Quick Hits: Ryder Cup Recap
With the Ryder Cup being played in Europe, the rain delays, and a weekend trip to see the Buckeyes playing in Champaign, I didn't get to see nearly the amount of golf that I would have liked to this weekend. Thankfully, I was able to DVR the exciting Monday singles and speed through it. Reigning US Open Champ Graeme McDowell proved to be the hero on Monday morning by beating Hunter Mahan in the anchor match, but it's hard for me to put this Ryder Cup among the all-time greats, especially when Colin Montgomerie emerged as the winning captain and the US on the losing end! Let's do a Quick Hits Ryder Cup recap and check out 5 random thoughts from the weekend at Celtic Manor...
1) Tiger, Tiger, Tiger - Woods wasn't quite the story during the week that he was before the Cup. In fact, it was refreshing to see most of the coverage focus on the actual golf! Tiger actually had his best statistical Ryder Cup ever! (3-1 although that one loss was an embarrassing 6&5 loss with Steve Stricker in the fatal Session 3). Let's not say that Tiger is BACK, but it has to be encouraging for what's left of Tiger's supporters.
2) Phil, Phil, Phil - On the other hand, Phil Mickelson has to be the most thankful man on the planet for Tiger's struggles in 2010. Mickelson hasn't scored a Top 5 since the US Open and has looked like a shell of the man that won the Masters this year. His singles win saved a weekend where he was absolutely dismal with Dustin Johnson. In fact, it may be Phil and not Tiger that has the most work to do in the offseason. At this point, Steve Stricker (3-1) looks like the best American player and more likely to rise to #1 in the world.
3) Black Sunday - The revised format put the US in a tough position, having to play all 12 players in 2 sessions of Fourball and Foursomes when Team Europe was clearly the deeper and more talented team. That lack of depth showed in Session 3, where the Cup was won in a 5.5-0.5 session in Europe's favor consisting of 2 Foursomes and 4 Fourball matches.
4) Big Mac - What a year for Graeme McDowell. First, he wins the US Open at Pebble Beach, and then he wins the Ryder Cup for Europe in the anchor match with a clutch birdie putt on 16. If that's not a breakout year, I don't know what is! Even though the US ultimately lost, it's good for golf to have a new star like McDowell perform well on the big stage. Donald, Westwood, and Poulter also starred for a rising European team.
5) Hunter the Hunted - Yes, Hunter Mahan lost the last match, but it's unfair to label him a choker and place the loss on his shoulders. Unlike 99.9% of golf tournaments, the Ryder Cup is a TEAM event. Mahan lost the last match, but there were 28 matches played and plenty of other opportunities for the US to win the Cup. I also don't think Corey Pavin deserves any blame for leaving Mahan in the anchor spot. Hunter has played well in the Cups and he needed to put his biggest guns out earlier to give the US team a chance.
One More Thing...
-The Ryder Cup is not only one of the great events in golf, but in all of sports. Anytime you can play for your country (or your continent), the pressure and excitement are ratcheted up several notches and it makes for a great sports experience. What's so great about the Ryder Cup is that these elements that aren't usually in golf are brought to the game and make it even better! The crowds are actually rooting for a side and not just giving polite claps to every botched shot. I like hearing the Euros cheer when Tiger Woods hits it in the water. I like seeing Jeff Overton shout "Boom Baby!" when he holes out from the fairway. I like seeing the emotion and the heart and the intensity that doesn't exist in any other golf tournament. The Ryder Cup is such a rare, unique, wonderful event that we take it for granted and it's vastly underrated on the sports calendar.
Look at Graeme McDowell's reaction after his birdie on 16 basically clinched the Cup. There was more emotion in that moment than when he won the US Open at Pebble Beach! If you don't think the Ryder Cup is a big deal, take a look at what the US Open Champ said about his winning performance...
The putt on the 16th was stuff I have dreamed about all my life. Compared to that, the US Open was like playing nine holes with by dad at Portrush.
That's the sort of emotion and pressure that makes the Ryder Cup one of the best events in sports. I for one can't wait until 2012 when we take the Ryder Cup back.
