Sunday morning at the Ryder Cup. Unlike the first two days, my alarm wasn't needed until 9 a.m, a welcome respite from my 5:30 a.m. wake-up calls Friday and Saturday. Once again, the first stop is the media center to get set up and then to the first tee. I make my way to the spot I found on Friday morning, just below the tee box, to the left as you face the tee box, only this time, my spot is filled with people – many people. In fact, the entire area is full of spectators, not a spot in sight.
While the scene at the first tee was fairly similar Days 1 and 2, Sunday, it was something else entirely. Areas surrounding the tee that were sparsely filled the first two days, were jam packed Sunday morning. Sunday was not a day for spectators to arrive late as every hole, from the first to the 18th, were lined from tee to green, just hours after the gates opened.
The obvious story overnight was the first match of the morning, pitting each team's A-player of the moment, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed. This match would undoubtedly set the tone for the day. While Darren Clarke was forced to send out his big guns early, Davis Love III was in the position for a little more strategy, and by day's end that strategy would pay off big time.
Early, Clarke's strategy was working. Although he dropped the McIlroy match, stalwart Henrik Stenson and rookie sensation Thomas Pieters did their jobs and took matches one and two. While a bit of momentum was gained in that instance, it was short-lived as anyone within view of the scoreboard could see that the Americans on the back end were taking care of business against Clarke's leftovers.
Love's strategy was paying off. He held back some of his vets in an effort to cull any momentum that the Euro's might gain from a hot start. As the afternoon matches progressed, you could feel every American player's confidence grow. Where once there was an uneasiness about the prospect of blowing a huge lead, now was an unshakable confidence and a sense of doom set-in with the remaining Euro's that were on the course.
In the end, the American's showed grit that hadn't been seen in quite a while from this squad, and that was the difference. The cup is theirs once again and the pressure is off … for now.
The scene two years from now in Paris is going to be insane. The seeds that were planted in Minnesota will rise in the not too distant future. Patrick Reed will become one of the biggest antagonists in Ryder Cup history and Rory McIlroy will be on his turf. If it's anything like what we saw over the last three days, it will again be epic.
