After the Friday Morning Foursomes:
USA 2
Europe 2
In the Friday Afternoon Four-Ball, US leads 3 matches, and Europe leads one.
Watched a good part of the afternoon matches, with the US team going 3-1 to take a 5-3 overall lead.
Really good entertainment; it's clearly a different animal for the players and their emotions are much more apparent.
Keegan Bradley and Mickelson were terrific; the player of the afternoon was a Ryder Cup rookie from Belgium named Nicolas Colsaerts, who almost single-handedly beat a US team of Stricker and Woods (who played well, esp. on the back nine). I believe Colsaerts, who hits the ball a mile, ended up with 8 birdies and an eagle.
Good lead for the Americans heading into singles tomorrow. Leading 10-6 we need 4 1/2 points to win. It would be a huge upset for us to lose now. I can't recall the last time we led by 4 points going into singles; it's been a good while. GO USA!!!
I don't know what's sweeter, the four point lead, or Eldrick making himself even more useless in the Ryder Cup than he previously had been, at 0-3...and the US still leading 10-6. If he actually gave a crap about something that isn't about the glorification of Tiger alone, the US might only need a point or two tomorrow.
USA 10
EU 3
Soverign Nation of Tiger Woods' ego -3.
Sunday matches anon.
A movie is not about what it's about; it's about how it's about it.
---Roger Ebert
Some questions cannot be answered
Who’s gonna bury who
We need a love like Johnny, Johnny and June
---Over the Rhine
Strange watching the Ryder. I root for the US, but I like more of the Euro players. Outside of Mickelson, Bubba and Keegan Bradley, there is zero personality on the American side. Even the captain is no-fat vanilla. I only like Furyk because he is a Steeler fan. The Euros are so much more likeable.
Notice they refer to Lefty playing with and mentoring the young guys and being a clubhouse leader. No such mention with respect to Tiger. Tiger can only play with Stricker, someone he is comfortable playing with.
Makes me wonder if Tiger would ever be consider for captain of the Ryder cup team. I would guess no, because I don't think he is well respected as a person in the US golf community (and the golf wives would probably not be all that happy). But on the other side of the coin, Tiger has dominated for so long and the Ryder team has been so bad, there aren't a bunch of other choices for the future, when Tiger nears 50.
The issue came into amusing relief to me watching MJ enjoying his special access inside the ropes. Great individual player who is a miserable person and unfit to guide a team.
I don't think you're being very fair, at least given Tiger's play on Friday afternoon. He was actually very good, he just ran up against Coelstarts who was otherworldly (shooting 8 birdies and an eagle on the day). There were plenty of holes where Stricker took himself out of contention to win the hole early, forcing Tiger to have to carry him on his back. They were very unlucky to not get the halve in that match, IMO.
Now, I didn't see Friday morning or yesterday afternoon (saw yesterday morning), but Tiger needs rhythm to get going. He doesn't have the same intimidation factor anymore that he used to, and I think holding them out of alternate shot was a good idea because it's hard for him to get that rhythm. But, I think just as much fault needs to go to Stricker, who has been abysmal this week from the holes I've seen. He's not doing Tiger any favors.
Tiger had his moments with 3 clutch birdies on the back, but poor play on the front 9 had the Americans down 4 at the turn.
Tiger's singles record at 4-1-1. His self focus may interfere with being a good team player. And let's face it, Tiger's not nearly the golfer he used to be, particularly in pressure situations.
What is fair when it comes to Tiger? Was it fair that he became a world renowned celebrity making 100s of millions of dollars? Is it fair that nobody but Stricker is anxious to play with Tiger?
Tiger is a preening egomaniac that invites the criticism with his posing on good shots, his fist pumps and his glares. He is ready to accept the adulation for carrying his team to victory, he deserves the ridicule for falling short. Ian Poulter displayed a similar ego, but he got it done.
Tiger absolutely sucked for 27 holes on Friday and for the front nine on Saturday. He hit the ball all over the course and missed makeable critical putts.
Love is doing a great job with this team. Sending Tiger out at the end is brilliant - the only way it matters is if there is a total collapse before him and everything is on the line - the perfect situation for Tiger. If Tiger goes off early and plays like he has been on the front nine, he could pull the whole team down. Tiger showed that he can still hit shots that few if any can hit, and that he can hit those shots in crunch time - it just seems that he needs that level of pressure to perform at that level. I hope it won't be necessary today.
Match 1 USA Jason Dufner vs Europe Peter Hanson -
Match 2 USA Tiger Woods vs Europe Francesco Molinari -
Match 3 USA Zach Johnson vs Europe Graeme McDowell -
Match 4 USA Steve Stricker vs Europe Martin Kaymer -
Match 5 USA Keegan Bradley vs Europe Rory McIlroy -
Match 6 USA Dustin Johnson vs Europe Nicolas Colsaerts -
Match 7 USA Webb Simpson vs Europe Ian Poulter -
Match 8 USA Phil Mickelson vs Europe Justin Rose -
Match 9 USA Jim Furyk vs Europe Sergio Garcia -
Match 10 USA Brandt Snedeker vs Europe Paul Lawrie -
Match 11 USA Bubba Watson vs Europe Luke Donald -
Match 12 USA Matt Kuchar vs Europe Lee Westwood
How do they determine the order of the matches? Is Tiger 2nd off the tee or 2nd to last?
-Jason
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
ESPN has this for the schedule:
Europe U.S. Time
L. Donald B. Watson 12:03p
I. Poulter W. Simpson 12:14p
R. McIlroy K. Bradley 12:25p
J. Rose P. Mickelson 12:36p
P. Lawrie B. Snedeker 12:47p
N. Colsaerts D. Johnson 12:58p
G. McDowell Z. Johnson 1:09p
S. Garcia J. Furyk 1:20p
P. Hanson J. Dufner 1:31p
L. Westwood M. Kuchar 1:42p
M. Kaymer S. Stricker 1:53p
F. Molinari T. Woods 2:04p
Rory arrives on the course as the group ahead of him tees off.
Gotta love the Irish
His match with Keegan could be epic (well - as epic as golf can get)
ouch
that is going to leave a mark
too many missed putts
Davis Love III has to go down in history as the worst captain ever.
~rthomas
Biggest comeback on foreign soil and ties 1999 for biggest comeback ever. Complete meltdowns by the whole team on 17 and 18 today, while the Euros executed their plan to perfection.
Easy to say in retrospect, but the choices of Furyk and Stricker didn't work out. Furyk took forever over his putts on 17 and 18 and clearly missed both.
The old nerves in pressure situation didn't come through.
Plus Europe played great; Poulter was amazing and Rose had some magic today on 17 and 18.