At the start line at the Marco Simone Golf Club very early this morning before the 44 gun is firede Edition of the Ryder Cup, in front of a huge crowd in yellow and blue, the Europeans were ready. The wait for revenge from a strong American varlop lasted two years and they did not leave out their rivals.
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• Also read: Ryder Cup: Europe comes out of the starting blocks and leads 4-0 against the USA
Led by Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland, Luke Donald’s men defeated Zach Johnson’s men in the Roman Coliseum of the magnificent club just outside Rome.
So much so that the American team did not win any of the eight games presented at the start of the spectacular biennial tournament.
Like sprinter Usain Bolt, Europe came out of the starting blocks and took a five-point lead at the end of the first day of competition. The table shows a value from 6.5 to 1.5.
This is nothing less than the Europeans’ best performance at the start of the Ryder Cup. They correspond to the grade achieved by the Americans in the 1975 edition in Laurel Valley, Pennsylvania.
The Briton Justin Rose celebrates with vigor and passion a successful throw at the 18th pennant and thus fights for a draw against Max Homa and Wyndham Clark. AFP
Evil mountain to face
This five-point deficit looks like Everest, as the Americans, searching for answers, find themselves at the foot of a hostile mountain too quickly to face the challenge this weekend.
After losing the morning’s four duels in the “Foursomes” format, historically and traditionally preferable to the Europeans, they made up for their false start in the second session in the “4-Ball” format. However, the four groups that started the race in the afternoon all lost their lead.
Three of them still managed a draw, including the pair of Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, who scored the first half point next to the Stars and Stripes flag.
Data showing European dominance: 43 holes won in the eight games shown…compared to 26.
“My players are frustrated, but as soon as we leave the golf club, that day is behind us,” said American captain Zach Johnson, mentioning that members of his team appear to be suffering from health problems. However, he did not elaborate on the topic.
The big guns sound
Among those who did damage to Uncle Sam’s country representatives, McIlroy won his two games, while Rahm and Hovland added 1.5 points each.
AFP
“They are superstars and three of the four best golfers in the world,” noted their captain Luke Donald. To win, your superstars have to be on fire and play well. Otherwise it’s an uphill battle. They all stepped up their game by putting their plan into action. »
Newcomers have also contributed to the team’s success, including young Swedish star Ludvig Aberg, Austrian Sepp Straka, Scot Robert MacIntyre and Dane Nicolai Hojgaard.
In his third Ryder Cup appearance, England’s Matt Fitzpatrick finally won his first career match.