Tag: Cup

The wait goes on for Team USA.

Not since 1993 at The Belfry have America won a Ryder Cup on European soil, with a 16.5-11.5 defeat in Rome this week condemning them to a seventh consecutive loss on the road.

So just where did it go wrong for Zach Johnson’s side at Marco Simone?

Lack of preparation

Whereas each member of the European team teed it up at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth earlier this month, nine of the American twelvesome had not tasted any competitive golf since the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta in late August.

Only Justin Thomas and Max Homa – the latter of whom ended up USA’s top points scorer in Rome with 3.5 out of five – had played on the PGA Tour in the last month, while Brooks Koepka featured on the LIV Golf circuit a week before the Ryder Cup.

US skipper Johnson refuted the notion that his men were undercooked, saying at his post-event press conference: “There’s something to be said about rest and recovering and getting your game in a position where you can compete. These guys have won a lot of golf tournaments with weeks off.

“I might reflect on some changes that I maybe could have done or nuanced or altered or whatever [but] I am not going to slight the preparation of these guys. Whether it was at home or here, I know they were working their tails off to retain and bring the cup back home.”

However, Paul McGinley, who captained Europe to Ryder Cup glory at Gleneagles in 2014, felt the American team lacked a “competitive cutting edge, saying: “In Paris in 2018, America were over-golfed and jaded. This time was the opposite, players hadn’t played in weeks. I only started to see fire from USA on Saturday afternoon but by then the horse had bolted. Europe were out of sight.”

Sir Nick Faldo also said that there was “no way” America’s players would head into a major having not played for so long and Jordan Spieth said for him personally that such a lengthy rest was not ideal.

“If it were tighter to our TOUR Championship and/or even if it were later and we had more of an opportunity to get a little rest and play more of an event or something, then it helps a bit.”

Johnson’s captains’ picks

Eyebrows were raised when Johnson announced his wildcard selections for the Ryder Cup with Justin Thomas given a gig despite failing to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs, missing the cut in three majors (Masters, US Open, Open Championship) and finishing tied for 65th in the other.

Thomas picked up 1.5 points in Italy, the joint-highest return among Johnson’s six picks alongside Koepka, with Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns and Spieth securing a solitary point and Rickie Fowler absolutely zilch, although the latter was said to be battling illness.

Among those overlooked by Johnson was Lucas Glover, with the 43-year-old’s back-to-back victories at the Wyndham Championship and FedEx St Jude Championship in August not enough to earn him a call-up. LIV trio Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Talor Gooch also missed out.

Dustin Johnson managed five points from five when USA demolished Europe 19-9 at Whistling Straits in 2021, DeChambeau has won two of the last three LIV events and shot a 58 in one of them, while Gooch is a three-time champion in the LIV League in 2023.

Faldo said: “Johnson took a risk with his six picks. They are great names but I said right from the start that they were all running hot and cold. He left out Glover who had just won two tournaments so I am sure he is hurting over that.”

The pairings

“I maybe made some poor decisions… I’ll reflect at some point,” was what captain Johnson told Sky Sports shortly after Tommy Fleetwood clinched the Ryder Cup for Team Europe.

Johnson was quick to praise his 12 players but those “poor decisions” he mentioned are possibly with regards to how he paired them, with USA only managing 5.5 of the 16 points available across fourballs and foursomes. Foursomes was a complete disaster for America. They were thrashed 7-1.

It was a little odd to see Ryder Cup rookie Burns put in the first match of the entire contest – one he and Scottie Scheffler lost 4&3 to Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. It was perhaps even odder to see Koepka, Thomas and Spieth not used at all until the afternoon’s fourballs.

Koepka has been one of the gun players of 2023, winning the third PGA Championship of his career in May after finishing second at The Masters in April, while Thomas and Spieth were expected to be a key pairing for Johnson having linked up before in Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups.

Overconfidence, illness or lack of team morale?

We may never know if any of those things played a part in Team USA’s defeat but Sky Sports’ Dame Laura Davies wondered whether the away side expected an easy win after utterly dominating Europe in Wisconsin two years ago. “Maybe because they won so easily at Whistling Straits they thought it would be a breeze to win the trophy again,” she said.

Faldo added: “Whether America thought they could waltz over here because they are bigger and stronger, I don’t know, but they got a nasty shock. Europe were physically, technically and mentally prepared. They were ready.”

