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Ryder Cup
There were some pretty nasty comments floating around, following last Sunday’s conclusion of the Ryder Cup.
Every two years, an American contingent of golfers takes on a group from Europe for bragging rights. There is a wee cup that goes to the victors, 17 inches tall. That little cup is perhaps the most hotly contested piece of hardware in the sporting world today.
For many years, Americans dominated the game. 1977 was the last year the championship was played between the United States and golfers from Great Britain and Ireland. For some reason, after European golfers joined the team in 1979, things have not gone very well for the Americans. Since 1979, the Europeans have won the title 10 times, the Americans seven. In addition to Great Britain and Ireland, Europe has been represented by players from Spain, Sweden, France, Italy, Belgium, Germany and Denmark.
The Europeans won a third consecutive title on Sunday at the Gleneagles Hotel in Perth and Kinross, Scotland.
For the past couple of years, legendary golfer Tom Watson has been responsible for assembling the American team. He is the captain, and it was his duty to put together a winning team. There are singles matches, and different types of foursomes. There are 28 points at stake, and teams receive half points for ties.
Following the devastating loss, an American commentator spoke with Phil Mickelson, the most successful player on their team. I was a bit shocked when the interviewer intimated that, one day, Mickelson would likely become the captain of the team. I was more shocked when Mickelson began criticizing the entire American process: team selection, chemistry, and philosophy. Hardly a team approach from the left-handed player.
Watson had decided to sit Mickelson out for the games last Saturday. Mickelson and Keegan Bradley did not play well Friday, and the captain went with a hunch to play Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker. Mickelson was steamed at the slight, and likely dashed his chances of becoming a captain anytime soon with his tirade.
The European team was led by Rory McIlroy, the best golfer in the world today. But it was a 38-year-old rookie from Wales who really put a pin in the American balloon. Jamie Donaldson was four strokes up on Bradley with four holes to play. His nine iron shot from 146 yards out rolled next to the cup. That was all she wrote. Captain Watson shook his hand, signalling the European victory.
The Europeans had scored 16 ½ points to 11 1/2 for the Americans. They got to pop the corks, and kept the Ryder Cup for the eighth time in the last 10 championships.
The players receive no prize money for their efforts. The golf associations and the television networks do quite well from the event. There are enormous crowds following the golfers throughout the week. All matches are hotly contested, to say the least. National pride, and all that stuff.
In 2016, the Ryder Cup will be contested in Minnesota. The 2018 Cup will be played in France at Le Golf National Club.
Serious golf fans on this side of the Atlantic can now get back to their regular sleep schedule. They had been setting their alarms for the wee hours of the morning, as some of the golf games started at 7:35 a.m., British time.
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