Europe have won seven of the past nine Ryder Cups. They last lost at home in 1993 and have been beaten once in the past 15 years.
That is why, on paper, they are this week’s overwhelming favourites. But the only paper that matters this week in Scotland is the match-play scorecard.
1ST
European star Ian Poulter, who inexplicably plays like a man possessed during the Ryder Cup has won 11 of his past 12 matches and fronted the record-setting European comeback at Chicago in 2012.
With millions watching, the Cockney Cockatiel will be in full plumage.
Europe claim hole, move 1 up
2ND
The last time the US won a Ryder Cup on the road was in 1993, when Tom Watson was the captain. Controversially, he was picked again this year.
If Watson, now 64, is like some folks his age, details from two days ago are hazy, much less two decades.
Early in the week, Watson already seems to be running low on petrol.
Europe move 2 up
3RD
The last time the US won the Ryder Cup on the road, rookie team member Jordan Spieth, 21, was two months old.
Then again, not remembering all those defeats incurred while Spieth was making his way through school may be a good thing.
Yanks win.
Europe’s lead trimmed to 1 up
4TH
Few give the US a chance, but at the last Ryder staged in Europe, the Yanks lost only one session during the rain-plagued week at Celtic Manor.
They butchered that hybrid session of cobbled-together, two-man formats, though, and the points went 5.5-to-0.5, which cost the US the Ryder Cup.
Still, the final result could have gone either way.
Yanks win to square the match
5TH
The Americans have lost six of the past seven Ryder Cups played in Europe, including the past four in succession, by an average score of 3.5 points.
Of all the data overload this week, this might be the most daunting.
Maybe they should have named an Eisenhower as captain.
US concede. Europe lead, 1 up
6TH
Overall, the last time the Europeans lost, in 2008, was when longtime world No 1 Tiger Woods was not on the US team.
The good news for the Yanks is that Woods, who has a career Ryder record of 13-17-3, is not on this team either.
Yanks win. Match is all square
7TH
This week will mark Phil Mickelson’s 10th Ryder appearance. He holds the US record for most losses, with 18, although teammate Jim Furyk is right behind him with 17 defeats in his eight Ryder appearances.
If these guys are driving the US bus, the other Yanks better be hailing taxis.
Europe win, move 1 up
8TH
The Worksop Warhorse, Lee Westwood, a captain’s pick this week, will be playing in his ninth Ryder Cup, which ranks joint-fourth in European appearances behind Nick Faldo (11), Bernhard Langer and Christy O’Connor Sr (10 each). Westwood lost 9.5 kilograms in a crash diet over the past few weeks but, based on his 2014 output, his Ryder week will be equally lean.
Yanks win, squaring the match
9TH
Having just completed his worst professional season, Mickelson is on the cusp of some dubious history. The overall record for most Ryder losses is 21.
Mickelson should remind the rowdy European fans that his family is Swedish.
Maybe they will take pity.
Europe win, move 1 up
10TH
The US will be looking for sorely needed leadership from Furyk, who, at world No 6, is the top-ranked player on the team.
Since scoring the winning point in the US victory at Valhalla in 2008, Furyk has lost four of six matches and halved another.
Note to European fans: hope that Furyk stays healthy and is not replaced by Billy Horschel, the hottest player on the planet.
Yanks concede, Europe stand 2 up
11TH
The past two Ryder Cups have been settled in the final hour, with Europe winning by one point in each instance. Amazingly, the US lost only two of the combined nine sessions staged in 2010 and 2012, though they still lost the cup.
Yanks win point, Europe lead cut to 1 up
12TH
The Europeans have four players from the world top six on the team.
Nonetheless, in terms of average world-ranking firepower per player, the Yanks can amass a better depth charge, at 16.3 to 19.9.
In other words, the Yanks are empty at the top and thick in the middle, sort of like brazen Ryder rookie Patrick Reed.
Yanks win point, match is all even
13TH
In a statistic that underscores Woods’s dominance of his American peers for the past two decades, Europe have three former world No 1s on the team, while the Yanks have zero.
Watson crashes golf buggy.
Europe stand 1-up
14TH
With dozens of storied links courses in Scotland, the host European Tour sold the hosting rights to Gleneagles, an American-style venue that is in nobody’s top 10.
Which team does it favour?
Well, it is a Jack Nicklaus design, and history suggests that the only guy who can play Nicklaus courses is the Golden Bear himself.
No advantage for Europe.
Yanks win. Match stands even
15TH
Because he won twice during the insanely lucrative FedEx Cup series after the US Ryder Cup team was finalised, Horschel has a world ranking that is higher than 13 players on the two rosters this week. He was a day late, but not a dollar short.
Europe dodge bullet, take 1-up lead
16TH
Of the nine Ryder veterans on the European side, only Henrik Stenson has a losing record, and he is a respectable 2-3-2.
Europe’s Ryder vets are a cumulative 69-42-18 since 1997. Match play is a different animal and these guys are lions.
Europe win, take 2-up lead
17TH
In yet another example of Ryder overkill, Europe captain Paul McGinley has designated five assistant captains to babysit his 12-man team. “After we select our teams each day and hand in the piece of paper, all that’s left is to go on the course and act important,” Nicklaus said of his captaincy duties in 1983.
For Europe, paralysis by analysis ensues.
Yanks win.
Europe lead, 1 up
18TH
In January 2012, as McGinley sat in an Abu Dhabi hotel anxiously awaiting word on whether he had been selected captain of the 2014 team, Rory McIlroy stopped by his room with a plate of biscuits.
“Thought you could use the company,” McIlroy said.
McGinley was heavily endorsed by McIlroy and several key players and, though the matches this week will be closer than most expect, the team will deliver the goods for him this time, too.
Europe halve the hole, but win the match and Ryder Cup
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