Johnson and his players have also been adamant that this USA team is a close-knit one, despite murmurings that not all was well in the camp. The team line has been that Patrick Cantlay’s decision to go hatless was not done because he objected to players going unpaid for this tournament but simply because he could not find a cap that fit.

Maybe the ill-feeling was overplayed, then, but you do sense the more natural rapport there seems to be in the European side was crucial in their foursomes success.

Skipper Luke Donald opted to begin with that format in the hope of a “fast start” and, boy, did he get one, with the home side winning the opening morning 4-0.

US captain Johnson said after his team’s day-one horror show that illness had been a factor, if not an excuse. “We’re fighting things internally. It’s kind of passed around a little bit, caddies, players. I’m grateful we have a team doctor.

“The bottom line is there’s been some unforeseen things that we’ve had to navigate around, which is really unfortunate, in the sense of health. It’s one of those where sometimes the energy is probably a little low, but the ability and desire to go out and play is still there.”

Europe were too good

That’s the main reason USA lost the Ryder Cup. Even if there was infighting, illness, a lack of competitive golf, and poor pairings, even if not wining overseas in 30 years weighed heavily on them, America were ultimately blown away by the better side.

McIlroy, Rahm and Viktor Hovland showed exactly why they sit so high in the world rankings, winning four, 3.5 and three points respectively to lead Europe towards victory, while every single player contributed at least half a point to the overall tally of 16.5.

Home Ryder Cups seem to bring the best out of Europe and for McIlroy the event cannot be topped by anything else in the game.

“I don’t get emotional about any other event apart from this. This is truly the best event in golf bar none. Any boy or girl aspiring to play golf, this is the pinnacle.

“This is the best and I hope anyone who is a great golfer gets to experience what we are experiencing right now.”

Team USA will hope to experience it at New York in 2025, erasing the mistakes and memories of another unsuccessful visit to Europe.

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Rory McIlroy involved in heated exchange on 18th green and in car park after Patrick Cantlay’s dramatic final-hole fourballs win; Team Europe need just four points on final day to regain trophy; Watch the Sunday singles live from 9am on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of first tee from 10.35am

Team Europe are closing on an emphatic Ryder Cup victory after retaining a commanding five-point lead over Team USA heading into the Sunday singles in Rome.

Luke Donald’s side began the day five ahead and extended their advantage after edging the Saturday foursomes session, only for Team USA to claim three points in the fourballs and cut the gap to 10.5-5.5 at Marco Simone GC.

Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg had reduced Scottie Scheffler to tears earlier in the day after defeating the world No 1 and Brooks Koepka 9&7, the biggest 18-hole win in Ryder Cup history, only to struggle in the afternoon session and fall to a 4&3 loss to Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa.

Max Homa and Brian Harman claimed their second point of the day when they survived a late comeback from Tommy Fleetwood and Nicolai Hojgaard to earn a 2&1 win, with a Team USA clean sweep temporarily remaining a possibility with two matches left on the course.

Justin Rose and Robert MacIntyre claimed Europe’s first point of the session when they despatched Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas 3&2, before Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick were beaten in a dramatic finish in the final match.

The Europe were one ahead with two to play against Wyndham Clark and Patrick Cantlay, who quietened the home crowd by birdieing the 17th and draining a sensational 45-foot birdie at the last to snatch a 1up win and session victory for the visitors.

Angry scenes followed on the 18th green, with Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava involved in heated conversations with McIlroy after allegedly standing on his line, before the argument spilled over to the car park and McIlroy had to be ushered away by Lowry.

Europe need four points in the Sunday singles to regain the trophy and win a seventh consecutive home edition of the biennial contest, while Zach Johnson’s American team need eight points to retain the cup and 8.5 points to end their 30-year wait for victory on away soil.

Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa beat Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg 4&3

Burns holed a birdie at the first and converted from 10 feet for a winning par at the third, then responded to Hovland winning the fourth by birdieing the next and gesturing to the home crowd after holing from close range at the sixth.

Morikawa took advantage of the par-five ninth to reach the turn four ahead and followed a birdie at the 11th by making a 10-foot eagle at the 12th to go six up with six to play.

The two-time major champion missed from four feet at the 13th and six feet at the 14th to lose both holes to Åberg birdies, before a par at the next was enough to give both Americans their first win of the contest.

