Why the USGA committing $30 million to water conservation is important for golf’s future

Mike Whan: “We write an incredible white paper, we send that out and we think ‘job well done.'”

Water is an integral part of everyday life. It’s also vital to golf.

That’s why the United States Golf Association says it’s investing $30 million in its effort to drive forward a more sustainable game. Last month, the USGA announced a multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment toward reducing golf’s use of water.

Efforts to reduce water usage are nothing new in the game, but it’s more vital now than ever.

“There’s only going to be more competition for our water resources as population increases,” said Cole Thompson, the USGA’s Director of Turfgrass and Environmental Research. “That’s really what this initiative is, is the USGA committing to hopefully leading the industry toward water resiliency.”

The USGA’s $30 million commitment over the next 15 years will advance underutilized strategies and technologies that golf courses can use to economically reduce their use of water, a vital and increasingly regulated natural resource with near- and long-term cost and availability concerns. The work will focus on irrigation optimization, advanced conservation innovation and water sourcing and storage.

“The long-term economic and environmental sustainability of green-grass golf courses – where more than 25 million people enjoy the game and millions more are employed – will be challenged in certain regions if the game doesn’t advance this critical work now,” Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA, said in a release. “We are enthused and impressed by the reductions golf course superintendents have pursued over the past decade, and even more optimistic about the future. The USGA is ready to not only contribute our voice, but also our resources and expertise, to help our golf course partners and ensure golf’s future.”

Some highlights of the commitment include:

  • Launching and continuously update a water resilience playbook for the game of golf
  • Demonstrate underutilized and emerging, research-based practices
  • Understand and break down barriers to adoption of proven strategies (including financial barriers)
  • Continue to support water resilience research and turfgrass breeding programs

The work toward greater water resilience propels many of the current and emerging practices employed throughout golf, which have contributed to a 29 percent reduction in golf’s use of water from 2005-20. The USGA’s initiative will build on that benchmark, with the goal of more widespread adoption nationwide.

“The problem of water is not going away,” Thompson said. “You’ve got to think about what your water sources are and if they’re being used efficiently, so you know if you can diversify your water supply.”

One of the best examples of water conservation is at Pasatiempo Golf Club in California, which in September of 2017 started using a $9 million irrigation setup, consisting of a 500,000-gallon subterranean water storage tank, a water treatment facility and a pump station.

The wastewater treatment site supplied between 60 percent and 70 percent of Pasatiempo’s irrigation needs annually, superintendent Justin Mandon said. In addition, Mandon said Pasatiempo also used potable water and well water, though its use of potable water has dropped nearly 80 percent since opening the wastewater treatment site.

“I’m not aware of other courses anywhere that use three different sources of water,” Mandon said.

Mandon has worked with the USGA and has spoke at water summits to discuss Pasatiempo’s changes and how other courses can do their part.

“Even if you think you’re in an area where you have very secure water, you really need to start thinking about where does your water actually come from, who controls that,” Mandon said. “Start really started having those conversations about where this commodity is going to start to go because it’s going to become more and more limited, regardless of where you are in the United States.”

The USGA is partnering with courses on numerous field projects designed to show where and when the water conservation potential of a strategy outweighs the investment and disruption required for implementation. Research supports that drought-tolerant grasses use about 20 percent less water than commonly used varieties, depending on location and grassing scheme, and installing them typically pays off in five to 10 years.

With a goal of identifying early adopters, the USGA will continue to collaborate in a series of water summits in several states along with its Allied Golf Associations, as it seeks to draw the best talent and innovations toward the program’s goals.

The organization will also work together with golf courses on sharing best practices and innovations that could be more widely adopted to advance program goals.

“If you employ the right strategies in your region, this can help get to a reasonable amount of water to provide a golf course,” Thompson said.

Whan believes the USGA (and other governing bodies) have long had good intentions when it comes to water conservation, but simply tried to hand research down to golf courses already facing financial battles.

With the new initiatives, the CEO believes the pathway to success becomes more practical.

“What I said to the board when I got there is we’ve been really good at research right up until the white paper. We go spend a bunch of money on research, we write an incredible white paper, we send that out and we think ‘job well done.’ We’ve got to move from white paper to actually putting product in the dirt,” Whan said. “So our 15-30-45 initiative which is 15 years, $30 million to reduce water on a golf course by 45 percent, you can’t just show somebody on a pamphlet how to do that.

