Why Le Golf National could be the decisive factor this week

GUYANCOURT, France – Remember that rush of adrenaline you felt two years ago at the Ryder Cup while watching a track meet unfold at Hazeltine? Remember the barrage of birdies on a defenseless course, a can-you-top-this attitude breaking out among the competitors? Remember Reed vs. McIlroy? Remember Phil vs. Sergio?

It was a breakneck pace, a feeding frenzy for low scores – and it was exactly how the U.S. wanted it, a desperate team using its ability to select and set up the course to maximize the Americans’ strengths.

It worked, of course.

Now Europe is the desperate team, and they have a course and a set-up that team officials and players believe will give them the best opportunity this week to regain the Ryder Cup and continue their domination on home soil.

Don’t expect it to be anything like 2016. Le Golf National is about as different from Hazeltine as bouillabaisse is from walleye fish. Or as European Captain Thomas Bjorn put it: “All the differences you can come up with, they are here. That’s it.”

It will be tougher, more challenging, with significant rough and tighter fairways. No track meet this week. No overabundance of birdies. Par will be a key score, a winning score.

“I don’t think you’ll go anywhere else where you’ll see as many fist-pump pars as you’ll this week, especially in the afternoon Foursomes when the wind picks up,” said U.S. player Jordan Spieth. “… I don’t think there will be as many roars.”

Some Europeans thought there were too many roars (an understandable reaction after the crushing 17-11 loss). Englishman Justin Rose was highly critical of Hazeltine, calling the set-up “incredibly weak” and citing the 17th hole in particular as an “absolute joke.”

He added that Hazeltine “was very much a pro-am feel in terms of the pin placements. They were all middle of the green. I don’t quite understand that, to be honest with you. … We want to showcase our skills. We want to be tested.”

Two years later, Rose wasn’t backing off when asked to compare the two courses. “I think Hazeltine was a putting competition for the most part. The greens were perfect. You’re winning holes with birdies; very few times you would make bogey and not many holes were won with par.

“This week you’re going to see a lot of holes won with par and it’s going to create a very different mentality and some exciting matches.”

As much as any time in recent memory, the Europeans have a course that could prove to be the decisive factor this week.

After all, Hazeltine was not that much different than the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in Scotland, at least from a birdie standpoint. Consider this: In the 12 Singles matches at Hazeltine, there were 122 birdies and three eagles made in 2012 holes played; in the 12 Singles matches at Gleneagles, there were 121 birdies and four eagles made in 200 holes played.

It’s been firepower vs. firepower for awhile now, and finally the Americans caught up two years ago. A year later at the Presidents Cup, the U.S. continued their assault, coming a half-point away from beating the International Team even before the start of Sunday Singles.

The Europeans have taken notice. It would be silly to try to match the Americans’ strength. Le Golf National gives them a chance to force the U.S. to play a different, more conservative game.

“You get punished if you hit it off-line,” said Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy. “I feel like at Hazeltine, the punishment wasn’t high enough if you hit it off-line, and I guess that sometimes plays into some of the Americans’ hands, because they have guys that just hit it so long … I’m probably one of those guys, so it doesn’t quite play into my hands.

“I think for the bulk of the European team, they would welcome a set-up more of this style. Not saying the American guys can’t hit it in the fairways – they are all some of the best players in the world. But I think just looking at it, it would seem the style of golf course is more familiar to us than something like we saw at Hazeltine last time.”

Just a handful of holes – possibly no more than four -- at Le Golf National will provide an opportunity to hit driver off the tee. That certainly will curtail some of the Americans’ strength.

Of the top 11 players this season in driving distance on the PGA TOUR this season, five are Americans (Tony Finau-4, Dustin Johnson-6, Brooks Koepka-8, Bubba Watson-9 and Justin Thomas-11). As McIlroy noted, he also is impacted; after all, he led the TOUR in that category with a 319.8-yard average. Jon Rahm (T-15) and Tommy Fleetwood were Europe’s next highest ranked players in that category.

Rahm and Fleetwood are Ryder Cup rookies, but Europe’s other three rookies may benefit the most from a tighter set-up that requires less brute strength. Tyrrell Hatton ranks 90th on the European Tour in driving distance; Alex Noren ranks 101st; and Thorbjorn Olesen ranks 113th.

That’s not the only benefit, though. Course knowledge and experience is also a key component heading into Friday’s morning Four-balls session.

Hazeltine has hosted four majors but has never been a regular stop on the PGA TOUR. In fact, the last Ryder Cup on American soil played on such a course was in 1987 at Muirfield Village, venue for the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. The ensuing seven Ryder Cup in the U.S. were played on courses with major championship credentials; both sides needed time to learn how to play it.

Meanwhile, Le Golf National has hosted an annual European Tour event – the French Open -- since 1991. That means it is familiar to every European player, each of whom has played at least one competitive event on the course. Combined, the 12 Europeans have made 70 starts at Le Golf National, with two wins and 22 top 10s. Reigning Open champ Francesco Molinari has the most with 13 starts, followed by Ian Poulter with 12 and Alex Noren with 10. Not to mention that Bjorn played in 16 French Opens.

“I think it’s probably the most played venue as a Ryder Cup venue for all of the European players that have played,” Poulter noted. “… I definitely think we have an understanding of how this golf course can play.”

Just six Americans had seen Le Golf National prior to this week, and only three in a competitive environment – Justin Thomas earlier this summer, Brooks Koepka in 2014 and Bubba Watson in 2011. Koepka and Watson missed the cut; Thomas finished T-8.

So in comparison – European players have 236 career rounds at Le Golf National. USA players have eight.

That’s why the bulk of the prep work for Jim Furyk’s side was not trying to figure out his pairings but trying to figure out the nuances of the course. His three practice pairings included at least one of those six players with previous course experience, hoping to accelerate the learning curve.

“I really want them to learn the golf course and get an idea what they can do off each tee and where the least narrow parts are of these fairways,” Furyk explained. “There’s not a lot of wide parts out there. Trying to figure out to hit the ball, where to go.

“Europe had the opportunity to set the golf course up, so we’re trying to figure out what they have in store for us this week.”

It’s not just prior experience in Europe’s favor. It’s also prior success. Noren won the latest French Open in late June. Fleetwood won the year before. Their familiarity with the course should help offset some of the nerves they’ll feel as Ryder Cup rookies.

“It’s different with the Ryder Cup, but it’s nice to be at a course you’ve played a lot of times,” Noren said.

“I know when this week comes, it makes kind of no difference when you stand on that first tee what has happened in the past,” added Fleetwood, whose win in 2017 was the only time he’s made the cut at Le Golf National in six starts, “but it can only be a good thing to have good memories.”

Even though the French Open is played in summer under warmer conditions, Bjorn doesn’t think it will play much different than this week in cooler temperatures hovering in the 60s.

“This golf course is very similar to what we are used to when we come here, and that’s probably more the thing that I like,” Bjorn said. “There’s guys on this team that’s played a lot of French Opens. I don’t want them to show up and it’s a completely different golf course to what they are used to. This is very similar to what it is normally.”

So, yes, Le Golf National gives Europe a huge advantage. But Furyk, while knowing his team’s learning curve is much steeper, is banking on world-class players being able to adjust to any course and perform as expected.

“I don’t think there’s a guy from either side of these teams from Europe or the U.S. that would not say this is a great golf course,” he said. “Very much is a positioned off-the-tee golf course, and you can get aggressive. The better iron players, the better putters, the better thinkers are going to have an advantage around here. …

“The best players on either side of the pond are going to find a way to play any course.”