“We did a good job out there,” Burns said. “We knew it was going to be tough. We knew the crowds were going to be against us. We just kept fighting, and glad to put a point on the board for our team.”

Max Homa and Brian Harman beat Tommy Fleetwood and Nicolai Hojgaard 2&1

Homa opened with a six-foot birdie and Team USA stayed ahead when Hojgaard missed a birdie opportunity at the third, with the American then draining a 40-footer at the fourth and matching Fleetwood’s birdie at the next.

The Americans pulled further clear when Homa birdied the sixth and Harman took advantage of the ninth to reach the turn four ahead, with the visitors responding to losing the 10th to a Fleetwood birdie by making a brilliant eagle at the par-five 12th.

Hojgaard’s 30-foot birdie at the 14th and Fleetwood’s remarkable chip-in eagle from off the 16th green extended the contest, before Homa secured a second point of the day for him and Harman with a par on the penultimate hole.

Justin Rose and Robert MacIntyre beat Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth 3&2

MacIntyre slotted in from 15 feet to match the birdie at the first from Spieth, who added another at the fourth, while Rose’s winning birdie at the sixth was cancelled out when Thomas holed from six feet to win the next.

Rose birdied the ninth and drained a 15-footer at the 10th to move Europe ahead in the match for the first time, with MacIntyre winning the par-three 13th to double their advantage.

A par from Rose was enough to claim the 14th and MacIntyre’s brilliant up and down secured a tie at the next, with the point secure at the next to continue the Scot’s unbeaten start to his Ryder Cup career.

“Today is everything I’ve dreamed of. I worked hard for it,” MacIntyre said. “Yesterday I felt like I let Justin [Rose] down a little bit but he stood up to the challenge and today he was brilliant again, and thankfully I helped him out.”

Patrick Cantlay and Wyndham Clark beat Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy 1up

McIlroy edged ahead with a 10-foot birdie at the fourth and halved the next after missing his eagle try, having driven the green, with both teams taking advantage of the par-four ninth to leave Europe 1up at the turn.

Cantlay left himself a close-range birdie to win the 11th and Fitzpatrick drained a 20-footer to match Clark’s birdie at the 13th, while McIlroy moved Europe back ahead when he holed from 10 feet at the 14th.

Cantlay holed from 10 feet to match McIlroy’s birdie at the 16th and made a birdie at the next to pull the contest level heading to the par-five last, where Cantlay recovered from a poor pitch to hole a remarkable 45-foot birdie and spark wild celebrations on the final green.

Caddie LaCava appeared to step across the line of a European putt as he waved his own cap in the air in celebration, with a heated debate ensuing on the 18th green and the argument continuing into the car park.

“Obviously they had a great finish and you know, Patrick made three great putts at the end to seal the deal, so hats off to them,” McIlroy said. “They played a great match, and yeah, a few scenes there on 18 and just fuel for the fire tomorrow.”

What’s next?

Watch the Ryder Cup exclusively live this week on Sky Sports! Live coverage of the singles begins on Sunday from 9am, ahead of the first tee time at 10.35am. Stream the Ryder Cup and more for £21 a month for six months with NOW.

As Team Europe romped into a 6.5-1.5 lead over the USA on a remarkable opening day of the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, we take a look at the biggest talking points from Friday’s action…

Europe make history with strong start

Historically, the team which leads after the first session in the Ryder Cup goes on to win the trophy 60 per cent of the time, so it was imperative Europe got off to a flying start in the foursomes.

They did that in emphatic style, completing a clean sweep in the morning session, with a devastating showing where the hosts were not behind at any point.

It is the first time Europe have led 4-0 after the opening session and the first time the Americans had trailed heading into the afternoon on day one since 2006, with former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley leading the praises.

“It’s huge – I didn’t see it coming,” McGinley, who oversaw Europe’s 2014 victory, said. “I knew Europe were primed, I knew they had a lot of form in their team, and I knew America were a little bit under-prepared.

“I thought we were going to come out of the blocks fast, I didn’t think it was going to be this fast. What a sensational morning for Europe. It was brilliant golf – it wasn’t a fluke in any way.”

Donald’s foursomes gambit pays off

The start vindicated Team Europe captain Luke Donald’s decision to play the foursomes first and underlined his belief that is the format his players are stronger in.

