One of the biggest competitions in golf is the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup is the 12 best players from the United States, playing against the 12 best players from Europe. Two teams are assembled by the chosen captains, and they have 6 automatic qualifiers based on points and 6 qualifiers that the captains choose, called “captain’s picks.” These picks are always controversial, given the player’s year that they had on the golf course. This competition is held every two years, and each time it alternates where it is played. This year, it is being held in the United States at Historic Bethpage Black in New York. But in two years, the event will be held in Ireland at Adare Manor. As Rory McIlroy said in a statement, “I think winning one of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now is winning an away Ryder Cup.” This quote comes from a guy who just accomplished the greatest thing in golf by winning the career grand slam in April at the Masters. It shows how important the Ryder Cup is to him and how he looks at it.
The United States took a different approach to the Captain position this year. They decided to name Keegan Bradley captain. Bradley is the youngest Ryder Cup captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. Another controversy that came with that was whether he was going to be a playing captain. Keegan Bradley is coming off arguably one of his best seasons of his career, with 1 win and 6 top tens. During the last Ryder Cup, Keegan Bradley was left off the team by Captain Zach Johnson. This left a sour taste in his mouth, and he was ready when they named him the captain this year. This year, with 4 rookies on the team, the United States team might be considered underdogs even though they have home-course advantage, along with the fact that the United States fans will be able to participate in the festivities and bring energy to the team.
On the other hand, the Europeans are coming into the United States, looking to shock everyone and win on the opponent’s land. With only one rookie and 11 returners coming back with Ryder Cup experience, it is easy to see how people are thinking that the Europeans could win for the first time since 2012. Veterans like Jon Rahm, Tyrell Hatton, and Ryder Cup legend Rory McIlroy are looking to go back-to-back after a pretty commanding win at Marco Simone.
With the Ryder Cup coming up this weekend, speculation is bubbling about how the LIV Golf League players will perform. People have said that they don’t expect Bryson DeChambeau to perform well with the team. Brandel Chamblee said, “He’s going to be such a difficult person to be paired with”. This shows how Bryson has built up pressure to perform this weekend. He has high expectations from fans, reporters, and his teammates.
However, as the intensity builds up, people are expecting a tight match. With the United States able to set up the golf course to suit their play style, I see the Americans coming out on top. Although that will help them, I still also see a very tight and pressure-packed match.
