Cutting-edge analytics, $100 side bets and banter: how Europe won Ryder Cup | Sean Ingle

IIn those moments of sweet pandemonium after Tommy Fleetwood sealed European Ryder Cup victory, things got a little wild at Marco Simone Country Club. The crowd at the 18th hole asked Rory McIlroy for a song. He responded by swinging his cap around his head like a battle axe before chanting “Raise your hands!” to the tune of the Cranberries zombie. He then sprinted 100 meters to hug Shane Lowry, even though his teammate was still playing. It was that kind of afternoon.

Before long, thousands of fans also broke through the steel ring surrounding the final green to celebrate. At least three eventually fell into a bunker. Meanwhile, Luke Donald’s team was hugging and high-fiving, telling jokes and sinking bottles of beer and champagne.

However, these scenes of delirium and joy were among the few unscripted moments in Europe’s preparations for this Ryder Cup. Because this was a triumph months in the making. And one in which Donald got the ABCs – analysis, banter and a culture that everyone believed in – just right. “This wasn’t about revenge,” McIlroy said. “This was about redemption and showing what we could do.”

From the very beginning, Donald urged his players to put the team first, stressed the importance of getting off to a fast start to get the crowd involved, and to think of the bigger picture. That was further reinforced earlier this week when each player received a two-minute motivational video made by their family members.

“We are united by a culture and a generation of players who have come before us,” said Justin Rose. “Lucas has been very clear about that. A good pairing in the European team does not mean playing with your best friend. It’s about representing something bigger than yourself.”

McIlroy said a pivotal moment came when the team “sat around a fire pit and got to know each other really well” during a visit to the Marco Simone last month.

“That was a great experience,” he said. “I thought I had known these guys for a long time, but I learned something different about them. I think this really strengthened us as a team. But we also make fun of each other. We have a sense of humor.”

That became clear when the team was asked about their record on the first hole – which they won 10 times to the American team’s four victories. “In practice, that’s called playing for a hundred dollars,” Rose said jokingly.

Donald intervened: “As a team we knew a fast start was important.”

Rose replied: “Rory still hasn’t paid me by the way – sorry, Luke.”

Then Tommy Fleetwood came along. “Rory never actually pays,” he said. “Can I just say that? Rory never pays.”

McIlroy replied with a smile: “I didn’t win the FedEx Cup this year.”

Donald then also paid tribute to the statistical analysis of Edoardo “Dodo” Molinari, which had filled his players with confidence. “Dodo is extremely important,” Donald said.

“The game of golf has really been dominated by statistics. It was about giving them the confidence so that when they stepped on the tee on Friday they expected to win – and these are the reasons.”

Rose agreed: “Nothing was left to chance on that front. We got a lot of good information in advance this week, so it kept us all pretty calm.

While Europe celebrated, the autopsy of the American team began. This time, however, there was no public airing of grievances, as there was in Gleneagles in 2014 and Paris in 2018, where Phil Mickelson and then Patrick Reed threw hand grenades.

“This was the closest team I think I’ve been on,” Brooks Koepka said. “We have a great group of guys. This week they (the European team) just holed a lot more putts and a few more chip-ins. We fought hard and I wouldn’t want to do it with any other group of guys.”

That was shared by Justin Thomas, who said the team bonded over watching American Football College games at 5 a.m. “We all really got along,” he said. “Usually there are a few misfits or people who are just not part of the team, but we were all one.”

But while US captain Zach Johnson insisted he would not change anything about his side’s preparation, not everyone agreed. Jordan Spieth indicated that some of the U.S. team may have been undercooked after not playing a tournament for five weeks.

“It’s really hard to come back in an away game when you fall so far behind,” Spieth said, reflecting on his team’s disastrous 6½-1½ start. “If you were to ask us when we wanted to play the Ryder Cup relative to our schedule, I think we’d probably say give us a week or two after the Tour Championship and then go, instead of five.”

However, Spieth also admitted that Europe would have been the better team. “They approached us early and then the crowd was able to get behind them. Their rookies could see that. It made the transition easier for them. Suddenly we were in a hole.”