One major reason for pessimism: the Americans are finally taking the Ryder Cup seriously and we'll never win one again. Oh well, we've had a good innings.Indeed I was so wrong that in the end Europe's victory (appropriately delivered, in the end, by their star player Francesco Molinari) was by an even more thumping margin than the USA's 2016 victory at Hazeltine.
| Year | Foursomes | Fourballs | Doubles | Singles | Overall | |||||
| Eur | USA | Eur | USA | Eur | USA | Eur | USA | Eur | USA | |
| 1979 | 4½ | 3½ | 3 | 5 | 7½ | 8½ | 3½ | 8½ | 11 | 17 |
| 1981 | 2 | 6 | 3½ | 4½ | 5½ | 10½ | 4 | 8 | 9½ | 18½ |
| 1983 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 5½ | 6½ | 13½ | 14½ |
| 1985 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 7½ | 4½ | 16½ | 11½ |
| 1987 | 4½ | 3½ | 6 | 2 | 10½ | 5½ | 4½ | 7½ | 15 | 13 |
| 1989 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 14 |
| 1991 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 5½ | 6½ | 13½ | 14½ |
| 1993 | 5 | 3 | 3½ | 4½ | 8½ | 7½ | 4½ | 7½ | 13 | 15 |
| 1995 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7½ | 4½ | 14½ | 13½ |
| 1997 | 5 | 3 | 5½ | 2½ | 10½ | 5½ | 4 | 8 | 14½ | 13½ |
| 1999 | 4½ | 3½ | 5½ | 2½ | 10 | 6 | 3½ | 8½ | 13½ | 14½ |
| 2002 | 3½ | 4½ | 4½ | 3½ | 8 | 8 | 7½ | 4½ | 15½ | 12½ |
| 2004 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 7½ | 4½ | 18½ | 9½ |
| 2006 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 8½ | 3½ | 18½ | 9½ |
| 2008 | 3½ | 4½ | 3½ | 4½ | 7 | 9 | 4½ | 7½ | 11½ | 16½ |
| 2010 | 4½ | 3½ | 5 | 3 | 9½ | 6½ | 5 | 7 | 14½ | 13½ |
| 2012 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 8½ | 3½ | 14½ | 13½ |
| 2014 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 6½ | 5½ | 16½ | 11½ |
| 2016 | 2½ | 5½ | 4 | 4 | 6½ | 9½ | 4½ | 7½ | 11 | 17 |
| 2018 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 7½ | 4½ | 17½ | 10½ |
| Totals | 84½ | 75½ | 87 | 73 | 171½ | 148½ | 115 | 125 | 286½ | 273½ |
No time for a lengthy wallow in the stats, but to pick up on a couple of vital points from last time: Europe won all three days, just as they did in 2004, 2006 and 2014. All the Europeans contributed points, while three Americans contributed zero: DeChambeau, Mickelson and Woods. There was much pre-contest hoopla about how Woods' miraculous rejuvenation (culminating in his remarkable win at the Tour Championship last week) would extend to him being a new man as a player in the Ryder Cup (having been one of Davis Love III's non-playing lieutenants in 2016), but he failed to win a point and lost a singles match for the first time since 1997. Maybe he was just knackered.
I was in charge of entertaining three kids for most of the weekend so my viewing opportunuties were slightly limited, but I did take advantage of NowTV's offer of a month's Sky Sports coverage for the knockdown price of £12.99, which enabled me to keep up with the live coverage on my laptop. This compares extremely favourably with the cost of having a full Sky Sports package on the TV, something we've recently ditched as it's just cripplingly expensive. I daresay there are fiendish and probably borderline illegal ways of viewing this stuff for free, but this seems to work pretty well.
I suppose what the result shows more than anything is how much home advantage counts for: only six of the twenty modern Ryder Cups have resulted in away wins (four for Europe, two for the USA) and only two of the last ten (both Europe, in 2004 and 2012). By the time of the next European Ryder Cup in 2022 it'll be 29 years since the last American win on European soil and I would guess most of the US team wouldn't even have been born for the last one in 1993.
6 comments:
Yeah I know wotchoomeen about the silly price SKY command for their service.
We have the full bundle and BT Sports for the rugby (and baseball as it happens) but it is silly money... and I tend to watch A LOT of golf and still don't think it's any value.
And for what it's worth... my brief take on this year's Ryder Cup can be found here:
https://theblackrabbitgolfblog.wordpress.com/2018/09/30/the-ryder-cup-2018-my-very-brief-thoughts/
We ditched our Virgin Media package altogether and just got a Freesat box. I'm doing the NowTV thing separately for the sports. The money saved is exclusively going towards what I once described on this blog as "hilariously expensive tiny shoes".
Where do you get your internet from then, pray tell me, stout yeoman.
Actually. Can you GET the internet in Wales?
We've totally de-Virginated now and all of our finest internets are delivered with the rest of our utilities via the good folks at Utility Warehouse. My wife will be only too happy to talk you through the details as she is ONE OF THEM.
I'm sure Hazel would "talk us through the details".
No point though as I'd miss all the BT Sports rugby and Sky golf and BT Sports baseball and porn sorry Sky arts I currently watch on Virgin.
ah yes, "Sky Arts". I getcha.
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