Why Is the Ryder Cup Losing its Prestige?
After the announcement of the European team, you might want to ask this question: Why does this team look more awesome than the USA? The continuity is evident where the previous team won 16.5 to 11.5 against the USA. The European squad of Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Rasmus Højgaard, Robert MacIntyre, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, and team captain Luke Donald speaks volumes of legitimacy and confidence. The team itself is a balanced team with a mixture of young talents, established players, and legends of the men’s golf world. The USA squad of Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English, Ben Griffin, Russell Henley, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Cameron Young, and team captain Keegan Bradley, who elects himself not to play, speaks of the volume of potential and great risks.
The strategy may prove to be for the sake of victory, but the drawback is evident, where names are sacrificed for the sake of victory. The casual fans are asking who these American players are, and not the most accomplished. The strategy is a big gamble for the Americans, where victory will bring glory and cheers, while a massive defeat will bring questions, doubt, and even shame. The fact that we are asking for a competitive match against the Europeans shows the regression of expectations we have for the Americans in this competition.
The history of its competition also adds to the shenanigans of this competition. The twentieth century was red, white, and blue glory, while the twenty-first century was mostly filled with stars across the navy blue. Can we ask for a little back and forth from here on out? The question of changing the format has to be discussed and may be a minor issue compared to other issues, as the best players for the United States of America seem to miss out due to the format. Tiger Woods seems to influence more Europeans to be great, while the Americans, except for Scottie, Thomas, Morikawa, and Schauffele, seem to crack under pressure.
