SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — Delayed a year due to the pandemic, the much-awaited Ryder Cup delivered, even if the final-day drama was missing. Plenty of passion and pageantry, a slew of impressive shots and putts, the usual nitpicky irritation between both sides and — in the end — a joyous winning team and a losing side vowing to do better the next time.
The United States defeated Europe 19-9 in the most lopsided result since continental Europe became part of the competition in 1979. The Americans won four of the five sessions and tied the other, never allowing Europe to get any momentum and seemingly taking out years and years of Ryder Cup frustration in the process.
A few American stars emerged. Europe’s Jon Rahm lived up his No. 1 ranking in the world. There was plenty to take away from this competition as the runup to the next Ryder Cup, slated for Rome in 2023, begins.
The U.S. is loaded for years, but …
Youth was served at Whistling Straits. The Americans delivered. The six rookies went 14-4-3, the most by any collection of first-timers in a single Ryder Cup since the 1979 American team. So much for experience.
And that doesn’t include Brooks Koepka or Daniel Berger. And what about Dustin Johnson, who led the way with a 5-0 record? At 37, he is not going anywhere. Tony Finau has been very good in two Ryder Cups and a Presidents Cup. What if Rickie Fowler regains form? Patrick Reed? It’s going to be a tough team to make. Future captains will have enormous firepower.
But … you always have to be careful with the Ryder Cup. This time, the lineup on paper that was favored prevailed in a big way. That rarely happens. Players fall out of form. The venue matters. And Europe, despite the likely loss of some veteran players, will regroup.
The home-course advantage is real
That’s four straight victories for the home team. In each case, there was no secret the courses — Gleneagles (2014), Hazeltine (2016) Le Golf National (2018) and Whistling Straits (2021) — were set up to favor the home side.
“I said at the start of the week, it seems the way the Ryder Cup is going, the home team certainly has an advantage every time that we play this thing,” said Rory McIlroy. “That was apparent in Paris a couple years ago. I think it was pretty apparent this week, as well. You go back to Hazeltine, same sort of thing. This is the pattern that we are on.”
It is fair to wonder if this has gone too far. There is an inherent advantage already for the Europeans when they play a home match. In almost all instances, the venue stages as European Tour event, as will be the case in Rome in two years. The Americans were in a great position at Whistling Straits early this year. Those seem like advantages.
But you can bet that without any kind of change, Marco Simone Golf & Country Club will have narrow fairways and deep rough for the 2023 Ryder Cup.
Garcia and Johnson were named the inaugural winners of the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award presented by Aon, which is meant to recognize showing sportsmanship in the manner of Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin and the 1969 “concession.” At times throughout this career, that might have seemed unlikely for Garcia. But he has become an older statesman for the European side and showed plenty of game, despite a singles loss to DeChambeau. At 41, he has now played in 10 Ryder Cups, holds the record for most points earned and most matches won. And he’s not planning on going away.
Dustin Johnson, Ryder Cup star
On Thursday evening — following the opening ceremony — Johnson changed out of his sports coat and tie and headed to the practice range to work on his game. That seemed an ominous sign, with three days of practice already behind and the intensity of the Ryder cup to begin in roughly 14 hours.
Either Johnson found something or he simply was refining what was working, because he had a historic week.
Johnson became the first American to go 5-0 at a Ryder Cup since Larry Nelson in 1979. He was just the fifth person to do so. He was 7-9 in the Ryder Cup before this week. For the week, he never trailed by more than one hole in any of his matches. He made eight birdies on Sunday in his match with Paul Casey.
Last hurrah?
It is quite possible we’ve seen the last of Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter in the Ryder Cup. Both won their Sunday singles, so if it is the end, they went out with one last great memory. Both have provided their share over the years.
But in 2023, Westwood will be 50, Poulter 47. Both did not rule out making the team, but know how difficult the task will be. Westwood came to tears afterward talking about playing with his son, Sam, as his caddie. It was his 47th Ryder Cup match, tying the record held by Phil Mickelson. Poulter said the situation makes “you wish you were 20 years old again.”
“I’ve only lost one other one, and it’s dismal,” Poulter said of being on only two losing teams. “Watching the guys out on 18 enjoying themselves is something that you come into this week with visions of that happening for you as a team.
“We’ve got a great team this week, and we were outplayed. Every session was difficult. They did their job, and they made it painful for us. This one’s going to hurt for a bit. But you know what, it’s things like that that make you stronger going forward.”
Brooks-Bryson are buds
Well, at least they were for a few hours. We will see how that whole scenario plays out after months of bickering, some of it silly. They put their differences aside at the Ryder Cup. Stricker claims they wanted to play together. They hugged. Posed for photos.
And if they do, indeed, end up in some made-for-TV match, feel free to be skeptical over these last months of tension.
The next captains
Nobody was willing to go there at this point, but both teams will have new captains within months, almost certainly after the beginning of the new year. Stricker made it clear he would be moving aside, because a plan is in place for the next American captain.
And you can read between the lines. All signs pointed to Zach Johnson being the 2022 U.S. Presidents Cup captain in Charlotte. But a major curveball was thrown when the PGA Tour announced Davis Love III as the captain instead. He’s already captained two U.S. Ryder Cup teams. He was an assistant in Paris and at Whistling Straits. It seems an odd choice, and it likely meant some other plans fell through.
