Honor & Glory by North & Warren

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TAKING ON THE ODDS: PHIL MICKELSON ON WHY THE USA CAN WIN

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A POSITION OF INFLUENCE: LISTENING TO THE LOUDEST CROWDS IN GOLF Gleneagles, we look at the holes and the history All the players, opinions, records and facts

Martin Kaymer The U.S. Open champ relives THAT putt at Medinah a

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CONTENTS

ARNOLD Palmer FOREWORD Arnold Palmer looks forward to the Ryder Cup’s return to the homeland of golf

FIRST MINISTER ALEX Salmond FOREWORD Alex Salmond, Scotland’s First Minister, welcomes the Ryder Cup to Perthshire

EDITOR’S FOREWORD A warning that Tom Watson’s Gleneagles welcome should not be misconstrued

Knowledge is power Some notable Ryder Cup facts and quotes to set the tone for chapter 40 of golf’s biennial team classic

Miracle or massacre? Call it a comeback or a collapse, the final day of the 2012 Ryder Cup was a stunner. Bill Elliott was there

Arnold Palmer talks Chris Rodell visits Arnold Palmer at home in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to talk all things Ryder Cup

History turns full circle Colin Callander looks back to the first matches played between GB&I and the US, at Gleaneagles in 1921

Glen Roamin’ Paul Trow sets the scene for the 2014 Ryder Cup, in considering the golf course and its protagonists

Monarch of the Glen Scotsman Callander offers a holeby-hole guide to the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles

A kindred spirit Bob Harig speaks to Tom Watson, US captain now and also the last time America won in Europe

10 out of 10 Phil Mickelson tells Art Spander why the US can win on what will be his 10th Ryder Cup appearance

The players’ choice Paul McGinley talks to Robin Barwick about the magic ingredient for Ryder Cup success: momentum

Six feet for it U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer talks to Robin Barwick about the putt that retained the 2012 Ryder Cup

All-American high five Dave Shedloski offers five great reasons why the United States will reclaim the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles

A date with destiny Adam Hathaway profiles the 12 men tasked with bringing the Ryder Cup back to America

An Ameican meltdown Englishman Paul Mahoney argues that American joy at the Ryder Cup will end at the opening ceremony

The welcoming committee Hathaway turns his attention to Paul McGinley’s highly rated European squad of 12

The power of 2 Andy Farrell looks back at Ryder Cup pairings that have worked, and some that have not, and considers why

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114

Teaming from the top Great sporting moments occur when a minow bites a shark. Robert Lalage considers the power of teamwork

134

Loss and profit Ross Biddiscombe writes that the Ryder Cup was once far from being a multi-million dollar extravaganza

116

Building teams We hear from specialist team builders at EY about their ‘high performance teaming’

138

A return to form Reade Tilley takes a look at a growing trend of American owners investing in Scottish golf courses

120

European union Clive Agran studies the disparate, feuding Euro nations that somehow produce a cohesive Ryder Cup team

144

The futures market Paul Trow looks to the future and to the venues for the next three Ryder Cups in 2016, 2018 and 2020

Bringing “power to the role” Dave Shedloski listens to the vice captains who will be supporting their teams at Gleneagles

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When respect became revenge Art Spander looks outside the ropes at the crowd behaviour that has occasionally tarnished Ryder Cups

Ryder Cup records The results of all 39 Ryder Cup matches since 1927, plus a plethora of other facts, lists and numbers

EDITOR Robin Barwick PUBLISHER Matthew Squire FOUNDING CONTRIBUTOR Arnold Palmer ART DIRECTOR Leon Harris SENIOR DESIGNER Matthew Halnan JUNIOR DESIGNER Kieron Deen Halnan VP OPERATIONS Joe Velotta CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Reade Tilley EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Carla Richards ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVES Jon Edwards, Dean Jacobson, Sam Krume, Deric Piper CONTRIBUTORS Clive Agran, Ross Biddiscombe, Colin Callander, Patrick Drickey / stonehousegolf.com, Bill Elliott, Andy Farrell, Getty Images, Bob Harig, Leon Harris, Adam Hathaway, Paul Mahoney, Chris Rodell, Dave Shedloski, Art Spander, Paul Trow SPECIAL THANKS First Minister Alex Salmond, Doc Giffin, Tom Watson, Paul McGinley, Phil Mickelson, Martin Kaymer, Nancy Lopez

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eNJOY TWO LONG DRIVeS

Hertz celebrates the anniversary of a thirty-year relationship with Arnold Palmer, proudly embracing our role as an Associate Sponsor of the 2014 Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard and Exclusive Car Rental Partner of Arnold Palmer’s Guide to the Ryder Cup.

