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The Ryder Cup came and went last weekend. After much buildup, the European side absolutely dominated. A few players on the American team were so bad that they got shockingly benched, but the talent on Team Europe proved to be too much for America to handle as they notched yet another home victory in the Cup.
Their talent was exceptional, and a few players in their squad stood out especially. However, the Americans were not totally devoid of good performances.
Here are four golfers who showed up and showed out in Italy for the Ryder Cup:
The 4 Ryder Cup golfers who earned praise
4) Ludvig Aberg
Ludvig Aberg's inclusion on the Ryder Cup team over players like Adrian Meronk or Yannik Paul was a surprise, but it proved to be a wonderful decision by captain Luke Donald.
Not only did Aberg play like a veteran, he made great work with Viktor Hovland to completely disheveled Brooks Koepka and Scottie Scheffler, sending them to the bench.
He lost his Ryder Cup singles match, but he was great all week when it wasn't expected. Being a rookie on both the PGA Tour and the Ryder Cup, the pressure could have easily gotten to him, but he delivered with a cool hand.
3) Max Homa
The lone American to truly show up, Max Homa, was on fire all weekend long. Zach Johnson made him the only player to participate in all five matches, and for good reason. Every time out, he was the best chance they had of earning any points.
His 18-hole victory in singles gave them a fighting chance in the dying embers, but it was too little, too late, thanks to an overall ugly performance by most of his counterparts. He did his best to drag America into contention every single match, but he's just one of 12 golfers and couldn't do it alone.
2) Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm was characteristically excellent across the three days. He hit an excellent shot on Friday afternoon to save half a point for the Europeans, and it proved to be a key momentum boost.
All weekend long, he hit highlight reel shots and went 2-0-2 to have one of the better performances of any player in this event. Rahm is the world number three for a reason, and he played like it as he guided Team Europe to another victory on home turf.
1) Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy was incredible all weekend long. In a competition supposed to be highlighted by the world's best, he was the best of the best.
He brought intensity all weekend long and provided a fire for Team Europe. He did lose a match to Patrick Cantlay, but he went 4-1 overall to capture a lot of points for his team. He needed to show up, and he truly did.
