizing about how to stop the losing culminated in a glorious Friday morning for the Americans.
“I think we all kind of sensed and had a good feeling heading into today that the morning was going to go well,” said U.S. veteran Phil Mickelson, who with Rickie Fowler came from behind to defeat Rory McIlroy and Andy Sullivan, 1 up.
“We didn’t know it would go that well, but we knew we were going to have a good morning. And gosh, the guys just played some incredible golf.”
Such was the U.S. domination that the first European point occurred just after 4:30 p.m., nine hours after play began.
“It makes it sweeter when you beat the guys who beat you in the morning,” said Henrik Stenson, who with partner Justin Rose defeated Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed, 5 and 4, for that first European win.
In the morning, Spieth and Reed never trailed as they beat the Europeans, 3 and 2.
It’s not easy to dominate throughout an entire day of intense Ryder Cup pressure. The last time the Americans won two sessions in the same day was 1981, when Mickelson was 11.
That also was the last time the USA went 4-0 in a session, going on to win that Ryder Cup, 18 ½ to 9 ½. The last time the U.S. team swept an opening session was 1975, when Arnold Palmer was team captain. Fittingly, Palmer’s golf bag from that Ryder Cup was on the first tee Friday morning in his memory.
There was nothing but optimism in the undefeated U.S. team room during lunch on Friday.
"It’s a good start, but there is a long way to go and a lot more points out there," Love said before the afternoon session began. "Everybody just needs to keep doing the same thing over and over.”
Against their old nemesis, the Americans found out once again that was much easier said than done.
PHOTOS: RYDER CUP
