Sunday, October 21, 2018
The Ryder Cup-2918
More than
one hundred thousand golf fans packed the fairways and the
grandstands of a golf course near Paris, France, last week, to watch
the latest edition of the Ryder Cup. Most of them were there, of
course, to watch the Americans lose.
The Ryder
Cup takes place every two years, and the trophy is named after an
English businessman who donated the cup. The first Ryder Cup took
place in 1927, in Worcester Country Club, Massachusetts. Nowadays, it
has become the scene of very bitter rivalries. American fans are
delighted to chant “USA, USA” when their players are doing well.
The Europeans reply with “Ole, Ole, Ole...” which is heard,
occasionally, at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
There has
been a bit of animosity toward the Americans for decades. It may have
come from the methods used by the Americans to help the Europeans
after the World Wars. There may be a hint of jealousy on the part of
the Europeans towards the Americans and their success in world
economics. The rivalry on the golf course is intense.
Until
recently, there was a certain dignity on golf courses. Marshalls and
course personnel hold up signs to quieten the crowds while players
prepare to putt. For the most part, that is still respected. What is
somewhat bothersome is the mean-spirited way fans explode when one of
the rivals misses an easy putt. It's like cheering a double fault in
tennis. Just rubbing it in.
I am certain
that all of this commotion has an effect on the players. Many
American players who are normally unfazed by the clamour played very
poorly in France. The team was defeated 17 1/2 points to 10 1/2
points. In golfing circles, a pretty sound thumping. Bubba Watson,
Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Rickey Fowler all suffered defeat in the
singles competition.
Francisco
Molinari is the first golfer in history to win a major tournament,
and then end up with a perfect 5-0 record at the Ryder Cup. He was
mobbed by his fans after he drained his putt to defeat Phil
Mickelson, ahead by 4 holes with two holes to play.
Sergio
Garcia defeated Fowler in his singles match. With his victory, he
became the winningest competitor in Ryder Cup history. The European
team consists of players from Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Italy,
Germany, Spain , and France.
The next
Ryder Cup will take place at Whistling Straits, Haven, Wisconsin. Two
years later, the championship will be held in Italy. Molinari seemed
to be in agreement with that decision.
It made for
riveting television. The format is match play, and players can make
substantial gains when opponents have a couple of bad holes. Tiger
Woods, who recently won his first tournament in several years, was
weary after the Cup. “It's been a long grind,” he told ESPN's Bob
Harig. “This is my seventh week of golf out of the last nine weeks.
I believe I've been grinding at it.”
When they
lifted the golden goblet out of its case, you could almost hear the
roar on this side of the Atlantic. Rest assured, if the Americans are
successful in Wisconsin in a couple of years, there will be plenty of
“USA” cheers. Guaranteed.
There are
still a few nice golfing days remaining. Hit 'em straight.
James Hurst
October 10,
2018.
# posted by James Hurst @ 2:36 PM 
