As captain Zach Johnson and his star-studded American squad attempt to win the first-ever Ryder Cup contested on Italian soil this weekend in Rome, plenty of people are asking the following question: When was the last time the U.S. won in Europe?
And the answer? Quite a while.
I promise we'll get to the specific answer momentarily, but let's have a little fun first.
First, think about this. The last time the U.S. won a Ryder Cup in Europe, five players on this year's American team weren't even born. So there's that.
And who was the No. 1 golfer in the world at that time? That would be not-yet-then-Sir Nick Faldo, who was about 14 months into an 81-week reign at the top of the rankings.
One more. The last time the U.S. won the Ryder Cup in Europe, Tiger Woods was still a 17-year-old amateur and was more than three and a half years away from winning the 1997 Masters.
While that last one should pretty much give it away (the image at the top of the page did that anyway), let's go ahead and end the suspense.
When was the last time the U.S. won the Ryder Cup in Europe?
The last time the U.S. won the Ryder Cup in Europe was the 1993 edition at The Belfry in Wishaw, Warwickshire, England.
The 15-13 victory was the second straight for the Americans and the first on European soil since 1981.
Eight-time major champion Tom Watson captained the U.S. team, while 10-time European Tour winner Bernard Gallacher captained the European squad. Here's a quick look at the rosters from the 1993 Ryder Cup.
The '93 Ryder Cup was just about as tight as tight can be.
The first session ended in a 2-2 tie, but the Europeans took a one-point lead (4.5 to 3.5) by winning the opening day's afternoon four-ball session.
Gallacher's group took a commanding three-point lead to start Saturday, taking three of the four morning foursomes. But the Americans came right back, winning three of the four afternoon four-ball matches, leaving Europe with the same one-point lead with which they started Day 2 (8.5 to 7.5).
Sunday singles made for great entertainment as the two sides went back and forth throughout the day.
In the end, then-29-year-old Davis Love III secured a second consecutive Ryder Cup win for the U.S. with a 1-up victory over Costantino Rocca, who may best be remembered for his 60-foot bomb two years later to force a four-hole playoff with John Daly at The Open Championship, which he ultimately lost.
Since that day at The Belfry, the Europeans have taken six straight Ryder Cup victories at home. Can this year's U.S. team end the losing streak? We'll find out soon enough.
