Ryder Cup Week 2008 (15th-21st Sept)

Blunder

Right seeing as today is the start of all the fun I'm starting a thread for all thoughts on the competition.

Reading this morning that Ike has done some damage to the course, Its like the Wednesday of 2006 all over again!

Kaymer invited along as guest by Faldo. He says he wont be bringing his clubs but I cant imagine that he will be the water carrier either. So I'm reading between the lines that there is a potential injury in the team.

Cant wait for friday now.

ShriekingSheet

Yeah can't wait. I don't watch golf on TV much usually but will definitely be clearing the schedule as much as possible for this.

Playing down in Roscrea on the Friday so might grab a hotel there for the night. Wingback chair, open fire, a good scotch and plenty of blue on the score board... nice one!

kenco

Coverage is pretty much noon to midnight. From the K club I think that pretty much means non stop golf as there tends not to be much a break between the foursomes and fourballs. Planning to watch as much as the kids allow me to!

I have a feeling its going to be very tight and I think a captains error from Faldo will lose it for Europe, i.e. will make a mess of the pairs in one of the session and they will get stuffed (think Garcia and Harrinton as a four ball...)

copacetic

Hope the weather isn't a problem, tail end of hurricane Ike is hitting them. Apparently TV tower came down onto 12th green and press areas had to be evactuated.

Mister Sifter

I wish i shared everyone else's enthusiasm, but i can't get myself up for it at all. I put that mainly down to Faldo and to a lesser extent, the lack of any Scottish players in the team.

Also, the fact that Europe have dominated the Ryder Cup in recent times also takes the edge of it a bit too.

For what it's worth, i think the americans will win it. If they do, i hope it's a stuffing. Faldo deserves it.

ShriekingSheet

Graeme1982 wrote: »

For what it's worth, i think the americans will win it. If they do, i hope it's a stuffing. Faldo deserves it.

I feel the same way but I'm making a conscious decision to just forget about the situation given that it's only every two years and I want to enjoy it.

Adiaga 2

copacetic wrote: »

Apparently TV tower came down onto 12th green and press areas had to be evactuated.

I know I shouldn't find that funny but I can just see Ewan Murray screaming "Oh, the humanity" as he tumbles towards the cut and prepared..

I'm looking forward to it. On paper i think Europe look so much stronger. I hope it's a close one. The K Club last time was a great win but the singles nearly felt like a lap of honour(...at least from my couch it did). I probably won't get to see any of friday or saturday's play. Would love to see Europe win a nail-biter.

madds

8 of us are meeting in Lucan at 8am to contest our own mini Ryder Cup event before sitting down to watch the day's play in the bar. Don't know how I got a pass for it as it's the other half's birthday on Friday!! Weather forecast for later in the week is looking good so fingers crossed!

Mister Sifter

Anyone else watch the press conference there? Faldo and Azinger side by side.

Azinger very relaxed and cracking a few jokes. An absolute gentleman right the way through. Answered everything very well.

Faldo on the other hand, just came across as an absolute tosser. The Irish journalists certainly didn't get on his good side anyway!

Blunder

I'm not making excuses for him but maybe the fact he's just off a 10 ish hour flight might make him cranky! What irish journo was it?

Mister Sifter

Blunder wrote: »

I'm not making excuses for him but maybe the fact he's just off a 10 ish hour flight might make him cranky! What irish journo was it?

There was two of them. Think it was Phil Reid and Karl McGinty, although they didn't give their names so can't be sure.

Blunder

Seen it this morning. I think it was actually Stephen Watson from BBCNI that asked the obligitory Darren Clarke question at first. Then Karl McGinty and then I think it was the guy from the sun or star or something like that.

In fairness to Faldo the Darren Clarke question has been asked so many different ways now since the end of August that I'm sure that he has heard them all. Thought it was an interesting move to ask Zinger what he thought of Darren Clarke being left out and Thought Zinger handled that answer well.

