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The talking has nearly (and mercifully) stopped. The show is almost here. The 2023 Ryder Cup is about to start.
But before it does, we need to look at the United States’ path to 14 points, which would retain the Cup for the Americans, and Europe’s avenue to 14.5 points, which they will need to win back the Cup and continue their dominant stretch of three decades worth of victories at home.
While these weeks never go exactly as they were planned out by the captains, there seem to be a handful of paths for the U.S. and Europe to get to their respective benchmarks. Not all of them will pan out, but if a few of them do, then either Zach Johnson will accomplish what nobody has accomplished since 1993 and win a Ryder Cup in Europe or Luke Donald will add to a 30-year home winning streak.
U.S. path to victory
Kyle Porter, senior golf writer
1. Win three points in foursomes: If that sounds like a lowly goal over the course of eight matches, consider the fact that the U.S. has only won two foursomes points in the last two European Ryder Cups combined. If they can analytics their way to three points, they should have the horses to at least split in the four-ball matches and get to Sunday tied or close to it. If you get to Sunday tied or at least close to it, your talent should win the day and the Ryder Cup.
2. Find somebody to handle the hot hand: The last two Ryder Cups in Europe — Gleneagles in 2014 and Paris in 2018 — have been dominated by two pairings. The first was Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose, who went 3-0-0 together at Gleneagles. The second was Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari, who went 4-0-0 together at Le Golf National. Those duos contributed more than points, though. They both contributed a charge for their teams to rally around and ultimate win behind. Identifying these pairings usually isn’t too difficult, but picking the right matchup to quell them often is.
3. Drive the…
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Source : cbssports
