Inside Golf - September 2010

September 2010 www.insidegolf.com.au........................................................................................................................................................................................................... COVERS TORY

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RESTLESS THE YOUNG

AND THE

An epic contest is looming for the 2010 Ryder Cup, as the
tour’s young guns prepare to tee it up alongside battle-
proven veterans at Celtic Manor in Wales.

RichardFellner

THE proverb “Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill” is one of my father’s favourites – especially on the 18th hole whenever he quietly pockets his winnings from our usual match.

For the upcoming Ryder Cup – to be played at Celtic Manor from October 1-3 – the proverb carries significant weight, as wily tour ‘Oldies’ like Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk will be sharing the stage with the fiery ‘Young Guns’ like Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson.

The Young

Losing a Major in a playoff situation may
seem like a nightmare. But to 31-year-old
Bubba Watson – who endured this very fate at
last month’s PGA Championship –his eyes were
solely focussed on the “Bigger Picture”:
‘’I made the Ryder Cup, so that’s all I care
about,” said Watson.

This speaks volumes about the importance that worldwide Tour players place on the Ryder Cup. Indeed, when it comes to worldwide competition, the Ryder Cup is in a league of its own.

Watson will be making his Ryder Cup debut alongside fellow Ryder Cup rookies Jeff Overton ( 27), Dustin Johnson ( 26) and Matt Kuchar ( 32). Hardly household names, these guys are solid golfers who are all playing extremely well. Rounding out the “youngsters” on the team is Hunter Mahan ( 28), who was on 2008’s winning squad. With victories at the WGC-Bridgestone and the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Mahan knows how to find the podium.

On the European side, 21-year-old phenom Rory McIlroy will be joining the melee for the first time. A member of Europe’s 2004 Junior Ryder Cup team, as well as Great Britain & Ireland’s 2007 Walker Cup team, McIlroy is no stranger to team competition. McIlroy has been on fire, his name gracing the leaderboards all over the place. With a T3 in both the Open and PGA Championships, and T9 at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, McIlroy will be one to watch for the Europeans.

So too will be 25-year-old Martin Kaymer. With victories at the PGA Championship and the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, as well as T8 at the US Open and T7 at the Open Championship, Kaymer is in fine form heading to Wales.

The Restless

Despite being a master of the short game,
2010 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson has
struggled to get “up-and-down” in one key spot
all year: attaining the World Number 1 position.
Only a ‘flop shot’ away from becoming king of
the mountain, Mickelson has failed to capitalise
on many opportunities to de-throne Tiger.
While his life off the course has been equally
challenging (his wife and his mother are both
battling breast cancer, while Phil himself has
struggled with psoriatic arthritis) the 8-time
Ryder Cup team member will certainly be
eager to add some end-of-the-year success to a
rollercoaster 2010.

Plenty of drama will unfold on the 18th hole at the 2010 Course at Celtic Manor, Wales

In addition, there is the added concern that Europe’s Number-1 player Lee Westwood may not be fit for the tournament, following a ruptured calf muscle that forced his withdrawal from the PGA Championship last month. (While the team had not been finalised at press time, we are certain that Monty got little, if any, sleep in the month of August!)

In an ominous sign for the US team, European
golf is stronger than it has been in years, as two of
the last four majors have been won by Europeans
(Kaymer and McDowell) while Lee Westwood
was second in the other two (The Masters and
the Open Championship).

Ryder Cup – Quick facts

• Sir Nick Faldo, Peter Oosterhuis, Billy Casper, Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead and Lee Trevino all share the record for the most singles victories with six wins.

• The most successful partnership in Ryder Cup history belongs to Seve Ballesteros and José Maria Olazábal. In their 15 matches together they won 11, halved two and lost just two matches.

• The players who have appeared in most Ryder Cup Matches are Sir Nick Faldo ( 11), and Billy Casper, Raymond Floyd and Lanny Wadkins (all 8).

• The highest points scorers in the history of the Ryder Cup Matches: Sir Nick Faldo ( 25) and Billy Casper ( 23½).

• The largest margin of victory was achieved by United States in the 1967 Match held at Houston when they won by 23½ - 8½.

• The 1977 Match saw the first appearance of a left-hander on either team when Englishman Peter Dawson represented the GB & Ireland side. Phil Mickelson is the only other left-hander to play and has played in every match since 1995.

• Neither side has ever won all the singles games in any of the 36 Matches played.

• In 1963 four-ball matches were introduced to the Ryder Cup and the overall match was extended to three days from the previous two.

• In 1999 Sergio Garcia became the youngest player to compete in the Ryder Cup ( 19 years, eight months and 15 days). Ted Ray, Raymond Floyd and Jay Haas are the only players aged over 50 to have played.

• Walter Hagen has the honour of recording both the largest victory and heaviest defeat in Ryder Cup history. In 1929, over 36 holes in the singles, George Duncan imposed a 10 and 8 defeat on Hagen. Two years later, in 1931, Hagen exacted revenge over 36 holes in the foursomes when he and partner Desmore Shute defeated Duncan and Arthur Havers 10 and 9.