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‘Top of Their Games’: As Team USA’s LIV Gamble Brooks Koepka Falls Flat, Europe’s Young Guns Make a Smug Admission

Published 09/30/2023, 6:35 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

The second day of the Ryder Cup might push Zach Johnson to the end of his world. Team USA is suffering from one blow after another in Rome, and now the skipper’s decision to include Brooks Koepka in the team might be a cause for regret.

Alongside the World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, the American squad faces a huge setback. On Day 1, they failed to gain a lead from the Europeans. And today, the promising pairing seems to have failed.

Brooks Koepka and Scottie Scheffler suffer a major blow

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Ryder Cup in itself is a historic event. Loved by many, millions of spectators are on the edge of their seats to see what will happen. Amid this, Team America is struggling. Putting further misery today are European stars Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg, who have carded history for themselves on Day 2 leaving everyone supporting the USA shaken.

They dominated superstars Koepka and Scheffler in the morning foursomes by claiming a 9&7 victory. After the match,n Hovland was caught saying, “We make a strong team, and regardless, I think we could’ve met a lot of guys, and we would have been tough to beat today. Scottie and Brooks weren’t on top of their games today so yeah that’s where the 9 and 7 came from.”

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The Ryder Cup debutant, Ludvig Aberg, also responded when asked how much confidence he gains from beating the World No.1 and the five-time major champion. “Today was quite surreal at times. I had to almost pinch myself a little bit.”

The European duo marked the biggest margin of victory for an 18-hole match at the Marco Simone Golf Course and Club. They won 9 of 11 holes and carded 7 wins in their final 8 holes. The whole scenario is sure to put Koepka’s confidence in jeopardy.

Zach Johnson chose LIV golfer, while Luke Donald did not

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The Ryder Cup picks were controversial this season and created much buzz. While Luke Donald, the European Team’s skipper, chose Ludvig Aberg as a team player, Zach Johnson chose Justin Thomas over a host of other in-form golfers.

Aberg turned professional in June. However, Donald said he could not afford to leave the ‘generational player’ out. His game is speaking for the skipper’s decision now. Johnson gave a similar reason for picking JT despite the downhill season he has had.

However, another controversial pick of the season on Team USA’s squad was the five-time major champion, Brooks Koepka. While Luke Donald did not include any of the LIV defectors in his team, Johnson indeed took a gamble, which doesn’t look to have come good in Rome.

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Do you think the decision will cost Team America the Ryder Cup? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Manya Jain

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Manya Jain is a promising golf writer at EssentiallySports. Despite being in her early days, Manya displays a strong passion for golf writing. The majors are Manya's forte, and their in-depth coverage is her creative fueling.
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Edited by:

Sharan Nair

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