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The Cup They Couldn't Lose: America, the Ryder Cup, and the Long Road to Whistling Straits
The definitive story of the Ryder Cup — the event that pits the best golfers from America against the best from Europe — exploring the modern history of the tournament that led to the showdown at Whistling Straits in 2021.
The task facing Steve Stricker at the 2021 Ryder Cup was enormous. It was his job, as the American captain, to stare down almost 40 years of Ryder Cup history, break a pattern of home losses that had persisted almost as long, and reverse the tide of European dominance in one of golf's most tense and emotional events. This was the epitome of a must-win, but it was also something more—in the entire 93-year history of the event, no American side had ever faced this kind of pressure. Starting on the morning of September 24, those 12 players competed not just for a Cup, or for pride, but to save the reputation of the U.S. team itself. The great mystery of the Ryder Cup is that America loses despite having superior individual talent. The European renaissance began in the 1980s, led by the brilliant Tony Jacklin and Seve Ballesteros, and since then, the U.S. has suffered a slew of embarrassing defeats abroad and at home. The signs in 2021 weren’t Tiger Woods was out after his horrific car crash, Patrick Reed (“Captain America,” to his supporters) was hospitalized with double pneumonia weeks before the event, and America had to rely on its rising stars—including Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, who spent most of the year immersed in an escalating feud—to prove their mettle. Meanwhile, the European team had a few major stars of its own, like Jon Rahm, the world no. 1 and the first Spanish player ever to win the U.S. Open, and Rory McIlroy, the four-time major winner. Throw in the complications of a global pandemic, and the stage was set for one of the strangest Ryder Cups ever. Following the drama in Wisconsin while deconstructing the rich history of the tournament, The Cup They Couldn't Lose tells the story of how the U.S. defeated Europe in record fashion, restored their status as golf’s global superpower, and transformed their entire way of thinking in order to truly understand the nature of the Ryder Cup.
**The Sports Librarian’s Best of 2022 – Sports Books**
The task facing Steve Stricker at the 2021 Ryder Cup was enormous. It was his job, as the American captain, to stare down almost 40 years of Ryder Cup history, break a pattern of home losses that had persisted almost as long, and reverse the tide of European dominance in one of golf's most tense and emotional events. This was the epitome of a must-win, but it was also something more—in the entire 93-year history of the event, no American side had ever faced this kind of pressure. Starting on the morning of September 24, those 12 players competed not just for a Cup, or for pride, but to save the reputation of the U.S. team itself. The great mystery of the Ryder Cup is that America loses despite having superior individual talent. The European renaissance began in the 1980s, led by the brilliant Tony Jacklin and Seve Ballesteros, and since then, the U.S. has suffered a slew of embarrassing defeats abroad and at home. The signs in 2021 weren’t Tiger Woods was out after his horrific car crash, Patrick Reed (“Captain America,” to his supporters) was hospitalized with double pneumonia weeks before the event, and America had to rely on its rising stars—including Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, who spent most of the year immersed in an escalating feud—to prove their mettle. Meanwhile, the European team had a few major stars of its own, like Jon Rahm, the world no. 1 and the first Spanish player ever to win the U.S. Open, and Rory McIlroy, the four-time major winner. Throw in the complications of a global pandemic, and the stage was set for one of the strangest Ryder Cups ever. Following the drama in Wisconsin while deconstructing the rich history of the tournament, The Cup They Couldn't Lose tells the story of how the U.S. defeated Europe in record fashion, restored their status as golf’s global superpower, and transformed their entire way of thinking in order to truly understand the nature of the Ryder Cup.
**The Sports Librarian’s Best of 2022 – Sports Books**
- GenresSportsNonfiction
336 pages, Hardcover
Published May 10, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 21, 2022
Considered to be the premier team event in golf, the Ryder Cup tournament started as a contest between the best golfers in the United States and England. Later in its history, the England team was expanded to include all of Europe and the matches always generate a large amount of interest by golfers, fans and the media. The 2021 Ryder Cup was no exception. The work of US captain Steve Stricker to get his team to pull out a victory is the major topic of this excellent book by Shane Ryan.
Reading just the title may make one believe the book is just about the 2021 Ryder Cup, which by itself makes an interesting story especially when one considers it was delayed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the book is MUCH more than that – it is basically a history book of the Ryder Cup and much of this information is helpful in understanding the strategy involved in the decisions made by Stricker.