“Like, if somebody can’t afford the $5 million dollar drip irrigation change, we’re going to have to put up the five and let them pay us back a million a year over five years. We’ve got to create a process.”

For example, Golfweek learned that in the anchor agreement the USGA signed with Pebble Beach  — which includes hosting four U.S. Women’s Opens — that the oldest continuous working golf course west of the Mississippi will be a testing ground of sorts. Officials will see what they can learn from Del Monte Golf Course, which sits right near downtown Monterey.

“They’re kind of letting us experiment at Del Monte and actually try different things,” Whan said. “We’ve got a similar agreement in the South, we’re taking research and we’re actually putting it in the ground so that we can show somebody, ‘hey, at this place we reduced water by 53 percent. Let us tell you how, and do you want to try to do that here at your own course?’

“I think in the past we stopped at the white-paper stage, like in a 2-by-2 plot of land at UC Riverside we showed that this strain of grass needs 30 percent less water. But that doesn’t help your typical superintendent.

“We’re going to take it to the next level.”

Golfweek’s Tim Schmitt contributed to this report.

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Schupak: Padraig Harrington deserved better, but you can’t keep a good man down

Harrington: “You win, you’re a hero. You lose, you’re a zero.”

Padraig Harrington won’t be penning a best-selling tell-all book about his Ryder Cup captaincy. That’s the thing with the Ryder Cup – if you win, you’re a legend, but if you lose you’re a goat. Or as Harrington phrased it, “You win, you’re a hero. You lose, you’re a zero. That’s the way it is. You know that going into it, so you have to take responsibility.”

Harrington deserved better than going down as the losing Captain in the most lopsided defeat for the Blue and Gold in the modern era, a 19-9 defeat at Whistling Straits that concluded on Sept. 26. He deserved better than Rory McIlroy not earning a point until Sunday’s singles and needing to sit his first session at a Ryder Cup due to poor form. To hear his players tell it, Harrington did everything to put his 12-man team in the best position to perform; they just didn’t deliver.

“I hope I don’t read the papers and hear a lot of stuff that will upset me,” Ian Poulter said in the aftermath of Europe’s defeat as he waxed rhapsodically about all the good things Harrington had done to create the proper team vibe.

It really is one of sport’s most thankless jobs. Jim Furyk was standing with U.S. Captain Steve Stricker, fellow assistant captain Davis Love and Harrington when word came over their headsets that the U.S. had clinched victory. Harrington turned to Furyk and Love, who both suffered defeats as the captain of the U.S. side (though Love got a second bite at the apple and experienced victory in 2016), and said, “You know how I feel, don’t you?”

Indeed, they do. Furyk didn’t mince words when discussing how being the losing captain in 2018 in France has scarred him.

“It will always eat at me,” he said. “My favorite question is, Would you have done anything different? I laugh. How stupid would I have to be to go, no, I’d do it the same way. Of course, I’d do things differently.”

Enough time has passed for Furyk to reflect on how the loss affected him.

“For the first I’ll say year, year and a half after France, there wasn’t a week or a day that in my mind I wasn’t thinking this is what I would have done, this is what I would have change, how could I have worked it?” he said.

Furyk packed away all that heavy baggage from Paris into the dark recesses of his memory bank, but they all came flooding back at Whistling Straits.

Harrington is just beginning to deal with the disappointment. For now, he’s showing a brave face. He “made sure to get into the swing of it” and enjoyed the after-party at the Ryder Cup on Sunday night.

“There was a family party where we had dueling pianos, which was a very mature party and very nice, people singing and dancing that finished at midnight,” he said. “Then I came back to the player party, which was definitely young people with more mayhem. You could distinctly see the difference between the two age groups.”

Harrington is not one for second-guessing. Unlike Furyk, he said he wouldn’t do anything differently and he’s quick to downplay the trendy belief that the tide has turned in this biennial battle in favor of Team USA.

“The biggest problem we have in Europe is we’ve really innovated over the last 20 years. The U.S. have just copied us. They do everything we do. Until somebody finds the next unknown, at the moment we don’t know what that is, but it’s hard to get an edge,” he said. “The U.S. team was very strong on home ground, but they had everything. They had everything that Europe has done over the years, they’ve learned from it, and Europe should be proud of the fact that, as I said, we pushed the U.S. team to really work hard and explore every avenue to make themself the best team. No longer can they just throw the balls up in the air and go out and play.”

