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The U.S. team poses with the trophy during the closing ceremony after the Ryder Cup matches at the Whistling Straits Golf Course on Sunday, September 26, 2021 in Sheboygan, Wis. (AP Photo / Jeff Roberson)
SHEBOYGAN, Wisconsin (AP) – Steve Stricker hoisted the Ryder Cup, golden and glorious, for all to see. Then he quickly regrouped his young American team to make sure all 12 players had a hand on it.
Nine of them had never touched the 17 inch trophy in a moment of celebration.
They also don’t expect it to be the last time.
More than just winning back the Ryder Cup on Sunday, the youngest American team in history has handed Europe its worst loss and delivered a strong message about the importance of changing the tone of these matches.
Daniel Berger won the last hole of the last game for the last point in a 19-9 victory, breaking the record margin by half a point since Europe entered the Ryder Cup in 1979.
“It’s a new era” said Striker. “These guys are young. They want it. They are motivated. They came here determined to win. I could see it in their eyes.
The six U.S. Ryder Cup rookies have scored more points than all of Europe, combining for a 14-4-3 record. Americans haven’t lost a session for the first time in 44 years. Dustin Johnson became the first American to go 5-0 since 1979.
They had the best team on paper. They played even better on grass.
“It’s not only the strongest American team I’ve seen, but they’ve all played well this week,” said Lee Westwood. “Everyone played and showed up this week. Looks like they’re a team.
The Americans ultimately looked like Europe, which dominated the Ryder Cup winning nine of the last 12 until being sidelined along the shores of Lake Michigan.
Staked six points ahead – no team has ever recovered more than four points on the final day – the Americans quickly filled the scoreboards with their red numbers.
Scottie Scheffler beat the World No.1 player with a 4 and 3 victory over Jon Rahm. Scheffler won the first four holes and had five birdies on the first six. He was one of three undefeated rookies this week.
Bryson DeChambeau smashed his tee shot on the 373-yard opening hole on the green, then pierced the 40-foot eagle putt to start his victory over Sergio Garcia.
The decisive blow came from Collin Morikawa, the youngest player on the team at 24 and already a two-time major champion. He birdied 3 feet on the 17th hole that gave the Americans at least the 14 1/2 points they needed.
They wanted more.
“I woke up this morning and was trying to say to the guys, ‘Let’s go to 20 points’, because it’s going to be the next Ryder Cup team era for the American team.” Patrick Cantlay said after finishing an unbeaten week with a win over Shane Lowry.
Tony Finau had declared on the eve of these matches that it was “great.” Americans have had so many fresh faces without any lasting scars after seeing Europe celebrate so much over the years. It was a chance to change the culture, and it was a huge step.
The gallery saved one of its loudest applause for Stricker, the Wisconsin native who led two blowouts. He guided the U.S. team to a 19-11 Presidents Cup victory in 2017 and added his signature piece to Whistling Straits.
Johnson became the first American since Larry Nelson in 1979 to win all five games, completing his perfect week by beating Paul Casey in a game he never followed.
Casey, Matt Fitzpatrick and Bernd Wiesberger all failed to earn a point. Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter, who are part of the backbone of the European experience, only won a match in singles, and by then it was too late.
Stricker wasn’t the only one crying.
McIlroy again led Europe and gave ScHotele their first loss of the week. It was not enough. All day long along the shores of Lake Michigan, the outcome was inevitable.
McIlroy cried in his interview when talking about how important the Ryder Cup was to him.
“I never really cried or been moved by what I did as an individual. I couldn’t give a (expletive) ”, he said on NBC. “But this team… to see Sergio break records, to see Jon Rahm take over this week, to see one of my best friends, Shane Lowry, make his Ryder Cup debut, all that. It is phenomenal.
Garcia set the Ryder Cup record with 25 games won in his career. Rahm was the star for Europe, living up to his reputation as a No.1 player by making so many big putts.
Europe could not have done much. This American team was loaded and played like that.
“The United States was very strong” European captain Padraig Harrington said. “Whatever their plan, they did it well this week. A strong team, well played. Keep the momentum going. And they would have been tough to beat at the best of times, let alone when they’re at their peak. It’s a great victory for them.
The Americans have won back-to-back home games for the first time since 1983. The next step is to win on the road, which the Americans have not done since 1993.
The Ryder Cup goes to Marco Simone in Italy in 2023.
“If we play like we did this week”, Jordan Spieth said, “the score will be the same there.”
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