Review of "The Cup They Couldn't Lose"

With the weather getting warmer, golfers are getting the itch to head back out to the course - at least those in colder weather areas.  Since the courses here in upstate NY are not ready yet, I am satisfying that urge by reading about golf.  This was a terrific choice as it's an excellent book on the Ryder Cup.

 

Title/Author: “The Cup They Couldn’t Lose: America, the Ryder Cup and the Long Road to Whistling Straits” by Shane Ryan

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:  Considered to be the premier team event in golf, the Ryder Cup tournament started as a contest between the best golfers in the United States and England.  Later in its history, the England team was expanded to include all of Europe and the matches always generate a large amount of interest by golfers, fans and the media.  The 2021 Ryder Cup was no exception.  The work of US captain Steve Stricker to get his team to pull out a victory is the major topic of this excellent book by Shane Ryan.

Reading just the title may make one believe the book is just about the 2021 Ryder Cup, which by itself makes an interesting story especially when one considers it was delayed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  However, the book is MUCH more than that – it is basically a history book of the Ryder Cup and much of this information is helpful in understanding the strategy involved in the decisions made by Stricker.

This history can best be described as a roller coaster as for nearly 50 years, the event was dominated by the Americans – so much so that it was nearly ended on multiple occasions.  But in the 1980’s, primarily through the innovative thinking by European captain Tony Jacklin and also helped by one of the best players in Ryder Cup history, Spaniard Seve Ballesteros, Europe started winning the event regularly and even won tournaments on American soil, something that was never done before Jacklin changed the European strategy.

Ryan writes about these people and so many more who are important in Ryder Cup history for both sides from a position of knowledge and ability to obtain inside information.  As a result, any golf fan is in for a real treat when reading this as it is a book that will grab your attention and hold it for the duration.  While one does have to have a serious interest in the game to truly enjoy the book, it is certainly worth the time to invest to learn about the history and specifically the challenges for the American team in the 2021 version of the Cup.  An outstanding book for any golfer’s bookshelf.

I wish to thank Hachette Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Link:  The Cup They Couldn't Lose: America, the Ryder Cup, and the Long Road to Whistling Straits: Ryan, Shane: 9780306874413: Amazon.com: Books