“Can’t second guess our performance,” he added. “Just U.S. did a great job all the way through and they got their stats right, they got everything like that in terms of their picking, you know. Everything they did was spot on what they learned from us.”

But if the U.S. has copied Europe so well and has such a young nucleus of world-beaters to implement it, doesn’t that mean Europe needs to reinvent itself?

“No,” Harrington said. “It needs to accept that there are ebbs and flows. In the three years since the last Cup, the U.S. has come here (holding his right-hand flat and at eye level) and we were on a peak at that stage and we’ve come down. In two years’ time, all it takes is a little bit from us (raising his hand) and a little bit from the U.S. (lowering his hand) and we’re back on level terms. No panicking in Europe; it shouldn’t change a thing. Just keep doing what we’ve been doing for the last 20 years.”

Harrington is going to keep doing what he’s done and chase that little white ball right on to the PGA Tour Champions.

“I’m interested to see how my game stacks up,” he said.

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U.S. Ryder Cup team member Tony Finau nearly missed playing at Whistling Straits due to illness

Might have been the first time a person was relieved to hear they had Pneumonia.

It turns out the U.S. Ryder Cup captain nearly had to make a call to the bullpen for a reserve play ahead of Team USA’s resounding 19-9 victory over Europe.

Tony Finau, one of Stricker’s six captain’s picks, came down with pneumonia the week before the biennial competition and feared he might have COVID-19. Finau participated in a charity fundraiser hosted by Tiger Woods at Liberty National in New Jersey on the Monday prior to Ryder Cup week and developed a cough.

“I started to kind of feel a little crummy,” said Finau on his podcast, “Let’s Get It.” He previously tested positive for COVID a year ago. “When we start to come down with something these days, what’s the first thing you think about? COVID. It’s like 100 percent. I had it exactly a year ago. So, a lot of these thoughts started to go through my head, like, oh my gosh, I was like, please, not COVID, not now.”

Finau knew that to compete in the Ryder Cup he had to have a negative test three days prior and be tested again on site. This was just five days before he had to get on a plane to go to the Ryder Cup. Finau flew home from Newark to Salt Lake City, a five-hour flight that he described as harrowing.

“I just balled up and threw my hoodie on and I had the chills the whole ride,” said Finau, who complained of a headache and achiness. “I shivered for five straight hours. I had a fever. It was like the longest flight ever.

“I walked off the plane looking like I needed help, like a cane, or someone needed to push me in a wheelchair. It seemed like every bone in my body was aching.”

Finau took a rapid COVID test on Tuesday and the result was negative, but on Wednesday he still felt lousy enough that he couldn’t practice and went to the emergency room to get some antibiotics. Finau was given another COVID test there and received another negative result.

“I was like, Hallelujah,” he said. “I was just waiting to get a positive test. This is going to happen. There’s no way it’s not.”

Ryder Cup 2021
Tony Finau reacts to the fans on the first tee during day one foursome matches for the 43rd Ryder Cup golf competition at Whistling Straits. (Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

A chest X-ray revealed that he had an infection in his left chest and pneumonia.

“This is the crazy part,” Finau said. “When they told me I had pneumonia I was happy.

“The only way I’m not playing in the Ryder Cup is if I had COVID. If I can barely walk, I’m playing,” said Finau, who played in the 2018 Masters after injuring his ankle in the Par-3 Contest. “That’s how I roll.”

Finau rested for a couple of days and only touched his clubs once in the lead up to the 43rd Ryder Cup. On Saturday, he forced himself to go to the golf course and sent a few swing videos to his coach, Boyd Summerhays.

“My whole preparation was just getting my mind wrapped around can I even play?” Finau said.

When he arrived at the Ryder Cup on Monday, he had to take a PCR test and tested negative yet again. He breathed a huge sigh of relief.

“In the back of my mind I’m thinking I have COVID. At some point I’m going to test positive and all my dreams of playing a home Ryder Cup are going to be shattered,” he said.

Finau hit a few balls on Monday evening and lack of preparation didn’t seem to hinder his game. He putted out of his mind in his first match on Friday, teaming with Harris English to win a point over Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter. Overall, Finau had a record of 1-2.

“I knew I could get it together in a few days,” Finau said. “When the juices start to kick in, I was going to be able to step up and play and when my name gets called I’d be ready to go.”

