On the eve of the 44th Ryder Cup, another trophy was handed out on the grounds that the golf world will focus on the next three days.
Team Europe ran away with the Junior Ryder Cup title, ending a streak of six straight losses to the Americans, winning 20½-9½ at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome, Italy. The Europeans dominated singles, winning seven of the 12 singles matches and tying three others to claim 8.5 points on the final day.
Europe took a commanding 12-6 lead after winning all six fourball matches on Wednesday. The teams were tied at 6 after the first day of competition.
A 2014 Ryder Cup player, Stephen Gallacher, led the European squad while PGA past president Paul Levy captained the U.S.
Nicholas Gross and Billy Davis were the lone Americans to win their singles matches on Thursday. Anna Davis, Billy’s twin sister, halved her match, as did Leigh Chien and Kylie Chong.
The first two rounds were held at Golf Nazionale in Rome before moving to Marco Simone for the final round. This was the first year the singles matches were held on a third day and at the site of the current Ryder Cup.
The U.S. now owns a 7-4-1 all-time record in the biennial competition. The team features six boys and six girls who are U.S. citizens and members of the high school graduating class of 2024 or younger.