Zach Johnson got totally outmatched in US Ryder Cup flop

Golf

By Mark Cannizzaro

ROME — Zach Johnson wanted to deliver a message.

In a clear effort to curry favor with the away crowd, the U.S. Ryder Cup captain, in his opening-ceremony speech, waxed poetic on the eve of the matches Thursday at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club when he heaped praise on Italy for “giving so much’’ to America by way of its immigrants who’ve added country’s culture.

“This week in a small way,’’ Johnson said, “we hope America can give something back to Italy.”

Well, in the end, that’s exactly what Johnson and his 12 players did: They gave the Ryder Cup back to Europe.

This is, to be clear, not intended to take anything away from the European team, which played magnificent golf across most of the three days and deserved to win the coveted 17-inch gold chalice. Europe was the better side from the first ball struck to the last.

The issue at hand, though, is how little resistance the Americans put up when it mattered most. Like, say, in the first three sessions while they were being boat-raced by the Europeans, who won the first four points on Friday and won the first three of the four team sessions.

Sunday’s final tally — 16 ½ to 11 ½ — marks seven consecutive times Europe has won at home, spanning 30 years since the last time the Americans won in Europe.

This, however, isn’t just a road issue for the Americans. Overall, Europe has won five of the past seven cups and eight of the past 11.

So, what happened this week in Rome?

How did the Americans find themselves getting their butts kicked yet again on foreign soil?

The reasons are plenty.

The home-field advantage is real. The passion and volume of the European crowds cannot be underestimated. It’s human nature for even the best players in the world to get rattled at times, and too many of the U.S. players looked tight in the first two days of the matches.

Patrick Cantlay, who played hatless and was ridiculed throughout by the ruthless and creative European fans, was one of the few exceptions among the U.S. players who stood up to the madness. Max Homa, a first-timer, falls into that category as well as the only American who played in all five sessions, going 3-1-1.

As real as home-field advantage is, so too is one captain outperforming the other. European captain Luke Donald was better than Johnson. He was better before this week and he was better during it.

Donald seemed to have more command over his team and seemed more prepared, devising a solid plan for the practice rounds, having his players play three-hole matches to promote a fast start.

And it worked as the Europeans ambushed the Americans on Friday morning, setting a tone and never looking…