This history can best be described as a roller coaster as for nearly 50 years, the event was dominated by the Americans – so much so that it was nearly ended on multiple occasions. But in the 1980’s, primarily through the innovative thinking by European captain Tony Jacklin and also helped by one of the best players in Ryder Cup history, Spaniard Seve Ballesteros, Europe started winning the event regularly and even won tournaments on American soil, something that was never done before Jacklin changed the European strategy.
Ryan writes about these people and so many more who are important in Ryder Cup history for both sides from a position of knowledge and ability to obtain inside information. As a result, any golf fan is in for a real treat when reading this as it is a book that will grab your attention and hold it for the duration. While one does have to have a serious interest in the game to truly enjoy the book, it is certainly worth the time to invest to learn about the history and specifically the challenges for the American team in the 2021 version of the Cup. An outstanding book for any golfer’s bookshelf.
I wish to thank Hachette Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
Reading just the title may make one believe the book is just about the 2021 Ryder Cup, which by itself makes an interesting story especially when one considers it was delayed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the book is MUCH more than that – it is basically a history book of the Ryder Cup and much of this information is helpful in understanding the strategy involved in the decisions made by Stricker.
This history can best be described as a roller coaster as for nearly 50 years, the event was dominated by the Americans – so much so that it was nearly ended on multiple occasions. But in the 1980’s, primarily through the innovative thinking by European captain Tony Jacklin and also helped by one of the best players in Ryder Cup history, Spaniard Seve Ballesteros, Europe started winning the event regularly and even won tournaments on American soil, something that was never done before Jacklin changed the European strategy.
Ryan writes about these people and so many more who are important in Ryder Cup history for both sides from a position of knowledge and ability to obtain inside information. As a result, any golf fan is in for a real treat when reading this as it is a book that will grab your attention and hold it for the duration. While one does have to have a serious interest in the game to truly enjoy the book, it is certainly worth the time to invest to learn about the history and specifically the challenges for the American team in the 2021 version of the Cup. An outstanding book for any golfer’s bookshelf.
I wish to thank Hachette Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
May 29, 2022
Sometimes ambiguous book titles work---and sometimes they do not. Shane Ryan’s new golf book, The Cup They Couldn’t Lose, works. Subtitled “America, The Ryder Cup and the Long Road to Whistling Straits,” his book is a thorough treatment of the history of the Ryder Cup from its inception in 1927 up to the 2021 Cup matches on the shore of Lake Michigan at Whistling Straits. With stops along the way to describe the American domination of Great Britain in the period from 1935 to 1983, the addition of European players to the overseas team in 1979 and the gradual ascension of the Euros to the point that in the period from 1995 to 2014, they won the Cup eight of ten time, Ryan meticulously reports the facts of these contests and adds just the right touch of colorful commentary to bring the characters to life.
Ryan dissects the troubles the Americans had in that period when they could muster only two wins, both on American. Ryan’s analysis, although not new, is straightforward and convincing. Simply put, the American teams’ arrogance in taking the Europeans too lightly was a huge obstacle for them to overcome for them to regain a more even battlefield. Ryan points to the 2008 captain, Paul Azinger, and his willingness to listen to folks outside the “inner circle” as a step in the right direction for America to “right the ship”. He skillfully describes and analyzes Azinger’s use of the “pod system” that allowed the captains to better pair players who complemented each other’s games unlike Hal Sutton’s disastrous pairing of Tiger Woods and Phil Michelson in 2004 at Oakland Hills.
Using chapters alternating between the history of the Ryder Cup and the preparation and playing of the 2021 Cup, Ryan is able to keep the reader’s interest focused on a story line that is compelling. At the same time, he does not devote an inordinate amount of attention to some of the more famous Ryder Cup events—“The Concession” at Royal Birkdale in 1969 when Jack Nicklaus conceded a putt to Tony Jacklin for a tie; the “War by the Shore” in 1991 at Kiawah; the “Battle of Brookline” in 1999 and the famous come-from-behind victory by the US team; and the 2012 “Meltdown at Medinah and instead, keeps us focused on the “why is this happening” question.
On one level, the title suggests the pressure that was on the American team captained by Wisconsin native son, Steve Stricker, to bring home the coveted trophy. On another level, the title, if examined after Stricker completed picking his team, suggests that the Americans were a “lock” to win the Cup and that there was nothing---short of a monumental collapse—that could keep them from winning because they were the more talented team. The US team could not afford to lose the 2021 Ryder Cup, and as we all know, they did not!
