What Europe need to do to regain the Ryder Cup

Up against the strongest American team in a generation, the home team will have little margin for error. But that doesn’t mean it’s Mission: Impossible for Europe in the Ryder Cup.

Dan Murphy rolls out his eight-point plan for Europe to regain the Samuel Ryder Trophy…

1. Use Rose and Stenson wisely

The task of regaining the Ryder Cup involves Europe’s stars excelling. Right at the top of the list are Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson. At Gleneagles in the most recent home match, the Englishman and the Swede led their continent out and were the rock upon which American hopes foundered. They won all three games together, taking down Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson, then Hunter Mahan and Zach Johnson, and finally Watson and Matt Kuchar. Rose contributed four points in total and Stenson three.

At Hazeltine it was a different story. Again sent out in the first match, they lost 3&2 to Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed. They got their revenge after lunch and re-united on Saturday afternoon against, inevitably, Spieth and Reed for a third time. This time they lost and at the end of the week they had contributed just two points each.

Captain Bjorn, then, has a huge decision to make. He can retain his strongest pairing but, should it not come off, he has simultaneously handed the Americans a huge morale boost and also reduced his options elsewhere. Both men would pair naturally with rookies – more on that to come – so it may be that Bjorn will choose to split them.

Either way, he will be looking for at least three points from each of them as his most experienced players.

2. Make the 15th and 16th holes a European zone

The routing of the Albatros course sees the 15th, 16th and 18th greens ideally situated within a couple of hundred yards of each other close to the clubhouse and tented village. With several grandstands in this area, it could – and should – get very noisy as matches come to their conclusion. Thomas Bjorn will want his players to embrace the crowd and harness their positive energy.

Bear in mind that, with this being matchplay, many matches will not even reach the 17th or 18th. You can see that having thousands of noisy home fans in this particular part of the course could offer a crucial advantage, not least in sending roars back down the course to the matches behind.

3. Incorporate the rookies

While Darren Clarke drew exceptional performances from Thomas Pieters – our top points scorer – and Rafa Cabrera Bello – two and a half points from three games – none of Danny Willett, Andy Sullivan, Chris Wood or Matt Fitzpatrick thrived. Remarkably, it’s possible that not one of these six will be in Paris.

Thomas Bjorn’s rookies include the likes of Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Noren, with all three having spent significant time on the world’s top 10 this season. They will surely have huge roles to play.

Stenson and Noren would seem an obvious pair, and is a European tactic that has proved successful in the past. Perhaps less so Sergio Garcia and his countryman Rahm, who hail from opposite ends of Spain and are not kindred spirits.

By the same token, Rose, Poulter and Casey are all options to play with Fleetwood. Bjorn paired Casey and Fleetwood together at the EurAsia Cup and they won comfortably against Byeong Hun An and Kiradech Aphibarnrat, beating the Asian pair 4&3.

Tyrrell Hatton will also require some thought, not least because he tends to do things his own way and can look down-hearted. Might he benefit from Rose’s equanimity and class?

It’s worth bearing in mind that Hatton’s nearest equivalent on the US team is surely Reed. And he seems to enjoy the Ryder Cup.

4. Find a new partner for Rory

Alongside Pieters, Rory McIlroy won three matches out of three at Hazeltine. Sadly, the Belgian’s form evaporated in 2018 – and with it the chance to link up with the Northern Irishman for a second time.

So it’s back to the drawing board to find a foil for McIlroy. On debut in 2010 there was a win, a loss and a half alongside Graeme McDowell. In 2012, a win and two losses with the same partner before he linked up with Ian Poulter for a famous win.

At Gleneagles, there was a win, a loss and a half alongside Garcia and a half with Poulter. He actually began with Sullivan at Hazeltine before teaming up with Pieters.

Who then will be his fifth partner? Or will he be reunited with Poulter?

There is a feeling that McIlroy benefits from a partner with energy, or even exuberance. In that case, how about Tommy Fleetwood?

David Howell thinks it could be Paul Casey.

Article continues on the next page…

5. Defuse the Reed/Spieth pairing

Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth’s record together reads: Played 7, Won 4, Halved 2, Lost 1.

You can bet your bottom dollar – or should that be Euro? – that they will be paired together on Friday morning in Paris. Quite possibly in the opening match, if that isn’t too obvious. Can Bjorn second-guess Jim Furyk’s intentions and then find the right pair to defeat them?

McIlroy tried to match Reed’s outward shows of emotion only to lose at the last in the Hazeltine singles. Bjorn will doubtless have his own ideas of how to becalm Captain America. Interestingly, Spieth has lost both of his singles to date while Reed won both of his.

By and large, Reed has been the stronger half of the pairing. His overall Ryder Cup record to date? Played 9, Won 6, Halved 2, Lost 1.

6. Expose the USA’s veteran legends

In the shape of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, America have two men who have made 11 and seven appearances respectively. Mickelson hasn’t missed a match since making his debut in 1995. For years, the team was built around them.

This time there is even talk of them playing together again, as they did disastrously back in 2004. Surely not.

Is it possible, though, that this could be a match too far for them?

As we saw with Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer two years ago, the Ryder Cup is no place for veterans who are short of their best. With the likes of Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler to choose from, quite apart from Messrs Reed and Spieth, Europe are going to have to work hard to expose relative weaknesses in their opponents.

Taking Tiger and Phil down might just be a good place to start.

7. Harness the underdog spirit – or dismiss it

The last time Europe want into a home Ryder Cup and weren’t the favourites was 2002. On that occasion, unlikely heroes such as Phil Price and Paul McGinley emerged.

This used to be the European way: ignore the world rankings and play from the heart. Whether a team containing the major-winning likes of McIlroy, Rose, Garcia, Stenson and Francesco Molinari can pull the same trick is another question.

In world ranking terms, they may not even be underdogs. So perhaps Bjorn will prefer to tell his charges that they are every bit as good as their vaunted opponents and to go out and show it.

8. Master the watery closing stretch

Water is a significant feature on no fewer than 11 holes at Le Golf National. And notably on three of the last four. Whichever side copes best with the challenge of the par-4 15th, par-3 16th and par-4 18th will win the tight matches, of which there will be several.

The 15th involves a lake that separates the fairway from the green, with a drive close to the water down the right offering the most appealing second shot. The short 16th is played over water, while the 18th, a little like its counterpart at The Belfry, involves water left off the tee and then again short of the green.

In between comes the long par-4 17th which is just hard but, in terms of drama, a non-event.

A trend is likely to develop: if you lose a match at the 18th on Friday morning by finding water, you might not be relishing the prospect of having another go that afternoon. And vice versa.

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