5 Reasons Why Europe Will Win The Ryder Cup

The USA may be favourites, but in this piece we take a look at why team Europe will take home the coveted trophy.

5 Reasons Why Europe Will Win The Ryder Cup

The 2018 Ryder Cup is just around the corner and this year the event is pipped to be one of the greatest ever with both sides fielding incredibly strong teams.

The United States are the favourites with the bookies, but in this piece we take a look at five reasons why Europe will win the trophy back after the defeat at Hazeltine in 2016.

1) The Course - Le Golf National

Put simply, more Europeans have played the course, understand its nuances and know what it takes to produce good scores, whereas barely anyone from the American team has actually played it in competition. Justin Thomas played in this year's Open de France and Jim Furyk did bring some Americans over before The Open. Team Europe, featuring some players who have competed at Le Golf National for the past decade plus, definitely have the advantage here..

Additionally, Europe get to set the course up in any way they see fit. In 2016 the Americans famously cut a lot of the rough away which therefore allowed them to use their superior length off the tee without getting into trouble. The Europeans in 2018 will in all likelihood make the rough longer and make hitting the fairway of paramount importance.

Rory McIlroy criticised the 2016 event for its setup but went on; "But that’s all home advantage. You can do that; that’s what Ryder Cups are all about. Any little advantage you can get when you’re the home team, you have to try to take in that position.”

Thomas Bjorn and Europe are sure to use the same sort of tactics once again.

2) Open de France Winners

Linking with the above point, Europe has several players that clearly like Le Golf National and can put in low scores around it. Every year the Open de France takes place there and the last two winners, Alex Noren and Tommy Fleetwood, are playing in their first Ryder Cups.

Then you have Francesco Molinari and Thorbjorn Olesen who have had several runners-up finishes between them at the tournament.

Jon Rahm also contended this year and Rory McIlroy has shown he can play there with a tied 3rd back in 2016.

Long story short, several Europeans enjoy the course and can score well there.

3) Outstanding Rookies

There are always questions looming over rookies. Sometimes they excel, sometimes they shrink under the pressure. The Americans have more experience in their team and they only have three rookies in Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau and Justin Thomas.

Europe on the other hand have five, but whilst some are concerned about this, we think they could flourish.

Jon Rahm is currently seventh in the world, has won five times on either side of the Atlantic, and with the experience of Sergio Garcia by his side, he is sure to show his passion and fire on the course.

10-time European Tour winner Alex Noren is brilliant, especially around Le Golf National. He won the 2018 Open de France, came 10th in 2017 and 8th in 2016.

Tommy Fleetwood has proven he can score anywhere at any time, highlighted by his 63 on Sunday at Shinnecock to finish second at the US Open.

Tyrrell Hatton is as fiery as they come and won't get intimidated one bit. Finally Thorbjorn Olesen is sure to be taken under the wing of fellow Dane and captain Thomas Bjorn.

Expand 5 Reasons Why The USA Will Win The Ryder Cup

5 Reasons Why The USA Will Win The Ryder Cup

In this piece we take a look at…

Expand Le Golf National: All You Need To Know

Le Golf National: All You Need To Know

Le Golf National near Paris, France hosts the…

Expand Ryder Cup TV Coverage 2018

Ryder Cup TV Coverage 2018

Sky Sports will be showing the Ryder Cup…

Expand Ryder Cup Tee Times And Pairings 2018 – Singles Draw Announced

Ryder Cup Tee Times And Pairings 2018 – Singles Draw Announced

Check out who is playing with who and…

4) Europe Win At Home

Home advantage is always huge in every contest. The crowd is like an extra player on the team and this year Europe have that advantage.

To add to that, Europe in recent memory have not lost when hosting the event since 1993 at The Belfry. That is a run of five Ryder Cups and it will take a monumental effort from the United States to end that run.

5) Underdog Status

The US are the favourites, understandably so. But this plays into European hands because they tend to thrive as underdogs. For many Ryder Cups, the USA have had the better players and were expected to win, and yet didn't because European players used that as motivation.

The same can be said for this year. Three of the top four players in the world are American, and on top of that you have stars like Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed and Bubba Watson, although all three are out of form. Add to the mix a resurgent Tiger Woods, and players in hot form like Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau and you have one incredibly strong team on paper.

However, the Europeans are also strong and will raise their games no doubt because many expect a thorough American win.

Who do you think is going to win in Paris?

Don't forget to follow Golf Monthly on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest Ryder Cup news.