SUTTON COLDFIELD, ENGLAND | There’s a sense of déjà vu about the European Ryder Cup team heading into September’s match in Rome, a feeling that the DNA of the lineup is more reminiscent of the sides up to and including the 2002 renewal than those of a more recent vintage.
In the latter period, depth was strong and captains did not feel constrained by the need to hide players until the singles. In contrast, before then, triumph usually demanded that the stars performed to type, with backing from at least two of the supporting cast.
It was, therefore, perhaps apt that the British Masters was held at The Belfry last week, 21 years on from the finest example of Europe’s journeymen rising to the task. In 2002, Phillip Price, Pierre Fulke and Paul McGinley breakfasted together ahead of the singles, and the latter said: “Boys, we need to dish something up today.” He wasn’t talking about sausage, egg and bacon, either. Instead, when the Sunday pressure was at its greatest, Price dished up a 3-and-2 defeat of Phil Mickelson, Fulke claimed a vital half against Davis Love III, and McGinley got up-and-down at 18 to tie Jim Furyk and secure the trophy itself.
Today, images of that famous afternoon adorn the corridors of The Belfry hotel, and Europe needs its foot soldiers to be inspired to stand tall once more.
When the host of the British Masters, Nick Faldo, was asked about the potential makeup of captain Luke Donald’s side, he echoed the thoughts of many on this side of the Atlantic when he said: “Our backbone is really good right now,” rattling off the names of Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Shane Lowry as Europe’s foundation. “How fantastic is that? I honestly think that is a heck of a big eight.”
As if recognizing the echoes of the past, he added: “Back in the day, it was a case of eight guys, you’re all playing. That’s it. You keep playing until you drop. Seriously, that was it. Tony (Jacklin) said, ‘I’m not replacing you until you fall over.’”
What, then, is required of the other four team members in such a scenario? “If you get a rookie that has a sensational week, maybe just one more of them to have a wonderful week, win three points, bang. I think you’ve got a heck of a chance now, yeah.”
It seems as if Europe will have at least two, probably three, maybe even four debutants in Rome. It’s common to assume that first-timers will stumble through the week with glazed eyes and frazzled minds, but rookies also have been known to thrive.
Justin Rose is a fine example. He won three points in four matches on debut in 2008 during a loss at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky. In five appearances (three of them European victories), he has been able to observe what makes the difference between a successful and an over-awed rookie.
Ahead of his first round last week, when asked to contemplate the fine lines involved, Rose said: “I think it could be as simple as the person you play with and getting a little bit of momentum. You have to make sure a rookie has the best partner possible. It’s really important for the rookie experience and the chances of a successful campaign. That partner has to have a good day, too, of course. It really does come down to the smallest of margins, and that can be down to the confidence they get from holing one putt or holing a good bunker shot that ignites the crowd.
“But if they suddenly get that winning feeling, hear the roars, get those shoulders back and believe, well, at the level we play, that gives anyone the chance of a result against their opponent.”
The elephant in the room is the missing LIV element. It’s currently the DP World Tour equivalent of a close-knit family avoiding asking for whom everyone is voting ahead of a fractious general election. In public, at least.
And yet LIV is, in truth, a mostly misleading angle. The veteran rebels Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson, Martin Kaymer, Paul Casey and Graeme McDowell are in no kind of form whatsoever. Ditto Sam Horsfield and Bernd Wiesberger. Incredibly, those eight players have only six top-10s among them in a combined 71 starts on LIV Golf and other tours in 2023 (and not one top-three finish).
Meanwhile, Thomas Pieters was in good form before he joined LIV, but since his move is 0-for-10 at landing a top-10. So, in reality, only Sergio García would have been considered after striking up a fine partnership with fellow Spaniard Rahm two years ago and playing well in patches this year.
“Obviously we’ve got some superstars in the team. Rahm and Rory clearly lead the team, Viktor is playing unbelievable golf, and we’ve got myself beginning to play some really good golf."
Justin Rose
The truth is that this was always going to be a time for generational change. Rose agreed, saying: “You need to see healthy turnover in any team, and I’m more hopeful for the transition than I would’ve been a year ago. I like the way the team is shaping up.
“Obviously we’ve got some superstars in the team. Rahm and Rory clearly lead the team, Viktor is playing unbelievable golf, and we’ve got myself beginning to play some really good golf.
“We’ve also got people who have played a couple of Ryder Cups now and look in good form now – the likes of Tyrrell and Tommy.”
Together with Lowry and Fitzpatrick, that duo will need to become leaders on the course and in the team room. It is there, perhaps, as much as on the course that the dominant voices of the past 20 years need replacing.
Rose concluded with a line that mirrors the thoughts of Edoardo Molinari, one of Donald’s vice captains, whose keen statistical mind influenced the decision to grant Donald six wild cards because the Italian’s number-crunching favours players being in form.
“The next few months are a really, really important time,” Rose said. “I think there are probably four or five spots very much up for grabs, and that’s healthy.”
What Europe really needs is for the likes of Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez and maybe Thorbjørn Olesen to have noted those Belfry images. Europe’s hopes in Rome will depend on the stars but also desperately needs at least a couple of the lesser lights to demand being immortalised on the walls of Marco Simone Golf Club in 20 years’ time.
Europe has been forced into the past, but the continent also should remember that those methods worked. In fact, for the best part of 40 years, being the underdog and relying on collective effort has not been its weakness but its strength.
E-MAIL MATT
Top: Bernhard Langer (left), Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood and Sergio García celebrate on the roof of the Belfry hotel after winning the 34th Ryder Cup in 2002.
DAVID DAVIES, PA IMAGES VIA GETTY IMAGES