FOREWORD

Arnold Pa l m er fo r ewo r d

Let it fly: Arnold Palmer tees off during the 1965 Ryder Cup at Royal Birkdale. He would contribute four points from six matches as the US won 19 1/2 to 12 1/2

Welcome to this Kingdom special edition, Honor & Glory. This year marks the 40th Ryder Cup and it is fitting that the matches will take place in Scotland, the spiritual home of golf, and at Gleneagles, the resort that can lay claim to having staged the first international matches between teams from opposing sides of the Atlantic. I have fond memories of playing at Gleneagles and it is an excellent venue. The Ryder Cup has long been dear to my heart. I was fortunate to play in six Ryder Cups, to captain the American team twice and never to have been on the losing side. Since then, the Great Britain and Ireland team has expanded to embrace the whole of Europe, and the Ryder Cup has consequently been more evenly matched. The result has been some of the most exciting golfing drama I have ever seen, and none more so than two years ago at Medinah. That was a heck of a revival by Europe, and I know the American players still feel the sting of that defeat. I have great confidence in Tom Watson as captain, and he has the experience and ability to lead some fine young American golfers to victory. One needs to look no further than to Rickie Fowler’s performance in this year’s majors, including the [British] Open, to see the caliber of players on Tom’s team. Phil Mickelson, winner of both the British and Scottish Opens last summer, will bring experience and confidence to the whole team. I know the US team will show character and battle to the very last putt and I hope the players can bring the Ryder Cup home. The American team will have to be at its best because the European team looks very formidable. I have been particularly impressed by Ian Poulter’s golf in recent Ryder Cups, and in 2014 there have been standout performances from Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, and of course Rory McIlroy. The quality of golf at Gleneagles will be of the very highest level. And don’t forget that despite the enormity of the Ryder Cup today and the millions of fans who will follow every blow, the players continue to play for free, as we did when I played. It is gratifying that charities now benefit extensively from the Ryder Cup, while the honor and glory of representing your nation alone is sufficient for the players, and I hope that will never change. Enjoy the read and enjoy the Ryder Cup.

Arnold Palmer

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FOREWORD

E di tor ’s f or e wor d Let me first add my welcome to this Kingdom special edition, Honor & Glory. As the 40th Ryder Cup approaches, I find one particular, recurring theme a bit incongruous. In his insightful feature on Tom Watson amid these pages, Bob Harig writes that, “in some eyes, the Americans will already be 1-up due to Watson’s presence” as captain of the US team at Gleneagles. Bob is right, I have a heard a lot about this too. But the idea that the Scottish reverence for Watson—which is genuine, heartfelt and dates back the best part of four decades—will soften support for the home team, utterly under-estimates Scottish, British and European dedication to winning the Ryder Cup again. As an Englishman, I know the Scots have a great deal more affection for Watson than they do for us from south of the border, but that’s not saying much. Most Scots would rather buy a pint for Attila the Hun than give an Englishman a gi’me for a tap-in. And they say Attila murdered his own brother some 1,500 years ago. But the fact remains that nothing brings the Scots and English together, or the Germans and the French, or any other pair of European nations, like the Ryder Cup. For one week and one week only, all European rivalries are cut adrift in the common cause, and not even the great Tom Watson—and he will be a great captain—can wrestle in to weaken that bond. The Ryder Cup crowds at Gleneagles, dominated by Scots, will show both partisan support and respect for fair play, and an appreciation for great shots from both sides, but don’t be fooled, while they will welcome Watson’s wide grin when he arrives in the Scottish heartland, they will be hoping to see no more than a rueful smile from him come the closing ceremony. There’s another theme that has been over-blown in recent weeks too, and that is the status of the US team as underdogs. On paper, maybe it’s true, but when the two teams come face to face at Gleneagles, the form book will be as much use as sunscreen in a rain storm. I can’t wait for that first tee shot on September 26, and with contributions from many of the finest writers in sports within these pages, from both sides of the Atlantic, I hope this issue fuels your sense of anticipation too.

Robin Barwick

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ARCHIVE

The history of the Ryder Cup is full of surprises, controversy, kneebuckling and brilliance. Here are some snapshots of what has been said and done during the 93-year history of golf’s most riveting event

The greatest shot ever played?

“I remember captain Tom Watson walking up to me on the 17th tee on Sunday at the Belfry [in 1993] and saying, ‘All right, it all comes down to your match’. I really didn’t need to hear that” Davis Love III

At Palm Beach Gardens, Florida in 1983, playing in the Sunday singles against Raymond Floyd, Seve Ballesteros found his ball nestled just beneath the lip of a fairway bunker. When he called for his three-wood, observing reporter, the late Dai Davies from the Guardian newspaper in the UK, thought the Spaniard was “going to commit golfing kamikaze”. Ballesteros struck the ball perfectly, delivering it to the edge of the green. He halved the hole and the point.

Palmer’s prowess endures

Other American golfers have played in more Ryder Cups, and some have played for more points, but to this day, no American golfer has matched Arnold Palmer’s record of 22 matches won. Having played in six Ryder Cups between 1961 and 1973, Palmer contested 32 points with a record of 22 wins, eight losses and two halves. It is not a record that looks like being broken soon either, as the closest active player to Palmer’s record is Phil Mickelson, with 14 wins from 38 matches. (See pages 150 to 154 for comprehensive Ryder Cup records.)

