This article is part of our Weekly PGA Recap series.
There's simply not enough time to recap all the surreal moments in the most bonkers Ryder Cup ever, one that saw Europe regain the Cup with a 16 ½ - 11 ½ whipping of the United States at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome.
Even before the 44th Ryder Cup commenced, Brooks Koepka seemingly took a shot at both sides -- as in, every golfer but him -- saying how "very few" of them would actually want to play in a match with the Cup on the line. Not to be outdone, Wyndham Clark proverbially said "hold my beer" and stepped right into the fray in his debut Cup by sorta/kinda saying he was better than Rory McIlroy.
And the matches hadn't even started yet.
Europe came out on fire in the Friday morning foursomes, winning all four matches as every move that captain Luke Donald made was gold. Conversely, U.S. captain Zach Johnson was criticized from the get-go, sending out rookie Sam Burns in the very first match while keeping Koepka, and the veteran tandem of Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth on the bench till afternoon.
Koepka returned to the spotlight again after Friday's matches when he cryptically said Jon Rahm acted "like a child," though no one, including Rahm, quite knew what that referred to.
The next morning, Koepka and partner Scottie Scheffler endured the worst beatdown in Ryder Cup history, 9&7, to Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg. Can you spell "karma?"
Late Saturday came more bizarre developments, with a report from Sky Sports in Britain saying the U.S. team room was fractured and Patrick Cantlay was the ringleader in trying to get the players paid. After winning a highly contentious battle, 1-up, over McIlroy and Fitzpatrick, he denied the report. But moments before, his caddie, Joe LaCava, got into it with McIlroy on the 18th green as the European team leader was lining up a potential putt.
That led to McIlroy later going ballistic near the clubhouse and trying to confront (or worse) LaCava.
And then the final bizarro-ness came late on Sunday, after a spirited and great day of 12 singles matches, when Rickie Fowler conceded the Cup-winning putt to Tommy Fleetwood. It was only 2 feet, 8 inches, but the golf world was universally stunned that Fowler didn't give Fleetwood the chance to choke, no matter how slim the odds of that happening were.
It probably didn't matter in the end, with the five-point difference.
As is to be expected when you lose, Johnson was roasted for his captain's picks and overall captaincy. Donald is being hailed a hero, and already was asked by a reporter about returning when the 45th Ryder Cup is played at Bethpage Black in New York. He sidestepped the question.
That's for another day. For today, here's a look at how all 24 players performed at the wildest Ryder Cup ever played.
TEAM EUROPE
Rory McIlroy (4 points)
The Ryder Cup legend of McIlroy grew exponentially, winning four points in five matches to give him 18 career points. His Saturday evening tirade directed at LaCava likely galvanized the Euros heading into Sunday singles. McIlroy is an alpha as they come in Ryder Cup. If only he could harness some of that in majors.
Viktor Hovland (3.5)
Hovland has been the best player in the world in recent months, and nothing that happened in Italy changed that. He was a killer, playing all five sessions, partnering twice for wins with the rookie Aberg, including the 9&7 beatdown of Scheffler-Koepka, then pounding Collin Morikawa in singles. The question for 2024 isn't, "Will Hovland win a major," but, "How many?"
Tyrrell Hatton (3.5)
The European Big 3 got most of the credit, but Hatton was a beast in winning three of his four matches, including Sunday singles over Brian Harman, and was one of only three players who didn't lose a match (Rahm, Robert MacIntyre). Hatton's vocal fire was a huge asset, but it's fair to wonder whether his temper would be a detriment in a road Ryder Cup.
Jon Rahm (3)
Rahm's incredible recovery on 18 to steal a half-point against Scheffler in the opening singles match created an incredible emotional turnaround. And his takedown of Cantlay-Xander Schauffele with Hatton to complete the Friday morning shutout was another turning point. Rahm and Hovland gained more than 10 strokes tee-to-green across the three days.
Tommy Fleetwood (3)
Fleetwood was outstanding, ranking fourth among all golfers in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and first in Around-the-Green, per the Data Golf website. He teamed with McIlroy to beat both Cantlay-Schauffele and Thomas-Spieth.
Robert MacIntyre (2.5)
The weakest player on either team won more points than all but six other guys. Candidly, he was fortunate to be paired with Justin Rose to pick up a win and a tie in four-balls, then faced a woeful Clark in a sort of meaningless final singles match on Sunday. MacIntyre was one of only three players who didn't lose a match (Rahm, Hatton).
Ludvig Aberg (2)
Aberg had the good fortune to be paired with Hovland and they won two foursomes matches, including the 9&7 demolition of Scheffler-Koepka on Saturday morning. The 23-year-old Swede didn't play particularly well. But, barely three months out of college, the experience he gained, preparing him for future Ryder Cups, was invaluable.
Justin Rose (1.5)
This was the 43-year-old Rose's sixth and likely final Ryder Cup appearance as a player. He'll surely be a captain one day, maybe soon. He teamed twice with MacIntyre in four-balls and came away with a win and a tie. Rose was first among all golfers in SG: Putting, per Data Golf.
