The U.S. Ryder Cup team, at least in the eyes of Justin Rose, is going about it the wrong way.<\/p>\n
The European team set to compete at Bethpage Black next week is clearly very close, and is a near exact copy of the group that rolled to a dominant win two years ago in Rome. Though the American team has clearly made strides in an effort to catch up to their European counterparts, Rose thinks they are working just a little bit too hard at becoming friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the Americans have gotten a little bit \u2026 they think being a great team is about being best mates. I really don\u2019t think that\u2019s what being a great team is,\u201d Rose said earlier this month, via Sky Sports<\/a>. \u201cBeing a great team is having a kind of real good theme and having an identity that has come from players before you, and you all buy into that vision.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be having the greatest time in the world to do that. Although, inevitably, we do have a great time doing that. I think America have tried too hard to become a team, whereas Europe is a bit more natural and organic, and I think it comes from deeper roots in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n While not a direct slam, it\u2019s clear Rose thinks the Europeans are much better situated heading into next weekend.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Based on experience alone, it\u2019s hard to argue. All but one of the Europeans who beat the U.S. team in Italy in 2023 is back on the team this fall. The only difference is Rasmus H\u00f8jgaard, who is taking the spot of his twin brother, Nicolai. Europe has won eight of the last 11 Ryder Cups, though the Americans have won the last two on home soil. Luke Donald is back as Europe\u2019s captain this fall, and it\u2019s really just a continuation of the last Ryder Cup where their camaraderie was at an all-time high.<\/p>\n “There’s a really strong culture on the European Team,\u201d Rose said after the win in 2023, via Golfweek<\/a>. \u201cA good pairing on the European Team doesn’t mean playing with your best mate. You know, it means about representing something bigger than yourself, and I feel like that’s, for me, what being a European Ryder Cup player is all about.”<\/p>\n