Golf Results 2014 September 28

European Team wins again at Ryder Cup

The European Team pulled off an impressive victory against their American rivals on Sunday to win the 2014 Ryder Cup by 16 ½ to 11 ½ .

Under the captaincy of Paul McGinley, a four-time European Tour champion and Ryder Cup veteran, the Europeans came out with guns blazing during the final round. Rory McIlroy made quick work of the American Ricky Fowler, with a 5&4 victory, to set the stage for victory. Graeme McDowell beat Jordan Spieth, with Martin Kaymer edging out Bubba Watson to card the third European point of the day.

The American team had their share of positives during the final round, with Patrick Reed beating Henrik Stenson, Phil Mickelson triumphing over Stephen Gallacher, and Matt Kuchar completing the trio with a win against Thomas Bjorn. Despite these victories the Americans were unable to weather the Continental storm, with seven out of twelve matches either won or halved by European players on Sunday.

As Europe celebrates, US goes back to the drawing board

Sunday's victory represents the 8th European Ryder Cup victory out of 11 events over the past two decades. Despite the US leading in the overall wins (which date back to the 1920s), a very clear trend has been emerging over the past twenty years – the European team have a definite edge over their rivals across the Atlantic.

While some commentators put the European Team's edge down to luck, good planning, and the wave of young talent that has swept the Continent over the past decade, the winning trend seems to have begun back in the 1990s – when American golfers reigned supreme at the top of the World Golf Rankings.

This year's Ryder Cup was set to be hotly contested, but despite vocal criticism from Phil Mickelson against the European Team the Ryder Cup will remain on the continent for another two years.

As the European Team celebrates another Ryder Cup victory, their American counterparts will be rethinking their strategy as they prepare for the next Ryder Cup in 2016.

GolfWeather
Editorial