Ryder Cup Review: Allez les Bleus!

The memorable colour of the 2018 Ryder Cup has to be Blue! From the clear blue skies that consistently appeared every day, to the bright blue European flags and European Teamwear that dominated the French Le Golf National course, just outside Paris.

I say “just outside Paris”, although for most fans it involved a good 1.5 hours commute each day from their hotels in the centre of Paris by metro, train and then shuttle bus. But despite this long commute, the fans were there in their hundreds at 530am each day waiting for the doors to open at 630am for the usual mad rush to get a spot on the Grandstand on the 1^st tee! Even this year, with the significantly increased grandstand holding 6,500 fans (4 times the 1,600 capacity 2 years earlier in Hazeltine, Minnesota), it was full within minutes of the course opening each day!

The tournament opened with the usual grand opening ceremony, followed by a lively concert by English Indie Rock band, The Kaiser Chiefs. The security staff started looking a bit nervous when crowd surfing started up mid-way through the concert, something not normally associated with golf tournaments!

The American got off to a strong start on the 1^st day of play, taking a 3-1 lead in the Friday morning fourballs, much to the delight of the colourful American Marshal fans. But after that it was all downhill for them with the European Team coming from behind to regain the Ryder Cup Trophy, winning it 17.5 v 10.5.

Photos by Mark Szczuka: