This afternoon’s European Ryder Cup match against the United States was an unmitigated disaster for Europe — the first ever loss for the holders in the event. And on the whole, the individuals were dreadful: Europe struggled to putt, hit so many wide putts, and put the ball in the water. So, in both offense and defense, the typically steady Paul McGinley made a step out of character. He decided to replace the seemingly imperturbable and unflappable Sergio Garcia with Ryder Cup rookie Paul Casey, not necessarily an inspired choice in himself, but particularly so for someone who stood on the edge of the great European tradition of alternating straight men and ball strikers. It backfired spectacularly. Garcia finished one, five, and five, respectively, over his three matches. He was supplanted for his last two matches by Shane Lowry, who built his reputation for intense survival game with the U.S. two years ago on a final day’s -9 score against Tiger Woods. Lowry finished two, four, and five — with all five bad holes coming in, sending him into a tie with Garcia on the final day.
While it was to be a familiar rebuff, this time the pairing failed spectacularly, both as a strategy and as a team sport. Lowe joined in with the usual European bear hug celebration, and Garcia walked off the golf course as if the whole thing had been a case of one bad day. When asked about Lowry, Garcia said “Well, thank you Shane Lowry,” and shrugged in frustration.
It was a strange ending to the great international tournament of sporting aXXpendence, but given where the women’s game is at right now it makes perfect sense. Sullivan Keegan did pick up a half point.