That decision was taken after some detailed analysis which showed the team’s strength lies there rather than in the fourballs, with Donald adopting specific practice routines to build on that.

“I’m happy with the way the guys came out the gate,” Donald said. “They got leads early on, which is paramount in match play, so it was an amazing start.”

Rory McIlroy, who partnered Tommy Fleetwood to a 2&1 victory over the previously unbeaten pairing of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, was in no doubt that was proven by Europe’s morning showing in Rome.

“We switched the format this year to go foursomes first because statistically that’s our better session and, all week, all we’ve been talking about is getting off to fast starts,” McIlroy said.

“Playing three-hole matches in practice, three holes, go again, three holes, go again, something that Luke’s drilled into us. We were ready to go from the first tee shot as obviously as you can see in how everyone played.”

Lack of match practice costly for USA?

There had been a lot of talk about whether the limited competitive action for America’s players in the build-up to the Ryder Cup would affect them.

Judging by their dismal performances in all of the morning foursomes, that argument would seem to have merit.

Two of the matches were finished with three holes to play while the other two were concluded on the 17th and two-time Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew saw that lack of action as a contributory factor.

“The Americans just looked rusty,” Mathew said. “They were hitting a bad shot at the wrong time, not putting particularly well, and I think that lack of playing has really hurt them this morning.”

That was a view which was shared by McGinley, although he felt a lot of the lopsided scoreline was down to how well Europe played as much as anything.

“That concentration level of not being competitive for four or five weeks is relevant,” McGinley said. “They’re the small mistakes you make when you’re not on the edge competitively. I saw a little bit of that from the American team this morning, along with some brilliant golf from the Europeans.”

Though the US team were more competitive in the afternoon fourballs, Sky Sports’ Andrew Coltart didn’t hold back in his criticism of the Americans’ preparation.

“Who on earth in their right mind thinks the best way to prepare for a Ryder Cup is to take five weeks off?” he said. “Nine of the 12 American players took five weeks off. That’s disgraceful!”

US fail to capitalise in afternoon session

While Europe’s dominance on the opening day can’t be understated, there was a fear that their four-point advantage from the foursomes was to be reduced to two heading into Saturday.

“It was looking like 3-1 to the US,” Donald admitted, before adding: “To win this session was huge!

“We showed so much grit and determination to turn it around. It was tough this afternoon, really hard going, with three matches coming down to 18, but the 18th was kind to us!”

Wasn’t it just. Europe trailed in each of the opening three matches in the afternoon fourballs going down the stretch, with both Viktor Hovland and Tyrell Hatton’s pairing, and Justin Rose and Robert McIntyre, two down through 13 holes.

Not only that, but Rose and McIntyre trailed still by one heading up 18, as did Jon Rahm and Nicolai Hojgaard in their matchup against the formidable pairing of world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka.

Hovland got things rolling first for Europe, sinking a clutch putt over the ridge on the 18th green for birdie and to complete his and Hatton’s comeback against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth – the first of three halved matches.

Then Rahm, for the second time in three holes, thrilled the fervent European crowd with an eagle! After chipping in on the par-four 16th, he found the green in two at the par-five 18th and holed an even longer putt than Hovland’s.

Rose then completed the streak with a clutch putt for birdie to round off a remarkable European run and see them win the session 2.5-1.5 and enter day two five points ahead.

Records tumble for Team Europe!

And those five points that Europe lead by heading into Saturday ties the largest one-day lead in Ryder Cup history, matching the efforts of the 1975 US team and Europe in 2004 – those teams going on to secure 10 and nine-point wins respectively.

Not only that, there’s Europe’s first ever 4-0 Friday morning clean sweep to consider, as well as the opening day in Rome being the first instance ever in which the US have failed to win one single match outright.

Not that Donald is taking his counterparts lightly.

“We’ll never do that [underestimate the US],” the Team Europe captain said. “They’re too strong. We saw that two years ago [at Whistling Straits].

“Each day it’s about trying to win the next session.”

And, true to his words, the captain has chosen precisely the same eight players who swept the Friday morning foursomes to try and win the next session on Saturday. Will it be another historic day for his side or will the great American fightback take hold?

Watch day two of the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club live on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event from 6am, starting with the second round of foursomes. Also stream on NOW.

Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton won the opening match; Viktor Hovland impressed alongside rookie Ludvig Åberg; victories for Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood; watch the Ryder Cup all week live on Sky Sports Golf

Team Europe made the dream start in their bid to regain the Ryder Cup after winning all four foursomes matches to sweep the opening session for the first time in the event’s history.

Captain Luke Donald’s decision to start a home Ryder Cup with foursomes rather than the traditional fourballs immediately paid off during a dominant display at Marco Simone GC, where Europe never trailed at any point in any match as they stormed to a 4-0 advantage.

Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton brushed aside world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and an out-of-sorts Sam Burns 4&3 in the top match, while rookie Ludvig Åberg made a winning start to his Ryder Cup career by partnering Viktor Hovland to victory by the same margin over Max Homa and Brian Harman.

Sepp Straka enjoyed a winning debut as he joined Shane Lowry in despatching Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa 2&1, putting Europe 3-0 ahead, while Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood completed a remarkable morning for the hosts by beating Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay by the same margin.

It’s the first time Europe have ever led 4-0 after the opening session and the first time since 2006 where Team USA will trail heading into Friday afternoon, giving the hosts a commanding lead as they chase a seventh consecutive home victory in the biennial contest.

Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton beat Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns 4&3

Rahm holed from off the green to birdie the third and Europe doubled their lead by taking advantage of the fifth, with the hosts responding to losing the sixth to a six-foot Burns birdie by winning the par-three next after Rahm almost made a hole-in-one.

Burns holed putts over the next two holes to avoid falling further behind and Rahm chipped in from off the 10th green to salvage an unlikely par, with Europe then moving ahead with a birdie at the par-four next.

USA fell four behind when they conceded Europe’s eagle putt at the 12th, with Rahm securing the point when he lagged his birdie attempt at the 15th to within tap-in range.

“I’ve had a good feeling about Tyrrell [Hatton] all along,” Rahm said. “Last time we played together it really felt good, and it was good to come out here and perform the way we did. It’s an incredible foursomes match and we played as confident as two people can play, and it was a beautiful one.”

Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg beat Max Homa and Brian Harman 4&3

Hovland made the perfect start when he pitched in for birdie at the first and converted a 15-foot par to also win the second, before bouncing back from losing the next two holes by claiming the fifth and sixth with pars.

Åberg slotted in a 15-foot birdie at the ninth to reach the turn three ahead and Hovland matched Homa’s birdie at the 11th, with securing another birdie at the 14th before the Scandinavian pair seasoned their victory on the next hole.

Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka beat Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa 2&1

A stunning approach into the third from Lowry set up the first of back-to-back birdies, with Europe responding to Straka putting his tee shot into the water at the fifth by winning three consecutive holes from the seventh.

Lowry sent his tee shot into the water to lose the 10th and Fowler holed a long-range birdie at the 13th to cut Europe’s advantage to two, only for USA to bogey the next and the hosts to seal the win when Straka holed from close-range at the 17th.

“Obviously it’s early days but I wanted to give Sepp [Straka] his moment in the Ryder Cup to hole the winning putt,” Lowry said. “It’s huge. We are off to a great start this morning. We need to keep the foot down. Very happy out there with him and enjoyed myself.”

Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood beat Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay 2&1

McIlroy slotted in a seven-foot birdie at the fourth and edged further ahead with a par at the eighth after Cantlay found water with his approach, only for Team USA to win the ninth and reach the turn one behind.

Europe took the 11th with a conceded birdie, then cancelled out Schauffele’s birdie at the 14th by taking a momentum-changing win at the 15th.

Fleetwood holed his 20-foot putt for par, which took the hole when Schauffele missed from four feet, with McIlroy responding to losing the 16th by firing his tee shot at the next to inside three feet and setting up the birdie.

“It has been an unbelievable session,” McIlroy said. “We switched the format this year to go foursomes first because statistically that’s our better session. And all week, all we’ve been talking about is getting off to fast starts. We were ready to go from the first tee shot as obviously as you can see in how everyone played.”

What’s next?

Hovland and Hatton lead out Europe in the afternoon foursomes against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, with Rahm partnering Nicolai Hojgaard against Scheffler and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka.

Robert MacIntyre and Justin Rose start their week against Homa and Clark, with McIlroy joining Matt Fitzpatrick in the last match to play Morikawa and Schauffele.

