Lee Janzen and Jim Gallagher Jr. reflect on the 1993 Ryder Cup 30 years later

Lee Janzen was a rookie on the 1993 U.S. Ryder Cup Team, one of four players making his debut for the American side in the most intense event in golf.

He had won his first U.S. Open just months earlier. That’s a fairly big stage, right? Surely it had prepared Janzen for the rigors of a Ryder Cup on European soil.

“I was not prepared for what playing in the Ryder Cup was like,” Janzen said this week. “I had watched it on TV and knew how intense it was, but until you play in it, you don’t know. Maybe the guys have a better idea now. You’d think winning the U.S. Open I’d have been ready for the Ryder Cup, but you’re not.”

The 1993 U.S. Team beat Europe 15-13 at The Belfry in England. It marks the last time the Americans won on European soil.

This year’s U.S. Team also has four rookies: Brian Harman, Max Homa, Sam Burns and Wyndham Clark. Coincidentally, Clark is the same age Janzen was, and he comes off winning the same major.

Janzen was asked his best advice for this year’s newcomers.

“I would say figure out any way you can any way to block out all the noise,” Janzen said. “Be ready on the first tee. Jump on them hard and don’t let up. Play the first hole like you’ve got to win the first hole and go as hard as you can all day long. It’s gonna be a battle to the end.”

Janzen can’t believe it has been 30 years. He still has vivid memories of the week, particularly his singles match against Colin Montgomerie.

He recalled not conceding a short putt to Montgomerie on the first hole, and the crowd erupted when the Scotsman made it. Janzen said he thought to himself, “Geez, it was a 2-footer. Come on!” So the next time he had the opportunity, Janzen figured instead of letting the crowd get into another frenzy, he’d give Montgomerie the putt. Which he did, but it didn’t work.

“They went crazy anyway,” Janzen said.

And the fans were doing what they could within reason to get under Janzen’s skin.

“You’re playing against the crowd,” Janzen said. “They’re rooting against you. That’s different. I remember walking to the sixth hole, and a guy says (slipping into a British accent), ‘Mind the water on the right, Janzen.’ I mean, they were not giving advice, just putting the thought in my head. I’m like, the water isn’t in play on this hole, are you kidding me?’”

Janzen called the excitement of the Ryder Cup unmatched. Fellow 1993 rookie Jim Gallagher Jr. agrees.

“I think the biggest thing I took from that week was the Raymond Floyds, the Tom Kites, Payne Stewarts, the Lanny Wadkins. They put us all on an equal level, at least myself,” Gallagher said. “That’s what was so magical about it.

“I remember a couple things Tom Watson said. Always expect the unexpected. Your opponent might make a shot. Always expect them to do the unexpected things.”

The Americans crushed Europe in the last Ryder Cup, two years ago in Wisconsin, 19-9. It was the biggest victory for the United States since 1967. The U.S. team is listed as a favorite this year, but only slightly. And the biggest reason is because it’s being contested on European soil.

“Like any other sport, when you’re playing at home, you have the home crowd behind you,” Gallagher said. “It’s unnerving when you hit a good shot, you hole out of the shot, you’re the visiting team or visiting player, and they cheer only for bad shots. They don’t cheer for the good shots. That gets a little unnerving, especially for someone that’s a rookie.”

Course setup also has been a big key. The U.S. captains didn’t pay much attention to course setup until well into the 2000s, but European captains have been tinkering with courses to fit their players since the 1950s.

“I think the course setup has been a big key to their success,” Gallagher said. “The U.S. has gotten better, they weren’t the tightest-knit team.

“I think the pressure for the U.S. -- knowing it’s been that long -- that starts to seep in eventually, and you have to somehow go out there and you have to make the putts. It gets down to making the putts at the right time. They get the momentum going on their side for the European team, they make the putts at the right time.”

Ryder Cup begins at 1:35 a.m. ET Friday from Marco Simone Golf & Country Club outside Rome.