For years, I had been looking ahead to the 2025 Ryder Cup with dread. It was as if organizers had set a date for one of my favorite sporting events to self-destruct.

The biennial match between American and European golfers, which alternates between American and European soil, is not the only team event in the sport. But it is the only good one.

The event goes back nearly 100 years. For much of that history, it was a friendly competition in which the American team would routinely crush their counterparts from Great Britain and Ireland. Everyone had a nice time. Since continental Europeans were added to the competition in 1979, the matches have not just become more competitive: Europe has been the stronger team despite having less talent on paper.

This drives the American team crazy, and

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