Shane Lowry (1.5)
Lowry was one of the weaker European links coming in, but he was part of the Friday morning shutout alongside Sepp Straka in singles over Morikawa-Fowler. His other half-point came in singles vs. Spieth. At 36, this was the burly Irishman's second and probably final Ryder Cup appearance.
Matt Fitzpatrick (1)
Fitzpatrick had not won a point in two previous Cups, so his 5&3 four-ball blitzing with McIlroy of Morikawa-Schauffele on Friday afternoon lifted a huge weight. He had a chance to sink the Cup-winning putt and gain at least a tie with Max Homa in Sunday singles. It didn't go in, but he ranked fourth on the week in SG: Putting, per Data Golf.
Sepp Straka (1)
Straka went out Friday morning with Lowry as part of the 4-0 sweep, beating Fowler-Morikawa. That was his only point. He lost in singles to Thomas. The Austrian is 30, so there is no guarantee of a return trip to the Ryder Cup.
Nicolai Hojgaard (0.5)
The 22-year-old Dane was the lowest point scorer on Europe, but they didn't need much from him. What they needed for him – experience – they got. Many of the veterans will be back in 2025, but now Hojgaard and Aberg, who could be Ryder Cup staples for a decade, got to dip their Ryder Cup toes in a home game.
U.S. Team
Max Homa (3.5 points)
This week my prove to be a turning point in Homa's career. He was the best American player, the only one to play all five matches. He won his singles match against Fitzpatrick with a nerve-wracking five-foot putt on 18 to stave off the U.S. elimination. Homa has often spoken of confidence issues, which have left him with a terrible majors record. If this doesn't boost his confidence, nothing will.
Patrick Cantlay (2)
The famed pairing of Cantlay-Schauffele flamed out, but Cantlay stood tall amid all the controversy. He carriedClark to victory over McIlroy-Fitzpatrick in four-ball for a vital point to close Saturday, then beat Rose in singles. He showed he can star in this setting. Like McIlroy and Homa, why can't he do it in majors?
Brian Harman (2)
The diminutive Harman proved to be a big fish in a small pond, tying for the second most points on a bad U.S. team. He won twice paired with Homa, and the SG data shows Homa did most of the heavy lifting. This was the 36-year-old's first Ryder Cup appearance and likely his last.
Justin Thomas (1.5)
Thomas was not at the same level as in past Ryder Cups. He did tie for fourth on the American team in points, but that's more of a knock on the team than praise of the golfer. Thomas did carry Spieth in all three of their matches, but it resulted only in a half-point in Friday four-balls. He balled out to defeat Straka in singles. Thomas lost 6.40 strokes total, per Data Golf, but that's somewhat misleading, as 5.72 came on the greens. The controversial captain's pick was not why the U.S. lost.
Brooks Koepka (1.5)
As usual, Koepka played better in the singles, though he did not face much in the overmatched Aberg. He just doesn't seem to be interested in the team portion of team competitions. Koepka and Scheffler will always be remembered for the 9&7 beatdown in Saturday foursomes by Hovland and Aberg.
Wyndham Clark (1.5)
Clark got a point thanks to being paired in four-ball with Cantlay and a half-point thanks to being paired in four-ball with Homa. He probably was the worst player during the Ryder Cup. It didn't help that he started the week by kinda/sorta saying he was better than McIlroy.
Scottie Scheffler (1)
Scheffler has now played two Ryder Cups and a Presidents Cup and has been, to be kind, underwhelming. He's supposed to be the best player on the American team. Scheffler and Koepka got boat-raced by Hovland and Aberg in Saturday foursomes, but at least Scheffler was visibly upset afterward, in tears. He had Rahm in the critical leadoff singles match – until Rahm caught him on 18. He ranked 22nd among the 24th golfers in SG: Putting. So his putting woes remain. Brutal.
Xander Schauffele (1)
Schauffele was all but invisible all week. His only point came in singles vs. Hojgaard, maybe the easiest Euro to beat. The vaunted pairing with Cantlay wound up 0-2 with a pair of foursomes losses.
Collin Morikawa (1)
Morikawa got crushed with different partners on Friday morning and afternoon, and then was easily handled by Hovland in singles. He lost strokes tee-to-green on the week, which tells you all you need to know about his play.
Jordan Spieth (1)
Spieth actually played great in battling to a tie with Lowry on Sunday. But otherwise he was terrible, and Thomas carried him to a half-point in one of their three pairings, against the formidable duo of Hovland-Hatton.
Sam Burns (1)
Burns went out in the first match of the Ryder Cup, with good buddy Scheffler, and they got drilled by Rahm-Hatton. Burns' one point came with Morikawa late Saturday, when they actually rolled over a tired Hovland-Aberg team in four-balls. But Burns did little to mollify Johnson's critics for picking him to the team.
Rickie Fowler (0)
Fowler was the only player to play just two appears and the only one without a point. There was a big going through the U.S. team, and Fowler reportedly was the sickest of anyone. So after going out on Friday morning, he didn't play till Sunday. When he conceded what turned out to be the Cup-winning putt to Fleetwood, it stunned the golf world.
South Korea
Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im teamed up to win gold for South Korea at the Asian Games, and that will allow them to continue their golf careers instead of serving 21-month terms in the South Korean army. An absolutely incredible turn of events for these two golfers.
