Two years ago, after then U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson named his 12 players for the matches in Rome, which would take place nearly a month later, almost none of the American players played a tournament before the competition began.

Meanwhile, most of the European players played at least one DP World Tour event before that Ryder Cup.

Not surprisingly, the U.S. players looked rusty while the Euros looked sharp en route to winning 16 ½ to 11 ½ after building an immediate 4-0 lead in the Friday morning foursomes.

Europe led 4-0 after the first session, 6 ½ to 1 ½ after two sessions and 9 ½ to 2 ½ after three sessions.

This year, at U.S. captain Keegan Bradley’s urging, the American players are playing a PGA Tour event before the Ryder Cup matches begin.{ai:summary}<p>Johnson named the U.S. Ryder Cup team for Rome; Americans largely skipped tune-ups, while Europe played at least one DP World Tour event.</p><p>Europe built a 4-0 lead and won 16.5-11.5, with 4-0 after the first session, 6.5-1.5 after two, and 9.5-2.5 after three. #sports</p>

Keegan Bradley doing everything he can to avoid another rusty Team USA letdown at Ryder Cup

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