Mister Sifter

Blunder wrote: »

Seen it this morning. I think it was actually Stephen Watson from BBCNI that asked the obligitory Darren Clarke question at first. Then Karl McGinty and then I think it was the guy from the sun or star or something like that.

In fairness to Faldo the Darren Clarke question has been asked so many different ways now since the end of August that I'm sure that he has heard them all. Thought it was an interesting move to ask Zinger what he thought of Darren Clarke being left out and Thought Zinger handled that answer well.

Azinger handled it all well. It was a very classy performance from him. Faldo made the decision about Clarke, so he should live by it. It was a controversial one so he has to accept that questions will be asked. If he has been asked it many times already, he should have learnt to answer it better than he did.

I thought it quite disrespectful of him when Azinger welcomed the European team and praised their quality in his opening address and then when it was Faldo's turn he just talked about himself.

Trampas

Faldo admits it that it always about himself.

If Europe win the cup. Faldo will be patting himself on the back and not the players

Blunder

I dont really want to be listening to questions about Darren Clarke all week. If the team lose next sunday then I could live with questions then but before the tournament I'd rather the team that is there be the focus of attention not on players that didnt make the team and are now probably spending some well earned time with their family. This wont be Darrens last chance at a Ryder cup.

I did get from the interview though that it was very much about Faldo. Basically down to Faldo himself especially since he answered a question that was meant for Zinger!

Dont get me wrong, I dont like Faldo much but I think he was being set on a bit with some of his questions. At the end of the day though he has probably brought that all on himself with his history.

JerryHandbag

In fairness Faldo wouldnt have to answer awkward questions about Clarke if he had picked him in the first place....if Europe do win, which I expect they will comfortably, it'll be down to the quality of the players and not Faldo

Marshy

JerryHandbag wrote: »

....if Europe do win, which I expect they will comfortably, it'll be down to the quality of the players and not Faldo

Well thats the way it usually is in my mind. The captain can only do so much and generally gets praised too much in victory and criticised too much in defeat (except for Hal Sutton and his outrageous Woods/Mickelson combination ).

I think the K Club epitomised that. Lehman seemed to have planned meticulously for the matches and you couldn't say he put a foot wrong really. Yet the US didn't perform and were trounced. On the other hand, some initially questioned Woosnam's approach as captain but afterwards he was lauded as a genius who masterminded the great victory.

This time I suspect it'll be the same. If Europe win, few will be talking about Faldo's dubious decisions afterwards.

staker

Marshy wrote: »

This time I suspect it'll be the same. If Europe win, few will be talking about Faldo's dubious decisions afterwards.

Couldn't agree more, unfortunately that's the truth of it.
Either which way,Faldo's judgement in selection has tainted his reputation completely for me, so I won't be reading too much into pairings should europe win.
The quality of most of the european players will be the decisive factor if we win, not 'Captain Faldo'.

Paulusmaximus

interesting article about Azinger in the Irish Times today. Not the friendliest and sporting of characters in his day. Maybe someone who has access to ireland.com could post it.

ziggy

This post has been deleted.

Marshy

Paulusmaximus wrote: »

interesting article about Azinger in the Irish Times today. Not the friendliest and sporting of characters in his day. Maybe someone who has access to ireland.com could post it.

This the one you mean?

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2008/0916/1221430252430.html

leiwand

i can't help but feel the competitiveness/animosity that seems to exist between padraig and sergio could have a negative effect on the european teamspirit.
if faldo had the man management skills he should move to diffuse any bad feeling

Mister Sifter

ziggy wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Says the man calling for Strachan's head?

ziggy

This post has been deleted.

copacetic

ok lads, keep the soccer stuff to the soccer forum. or it'll be bans for anyone
who doesn't bleed merseyside red!

Mister Sifter

Yep, it's probably best we don't use football analogies. Going by your footballing allegiances, you boys would be supporting the Americans. Support your own, indeed!

Caught a bit of the press conference tonight and the accusation at Faldo was that he had revealed the pairings when the camera zoomed in on a piece of paper he was reading?!

ziggy

This post has been deleted.

