{"id":289515,"date":"2023-09-04T22:38:09","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T22:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/?p=289515"},"modified":"2023-09-04T22:38:09","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T22:38:09","slug":"riath-al-samarrai-i-fear-this-is-the-year-usa-win-away-in-ryder-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/golf\/riath-al-samarrai-i-fear-this-is-the-year-usa-win-away-in-ryder-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"RIATH AL-SAMARRAI:\u00a0I fear this is the year USA win away in Ryder Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"
It was towards the end of Luke Donald’s media duties on Monday when the topic switched from the names at his disposal to the bigger beasts they will face.<\/p>\n
With it came an acceptance from Europe’s captain that his 12 men will have to match up better with the Americans on the grass of Italy than they do on paper.<\/p>\n
‘I do think they are favourites,’ he said. ‘The last Ryder Cup was not close and they have a lot of those guys coming back. We are underdogs but I have full faith in my team.’ It was spoken with a confidence that would at best be characterised as cautious.<\/p>\n
The USA trounced Europe 19-9 at Whistling Straits and seven of that 12 are back again, with the long-held expectation that this will be the year they win away in Europe for the first time since 1993. It remains the easiest view to support.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In Donald’s favour is a great frontline \u2014 in Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland, they have three of the top four in the world, which is supplemented by a fine engine room of Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Open runner-up Sepp Straka and Justin Rose.<\/p>\n
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Luke Donald has selected two debutants in his six captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup<\/p>\n
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Sepp Straka (left) will make his Ryder Cup debut in Rome, where he will be joined by fellow Team Europe debutant Nicolai Hojgaard (right)<\/p>\n
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The USA trounced Europe 19-9 at Whistling Straits and seven of that 12 are back again<\/p>\n
But the concern is about depth. Shane Lowry has not had a top-10 finish since February and three of their four rookies rank outside the world’s top 50.<\/p>\n
Nicolai Hojgaard and Ludvig Aberg are wonderfully exciting selections who might well deliver on the Rome stage.<\/p>\n
But contrast their potential with the calibre of players left out by Zach Johnson \u2014 Keegan Bradley has won twice on the PGA Tour in the past year and Cameron Young is 17th in the world.<\/p>\n
Europe will need to make a major dent in the fourballs and foursomes if they are to regain the Ryder Cup.<\/p>\n
Because the fear around the singles is that the underdog’s tail might just be too long.<\/p>\n