The United States’ desperate and stirring Sunday singles fightback at Bethpage Black brought a respectable gloss to the final Ryder Cup scoreline, but it should not be allowed to conceal the deeper, more systemic shortcomings that continue to plague the American effort in this great biennial contest. The 15 to 13 final result, achieved through a magnificent final day push that saw the US take eight and a half points from twelve matches, masks the reality of a comprehensive defeat engineered across the first two days of foursomes and fourballs. The Europeans had built an insurmountable, near record lead of 1121 to 421 heading into Sunday, a deficit that speaks volumes about the gulf in preparation, strategy, and team cohesion.Captain
