Posted by Jason Sobel
Despite reports to the contrary, the European team will not retain the Ryder Cup simply by showing up at Valhalla this week.
In the past few editions of the biennial competition, it has only seemed like that has been the case; in reality, the squad tallies points early and often, leaving a European victory as an inevitable conclusion.
Once again, Europe will need to do more than be present for this week's event. Here are five keys to their success.
1. Keep playing "team" golf
I've got a theory: While most of the top U.S. players grew up in isolation on the practice range, those from Europe were more involved in other team sports -- rugby, hurling, soccer (OK, football; or even
futbol) -- which better helped prepare them for this event. Even junior golf in Europe is based more around team competitions than individual pursuits. That could be why the team always seems to outplay its opponent during the first two days. In the past two Ryder Cups, Europe has held a combined 21-11 advantage Friday and Saturday. Whatever the reason, it's a recipe for success.
2. Hop on Sergio's shoulders
Four times a year,
Sergio Garcia ranges from oh-so-close major champion to haunted contender to a guy who never looks like he'll win the big one. And yet, every other September he resembles Ben Hogan off the tee and Bobby Jones on the greens.
"In a major, you'd probably feel [pressure] more towards the last day or the back nine on Sunday," he said. "At the Ryder Cup, you pretty much feel it on every single match because every match is key. You know, that point or that half a point that you might win might make a difference towards the week. That's the main difference."
Another main difference is that
El Nino rules the Ryder Cup. In four appearances, he owns a 14-4-2 mark, including 13-1-2 in team matches -- all of which puts him well on his way to obliterating every record in the book.
3. Rely on U.S.-based experiences
Sure, there are some European players who have never been members of the PGA Tour (
Soren Hansen has spent all 12 of his professional seasons on the other side of the pond) and others whose time in the U.S. has been extremely limited (
Oliver Wilson has competed in only five career events over here). By and large, however, those from Europe are nearly as experienced in the States as their American-born counterparts. Six of them (Garcia,
Padraig Harrington,
Lee Westwood,
Justin Rose,
Paul Casey and
Ian Poulter) are considered full-time PGA Tour members and will draw on that status at Valhalla.
4. Avoid the controversies
When Poulter eschewed the final European Tour event at which he could earn points toward automatically qualifying for the Ryder Cup, he instead chose to compete in the PGA Tour's Deutsche Bank Championship. That decision led some to assume that the young Brit had already been promised a spot on Nick Faldo's roster via captain's pick -- a theory resented by both Poulter and Faldo.
Of course, just a few days later, Poulter -- the dude in pink threads with the spiky hair -- was selected by Faldo with an at-large pick. The inclusion of Poulter and Casey meant the exclusion of team stalwarts
Colin Montgomerie and
Darren Clarke. Will it cause a rift? If so, dissention could be the mother of dereliction.
5. Make more putts than the other guys
If some golf-writing hack was blogging from the first-ever Ryder Cup back in 1927 at Worcester CC, chances are he would have included the very same thought. These competitions can be strategized and analyzed, discussed and debated for months leading in, but there's no doubt it always comes down to which team rolls the ball better on the greens.
If the Europeans do that, they'll be holding the Cup come Sunday evening. (And yes, I used the very same final entry for the blog on the United States' hopes. Hey -- this putting thing goes both ways, right?)
Jason Sobel covers golf for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com.