Day two coverage has the same timings as Friday, with the opening foursomes tee shot at 6.35am and the afternoon fourballs sessions getting under way at 11.25am. Coverage of the final day singles begins on Sunday at 9am ahead of the first match going out at the 10.35am.

Watch the Ryder Cup exclusively live this week on Sky Sports! Live coverage from day two begins on Saturday from 6am, ahead of the first tee time at 6.35am. Stream the Ryder Cup and more for £21 a month for six months with NOW.

Team Europe looking to regain the Ryder Cup after their record-breaking 19-9 loss in 2021; Five of Europe’s line-up in Whistling Straits have since joined LIV Golf and won’t feature this week in Rome; Watch live on Friday from 6am on Sky Sports Golf

Rory McIlroy believes the Ryder Cup stalwarts who joined LIV Golf will miss representing Team Europe more than their absence is felt this week, although admits it’s “strange” not having them in Rome.

Five of Europe’s line-up heavily beaten at Whistling Straits in 2021 have since joined the LIV Golf League, with record points scorer Sergio Garcia and stalwarts Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood all having no role in this year’s contest at Marco Simone Golf Club.

The likes of Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell and Henrik Stenson – all vice-captains in past Ryder Cups – have all also joined LIV since its launch last summer, with McIlroy believing that this week’s event could make those who moved to the Saudi-backed circuit realise the consequences of their decision.

“It’s certainly a little strange not having them around,” McIlroy admitted in his pre-tournament press conference. “But I think this week of all weeks, it’s going to hit home with them that they are not here.

“I think they are going to miss being here more than we’re missing them, so it’s just more I think this week is a realisation that the decision that they made has led to not being a part of this week, and that’s tough.

“The landscape in golf is ever-changing and more dynamic, and we’ll see what happens and whether they will be part of it in the future. I always thought leading up to this week is when it’s going to hit home that they are not going to be here.”

Garcia enquired earlier this month about paying outstanding DP World Tour fines in an attempt to represent Europe this week, although it was irrelevant as the Spaniard – along with Westwood and Poulter – were ineligible because of withdrawing their DP World Tour membership earlier in the year.

Europe have four rookies in their team this year and three more playing their first Ryder Cup on home soil, leaving McIlroy and Justin Rose as the most experienced in the line-up, although the four-time major champion is excited with the potential of Luke Donald’s side.

“Everyone knows this is a bit of a transitional period for the European Team and there’s people that have been part of The European Team for a long time that aren’t here this week,” McIlroy added.

“I think the guys that we brought in are going to be awesome. Nicolai [Hojgaard], Ludwig [Åberg], Bob [MacIntyre], that’s the future of our team and the future of the Ryder Cup.”

Rose: Team Europe in ‘transitional period’

Rose makes his seventh Ryder Cup appearance, having missed out on a place in Padraig Harrington’s side two years ago, with the Englishman believing this week can go a long way in building the future of Team Europe.

“There’s a lot of winning culture still in the team, with the people in and around the team, the captain and the vice captains,” Rose said. “Luke [Donald] has got an incredible Ryder Cup record, the most winning from a percentage point of view, so the winning culture in our team is as strong as ever.”

“I think that when you look at…our team room, [Paul] McGinley, Thomas Björn, like I say, José Maria [Olazabal], we had Monty [Colin Montgomerie] in there, just people that are still connected to the European team, and I would say invested in the European team.

“There’s still a lot of winning culture around what we do. So obviously in life and in business and everything, there’s obviously transition phases where you need to look to new leaders and what would be great is if you can kind of slip through that period of transition unaffected.

“You start to look to the next generation obviously to come through and to start to kind of have that winning culture. That could happen as early as this year. You start to get the rookies off to a good start this year at home, and suddenly you start to blood some of the future with positive experiences.

“Maybe the transition has started last time around at Whistling Straits and now we’re coming through that already. But yeah, there is a difference.

“Obviously, Westy [Westwood], Poults [Poulter] – as captains or vice-captains or however they may or may not be involved in the future – they do have a lot to offer, of course, from experiences and that point of view.”

Live coverage from the opening day of the Ryder Cup begins on Friday from 6am on Sky Sports Golf. There’s also live content each day in the build-up to the tournament. Stream the PGA Tour, DP Tour, Ryder Cup and more with NOW.