Hymn of joy for Europe which wins the Ryder Cup once again, achieving the third success in a row and the eighth in the last ten editions. Challenge number 40, which took place from Friday to Sunday, on the Gleneagles Hotel course, in Auchterarder in Scotland, was not the most exciting in history, but it was still a good race won by the blue stars with 16,5 points versus 11,5 points in the United States.
The Europeans were dragged to the podium by world number one Rory McIlory, overwhelming in the last match, head to head, against Rickie Fowler, but the whole team lived up to its leader. From Northern Irish Graeme McDowell, a true champion of match-play to Welsh Jamie Donaldson, an amazing rookie, to Victor Dubuisson, another rookie, sly and implacable.
Solid as rocks were the major winners Justin Rose and Martin Kaymer, while the Swede Henrik Stenson did not disappoint although tormented by back pain. All 12 of these guys, thanks to which Europe is one country every two years, with an anthem and a flag, in a major sporting event, deserve to be mentioned: the excited Stephen Gallacher; the evergreen Sergio Garcia; the likeable Ian Poulter; the reliable Lee Westwood and Thomas Bjorn. Captain Paul McGinley turned out to be perfect, in style, choices, pairings.
On the other side of the fence, however, it is inevitable to register the disappointment of the North Americans, orphans of Tiger Woods. It was thought that the absence of the champion would not have weighed, indeed that the absence of the great soloist would have been healthy. Instead, the team has never been in the game. After a positive start in four balls came the heavy defeat in the foursomes and on Sunday, with an initial score of 10 to 6 for Europe, the epilogue seemed written.
The magnificent captain Tom Watson, a man of great class, didn't perform the miracle he did at the Europeans in Chicago and the match ended before all matches were closed. The best Yankees on the field were the very young Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth, the most disappointing Bubba Watson who didn't bring even a point.
Now we are looking to the future, indeed to the past, given that Jason Dufner and Phil Mickelson have called upon a new-old captain for the USA: Paul Azinger, the last one to lead the team to victory in 2008. To try again to snatch the trophy to their European rivals, however, the Americans will have to wait for 2016.
