[imagesource: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports]
The Ryder Cup was, to put it mildly, a bit one-sided.
The US team’s 19-9 victory over Europe at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin is a record margin, topping the 18½-9½ wins by Europe in 2004 and 2006, as well as the US team’s triumph in 1981.
There was to be no miracle, as there had been at Medinah in 2012, as the Yanks closed out the win in ruthless fashion, sparking wild scenes of celebration.
The moment they had 14½ points on the board, the win was in the bag:
With the half point guaranteed, the United States clinches the 43rd #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/jbMy5f7uxM
— Ryder Cup (@rydercup) September 26, 2021
The relentless march continued, all the way to securing that 19th point:
This to close out the 43rd #RyderCup and notch a 19-point victory for @RyderCupUSA pic.twitter.com/Jnpucz3EKs
— Ryder Cup (@rydercup) September 26, 2021
The win felt so good that even Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka put their long-running feud aside and hugged it out:
Justin Thomas makes Bryson and Brooks hug it out and starts singing ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends.’😭 pic.twitter.com/Sjv1ItavnA
— Mark Harris (@itismarkharris) September 26, 2021
So that was the golf.
How about the fashion?
I think we can all agree that the J&B Met has descended into nothing more than a drunken fancy dress party, with some horse racing as a side event.
At least with golf fans (and yes, even American golf fans), there is slightly more decorum.
The outfits, though, make anything you’ll see at the J&B Met look tame in comparison.
It was pretty tough for many European fans to make it over to Wisconsin, given COVID-19 travel restrictions, so it was an overwhelmingly American crowd.
That’s reflected in some of the standout outfits of the Ryder Cup, with USA Today selecting these:
Credit to those European fans who did manage to make it.
They didn’t stop cheering, even when their team was up against it:
Still, their voices were largely drowned out by a very vocal home crowd:
The fans are out in full force to give #TeamUSA the home field advantage. #RyderCup
pic.twitter.com/OLkpZoSf7t— Last Night’s Game (@LastNights_Game) September 24, 2021
Along with expensive tickets, the get-ups don’t come cheap:
Back to matters on the course, and some stats that illustrate just how dominant the American team really was.
These from Golf Digest:
- The U.S. won or tied all five sessions for the first time since 1967.
- Dustin Johnson became the fifth player ever to go 5-0-0.
- Nine of the 12 Americans had winning records. Those who didn’t: Jordan Spieth (1-2-1), Harris English (1-2-0), Tony Finau (1-2-0).
- The three European rookies—Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland, Bernd Wiesberger—combined to go 1-8-2.
- Paul Casey had the worst showing among the Europeans, going 0-4 after entering this year with a 4-3-5 mark.
This will hurt the European team deeply.
You only have to watch yesterday’s interview with Rory McIlroy, coming after he had beaten Xander Schauffele but with his team nearing defeat, to get a sense of just how much:
An emotional Rory McIlroy after his singles victory.#TeamEurope #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/nhvkUlVV5V
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 26, 2021
2023.
The Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia Montecelio near Rome.
A shot at redemption, and revenge.
[sources:usatoday&golfdigest]
