The first day of the Ryder Cup is under the banner of Europe. In a crowded Marco Simone from the first light of dawn (at 6.30 in the morning the 1st tee was already full), Luke Donald’s team took a nice advantage. Nothing definitive, of course, but if the predictions spoke of an American anthem that would resonate from the first to the last day, more or less in every hole, the facts tell a contrary story. Europe leads 6.5 to 1.5: Five matches won and 3 drawn. No victory for the Americans: who would have thought?
INSIGHTS
It was clear from the morning’s matches that the Roman sun would especially warm the hearts of the tireless European fans: Donald’s strategic choice to reverse the game formula was a happy one.
Immediately the foursomes, where the players of the couple alternate shots and an error inevitably puts the playing partner in difficulty. Everything worked perfectly, including the performance of the most discussed players, Shane Lowry and the new professional Ludvig Aberg, who, after some initial errors, probably due to tension, broke free and began to play like himself. That is, very well. Zac Johnson’s move to not field Brooks Koepka and the Justin Thomas-Jordan Spieth duo, who were on the bench in the morning and only took to the field in the afternoon, was surprising. A decision that will certainly create quite a bit of debate at home.
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The result was a clear 4-0, an unprecedented result in Ryder’s history in Europe. The Americans had hit it in Minnesota in 2016 and then won. Is this a good omen? Better not get your hopes up: the road is long. However, the behavior of the Europeans can only be comforting, on a pitch that certainly, as expected, put their opponents in difficulty. The morning, therefore, ended in a triumphal manner, with Johnson’s boys annihilated. Two matches ended on the 15th hole (4&3 for Rahm-Hatton against Scheffler-Burns and Hovland-Aberg against Homa-Harman) and two on the 17th (2&1 Lowry-Straka against Fowler-Morikawa and McIlroy-Fleetwood against Schauffele-Cantlay).
Not even time to refresh themselves with a little calm, and we returned to the field for the four-balls challenge, a formula in which everyone plays their own hole and then chooses the best result and compares it to that of their rivals. The captains used all the cards at their disposal. The pairs have been revolutionised, with all those who hadn’t played in the morning on the field: Hovland-Hatton against Thomas-Spieth, Rahm-Hojgaard against Scheffler-Koepka, McIntyre-Rose against Homa-Clark, McIlroy-Fitzpatrick against Morikawa-Schauffele. The heat is suffocating, the route is tiring: it is better not to push the players too hard and to use fresh strength. There was certainly greater balance compared to the morning, but it wasn’t enough to reverse the situation. The McIlroy-Fitzpatrick versus Morikawa-Schauffele match was never in question: on hole number 7, the Europeans had a 6-point lead, thanks to an impressive sequence of birdies, topped off by an eagle on the 5th, by Fitzpatrick. The final whistle of the match arrived at the 15th minute, with the peremptory result of 5&3. The other matches should be included in the list of American illusions and European feats. They have always been fought, for goodness sake, but at a certain point they had all branded themselves with stars and stripes.
GRACE ????????#TeamEurope | #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/lwwV0NUMWV
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 29, 2023
It is there that the most classy European men made the decisive move, three masterpiece putts that made the American insignia fade: first Hovland, then Rahm (his eagle was prodigious, repeating that of the 16th) and finally that of Justin Rose , the veteran of the company who also had to shoulder the evanescence of his partner McIntyre. The entire European team on the field celebrates, incredulous and stunned by the American squadron, for whom the road is all uphill. History, however, teaches that it is better not to rest on our laurels. Golf is cruel and too often does not forgive presumption.
Tomorrow, Saturday, 8 more matches. We start in the morning with the foursomes. At 7:35 McIlroy-Fleetwood against Thomas-Spieth, at 7:50 Hovland-Aberg against Scheffler-Koepka, at 8:05 Lowry-Straka against Homa-Arman, at 8:20 Rahm-Hatton against Schauffele-Cantlay. Live on Rai Sport and Sky, streaming on Now.
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#Donald #ahead #USA