Collin Morikawa told Dustin Johnson during Ryder Cup: ‘Let’s step on their necks’

Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa seemed to bring out the best in each other.

In forming one of the best pairings of the Ryder Cup, Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa seemed to bring out the best in each other. DJ’s length and even-keeled approach was the perfect complement to an eager Morikawa and his precision iron play.

The U.S. team ran roughshod over the European squad at the 43rd Ryder Cup, winning by a margin of 19-9, earning the most points since the event went to its current format.

Johnson led the way for the Americans, as he entered with a career 7-9 Ryder Cup mark but won all five of his matches at Whistling Straits, becoming the first American since Larry Nelson in 1979 to go 5-0-0.

Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele all won three times during the week. Fellow rookie Scottie Scheffler also went unbeaten, winning twice while earning a tie.

In an interview with Golf Digest’s Daniel Rapaport, Morikawa said he and DJ didn’t exchange a ton of dialogue.

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“We didn’t say too much. When we were up, it was just me saying, ‘Let’s step on their necks. Let’s finish off this match.’ Our conversations ended pretty quickly. It wasn’t a ton, probably less than everyone else,” Morikawa said. “One DJ moment came after Paul Casey holed out on Saturday morning on 14. I think our match was now 1 up. And I’m sure a lot of guys would start freaking out and worrying, but he looked at me, shrugged his shoulders and said Good shot. We went to the next hole. Absolutely no conversation about the hole-out.

“That’s who DJ is. He leads with a quiet confidence. His presence was felt all week. When we really did need him to speak up, before the captain’s picks, he spoke his mind and it was awesome to hear that.”

After the team got off to an impressive start on Friday at Whistling Straits, the captains realized they’d formed some special units. In fact, vice captain Jim Furyk told Golfweek the group’s biggest problem was figuring out who to take out of the lineup.

“It was hard to figure out how we were going to sit four guys,” Furyk said. “It was just a super-talented team and we had a bunch of guys playing well. Not one vice captain ever walked in that room and said, you know what, I think we need to rest this guy because he’s struggling.

“Those are champagne problems, right? When you have those problems, it makes for a great team.”

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Jim Furyk on U.S. Ryder Cup team’s ‘champagne problems’: Hard to figure out who to sit.

The biggest problem when the U.S. Ryder Cup team captains convened each day? No weak link.

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The biggest problem when the U.S. Ryder Cup team captains convened in a room each day to discuss the next round of action?

There wasn’t a weak link.

In a decisive victory, the U.S. topped Europe at Whistling Straits, 19-9, that’s the largest margin of victory since all of Europe joined the Ryder Cup in 1979. After two decades of being pummeled by Europe, the U.S. has now won two of the last three matches.

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak chatted with U.S. Ryder Cup vice captain Jim Furyk about the team’s recent victory at Whistling Straits.

“It was hard to figure out how we were going to sit four guys,” Furyk said. “It was just a super-talented team and we had a bunch of guys playing well. Not one vice captain ever walked in that room and said, you know what, I think we need to rest this guy because he’s struggling.

“Those are champagne problems, right? When you have those problems, it makes for a great team.”

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Sergio Garcia on Ryder Cup loss to United States: ‘We just got out played, it’s as simple as that’

Sergio Garcia had a strong showing at Whistling Straits, but his teammates did not.

JACKSON, Miss. — Sergio Garcia didn’t get much sleep Sunday night.

Despite a 3-1-0 showing at Whistling Straits to improve his Ryder Cup record to 25-13-7, the European’s were routed by the Americans, 19-9, a result that hasn’t quite hit home yet for the 10-time member of Team Europe.

The 41-year-old is the lone Ryder Cup player to make the trek from Wisconsin to Country Club of Jackson this week for the Sanderson Farms Championship, where he’ll look to defend his title last season for the first time in his PGA Tour career.

“I mean I feel good. I’m not going to lie, obviously didn’t get much sleep on Sunday night. But Monday and Tuesday it’s been good, I was able to rest a little bit in Austin with the family, got here last night and I feel pretty good at the moment,” said Garcia on Wednesday after a nine-hole practice round. “I mean you obviously think about it a little bit, it’s very fresh, but at the same time I’m obviously 41 now and I played, I’ve been fortunate to play many Ryder Cups and win many and also loss some so, we just got out played, it’s as simple as that, they played better than us and we gave it everything we had. So we can’t really ask ourselves for more.”

