30 September 2023 , 13:34
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Team USA's woes at the Ryder Cup worsened on Saturday amid a dreadful morning showing from their star players and claims of a rift in the team room, but Europe captain Luke Donald issued a perfect response that encapsulated his team's dominance so far.
After going winless on a stunning opening day at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, Zach Johnson's Americans desperately needed a response in the Saturday foursomes. But they only claimed a single point, losing three of the four matches including a record-breaking 9&7 thrashing for world number one Scottie Scheffler and reigning PGA champion Brooks Koepka.
While the American players were on the course, Sky Sports reported their team room was "fractured" due to a split led by Patrick Cantlay. It has been claimed that Cantlay is unhappy that players are not paid to play in the Ryder Cup, and he is not wearing a team hat in protest, creating an awkward atmosphere in the locker room.
A spokesman for Team USA has told the Mirror the claims are "not true" in a blunt statement, and Johnson said before the afternoon session on Saturday that his team was the "closest" he had ever been a part of.
The Europeans, on the other hand, have gelled impressively from the off, showing no shortage of camaraderie and team spirit. And Donald says he and his team are blocking out the noise from the other side as they close in on the magic number of 14.5, leading 9.5-2.5.
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"What the US do is out of our control," he told Sky Sports. "It is all about controlling those things you can control. So again for us it is all about building team unity and playing as a team, and 7-1 in foursomes is a pretty strong response because of that."
Patrick Cantlay is at the centre of claims the American team is 'fractured'. (AP)While Donald has got the vast majority of his decisions right this week, nailing the majority of his combinations for the varied challenges of foursomes and fourballs, Johnson has seen his gambles fail to pay off. And former European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley believes the Americans' poor performance has stemmed from poor preparation.
"This is an American team that is absolutely rocked," he told Sky Sports. "I said at the start of the week and I’ll still say it, I feel they’ve come in here underprepared for the challenge that playing away is.
"Nine of the 12 players decided not to play a tournament for four weeks, they’d never do that before a major. And none of them decided to play the Italian Open."
Johnson's team has made a much-needed strong start in the Saturday fourballs, leading three of the four matches through seven holes, but they have a long way to go to mount any kind of meaningful fightback.