Since 1995:
Europe – 11 Ryder Cup wins
America – 4 Ryder Cup wins
No, I didn’t think it was that stark either.
I mean, we know that Europe have been strong in the Ryder Cup in recent times; that, more often than not, come those famous fall Sundays, it’s the European flag that’s been getting soaked with champagne as opposed to the star-spangled banner.
But to think that in the past thirty years, Europe has won eleven of the last fifteen matches? Four of which have been on foreign soil? By any metric, that’s an incredible record. Were it to be condensed into a single word? ‘Dominance’ is the one that should come to mind.
Yet, for whatever reason, that doesn’t feel quite right, does it? To think of Europe as now being the dominant side in this age-old matchup? After those dark, early years of being nigh on bullied by the Americans? To a European mind, that just doesn’t seem to compute.
And I’ve been trying to think: Why is that?
Why is it so difficult to comprehend that we are now the ones to beat whenever the Ryder Cup rolls around?
Is it because, on paper, the American lineup always gives the impression of being superior to ours? That they have more serial winners? Be that tour wins or Major successes? More players higher up in the rankings, perhaps?
Maybe. We’re certainly reminded of that fact in the drawn-out buildup to the match, anyway.
Is it because the memorable editions of the match – the likes of 2012 or 2025 – distort our memories into thinking that every single one is a nail-bitingly close blockbuster, as opposed to the more common trouncings we’ve seen play out in the past few years? Again, I don’t know.
Either way, I don’t even think that really matters. The ‘why’. Or the ‘how’. Instead, the only thing we need to preoccupy ourselves with is the fact that we are here. We are the dominant force. We are the ones to beat. It is, to put simply, a dynasty. And, yes, you can point to the superior team dynamics that come more easy to the European sensibility as being a significant strength; so, too, the fact that the ascendency to the captaincy is treated with the overarching cohesiveness of an apprenticeship to ensure each new captain is as best-placed as possible when they assume that hottest of seats.
But nothing lasts forever. Or, at least, that should be the mantra. Because dynasties fall. They do. And nothing sees the walls crumble faster than complacency. And in the case of the Ryder Cup, where that most insidious of qualities tends to rear its head is in the case of team selection – namely, in the case of the captain’s picks. Yes, you need experience in the Ryder Cup. When the heat comes on, and the leaderboard is awash with red? Those experienced heads who’ve been there and done it can be invaluable in steadying the ship. So, I can see the logic in using some of those picks on veterans. I can.
But the Ryder Cup is nothing if not nostalgic – overly so, at times. If you’ve shown yourself capable of performing in the crucible that is the Ryder Cup, that buys you a lot of credit. Even if you don’t happen to be playing particularly well in the lead-up to a match, valuable points hard won in past battles can often be enough to see you land one of those highly sought-after half-dozen nods to return to the front.
And whilst I understand the appeal of the security blanket that must be turning to those grizzled vets to beef up your ranks – especially so, when the rotation brings us back Stateside – in my opinion, I always like to see more rookies getting those nods than I do guys you’re hoping will be able to find that magic touch for those intense three days. And, yes, I understand that it’s more of a risk to turn to rookies. To be cast straight into the hostile surroundings of a Ryder Cup? It’s enough to see any professional break.
But as true as that is, it can also be the making of these young guys. To know that you’ve walked into that fire and come out the other side? That’s as good as any tour win in terms of establishing a rock-solid foundation of confidence.
Moreover, though, you need rookies. You need to have that pipeline in place where you’re always looking to see who has the potential to step up and assume that mantle. Because everyone’s a rookie until you’re the next stalwart, but you’ll never know if you don’t give them that shot – to blood them, so to say, in that most fraught of arenas.
So, as we sit here now, though the idea of 2026 is probably still so fresh that contemplating 2027 feels ridiculous in the extreme, that doesn’t change the fact that we are now one step closer to Adare. And whilst there’s a lot of golf to be played between now and the time the Ryder Cup arrives in Limerick, over the course of the coming weeks I’m going to be taking a look at a few potential rookies-in-waiting who, right now, could be worth keeping an eye on as they seek to establish themselves as the next Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, or Robert MacIntyre to don the blue and yellow.
And first on the tee is …
MARCO PENGE
Naturally, with his trio of wins last season helping him bag a lucrative second-place finish in the ‘Race to Dubai’, it’s no surprise to see Marco already being thrust into the Ryder Cup conversation for 2027.
And whilst it would be easy to simply equate the fact that winning three times means that the 27-year-old is obviously talented enough to be in the team, I don’t think that, in itself, is enough. Yes, were those wins counting towards Ryder Cup ranking points, they would surely be enough to see the young Englishman qualify for the team outright – or get damn close, at any rate. But as they weren’t, that means we have to look at them on an individual basis. Because, for me, not all wins are created equally. To borrow from the parlance of video games, some offer more in the way of XP than others – which is to say, the conditions of the tournament itself and how you get across the line are just as important in the overall value of the win. And when we look at Marco’s wins last season, specifically those at the Danish Open and the Open de España, we see a lot of admirable qualities.
For that win in Denmark? Penge was in the last pairing out with Rasmus Højgaard. As in, the hometown favourite, Rasmus Højgaard. In his national championship. So, I think it’s pretty safe to say that the crowd knew who they wanted to win that day – and it certainly wasn’t Marco. But, credit to him, in an atmosphere where he couldn’t feed off the crowd, and where a last-ditch eagle from Rasmus on the 18th left him facing a six-footer for birdie to win in regulation, Penge stepped up and took his opportunity.
And whilst needing to sink a similarly high-pressure putt in Spain to oust fellow Englishman, Dan Brown, in a playoff, what impressed me the most about Marco’s performance on that final day was that he didn’t have his ‘A’ game. The driver wasn’t cooperating. Birdies were proving difficult to come by. And his lead had been cut by his own hand. In short, he was scrambling.
Yet, despite all of that, Penge found a way to get across the finish line and grab his third win of the season.
So, when we look at those wins through the lens of what they could mean in the context of a Ryder Cup, what I feel they show is that Marco possesses an undeniable level of mental fortitude. Because talent is fine. Talent is important. But without that strength of mind to back it up, that same talent will only get you so far. Therefore, to see Penge go into that final day at the Danish Open and ignore all of the external noise that comes with trying to beat a crowd favourite? That shows mental strength. To see him stay patient during that final round of the Open de España and figure out a way to get the win? Yeah, you guessed it – mental strength.
Staring headlong into 2026, however, with all number of possibilities laid out ahead of him courtesy of the PGA Tour card he earned with his efforts last season, that same mental fortitude is going to be challenged differently this year for Marco. Because juggling that dual membership is no mean feat. Planning out your schedule is a challenge. The toll that the increased travelling takes. Even the culture shock of simply playing on the PGA Tour is something to contend with. It’s hard. But that’s what it’s all about. All that practice. All that sacrifice. It’s to get to this level. It’s to get to the point where the problems are different, perhaps even more challenging, but the payoff and the rewards are greater.
Therefore, how Marco handles that transition over the coming months will be incredibly telling. And whilst making the Ryder Cup team is probably not at the forefront of his mind right now, should Marco find it within himself to navigate this season and find his footing at this new level – something which he has the game for – then he has every chance to find himself teeing it up at Adare in 2027.
And maybe it’s just me, but if a guy can hole a putt on the final hole of the final tournament of the season to keep his card, as Marco did back in 2024 at the Genesis Championship? Then I trust that guy to go out and perform in the Ryder Cup.
He just needs to have that same belief in himself between now and then to actually get there.
