It’s definitely time to mark the date on your calendar. On the 28th September 2018, this years’ Ryder Cup will commence, where we will be witnessing the 42nd tournament held at Le Golf National, Paris, France.
With two incredibly strong teams, it is set to be one of the greatest ever battles.
So will Team Europe gain the trophy back for 2018? Will Team USA retain the trophy from their 2016 victory?
Here at GolfGearDirect, we take a look at what each team has to offer!
Reasons why Team Europe may win The Ryder Cup 2018
Europe are at home – With this years’ tournament being held at Le Golf National, Paris, the crowd will have an influence on the atmosphere for Team Europe, almost becoming the 13th player!
Secondly, Team Europe have not lost when hosting the event since 1993 at The Belfry. Team USA will need to work extremely hard to break that run of five home victories.
The Course – More European players have played the Le Golf National Course on a regular basis than their American counterparts and can therefore understand its nuances and how to produce good scores.
Additionally, Europe as hosts can set up the course in ways that they see fit. At the 2016 Ryder Cup tournament, the Americans had cut away a lot of the rough which allowed them to use their superior length off the tee without getting into difficulty. Europe this year may make the rough longer and make hitting the fairway very important.
Team Europe’s captain, Thomas Bjorn will likely to use these tactics to his advantage.
Winners at Open de France – Team Europe includes twom rookies Alex Noren and Tommy Fleetwood, both recent winners of the Open de France held annually at Le Golf National.
Other players include Francesco Molinari and Thorbjorn Olesen who have had several
runners-up finishes between them at this tournament.
Rookie Performance – There is some concern but also a positive outlook on the number of rookies on Team Europe. In some cases they can excel, or sometimes they can crack under the pressure. Whilst Team USA has three rookies, Team Europe has five.
There is however every possibility that these rookies can flourish, with John Rahm who is currently ranked 7th in the world, Alex Noran who won the 2018 Open de France, Tommy Fleetwood who came second at The US Open, Tyrrell Hatton who demonstrates a fiery attitude that won’t be intimidated and Thorbjorn Olesen who will be taken under the wing of the Captain, Thomas Bjorn.
Reasons why Team USA may win The Ryder Cup 2018
More Top-30 Players – Eight of the top World’s 30 players have qualified for the Us team, including top stars Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas. They have all shown great form this year, with eight tournament wins between them.
Major Championship Wins – American players have dominated in the majors over recent years. Out of 24 Major Championships since 2013, there have been 7 European winners, collecting 8 Major Championships. Whereas there have been 10 Americans collecting 14.
Brooks Koepka who is ranked #2 in the World has won three of the last seven majors and will be seen as one of this years’ top Ryder Cup players.
European Inexperience – With Team Europe having five rookies on the team, the
pressure may get to these players. Most former and current players say that the pressure from Ryder Cup is unlike anything else in the game and increases throughout the week.
Having a larger amount of experienced players who have a history of coping with this pressure does put the USA at an advantage.
Taking on a number of rookies did not prove well for Team Europe in 2016, being beaten 17-11 by Team USA.
Strength of the Team – As mentioned previously, the Ryder Cup 2018 team for America is very strong, as it includes eight of the top 30 players in the world.
Several players seem to have peaked for the Cup and certainly Brooks Koepka has shown that he is is the man for big occasions, and of course Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson need no introduction!
Final Thoughts
Throwing all this reasoning into the mix it does mean the outcome of this years Ryder Cup is so tough to call
So why not let us know your predictions by getting involved in our Facebook competition and have your say! If your prediction is correct then you will be in with a chance of winning a mystery prize!
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