Before anything else, let us get your attention with this:

Team USA’s 1999 Ryder Cup shirts.

Those are the rather loud shirts Team U.S.A. sported at the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline. While the U.S. stormed from behind to win the cup that year (U.S.A.! U.S.A.!), they lost the teamwear war with tops that are often cited as among the ugliest ever worn at the Ryder Cup – or anywhere.

But we’re not here to relive stylistic transgressions of Ryder Cups’ past. No sir, we’re here for a face-off between the branded apparel collections for the U.S. and European teams in the 2018 Ryder Cup – this year’s incarnation of the international grudge match on the greens that pits America’s best golfers against Europe’s elite. It tees off Friday, Sept. 28.

Five more Fridays....#RyderCup #TeamEurope pic.twitter.com/MGaRQpLu8T

— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) August 24, 2018

The editorial team checked out the U.S./European collections in four key product categories. While there was a fair deal of overlap, there were enough distinct looks in headwear, polos, jackets and fleece/sweatshirts to select winners, which we did by tallying up individual votes in each category. Since golfwear exerts significant influence on style trends in the corporate apparel/promotional products market, we felt this was a valid bit of trendspotting – or at least that’s how we pitched the powers that be!

HEADWEAR

[At left] USA's New Era navy official Ryder Cup hat; [At right] Team Europe Cap with Stars

Winner: Europe
Why Europe Won: Generally, the Euro enthusiasts felt there was more variety and stylistic flourishes in the headwear for the team from across the pond. “The USA caps are kind of generic – you could pick up something similar in the 4th of July section of any discount department store.” – Theresa Hegel, Executive Editor, Wearables magazine
Dissenting View: “The USA is going for sleek and modern. Europe is going for the wrong kind of classic – early ‘90s classic with those stars and colored brim panels. No need to bring that back. USA birdies the hole.” – C.J. Mittica, Editor, Advantages magazine

POLOS

[At left] Team USA men's RLX navy 2018 Ryder Cup official Thursday active fit polo; [At right] 2018 Ryder Cup European fanwear pique polo in royal

Women's RLX navy 2018 Ryder Cup official Sunday active fit polo

Winner: ‘Merica
Why the U.S. Won: Backers of the U.S. polos felt they had an attractive preppy feel that was modern with some fetching classic elements – all without being over the top. “Some of the European polos are truly cringe-worthy – especially the floral prints in the women’s section,” said Hegel.
Dissenting View: “The European polos have a bit of a classier look than the USA polos. I like that they leaned more towards solid colors versus stripes and such.” – Glen Karpowich, senior designer, ASI

JACKETS

[At left] USA men's RLX navy/white 2018 Ryder Cup official hybrid merino wool quilted full-zip jacket; [At right] 2018 Ryder Cup European fanwear padded hybrid jacket in navy/royal

Women’s 2018 Ryder Cup European fanwear padded jacket

Winner: Europa
Why Europe Won: The prevailing feeling was that Europe’s offerings had more interesting style elements. The ASI crew also felt the U.S. collection had a few missteps. “Whoa U.S., camo does not belong on the golf course,” said Mittica, “unless you’re trying to hunt and kill all the golfers, and if I do that Sandy, they’ll lock me up and throw away the key. (Mandatory Caddyshack reference? Check.) Europe after the U.S. shanks its tee shot into the water.” (In fairness, the camo appeared to be available for Europe too, but we couldn’t not use that Caddyshack reference.)
Dissenting View: “I'm giving the edge to the USA on this one,” said Karpowich. “The jackets look really classy and clean. Nice use of the red, white and blue – and patterns. The highlights of red zippers on a navy blue jacket are pretty sweet.”

FLEECE/SWEATSHIRTS

[At left] Team USA’s Cutter & Buck (asi/47965) red/navy 2018 Ryder Cup Skyridge half-zip pullover for men; [At right] 2018 Ryder Cup European fanwear tech midlayer in royal/navy

Women's Nike Red 2018 Ryder Cup Performance Half-Zip Pullover Jacket.

Winner: USofA
Why the U.S. Won: Stylistically, the feedback was that the offerings were neck-and-neck, which made it come down to color preference. In this case, it appears our Yankee Doodle Dandy staffers’ red-and-white-blue aesthetic might have skewed the vote along patriotic lines.
Dissenting View: In a close competition, the consensus among Old World supporters was that the women’s collection was a tad stronger, tipping their opinion toward Europe on the whole.

At final reckoning, it seems we went soccer and ended up with a draw, as Europe and the U.S. each took two product categories. There’ll be no such standoff in a month’s time at Le Golf National in France. We’ll be watching from a 19th hole somewhere.

Check out the full U.S. collection at http://shop.pga.com/Ryder_Cup_ and the European collection at http://euroshop.rydercup.com.