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The only players to earn more than two points, Garcia and Jon Rahm were the bright spots for Padraig Harrington’s squad. The Spanish tandem took down Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in Friday Foursomes, Brooks Koepka and Daniel Berger in Saturday Foursomes and Koepka and Jordan Spieth in Saturday Four-Ball. Their lone losses of the week came in singles, with Rahm falling to U.S. rookie Scottie Scheffler and Garcia to Bryson DeChambeau.

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“You don’t get to world No. 1 and do all the things he’s done just by luck or by chance. So it was nice to be a part of it, it was nice to be his partner and kind of combine nicely between the two of us,” said Garcia of his successful pairing with Rahm. “So I had a great time with him, he had a great time with me, we made a good team and hopefully we’ll be able to do it again sometime soon.”

Sometime soon would either be at the PGA Tour’s team event in April, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana, or at the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club near Rome, Italy, when Garcia will be 43.

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Ryder Cup postmortem: How the U.S. built a juggernaut

The U.S. welcomed its Ryder Cup rookies, and they didn’t disappoint in dispatching a more experienced European squad.

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HAVEN, Wisc. – Winning cures everything.

Team USA dominated the 43rd Ryder Cup like never before, winning 19-9. Call it the Whipping at Whistling Straits.

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker, a Wisconsin native, can drink Spotted Cow free for life, or until the cows come home, after this resounding victory in America’s heartland. The only thing Stricker seemingly did wrong all week was admit to being a Chicago Bears fan during his speech at the opening ceremony.

America’s youth won out over Europe’s experience. The six U.S. Ryder Cup rookies combined to go 14-4-3.

“It seems like the younger they are, the better they play,” said U.S. assistant captain Davis Love III.

“They didn’t play like they were rookies,” said Dustin Johnson, the team’s veteran presence at age 37, who won a team-best five matches. “They stepped up to the plate and they all wanted it. And like Xander and all of us have all said all week, the one thing we all have in common is we all hate to lose. And so that’s how we came together, and we all played like it.”

Did they ever. It was the first time in 44 years that the U.S didn’t lose any of the five sessions. On Sunday the Americans obeyed the text message of Tiger Woods, who told them to “step on their necks.”

Ryder Cup 2021
Team USA player Patrick Cantlay reacts on the sixth green during Day 3 singles for the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. (Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports)

Patrick Cantlay took it to heart. “I woke up this morning and I was trying to tell the guys, ‘Let’s get to 20 points,’ because this is going to be the next era of Ryder Cup team for the U.S. side,” he said. “I want to send a message. Everyone has that killer instinct, and we are going to bring that to future Cups.”

The U.S victory was born in arguably the team’s lowest moment, when it was blown out in Scotland in 2014. Phil Mickelson publicly aired the team’s dirty laundry during its media session following the defeat and hung out U.S. captain Tom Watson to dry. But something good came from that day – a new beginning and commitment to change the culture.

“They realized they had to do something different,” Love said. “The PGA said, We’ll spend money on stats guys. We’ll spend money on NetJets to fly you guys in if you want to play practice rounds. … If we go in there and say this week we saw this and we need this for next time, we’re gonna get it. The Phil thing was the boiling-over point. It had been simmering for a while. Phil was the only one with enough nerve to say it. Now, we could have said that in the debriefing but it would not have been as impactful.”

The U.S. won in 2016, but the loss in Paris two years later meant the pressure was on America to hold serve. Otherwise it might’ve been back to the drawing board, given the Euros had won four of five meetings and nine of the last 12.

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Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka smile during the opening ceremony for the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wisconsin. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Talent and depth beat potential dysfunction. The American team’s powerhouse lineup included eight of the top 10 players in the world, the FedEx Cup champion and an Olympic gold medalist. Despite concerns the ongoing beef between Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka would lead to built-in social distancing, the Americans were installed as a 2-to-1 betting favorite and made it sound as if instead of beating each others’ brains out playing pingpong in their team room, they sat around holding hands and singing Kumbaya.

“Even though we are competitors, we can all be friends and have unity,” DeChambeau said.

COVID-19 travel restrictions also meant the U.S. had an unprecedented home-field advantage, turning Whistling Straits into a hostile environment that one BBC Live commentator described as a “Cauldron of hate.” Whistling Straits, with its wide fairways and lack of rough, was a perfect venue for the Team USA bashers who dominated the par 5s.

