Can the US ever win the Ryder Cup again in the current format?

No

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by Chris Jones

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So here we are again the Ryder Cup jamboree is upon us and all the hype that surrounds it. The wildcards have been picked and the teams are set. Everyone is expressing their views through the media is this the end for Monty ? Should Darren Clare have been picked ? Will they need a reserve day now that JB Holmes has been picked ?

I will put it on record now that if the US don't win this time then I cannot see them winning for a very long time. The Americans are on home soil, will not have the distraction of the Tiger factor (more on that later), have a good team behind the scenes whilst Europe have arguably their weakest captain for quite some time in engendering a team ethos.

That all seems to point to a really close contest this time but will the US win ? Tough call but I think they will just fall short and it all comes down to one simple word that Europe encompass and the Americans (however hard they seem to try) just cannot seem to be able to replicate and that word is team.

It's not for the lack of trying on the part of the US PGA and their Ryder up committee. To their credit, they are constantly tweaking their qualifying rules to improve the team that represent them. The US captain Paul Azinger was given real flexibility with four wildcard picks this time and Zinger was looking for those in tip top form to prove to him that they deserved a spot on the team. That should have ensured a team on the top of their games but therein lies the rub.

Since the end of the automatic qualifying period for the US team, captain Azinger waited three weeks to name his four wildcards. He has gone on record saying that he had hoped that some would step up their game and put their hand up to be on the team. That wish was unfortunately not granted when in successive weeks, Padraig Harrington won the US PGA championship, Carl Petterson won the week after and Vijay Singh then took the next two so alas not one American rose to the challenge laid down.

That is one of the problems the US PGA is facing too many international winners of PGA tour events. Go back 10 or 15 years, how many non American golfers were there that were consistently in contention to win tournaments on a regular basis ? Just a handful at best I would think. Many of those on the European tour didn't venture over and there were less Asian and Australasian layers of a top standard to compete.

Of course, it has also been argued that having one player being so dominant in the sport has a detrimental effect on the rest of the team. Tiger Woods is a phenomenon. In some respects in terms of the Ryder Cup, he is almost too good. Not as far as always winning Ryder Cup points (he has nothing more than an average records in the event over the years).but the rest of the US team have less opportunities to win other tournaments and therefore feel and get used to the pressure of the back nine on a Sunday when leading or being at the top of the leaderboard.

When it comes down to the crunch, Tiger can only be responsible for 5 points in the Ryder Cup so his influence on the course is not that much. I sense though that previously, he has been seen as a talisman by the other players on the team and so when he hasn't performed as well as we all expect, it has had a domino effect on the rest of the te4eam.

This year may well be different though; Tiger is missing and so the expectation perhaps will be lessened because of that. There will be less pressure on the players and if they are able to enjoy the competition, there is more of a chance of winning.

There is however another major reason why the European team have been so successful in recent years. For any successful team, you will find a real togetherness and spirit within it. This has always seemed to be something that has eluded the Americans whilst the Europeans appear to be overflowing with it.

The European tour players are usually visiting man y different countries on a regular basis and in many cases, it is human nature to want to surround yourself with people who you are abler to communicate with especially when you are in a foreign land and experiencing different cultures each week.

This has led to many of the European players travelling to events together, staying in the same hotels together and socialising once the rounds of golf have finished. Many of the golfers have become firm friends over a period of time and so, when the Ryder Cup teams are announced, many of these same players already know each other and get on so well; thus a team is already formed well before the event is due to take place.

Contrast this to what we constantly hear about the US players. They seem to travel separately on their own private jets, stay in separate hotels and tend to keep themselves to themselves. Golf is an individual sport and can be a lonely one and it comes across as the US PGA tour engenders that perceived view completely. Therefore, when it comes to the Ryder Cup team, the US captain has in many cases, to deal with 12 individuals ho may not really know each other an have a small window to try and gel and mould these players into a team ho will help each other and live or die for the cause.

There is also always talk that the European players want to be part of the Ryder Cup more than the Americans do. I'm not too sure if this is the case but whenever there have been calls or questions regarding the cup, money or format, it does seem to come from the American side. Many of the Europeans appear to really ant to make the Ryder Cup team and make it one of their highest goals. You never seem to get a sense that is the Americans view the Ryder Cup with that much esteem.

The one thing that I feel is a big plus for the US team is that I regard Nick Faldo to be one of the weakest European captains in recent times. He has always been a loner type and an individual so will he be able to garner the team spirit that is required ? I'm not too sure he can and the fact that he has only selected one vice captain to help him also suggests that he will struggle to answer those question. It could however be argued that the European team is such a well oiled machine that it hardly needs a captain and can almost run itself. We might find out ho true this is in this year's event.

I really feel that this is the Americans best chance to in for years especially with the added advantage of home support. If they don't then I feel that it might be a fair few years before we can contemplate a US victory as there are signs that the European tour seems to get stronger and stronger as each year progresses.

One thing is for sure, we should be set for another enthralling event one of the top sporting events in the world. I know I am not alone but I for one cannot wait !

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