Ryan’s book is on my bookshelf with many other enjoyable and informative golf history books. It is, by far, the best of the Ryder Cup volumes.
Ryan dissects the troubles the Americans had in that period when they could muster only two wins, both on American. Ryan’s analysis, although not new, is straightforward and convincing. Simply put, the American teams’ arrogance in taking the Europeans too lightly was a huge obstacle for them to overcome for them to regain a more even battlefield. Ryan points to the 2008 captain, Paul Azinger, and his willingness to listen to folks outside the “inner circle” as a step in the right direction for America to “right the ship”. He skillfully describes and analyzes Azinger’s use of the “pod system” that allowed the captains to better pair players who complemented each other’s games unlike Hal Sutton’s disastrous pairing of Tiger Woods and Phil Michelson in 2004 at Oakland Hills.
Using chapters alternating between the history of the Ryder Cup and the preparation and playing of the 2021 Cup, Ryan is able to keep the reader’s interest focused on a story line that is compelling. At the same time, he does not devote an inordinate amount of attention to some of the more famous Ryder Cup events—“The Concession” at Royal Birkdale in 1969 when Jack Nicklaus conceded a putt to Tony Jacklin for a tie; the “War by the Shore” in 1991 at Kiawah; the “Battle of Brookline” in 1999 and the famous come-from-behind victory by the US team; and the 2012 “Meltdown at Medinah and instead, keeps us focused on the “why is this happening” question.
On one level, the title suggests the pressure that was on the American team captained by Wisconsin native son, Steve Stricker, to bring home the coveted trophy. On another level, the title, if examined after Stricker completed picking his team, suggests that the Americans were a “lock” to win the Cup and that there was nothing---short of a monumental collapse—that could keep them from winning because they were the more talented team. The US team could not afford to lose the 2021 Ryder Cup, and as we all know, they did not!
Ryan’s book is on my bookshelf with many other enjoyable and informative golf history books. It is, by far, the best of the Ryder Cup volumes.
December 29, 2023
My father loves golf (playing and watching) and wanted to turn pro at age 18 instead of going to college. Fortunately for me, he went to college, met my mother, and thus, I exist. But if you want to talk to my father on Sundays (still!), you talk to him during commercial breaks while he watches golf. And you often watch it with him.
When I heard the Shane Ryan interview of May 9, 2022, on my favorite podcast, Slate's "Hang Up and Listen," about his new book (see above), I thought, perfect Father's Day gift. And it was. My father enjoyed the book and then lent it to me to read.
This is such a well written book that even a person like myself, who is only golf-adjacent can enjoy it, even when I couldn't keep all the important golfers from the last 80 years straight in my head. So, it's definitely for golfers and historians who can tolerate golf. And anyone else who wants to read a well structured, well researched book.
When I heard the Shane Ryan interview of May 9, 2022, on my favorite podcast, Slate's "Hang Up and Listen," about his new book (see above), I thought, perfect Father's Day gift. And it was. My father enjoyed the book and then lent it to me to read.
This is such a well written book that even a person like myself, who is only golf-adjacent can enjoy it, even when I couldn't keep all the important golfers from the last 80 years straight in my head. So, it's definitely for golfers and historians who can tolerate golf. And anyone else who wants to read a well structured, well researched book.
January 11, 2023
I liked this book, but didn't love it. Though I'm torn. My main critique throughout was that it was too much of a history lesson and not enough about the actual event and team(s) it was billed as. And, while I still would have liked a little more inside-the-ropes stuff about the season that led up to the 2021 cup, I do appreciate the larger point that Ryan was trying to make. This was truly a major turning point in US Ryder cup history and without writing about the history of the event -especially since the mid 80s- maybe THAT point is lost. I've also never been a huge Ryder Cup guy, although I love my spring and summer Sundays with the PGA Tour. That may change after reading this.
4.3/5
4.3/5
September 16, 2022
Full disclosure, I’m a huge golf fan! Especially a big fan of the Ryder Cup. With that said, I really enjoyed this book! I liked that the author mixed in previous Cups to show the reader how the team got to Whistling Straits. I hope people enjoy the book as much as I did.
July 26, 2023
Great book with a lot of information that I was not previously aware of - and I thought that I had been following the Ryder Cup for a very long time. Fabulous background on a number of issues and people. I highly recommend it.
August 24, 2022
An excellent book on the 2021 Ryder Cup, the history of the Ryder Cup, and on strategy and tactics in the Ryder Cup competition!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews