In the recently completed biennial Ryder Cup competition the American team lost as usual to the Europeans. The team from the United States has won only six of the last 20 matches while having the better players each time.
Professional golfers are ranked by the results of individual competition against each other. As the Ryder Cup commenced last week, the United States team had six of the top ten players in the world compared to the European team which had only three.
Why does the United States teams lose regularly while having the best players? I contend that it is a cultural difference between the two teams. Despite their efforts to be otherwise during this competition, the American players are more “I” than “We,” which is a handicap. Professional golf is an individual sport, and American players excel at it. They are the best in the world. However, every two years the top players are required to become a team, and they face a European team that is a lot more “We.”
Culture is one factor that can influence how people think and behave. One major cultural difference between the United States and Europe is individualism, the “I” orientation.
Individualism is opposed to collectivism, a “We” orientation. Individualistic cultures are those that stress the needs of the individual over the needs of the group. In this type of culture, people are seen as independent and autonomous.
People from individualist societies have self-concepts that are more focused on independence rather than interdependence. As a result, they tend to describe themselves regarding their unique personal characteristics and traits.
For several years the people behind the American Ryder Cup competition have tried to figure out why they lose these matches. They look at player pairings, course setup, and other such things. I suggest that they are looking in the wrong places.
According to one measure of 64 countries, the United States is tied with the United Kingdom for the highest rating on individualism, at 91. The 12 players on the European team were from six countries, as follows: Austria (1), Denmark (1), Ireland (1), Norway (1), Spain (1), Sweden (1), and the United Kingdom (6). These countries averaged only 81 on individualism. The six European countries other than the United Kingdom averaged even lower at 78. These data tell us that the Ryder Cup team concept for an individual sport is uncomfortable for the Americans.
That the US team had a great comeback and won the majority of the 12 matches on the third and final day provides additional information for the argument that individualistic Americans are uncomfortable with the team approach. There are three types of matches in the Ryder Cup – Foursomes, where two teammates play alternate shot on the same ball; Fourball, where two teammates play their own ball and count the best score per hall; and Singles matches, where each competitor from each team plays a competitor from the other team. The U.S. teams tend to win most of the singles matches and lose the majority of the two-man team matches.
The expressed attitudes of the players toward the Ryder cup are also supportive of my individualism argument. In 2021, Brooks Koepka, one of America’s top players, expressed frustration at interrupting his schedule and orientation to play in the Ryder Cup.
And then there is the money issue. Traditionally no players receive compensation for playing in the Ryder Cup. However, the American players complained about this practice and argued that they should at least have a say in how some of the money is distributed. So, starting this year, the US Ryder Cup players received $500,000 each, with $300,000 designated for charity and a $200,000 stipend they can keep, while European players will receive no payment. Meanwhile, the top European star, Rory McIlroy, who has changed from early in his career when he was not enthusiastic about playing in the Ryder Cup, responded to the US players being paid by saying he would pay to play in the Ryder Cup.
McIlroy’s orientation seems to represent the European side, which obviously has a different approach to these contests.
