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The preparation approaches of the United States and European Ryder Cup teams differed greatly for last week’s event at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

In the lead-up to the Ryder Cup, nine out of twelve players on the U.S. team took a five-week break, with only Justin Thomas, Max Homa, and Brooks Koepka playing in one of the two weeks prior to the event in Rome.

In contrast, all twelve European players participated in the Wentworth tournament two weeks before the Ryder Cup.

Billy Horschel, who is currently playing in the Alfred Dunhill Links on the DP World Tour, expressed concerns about the U.S. team’s strategy in an interview with Bunkered.

“My main worry going into this Ryder Cup – unrelated to the team picks – was that taking a five-week break and then immediately playing competitively would make them a bit rusty,”

“Some players often take a few weeks off before a major and struggle to find their rhythm. They prefer to play the week before a major to get into the competitive mode. It allows them to see if their hard work at home translates into competition. That was my concern, and it was evident to some extent.

“I believe the team improved as the competition progressed because they faced more high-pressure, nerve-wracking shots. I thought some of those players would have played in another event before the Ryder Cup, but at the same time, they had a consistently high level of performance throughout the year, so I can’t blame them for taking some time off to recover.

“However, I felt that for the team to perform well and have the best chance of winning, each player should have played at least once before going to the Ryder Cup. This is just my opinion, and I’m not criticizing anyone for the decisions they made.”

Horschel’s comments are difficult to dispute, especially considering the U.S. team’s initial struggle on the first day of the Ryder Cup, losing all four matches during the morning foursomes and appearing quite rusty. The score was tied at 10-10 on Saturday after the opening day once the Americans settled in.

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