Best Ryder Cup Ever?

So that’s it, as quickly as it started, it’s all over. The 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National will go down as one of Team Europe’s best ever performances on home soil, as they came away with a comprehensive 17.5 – 10.5 win over a much-fancied Team USA.

Whereas everything seemed to go right for Europe’s captain Thomas Bjorn; from wildcard picks, to pairing Tommy Fleetwood with Francesco Molinari to form the formidable “Moliwood”, his American counterpart Jim Furyk was left to rue some poor decisions. Tiger Woods, fresh from his TOUR Championship win last week, failed to win a single point, whilst Phil Mickelson was woeful for the whole tournament. Both were captain’s picks.

The standout player for the home team however was surely Francesco Molinari. Having won this year’s Open Championship, the Italian no doubt fancied his chances on a course which placed a premium on shot-making as opposed to bombing huge drives down the fairway. Molinari won all five of his matches, becoming the first European to win five points in one Ryder Cup. What makes this achievement even more remarkable is the fact that prior to this year's contest, Molinari had played six matches across two previous editions without winning a match. He now truly belongs amongst the world’s elite golfers.

Special mention should also go to Sergio Garcia, the Spaniard was a controversial wildcard choice from Bjorn, but was a crucial component of Team Europe’s victory. Garcia’s win over Rickie Fowler in the singles yesterday saw him become Europe’s leading all-time point-scorer in the Ryder Cup with 25.5 points, overtaking Sir Nick Faldo’s record.