It is possible that both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have passed on the 2023 Ryder Cup. Mickelson wasn’t going to take the Presidents Cup job next year, and Johnson can’t take it if he’s going to be the 2023 Ryder Cup captain. So Johnson, a two-time major winner who has assisted on numerous teams, seems likely to lead the Americans to Rome and try to break a 30-year road winless streak.
For Europe, Westwood is the likely choice … unless he decides he wants to try to play, in which case he has a big decision to make — and soon. Poulter seems destined for Bethpage in 2025 — where Woods or Mickelson could go against him. Other possibilities for Europe would be Luke Donald, Henrik Stenson and Graeme McDowell. But it gets complicated if Westwood declines in the short term.
Knight’s Choice has won the 2024 Melbourne Cup, defeating Warp Speed and Okita Soushi in a thrilling finish at Flemington on Tuesday afternoon.
The massive outsider saluted for Irish-born jockey Robbie Dolan, who claimed victory in what was his first ever ride in the “race that stops a nation”.
In what was a gripping 164th staging of Australia’s most-watched thoroughbred race, Knight’s Choice proved too strong in a sprint to the finish, pulling over the top of Okita Soushi and holding off Warp Speed by the barest of margins.
Trained by John Symons and Sheila Laxon on the Sunshine Coast, Knight’s Choice was well down the betting across all markets. It was Laxon’s second Melbourne Cup triumph after she trained Ethereal to victory 23 years ago.
“This is the pinnacle of all pinnacles, this is the Melbourne Cup,” Symons said.
Zardozi rounded out the first four.
As the field approached the final few hundred metres it appeared as though Jamie Kah, aboard Okita Soushi, would become just the second woman to ride the winner in the Melbourne Cup. But Okita Soushi was swallowed up as the winning post neared, with Knight’s Choice beating Warp Speed to the line after a peach of a ride from Dolan.
“We’ll be singing tonight after a few beers,” Dolan, who was a contestant on the 2022 edition of “The Voice”, told Channel 9.
“It is amazing and a lot of people doubted this little horse. Doubt me now.”
Laxon was more than happy with the ride, with Dolan threading his way through the field from near last on the bend.
“He started the race, and he knew how to ride him. We didn’t give him instructions, he knew what to do,” she said.
“I love it being down for the Australians. The Australian horse has done it, and Robbie is Australian now as well, so I’m thrilled to win the Cup, and it is the people’s Cup, and that’s what it is all about.”
Knight’s Choice is just the sixth Australian-bred horse to win since 1993, and the first since Vow and Declare back in 2019.
The five-year-old gelding carried only 51kg to victory and was making its first start over the 3200m trip. It had most recently come off a fifth-placed finish in the Bendigo Cup, but had showed sparing little form this preparation otherwise.
“I watched every Melbourne Cup for the last 40 years. I thought my best chance was to get him to stay the trip and, hopefully, he can run home and do the quick sectionals he can on a good track and he proved everybody wrong,” Dolan said.
MILWAUKEE — The Brewers‘ starting rotation could have a new look next season with right-handers Frankie Montas and Colin Rea heading into free agency.
The Brewers announced Monday that Montas had declined his part of a $20 million mutual option for 2025. The Brewers turned down the $5.5 million club option on Rea’s contract.
Montas receives a $2 million buyout and Rea gets a $1 million buyout.
Montas, 31, had a combined 7-11 record with a 4.84 ERA and 148 strikeouts over 150⅔ innings in 30 starts for the Cincinnati Reds and Brewers this season. He was 3-3 with a 4.55 ERA in 11 starts for the Brewers, who acquired him just before the trade deadline.
Rea, 34, was 12-6 with a 4.28 ERA this season in 32 appearances, including 27 starts. He struck out 135 in 167⅔ innings. Rea had an 8.31 ERA in September and was left off the Brewers’ NL Wild Card Series roster.
Herget, 33, had no record with one save and a 1.59 ERA in seven appearances with Milwaukee this year. He was 5-1 with four saves and a 2.27 ERA in 38 relief outings with Triple-A Nashville.
Zastryzny, 32, was 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in nine appearances with Milwaukee. He pitched in 30 games with Nashville and went 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA.
The 29-year-old Bauers batted .199 with a .301 on-base percentage, 12 homers and 43 RBIs in 116 games this season. He also hit a seventh-inning homer that broke a scoreless tie in the decisive Game 3 of the Wild Card Series with the Mets, who rallied in the ninth to win 4-2.
Wilson, who turns 27 on Dec. 20, went 5-4 with a 4.04 ERA in 34 appearances, including nine starts.
SAN ANTONIO — Right-hander Phil Maton became a free agent Monday after the New York Mets declined his $7,775,000 option in favor of a $250,000 buyout.
The 31-year-old was 2-1 with a 2.51 ERA in his first season with New York, which acquired him from Tampa Bay on July 9. Maton was 3-3 with a 3.66 ERA in a career-high 71 games overall and had a $6.25 million salary.
New York also announced left-hander Sean Manaea declined his $13.5 million option to become a free agent for the third consecutive offseason. Manaea agreed to a contract in January that included a $14.5 million salary for 2024, and the 32-year-old went 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts, striking out 184 and walking 63 in 181⅔ innings.
After dropping his arm slot in midseason, he became the Mets most effective starting pitcher and went 6-2 with a 3.09 ERA.