“It seems the way the Ryder Cup is going, the home team certainly has an advantage every time that we play this thing. That was apparent in Paris a couple years ago. I think it was pretty apparent this week, as well,” said Europe’s Rory McIlroy, who went 1-3-0 at Whistling Straits. “You go back to Hazeltine, same sort of thing. This is the pattern that we are on.”

Europe captain Padraig Harrington hamstrung his team by limiting his captain’s choices to three compared to Stricker’s six. He could’ve played Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood more, and he was done in by getting nothing out of McIlroy and Ian Poulter, the team’s talisman, until it was too late. But Harrington said there’s no need for a longer postmortem or to revamp the team’s qualification system.

“In general it’s been working. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he said. “The core of the European team is strong and we don’t have to change it.”

Indeed, Europe has a strong foundation with World No. 1 Jon Rahm, McIlroy and rookie Viktor Hovland, who should only get better in the years to come.

“The heart of this team will be here for a few more years for sure,” Harrington said. “They haven’t got to their peaks yet, so we should see some strength going forward.”

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Team Europe player Viktor Hovland lines up a putt on the fourth green during Day 2 foursomes for the 43rd Ryder Cup golf competition at Whistling Straits. (Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)

But while the U.S. made a seamless transition to a younger nucleus that is built for the next decade, Europe hoped for heroics one more time from its winning core. But that tank was empty – those players went 5-9 over three days and it could’ve been worse if not for Sergio Garcia, who earned three points alongside Rahm. This was a statement win for Team USA, and not to diminish its achievement, you’re supposed to win at home. The real validation of the Americans’ new formula for success is to win on the road for the first time since 1993 when the 44th Cup is held in Rome at Marco Simone Golf Club in 2023. When asked if that’s the next step, Xander Schauffele, one of America’s impressive rookies, balked at looking ahead.

“I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but we are just going to enjoy now,” he said. “You’re thinking way too far ahead of us, for me, personally, so we’re going to enjoy this one for now and collect ourselves shortly after.”

But Jordan Spieth, a two-time loser overseas in 2014 and 2018, compared the romp to a Presidents Cup and already, to borrow a phrase from New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, was on to Italy.

“I think that this is unfinished business,” he said. “I think it was a massive stepping stone for this team and the group that we have here that have really known each other since almost back to grade school to continue to try to work hard to be on these teams to go over there.

“It’s one thing to win it over here and it is a lot easier to do so, and it is harder to win over there. If we play like we did this week, the score will look the same over there in a couple years, and that’s what we’re here for.”

Them some fightin’ words. The U.S. ushered in a new generation this week; Europe was outplayed and outputted, but it has two years to find replacements for its old guard – players along the lines of Bob McIntyre, Guido Migliozzi, Thomas Pieters and Sam Horsfield will have something to say about that. Rome is officially on the clock and the next Ryder Cup can’t come soon enough.

O Captain! my Captain: Who’s next in line to lead U.S. and European Ryder Cup teams in 2023? It’s never too early to discuss.

It’s never too early to begin speculating on who will assume the top job and lead Team USA and Europe at the 44th Ryder Cup in Rome.

HAVEN, Wisc. – O, Captain! my captain!

Who’s on tap to take the baton and lead the respective 12-man sides in 2023 in Rome at Marco Simone Golf Club?

NBC’s Paul Azinger, who captained the victorious U.S. side in 2008, suggested a return engagement for America’s wining captain after a dominant 19-9 win at Whistling Straits.

 “If the PGA of America is serious about winning Ryder Cups, they might want to consider giving Steve Stricker another shot at this,” he said.

During the winning team’s press conference, Stricker was asked if he would accept the task. His team members already have signed off.

“100 percent,” said Dustin Johnson, who went 5-0 in Wisconsin.

“That’a a yes from us. To be fair, in 2017 it was a very similar position as far as the dominance goes. Strick has a pretty good record,” said Jordan Spieth, referring to Stricker’s turn as U.S. Presidents Cup captain and leading the Americans to a 19-11 victory at Liberty National.

I think Presidents Cup was a record,” Tony Finau said. (It was the most lopsided result since the biennial competition switched to 30 total points).

But Stricker was quick to shoot down the prospect of a second tour of duty. “I don’t think it’s going to happen. It’s mapped out and there’s guys in positions to be the next captains,” he said. “It was an unbelievable experience, don’t get me wrong; I’m glad it’s over.”

