Golf fans and patriots savored the home win in the 41st Ryder Cup on the second day of October.
Winning the biennial match-play competition between the U.S. and Europe for the first time since 2008, the American men overcame years of frustration and second-guessing among golf’s elite as to how to put together a winning team composed of players much more adept at playing as individuals.
The fans at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, notable for their rowdy support of the home team and for some actions aimed at their European adversaries that violated golf’s unwritten rules of polite behavior, greeted the winners with uncorked enthusiasm and champagne.
It was a celebration worthy of a Latin American soccer stadium, but it did not extend much past the confines of the course. Across the country, the victory seemed overshadowed by the loss of Arnold Palmer, who died on Sept. 25 at age 87.
A golf legend whose impact on the sport lasted decades longer than his competitive career, Palmer won 62 times on the PGA Tour, including seven major championships. An inspiration to a generation of pros and weekend golfers alike, the amiable icon could count among his legions of fans many people who never even played the game.
That helped account for his success in marketing and making endorsements. He won $3.6 million during his years on the tour. His earnings off the course are estimated at $875 million. Only Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods have earned more.
Speaking of Woods, he was at Hazeltine as a co-captain of the Americans, and played a key role in strategy decisions made by captain Davis Love III. The squad, featuring a mix of tested Ryder Cup hands like Phil Mickelson and first-timers like Ryan Moore, played effectively as a team. Every member contributed at least a point toward the winning score.
It is easy to commend the team for the victory but more difficult to view it as anything but bittersweet.
Several members of the team attended memorial services for Palmer in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 4. They brought the gold Ryder Cup trophy with them.
