Former Masters champion – and 2016 European team veteran – Danny Willett thinks the pandemic had a marked effect the on record loss to the US at Whistling Straits.
The Yorkshireman had an unhappy Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine – “sh-t” was his description in the post-match press conference in Minnesota, and when asked to expand he added “really sh-t”.
‘It’s just the way it is’
“I was waiting for someone to repeat my assessment of the 2016 match in the press conference,” said Willett, arriving for this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
“But thankfully no one did. It’s just tough. Only rarely does either team go across the pond and win. There is something about being in your home environment.
“It’s just the way it is. Fingers crossed our team will enjoy that next time and go on to win.”
The US team had “that gel they’ve struggled with over the last few years,” he reckoned.
“The Americans were special on paper,” he said. “It looked like it could go the way it did.
“A lot of those lads are the same age and played a lot of college golf together. They play together a lot at home now too, and we saw all of that come together in a team environment.
“Throw in their skill level and their current form and they were always going to be dangerous.”
‘The Tour doesn’t have to re-invent the wheel’
We are #TeamEurope
It may not have been our week on the course but it was a special week nonetheless 💙 pic.twitter.com/TlcRoeUriH
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 28, 2021
But he doesn’t think it adds up to decades of dominance in the event as some are claiming.
“I’m not sure you can predict 20 years of dominance from one match,” he said. “The Covid stuff has been so tricky for the European Tour.
“Trying to get the lads together had been tricky. Some of them have been in America, in Europe, playing in different bubbles.
“It’s been a very different scenario for young European golfers (during the pandemic) as opposed to young Americans. Hopefully we can get that back when things return to normal.
“The European Tour doesn’t have to re-invent the wheel. It will help when the tour gets going again properly. A couple of team formats would be nice.”
‘I have two years to fix that’
Willett was a target for the hostile crowd at Hazeltine after an online article his brother wrote went viral, and he thinks the fans at Whistling Straits were an issue for Europe.
“You never know what influence the crowd had,” he said. “But you definitely don’t get the same adrenaline rush when you hole a putt and maybe only your mum and dad are clapping in a crowd of 50,000 people.
“You are constantly trying to gee yourself up. That’s tiring over a long three days. Plus, they got on top of us that first morning.
“That’s alway a big key. That set the tone for the week. They went out there and won games in which the Europeans have been better.”
His experience in 2016 hasn’t quelled his desire to play for Europe again, though.
“I didn’t enjoy watching it on TV, didn’t enjoy watching the lads get beat,” he said.
“Didn’t enjoy not being around it. I have two years to fix that.”