Later, when the topic was raised again, he added, “I told my wife at the start of the week, ‘Can you believe Davis Love did two of these things?’ ”

U.S. assistant captain Zach Johnson greets European captain Padraig Harrington on the first tee at Whistling Straits. (Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports)

The leading candidate to lead the U.S. side in 2023 is Zach Johnson, who served as an assistant captain again this year and has been groomed for the role. Phil Mickelson is considered a shoo-in for the 2025 Cup at Bethpage Black. Tiger Woods, who led the Americans to victory at the Presidents Cup in 2019, should have his pick of the litter down the road.

What of the Europeans? Englishman Lee Westwood, who tied Nick Faldo by playing in his 11th Ryder Cup, already has raised his hand for the job of replacing Padraig Harrington.

“I’m assuming I’ll get 3-4 months to think about,” Westwood said Sunday evening. “People keep coming up and saying you’re going to be the captain in Rome. I’d prefer to play. I don’t want to let go yet. But father time is not kind.”

Ian Poulter is presumed to be in line for 2025, and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell could get his home game at Adare Manor in 2027 much like Stricker getting to play host in his native Wisconsin.

“It’s a massive honor and something I want to do,” Westwood said. “Why wouldn’t you?”

Schupak: Bryson DeChambeau finally enjoys the one thing he craves at the 43rd Ryder Cup

Bryson DeChambeau leaned into being on Team USA and enjoyed the lovefest with the fans like never before.

HAVEN, Wis. – Bryson DeChambeau entered the week as a huge question mark. He ended it doused in champagne, a key contributor in Team USA’s resounding 19-9 victory over Europe, and hugging it out with Brooks Koepka. Yes, that really happened.

“It was just the coolest experience I’ve ever had in golf,” he said. “I don’t know how else to say it.”

DeChambeau hadn’t talked to the media in over a month and reportedly had agreed to put his differences with Koepka behind for the good of the team, but would the Mad Scientist have the right chemistry with the rest of his team?

The 43rd Ryder Cup may go down as a turning point in DeChambeau’s career. He leaned into being a member of Team USA and enjoyed the lovefest with the fans like never before.

Credit goes to U.S. team captain Steve Stricker, who defused the running feud between DeChambeau and Koepka, and realized the potential chemistry that could exist between DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler, one of his six captain’s picks.

RYDER CUP: How they fared | Sunday singles | Photos

“We thought he’d be a very good fit with Bryson,” Stricker said. “That was a key component with me to pick him and pair him up with Bryson.”

It was an inspired decision. Together in two Four-Ball matches, they went 1-0-1 and on Friday DeChambeau belted one of the most memorable shots of the matches, a tee shot that covered a lake and traveled 417 yards, leaving him just 72 yards to the 589-par 5. Even Dustin Johnson was impressed.

“I just want to know what it feels like to fly one 400 on No. 5,” he said interrupting the questioning during the winning team’s press conference.

“How did it feel, Scottie, watching your guy sail it at the green on 5?” Tony Finau wondered.

I’m sure there’s some good memes of his direction and my direction, and it’s certainly nice to have on my team than playing against it this week, that’s for sure,” Scheffler said.

When the original question that Johnson interrupted was asked specifically to DeChambeau, he said, “Why did you single me out? We have plenty of rookies.”

Because you haven’t been in media in a long time,” Jordan Spieth cracked.

DeChambeau laughed at himself and gave Spieth a hi-five. There may have been no better example that DeChambeau was accepted as one of the guys than being needled by Spieth.

Ryder Cup 2021
Ryder Cup spectators cheer on Team USA’s Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau on the 15th green during Day 2 Four-balls for the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. Photo by Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

Then DeChambeau turned serious.

“This is possibly way better than any tournament I’ve won in my entire life, the group of people, the collective game of golf, it’s so much bigger than just a singular tournament,” he said. “It’s about people coming together and doing something special for the game of golf. And I couldn’t be more proud of Captain Strick and everybody putting their hearts out and making it the coolest experience I’ve ever had in my golf career.”

That included an impressive 3-and-2 victory over Spain’s Sergio Garcia, who last lost a singles match against Anthony Kim in 2008.

“I did love beating him. It was amazing,” DeChambeau said. “That statement on No. 1 was pretty special.”

Indeed, it was. DeChambeau stepped to the first tee and whipped the crowd into a frenzy with his moon-shot 354-yard drive that landed on the green and then drained the 41-foot eagle putt.

