Every two years, the best of the best from Team USA and Team Europe meet at the world’s top courses. Each team consists of 12 players, including world number one Scottie Scheffler for Team USA and world number two Rory McIlroy for Team Europe. The tournament spans three days, starting on Friday, Sept. 29, and lasting until Sunday, Oct. 1. This event is one of the most historical and exciting tournaments to watch for golfers around the world. Now that the weekend has commenced, these are the top takeaways from the week.
Rory McIlroy and Cantlay’s Caddie Beef
Coming in at number one, one of the most controversial actions occurred on Saturday, Sept. 30, between Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, and Patrick Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava. The interaction began on hole 18 after Patrick Cantlay holed a 40-foot putt to force Rory to make the putt. LaCava was filled with excitement after the putt and started waving his hat around. When Rory asked LaCava to move from his line, Joe didn’t respond and still waved his hat. This sparked some controversy and disagreement between Team USA and Team Europe.
Max Homa’s Incredible Performance
One of the biggest takeaways from Team USA was Max Homa’s excellent performance. He was truly the star for our team in Rome, showing finesse, chipping in more than twice and making big putts to halve or win holes. In the 2023 Ryder Cup, he had a record of three wins, one tie, and one loss, winning 3.5 points for the team. He made so many clutch putts during the last day; it was crazy to watch. The best part was definitely Homa chipping in on the par-4 16th to capture the first full point for the USA. He also never let his emotions cause him to hit a bad shot that would give a point away. He simply acted and played like a pro.
The Rook: Ludvig Aberg
This year, Team Europe had a rising star in Ludvig Aberg, who made his Ryder Cup debut. At just 23 years old and 6’3″, Aberg is a giant that is an absolute talent in the making. He first emerged when he was playing at Texas Tech and went back to Europe to play on the Dubai Port World Tour. He won a couple of events and started catching some hype and even got picked to play in the Ryder Cup. Every time this man was on a par three, you could expect a shot to be super close to the hole. During the weekend, he almost holed out three or four shots to make clutch birdies to win the holes. He also broke the record in four-ball match play with Viktor Hovland; they won 9 and 7. They won that match with seven holes of golf left to play. First off, it’s impressive to even do that against pros, and second, it’s the record for the Ryder Cup. He has one of the best-looking swings on tour, and it allowed him to execute on the course over the weekend.
Cannonball on 18
With all the great stuff happening this weekend in golf, something went down there that is unusual to see. During the last days and final match, when Rickie Fowler conceded the hole and the match, Europe was pronounced victorious. After the match was conceded, an elderly man jumped from the stands and ran onto the putting green all the way to the lake bordering hole 18 where he then jumped in. This moment was not just a funny moment, but also a true demonstration of how every European attending the event felt.
European Dominance in Rome
Team Europe began their winning weekend on a dominant Friday morning, winning all of the Foursome matches. This continued later in the day during the Four-ball event, winning one of the four matches and drawing the other three. Without losing a match on the first day, Team Europe’s morale was through the roof. On Saturday morning during the Foursome grouping, they won another three out of the four matches. The US, now with their backs against the wall, needed a remarkable comeback, which started with the Saturday afternoon four-ball with Team USA winning three out of the four matches. Team USA was back, feeling slightly better about their performance on Saturday, hoping to continue onto Sunday. In the Sunday singles portion, the final match of the Ryder Cup, Team USA fell short, and Team Europe won 16 ½ to 11 ½, continuing their streak of not having won on European soil since 1993.
