'I Made Some Poor Decisions And I Will Reflect' - Johnson On US Ryder Cup Defeat

Team USA rallied well in the Ryder Cup Sunday singles, securing six of the 12 points on offer. However, it wasn’t enough to pull off an incredible comeback win against the Europeans with the Americans eventually losing 16.5-11.5 at Marco Simone. 

Following that defeat, captain Zach Johnson admitted he made mistakes as his players failed in their bid to retain the trophy.

One of the big criticisms levelled at Johnson was an apparent lack of preparation for the match, with only three of his team – Justin Thomas, Max Homa and Brooks Koepka – playing competitively in the weeks leading up to the contest. Meanwhile, there were also questions over his decisions during the match.

Johnson spoke to Sky Sports immediately after Team Europe had won the cup for the first time since 2018, and said he would take responsibility for the team’s failure to hold onto the trophy it won so emphatically at Whistling Straits two years ago. 

He said: “The defeat is on me, I made some poor decisions and I will reflect. Those 12 guys played so hard and fought for our country."

Johnson also credited the way Luke Donald's Team Europe had approached the task, and admitted the hosts had "outplayed" his team. He said: “If I have any immediate reaction it is to tip your cap to Europe and to Luke, they played great and they earned it.

"It's quite simple, we got outplayed by Europe. We showed grit and heart, it got interesting out there today. It ebbed and flowed, it had momentum. I'm proud of my guys."

Despite a generally disappointing showing from the US that began with a 4-0 loss in the Friday morning foursomes and only began picking up meaningfully in the Saturday afternoon fourball session, Johnson insisted the experience will stand them in good stead. 

He continued: "My competitive juices are flowing too much to function right now. I'll reflect on it and Team USA will be better off at some point. We will use this as motivation.

"You put so much time and energy into this and the process and journey is what is special, along with the people around it - my family, the team, the PGA of America and the fans. They're the fuel for the engine. We'll analyse it. I'm not making excuses. Europe outplayed us."

In the meantime, Johnson is left to consider what might have been, knowing that the 30-year wait for a US victory in Europe will now stretch to at least 34, when the Americans will take on the hosts at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027.