USA Ryder Cup Captain Zach Johnson joined rival European captain Luke Donald in a pre-Ryder Cup press conference indicating he is unfazed that it’s now 30-years since America won a Ryder Cup on European soil.
That last win was back in 1993 when Tom Watson captained the visiting Americans to a two-point victory over a Bernard Gallacher led European side at The Belfry in England.
Of course, the USA arrived in Italy having trounced a hapless European side two years ago at Whistling Straits but that’s now history and Johnson and his Stars and Stripes are in Europe, where European fans will be out in force unlike two years ago when the COVID pandemic did not allow Europeans to travel to the shores of Lake Michigan.
“I mean, it’s difficult and it’s hard to win outside of your comfort zone,” said Johnson when asked of his American sides chances this week . “It’s hard to win against a team that’s always been very, very formidable. It’s really just that simple.
“The European teams have been very stout, very good, very deep, and this year is no different. It’s just difficult. I know what history says. I’m very aware of that. But at the same time I can speak confidently, and talking to my team, these guys are ready and want to embrace that difficulty and want to just look at this as a great opportunity.
“The teams of the past are teams of the past. This is a new team with a new opportunity.
“All that being said, this is golf. I mean, this is sport. I’m going to keep it pretty simple. That’s the way I operate. I’m going to let whatever drama you’re trying to get into, I’m going to let that happen inside the ropes with our golf balls.”
Two years ago, it was a red-hot USA team that put a torch to any hopes of Europe winning on US soil but missing this year are five players from that Steve Stricker-led team, including major winners Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau.
However, aside from that Wisconsin whitewash the Americans, since the turn of a new century, have tasted success in just three Ryder Cups while Europe has won on seven occasions.
“We have had a group of individuals help us navigate the numbers and stats and data, if you will, since 2014 or 2015,” Johnson said referring to the setting-up of a task force following their loss to Paul McGinley’s winning Gleneagles team.
“It’s just one element of how we organise our system so yeah, you chew on it and you kind of ingest it, and you kind of figure out whether it’s worthy of some of the numbers, and I guess you’d say results are worthy of implementing.
“But it’s not the only that, we deal in the objective and subjective. There’s numerous factors when it comes to how we are going to go about our week, tandems, formats, etc.
“I applaud The PGA of America for allowing myself and some of my peers before me to have direct ownership in how we navigate Team USA.
“I think it’s in a better place, and I think it’s all because of that collaboration between us players, The PGA of America and some of the other powers that really know what’s going on because we are passionate about this very Cup.
“You learn from things. You learn from defeats probably moreso than wins. That’s the beauty of competition.
“But yeah, make no mistake, I think Team USA is arguably in a better place now than what it was seven, eight, nine years ago, whatever it may be.”
We’ll see come Sunday night if Johnson’s words ring true.
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