U.S. team rolls to Ryder Cup victory, saying it signals a new era for American golf

HAVEN, WIS. – Once a program suspected of so much disunity, a new U.S. Ryder Cup team came together Sunday at Whistling Straits to complete a 19-9 victory over Europe that set records in the modern era for most points won and largest margin of victory.

Afterward, long hitter Bryson DeChambeau called the week in Wisconsin "a start to new generation." Homegrown team captain Steve Stricker deemed it a "new era" for American golf with a team young, talented and already so accomplished.

"I felt like we came together and did something amazing," DeChambeau said. "I think we are going to be doing some incredible things moving forward."

To prove the point, Justin Thomas brought DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka together at the end of a celebratory news conference to embrace the Ryder Cup itself and each other.

"To prove how much of a team we are, they are going to hug," Thomas said, singing, "Why Can't We Be Friends?"

The Americans took Saturday night's 11-5 lead into Sunday singles play and won seven, halved two and lost three matches on another sunny, breezy afternoon beside Lake Michigan that ended with showers — of champagne.

They did so with two opening statements that repelled a European team hoping for a miracle bigger than the one they produced at Medinah nine years ago.

Young Scottie Scheffler took out Europe's best and No. 1 world-ranked Jon Rahm in the day's third match by winning five of the first six holes, including the first four, en route to a convincing 4-and-3 victory. Until then, Rahm had been unbeaten.

"It's not like I was playing bad golf," Rahm said. "It wasn't my best, but it wasn't my worst, either."

DeChambeau provided punctuation by driving the 368-yard, par-4 first hole, where he made eagle against Sergio Garcia, two days after he made a mockery of the par-5 fifth hole with a 417-yard drive.

Before it was over, DeChambeau had beaten Garcia 3 and 2 and the Americans' old man, Dustin Johnson, had gone 5-0 after beating Paul Casey 1 up. The U.S. team reclaimed a cup it had lost resoundingly three years ago in Paris.

Johnson became just the fifth player to play all five matches undefeated, joining a list that includes Arnold Palmer and Gardner Dickinson in 1967, Larry Nelson in 1979 and Francesco Molinari in 2018.

"I knew it was going to be a fun week because Ryder Cup weeks always are," Johnson said. "I did not expect to go 5-0, for sure. I did not expect to play five matches. But I got a good start and I had good partners."

He played three with Collin Morikawa — "We got a bromance, it's OK," Johnson said — and one with Xander Schauffele.

Morikawa is a two-time major winner who's just 24 and Schauffele is an Olympic gold medalist and persistent major contender who's just 27.

Eight of the 12-man U.S. team is under 30. Johnson at 37 is the oldest by five years. Together, they provided power, touch and youth against an opponent whose only winners Sunday were inconsistent Rory McIlroy and 40-somethings Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood.

"I'm happy for Steve Stricker," Europe captain Padraig Harrington said. "He's one of the good guys in golf. He obviously got his plan right. Whatever their prep was, they did a good job. They started well and kept the momentum going."

Stricker said he knew what he knew what his team could do after they traveled to Whistling Straits for practice rounds two weeks ago.

What they delivered, though, left him uttering just one word late Sunday afternoon.

"Speechless, everything about it," he said. "These guys all came together two weeks ago and they had a mission. It's a new era for U.S. golf: A lot of passion, a lot of energy, a lot of game. They're just so good. Brooks and Bryson wanted to play together. That shows you how much they came together."