The United States had six newcomers and cruised to a 19-9 win, just its fourth victory in the last 13 Ryder Cups.
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — With rookies making up half of its roster, the United States laid waste to the notion that experience is essential to thriving in the Ryder Cup’s glaring spotlight. The U.S. rolled to a 19-9 victory over Europe for just its fourth victory in its last 13 Ryder Cup competitions thanks in part to the performance of its six newcomers. Daniel Berger, Patrick Cantlay, Harris English, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler posted a combined 14-4-3 record in their Ryder Cup debuts. U.S. captain Steve Stricker showed enough faith in his rookies that he had four of them play the first five singles matches Sunday at Whistling Straits. “I mean, that’s unheard of,” Cantlay said. “And those guys are performing. Everybody gets along. The atmosphere is light, but I know everyone has that killer instinct and we are going to bring that to future Cups.” While the U.S. rookies starred, the European newcomers struggled. Europe’s three Ryder Cup rookies – Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland and Bernd Wiesberger – went a combined 1-8-2. Rather than wilting under the pressure of representing their country, the U.S. team’s Ryder Cup rookies blossomed. They backed up the comments of teammate Tony Finau, who suggested beforehand that the U.S. team’s inexperience might be more of a help than a hindrance.
