It’s all about the details for Luke Donald
Justin Rose of Europe celebrates with Europe captain Luke Donald during the afternoon fourball matches on day two of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy. (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Alexander Graham Bell said “Before anything else, preparation is key to success”. After witnessing a truly dominant early display from Team Europe at the 44th Ryder Cup in Rome, their performance poses an interesting question around the impact of preparation for the two teams.
With some significant blows for the USA in the first couple of days play, including a record 9&7 victory for Hovland and Åberg over Scheffler and Koepka and a whitewash four-nil victory in the Friday Foursomes, a sceptic might suggest that a long break in the run-up to this event may not have been the best preparation for what looks to be a jaded, lacklustre visiting team.
A second-wind in the Saturday afternoon fourballs may suggest that getting a few rounds of golf under their belts may have allowed them to finally find their stride, but has it come too late to make up for a passive early showing?
Of the 12 players that make up Team USA, nine have not played any competitive golf since the Tour Championship five weeks ago. Interestingly, seven of the US side finished in the top-10 at East Lake, and seven of their 12 selections finished in the top-20 at the BMW Championship. While it is impossible to say exactly how much weighting the five-week break carries, there is a clear indication of good form in the run-up to the event which has been absent in their performances through the first three sessions in Italy.
In contrast, Team Europe’s preparation looks to have been perfectly planned. Similarly to the US side, the Europeans had six in the top-20 at East Lake, including a momentous victory for poster-boy Viktor Hovland. That was the second win in consecutive starts for the Norwegian, who looks to be playing the golf of his life at Marco Simone this week.
The biggest distinction however is that the European players appeared to use the weeks leading to the Ryder Cup as a springboard. Wildcard rookie Ludvig Åberg won his first DP World Tour event at the Omega European Masters in early September, seeing off team mates Matt Fitzpatrick and Nicolai Højgaard to land a maiden professional win. A top-5 finish for Shane Lowry a week later in Ireland helped the Irishman to silence critics questioning his selection, with the overall European momentum train picking up pace.
The final pieces of the preparation puzzle then fell into place in Surrey. All twelve Team Europe players turned out at the BMW PGA Championship, two weeks before the Ryder Cup. A strong performance at Wentworth, with seven of the team finishing in the top-10 and nine in the top-20 that week, appears to have been the perfect way to build some confidence and carry their scintillating form into their bid to regain the Ryder Cup.
In an interesting turn of events, that I am sure was in no way influenced by Captain Luke Donald, the groups for the first two days of the flagship DP World Tour event created an opportunity for the European players to play two rounds together in four groups of three. When you also factor in what appeared to be a successful pre-event trip to Rome, and an obvious sense of camaraderie that seems absent in the US ranks, you can see how the stars have aligned for the home team.
The perhaps premature declaration of ‘a period of US dominance’, that had been discussed following a convincing win at Whistling Straits, amplifies the progress that Team Europe have made in the last couple of years. Three of the top four players in the world rankings represent Luke Donald’s men this week, and while the event is far from over, it appears the European’s have capitalised while the American’s shake off the cobwebs.
Follow us on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
#BehindTheTour
