By Henry Palmore

The Ryder Cup often features some of golf’s greatest moments, and the battles between team USA and team Europe are always entertaining. The Ryder Cup started in 1927 at Worcester Country Club in Worcester, Massachusetts. The tournament happens every two years and flips between the United States and Europe; it features the best 12 players each from the United States and Europe. The winning team must earn 14.5 points throughout the three days. When winning matches, the duos will receive one point; when matches are tied, teams receive half of a point. The tournament is all matchplay—if a team wins a hole, they go one up. Strokes matter, but they are not as significant in matchplay, because scores are not as dependent on strokes as they would be in a normal tour event. 

Photo credit: rydercup.com.

The tournament is played over three days, unlike a normal PGA tour event, which is four days. On Friday and Saturday, the players play 36 holes. Not all 12 players play on Friday and Saturday. The format for the first two days is foursomes and fourball. Fourball is when players play their own ball until they finish the hole; whoever has the lowest score for each team will take that score, and two players from each team will play together. Foursomes is when one ball is played between the two players from each team; the players will alternate shots on each hole. On Sunday, the players face off against each other in one-on-one duels. These duels are where the majority of the electric energy of the tournament is. 

There is no scene in golf like the Ryder Cup. Fans come decked out in their USA and Europe gear to support the players and their countries. The energy of the fans makes this event so special. The players feed off this energy; they love to see the fans there supporting the teams and countries. Players will celebrate their important putts unlike they do on any other tour. During the Ryder Cup, the players’ celebrations are elaborate. As a fan, I love seeing the personalities of the players come out, because we rarely see this during tour events. As players drain a 25-foot putt to win a hole or to win the match, they erupt with energy and passion. The fans create amusing chants that taunt the opposing team. This does not happen during a PGA tour event, because of the sportsmanship and the gentlemenly aspects of the sport. The same unwritten rules are applied during the Ryder Cup, but this is much more different than a tour event.

This year’s Ryder Cup was held in Italy, from Sept. 25 to Oct. 1, at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, located right outside of Rome. The last time the Americans won a Ryder Cup in Europe was in 1993. On the first day of play, the Europeans swept the Americans in the morning matches. They won all four matches and had all the momentum heading into the rest of the tournament. During the afternoon four ball, the Americans tied three matches while Europe won another match. After day one, the Europeans had six and a half points while the Americans only had one and a half points. On Saturday morning, the Europeans were dominant once again. They won three out of the four matches. The afternoon session swung some momentum to the United States, who won three out of the four matches. Europe ended up pulling away during Sunday singles and bringing the cup back to Europe by a score of 16.5 Europe to 11.5 USA. 

In the last match during the Saturday afternoon fourball, Patrick Cantlay and Wyndham Clark from the US were down one heading into the last two holes. Cantlay birdied holes 17 and 18 to win the match and give the Americans some momentum heading into Sunday singles. Cantlay was not wearing a hat like the other American players. Cantlay said the reason he didn’t wear a hat during the Ryder Cup was, “The hat doesn’t fit.”

After Cantlay made the birdie putt, the US players took their hats off and waved them in honor of Cantlay not wearing a hat. Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava, celebrated a little too enthusiastically. The Europeans still had two birdie putts to tie the hole, and LaCava was in Rory McIlory’s way when reading and preparing for his birdie putt. McIlroy missed his birdie putt, and he was very frustrated with LaCava because LaCava would not move out of his way when reading the putt. Moments later, McIlroy was seen in the parking lot and was disappointed with what had just happened on the 18th green; here is a video of McIlroy in the parking lot complaining about the situation.

Marco Simone Golf and Country Club. Photo credit: Michael Palmore.

My parents, Michael and Alicia Palmore, attended the Ryder Cup in Italy, and they said their experience was incredible. My dad loves the game of golf, so he enjoys watching and playing. This was my dad’s second time at the Ryder Cup; he attended the 2016 Ryder Cup in Chaska, Minnesota at Hazeltine National Golf Club. He loved the atmosphere at the Ryder Cup because of the incredible fans and the rivalry: “It was awesome.” He has attended multiple major tournaments, including the British Open and The Masters, and he said, “The Ryder Cup is a different experience.” The energy that the fans bring is incredible compared to other golf events.