Dustin Johnson and the Americans strike fast for Ryder Cup advantage

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/09/2021 (1807 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SHEBOYGAN, WIS.—At one point Friday, Dustin Johnson looked out at the boats on Lake Michigan and took an extra second to stare. Perhaps he wanted to be out there, hanging on the water. But he had a job to do, and he was doing it well.

Johnson took two different partners — Ryder Cup rookies, both — to victory in the morning and afternoon matches here at Whistling Straits. He made things look easy on a day that, weather-wise, was anything but.

But that’s classic Johnson, isn’t it? He’s often emotionless, but when the form of all the day’s players was considered he was the best of the bunch.

Winning two Ryder Cup matches in the same day was a first for him, and he was the linchpin that helped bring Team U.S.A. a 6-2 lead after eight matches in Wisconsin.

“Dustin has been one of the best players in the world for a long time and to have someone like that, to have my first match in the Ryder Cup, I trust him a lot and it felt very comfortable,” said Collin Morikawa after he and Johnson’s 3-and-2 defeat of Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland in the morning foursomes (alternate shot).

“It’s always a nice thing being on (Johnson’s) team when he’s free-rolling. I’ve seen it before playing against him, and it’s not as fun. Nice to be on his side when it’s happening,” said Xander Schauffele, who teamed with Johnson to beat Paul Casey and Bernd Wiesberger 2-and-1 in the afternoon.

Schauffele was 2-0 on Friday as well, also with different partners. PGA Tour player of the year Patrick Cantlay was 1-0-1 on opening day, while Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger and Morikawa were all 1-0.

One thing Johnson — who finished tied for fifth and tied for seventh at the 2010 and 2015 PGA Championships contested at Whistling Straits — should be credited for is the way he played in the wind. It whipped off Lake Michigan through the afternoon and even affected putts.

Like many of his rounds, Johnson was unflappable. But he said being paired with someone steady helps him play more relaxed. Morikawa and Schauffele are two of the steadiest. It didn’t hurt that they are the No. 3- and No. 5-ranked golfers in the world.

For only the second time in 40 years, the United States won both sessions in a day at the Ryder Cup. It’s the largest first-day lead by the American side since 1975, before continental Europe joined the competition.

But even though the U.S. led 3-1 after the morning session, some hearkened back to 2018 — when the Americans led by the same score but got thumped 4-0 in the afternoon by the Europeans, who then never looked back.

It was not the case this year, however.

“Whoever plays better is going to win,” Johnson said. “I mean, it’s not rocket science.”

On Friday, that was the U.S. by a wide margin.

• The capper: Rory McIlroy should have ditched the lid.

Much was made of hatless McIlroy leading into the Ryder Cup this year (“It’s sort of become my thing in the Ryder Cup to not wear a hat, but I don’t know, we’ll see,” he said pre-event). After an 0-2 start with headwear at Whistling Straits, he’ll be looking for any kind of change to spark something on Saturday.

McIlroy, who has won just two points in his last eight Ryder Cup matches, was part of a morning drubbing by Cantlay and Schauffele (he and Ian Poulter lost 5 and 3) and an afternoon defeat at the hands of Tony Finau and Harris English (4 and 3 alongside Shane Lowry).

In both matches, he admitted he got outplayed.

“I don’t know if anyone could have beat Xander and Patrick today,” he said in the morning. He and Poulter were down five after five holes.

“I haven’t seen Tony putt as good as that in a long time,” McIlroy said of the afternoon. “If you’re not quite on top of your game, it’s tough.”

But McIlroy, ever the MVP in the press room if not on the course, said something noteworthy just before the matches came to an end.

“If it’s 6-2,” he said, “we can come back.”

• The crowd: On the par-4 11th, the words yelled at Tommy Fleetwood were a microcosm of the crowd’s vibe on the opening day.

At first they were complimentary: “Best hair on tour,” screamed a male fan. But as soon as Fleetwood’s putt left the clubface, another screamed, “Miss it!” and the whole crowd whooped into a frenzy when he did.

There were worse too: “Europe sucks!” “I just hate Europe.” “Freedom!”

Really, folks?

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Thursdays

Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.

Sign up for Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Sign Up

I consent to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies.

I consent to CASL agreement.

Fans are part of the charm of the Ryder Cup, certainly. European Keepers of the Cup in full yellow-and-blue ensembles flew in from London. A handful dressed like former U.S. presidents. Too many American-flag onesies to count. And yes, the Americans gave the near 50,000-strong plenty to cheer about.

“The world needs a bit of a party and we’re happy to be the ones throwing it,” said Seth Waugh, PGA of America CEO.

But even those who attend the best of parties — with the $12 (U.S.) Michelob Ultra bottles more likely to be empty than full, with many in the crowd arriving well before sunrise to get the first tee — tend to show a little respect to the guests.

Many of those here today did not.

Adam Stanley is an Ottawa-based contributor to the Star’s Sports section and the host of golf podcast Next Round’s On Me. Follow him on Twitter: @adam_stanley