“That was a great start that pumped me up for the rest of the round,” he said. “This golf course does suit me pretty well, but I was fortunate to hit a couple great wedge shots and a couple good bombs out there.”

After the last several months of being heckled with calls of “Brooksie,” that bordered on bullying, he was beloved. He was simply one of the 12 for Team USA and the partisan crowd adored him. In fact, given his 2-0-1 record compared to Koepka’s 2-2 mark, they loved DeChambeau even more.

“I fed off every single shot. They were electric,” he said. “It’s an atmosphere you don’t get very often but one that you can feed off when you do.”

DeChambeau, ever the entertainer, played to the crowd. At the drivable par-4 sixth hole, he switched from driver to a fairway wood. This didn’t sit well with the fans who came to see the strong man swing for the fences. He turned to them and said, “Don’t worry, guys. I’m still going for the green, calm down!” Laughter ensued.

And then there was Koepka. They staged an awkward conversation on the practice tee that was posted on social media as if to say they were now bosoms buddies. While we’ll never know if they did a trust fall together in the team room as Stricker and his merry band of 12 isn’t about to share much about what happens behind closed doors, The Captain did disclose that Koepka and DeChambeau wanted to play with each other.

“That’s how close this team is,” Stricker said, noting that he considered their differences to be media drive. “That to me was big. I didn’t plan on putting them together even after they said that. We talked about it a lot, myself and the assistant captains.”

So why did he ultimately decide against giving the people what they wanted? “I didn’t want that story to be bigger than the real story, and that’s 12 guys,” he said.

But it’s been the story that refuses to die, so, leave it to Justin Thomas to (hopefully) put an end to this played-out sideshow. Thomas called for them to hug it out at the end of Team USA’s winner’s press conference as his teammates sang, ‘Why can’t we be friends?’

They patted each other on the back. DeChambeau smile was as big as the lake he cleared on the fifth hole Friday. Is the feud officially dead? Only time will tell, but for one week DeChambeau had the one thing he craves and can’t control: he just wants to be loved – by fans, by media and most of all by his fellow competitors.

It wasn’t hard to see why the winner of eight tournaments including the U.S. Open would say this was the best week of his professional life.

It most certainly was.

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Ryder Cup: How each United States, European golfer fared at Whistling Straits

The final tally at Whistling Straits was 19-9, the largest margin of victory since 1979.

The U.S. team demolished the European squad at the 43rd Ryder Cup, winning by a margin of 19-9, earning the most points since the event went to its current format.

Dustin Johnson led the way for the Americans. He arrived at Whistling Straits with a career 7-9 Ryder Cup mark but won all five of his matches this week, becoming the first American since Larry Nelson in 1979 to go 5-0-0.

Three American Ryder Cup rookies—Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele all won three times during the week. Fellow rookie Scottie Scheffler also went unbeaten, winning twice while earning a tie.

Ryder Cup: Scores | Sunday singles breakdowns

Sunday singles results

U.S.

Golfer Record at Whistling Straits Record all-time
Dustin Johnson 5-0-0 12-9-0
Collin Morikawa 3-0-1 3-0-1
Patrick Cantlay 3-0-1 3-0-1
Xander Schauffele 3-1-0 3-1-0
Scottie Scheffler 2-0-1 2-0-1
Bryson DeChambeau 2-0-1 2-3-1
Justin Thomas 2-1-1 6-2-1
Daniel Berger 2-1-0 2-1-0
Brooks Koepka 2-2-0 6-5-1
Harris English 1-1-1 1-1-1
Jordan Spieth 1-2-1 8-7-1
Tony Finau 1-2-0 3-3-0

Europe

Golfer Record at Whistling Straits Record all-time
Jon Rahm 3-1-1 4-3-1
Sergio Garcia 3-1-0 25-13-8
Ian Poulter 1-2-0 15-8-2
Shane Lowry 1-2-0 1-2-0
Lee Westwood 1-2-0 21-20-6
Tyrrell Hatton 1-2-1 2-4-1
Rory McIlroy 1-3-0 12-12-4
Tommy Fleetwood 0-1-2 4-1-2
Bernd Wiesberger 0-3-0 0-3-0
Matthew Fitzpatrick 0-3-0 0-5-0
Paul Casey 0-4-0 4-7-5
Viktor Hovland 0-4-1 0-4-1

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