Trampas

Rumors going around that Perry and Holmes are going to be leading the way on the first day.

Myself I wouldn't have Holmes playing foursomes. I can see him playing fourball as he hits it miles but can be wild so strange to see him playing foresomes.

I say Padraig and Stenson will playing in the fourball together. Padraig will get the odd few birdies while Stenson can attack more.

Going for Padraig and McDowell in a foursome group

Garcia and Westwood will be a cert to play with each other.

Rose and Poulter in fourball.

newballsplease

im not being smart here but can someone explain what exacly the captain does?? picks the pairings?and 2 chosen players?!anything else????
surely whatever team wins, it will be down to the actual golfers who ar playing.
i dont understand what the big deal is made about the captains.

PhilipMarlowe

Were you watching in 2004 when Hal Sutton was the USA captain?
Paired Mickleson and Tiger together...
Sent them out on sunday in the order that they qualified in...

Ok, the players have to perform (Davis love and chad campbell only had one birdie between them in a fourball, well, in 14 holes anyway ) and if they don't there isn't much the manager can do but it's ultimately his responsibility

Roar

quick question re: foursomes, how do the pairings decide on which brand of ball they use? whoever tees off plays their brand?

PhilipMarlowe

I think sometimes it's done so that the player hitting the approach shot to the green is using his own brand ball.. after all, on a par 4, the ball isn't going to make that much difference from the driver but the player hitting the wedge to the green will be much more comfortable playing his own ball.

Roar

Licksy wrote: »

I think sometimes it's done so that the player hitting the approach shot to the green is using his own brand ball.. after all, on a par 4, the ball isn't going to make that much difference from the driver but the player hitting the wedge to the green will be much more comfortable playing his own ball.

ah right, cheers!

WaldenByThoreua

Can't wait for Harrington Karlsson v Mickelson Kim...........If we can snatch that one it'll be a huge win....mentally more than anything else......BEGIN ALREADY!!!

Aquos76

First blood to the europeans

Harrington just made a birdie on the first.

CHD

Faldo looks like he doesn't know what he's doing!

Ruu_Old

Europeans looking fired up and having fun with the gallery.

mike65

Irish fans decked out like Leprechauns oh dear.

Stenson/Casey getting thumped.

Edit - disturbance in the crowd!

Mike.

fullstop

mike65 wrote: »

Irish fans decked out like Leprechauns oh dear.

Stenson/Casey getting thumped.

Edit - disturbance in the crowd!

Mike.

What sort of disturbances :eek:

Ruu_Old

Someone from the media screwed up Mickelson's chip onto the green, camera or something. Not happy about it. Harrington and Karlsson go 1 up heading to 11th hole.

mike65

Now Garcia hearing something untowards, this could get nasty.

Mike.

Mister Sifter

mike65 wrote: »

Now Garcia hearing something untowards, this could get nasty.

Mike.

Thank god Monty's not there... there would be a few headless bodies wandering about!

Ruu_Old

Kim hit his tee shot into the woods on the 12th, Harrington/Karlsson currently 2 up.

edit: Beautiful shot by Harrington onto the green and Karlsson makes the birdie, Europeans 3 up with 6 to go.

Ruu_Old

Leonard/Mahan (1 UP) should have closed the door on Stenson/Casey by now. Garcia looks like he is enjoying himself.

fullstop

What a shot by Mickelson. HArrington/Karlsson leaking oil now

fullstop

Gonna lose the first 2 matches at least now. What the hell was Casey playing at giving that putt and then hits in the water off the next tee

fullstop

FFS Poutler :mad:

mike65

First (and soon second) blood to the Yanks.

Mike.

SuprSi

Not a good start, considering the teams.

BoardsRanger

Wouldnt it be great if you could get a sound filter to block out "usa usa usa" and "get in the hole"

fullstop

Euros sh!tting it. Harrington tops out of the bunker then Garcia hits it in the water from the fairway