“You’ve got 25,000 European fans waiting with bated breath to see you hole that putt, and when you do, you feed them and they feed you” Ian Poulter

“What drives a man to perform on this massive stage where nothing is at stake but your legacy? That’s what the Ryder Cup is all about” Paul Azinger

Weather warning

The chances of the Ryder Cup being played over three days in the Scottish hills in September without any rain is about as high as Tiger Woods playing a round of golf without wincing. But the weather should not be as severe as it was when the Ryder Cup was played in Britain for the first time, in 1929 at Moortown Golf Club in Yorkshire, in northern England. The matches were held in April, but rather than enjoying the moderate temperatures of the English spring, with dew drops glistening upon flowering daffodils, the players endured snowfall on one of the practice days, rainfall on the others, and the matches were played in near freezing conditions. Frozen rigid, GB&I won the Ryder Cup for the first time, 7 to 5.

When Larry met Lanny

The most successful partnership in a single Ryder Cup for the United States came in 1979 at The Greenbrier in West Virginia, when Larry Nelson and Lanny Wadkins combined to earn four points from four matches. The pair was so convincing that none of their four matches even reached the 18th tee. The invincible pair inflicted misery upon the first ever European Ryder Cup team, particularly as three out of their four points were won against Spain’s Seve Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido, as the Spaniards became the first golfers from Continental Europe to compete in the Ryder Cup.

“Players who have never been a part of one watch it on TV, see the big crowd and the atmosphere and wonder if they can handle it. Then there are others who know they can”

The Ryder Cup’s unwanted record

Tiger Woods holds so many great records in golf, but one he would rather not have is for the most matches lost by an American golfer in the Ryder Cup: 17 (the former world number one’s overall record reads: Played 33; Won 13; Lost 17; Halved 3). Unfortunately for Phil Mickelson, Woods’ record could be under threat if things don’t go to plan for the US team at Gleneagles. Mickelson is tied second with Raymond Floyd for Ryder Cup points lost among American golfers at 16, one behind Woods.

“Seve taught me to keep on fighting regardless of the situation, and never give up. So simple really, but sometimes the hardest thing of all” José María Olazábal

Paul Azinger

EXCLUSIVE

Palme r Talks Less than a week after having a pacemaker installed to correct an irregular heartbeat, and stating he was only 10 days away from swinging a club again, Arnold Palmer was relaxed and chipper during an interview at his Latrobe office with correspondent Chris Rodell. Sharing his insights from a vantage point of being one of the greatest Ryder Cup players ever, Palmer addressed questions about motivating factors, preparation and what viewers should expect from the competition at Gleneagles Honor & Glory: First off, how are you feeling? Arnold Palmer: I feel fine! It all went very smoothly, very routine. Thank you. H&G: You never played on a losing Ryder Cup team, but top American golfers today can’t say the same. What would you say to the American team to help them change the Ryder Cup momentum? AP: Play better! The Europeans are concentrating and spending more time on their golf. Playing internationally is so big now and that’s given European players additional opportunities, and they’re doing very well. Their games are better than they were a few years ago. Golf participation is growing in many parts of Europe too, and that’s a big factor. H&G: You have said before that home advantage should not be a significant factor in the Ryder Cup. But if freezing rain soaks the golfers at Gleneagles, are you confident the American players will cope as well as the Europeans? AP: I do think the unsightly conditions would benefit the Europeans because they’re used to it. Many of our golfers are used to playing in sunshine year-round.

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“I don’t know that the American team are the underdogs. If I were picking a team... I’d say they ’re fairly evenly matched”

H&G: It has been widely reported that the U.S. team will be underdogs this year at Gleneagles. Which team do you see as favorite to win and why? AP: I don’t know that the American team are the underdogs. If I were picking a team and looking across at the Europeans I’d say they’re fairly evenly matched.

H&G: Did playing in inclement weather benefit you growing up in western Pennsylvania? AP: I think it did, but it did for a lot of other players too. I played in some difficult weather, in the freezing cold and soaking wet, and in very humid heat, and that helps condition you to what you find in places where the sun’s not always shining. Coping with diffferent weather and course conditions is part of the game - it’s part of the test.

H&G: Do you agree that Europe has used the ‘underdog’ status to motivate and unify its team in the past? Perhaps the United States team can do the same this year? AP: If they’re smart the Americans will. They will take that as a motivator to be a little better and a little more aggressive. I think the US can be a little lackadaisical in their approach and that hurts them. They need to get with it competitively and stay with it.

H&G: This year’s US captain, Tom Watson, has gone so far as to test the team waterproofs himself in the shower. What do you make of him going to such lengths? AP: That’s a really good test. It’s very thoughtful of Tom. If he stayed dry in the shower, I guess he has his answer. If he gets wet, he’s going to be out shopping for different waterproofs! But that shows Tom’s attention to detail and I like his commitment.

H&G: You are a big supporter of collegiate golf, exemplified by the Palmer Cup. Was part of your thinking with the Cup that it could provide a good proving ground for future Ryder Cup team players? AP: I think the Palmer Cup is something that is an incentive to the future Ryder Cuppers and I think it helps make prospective golfers for both teams more conscious of the opportunities and the competition.

H&G: You did not play on the same Ryder Cup teams as Watson, but what did you make of him as a player, as a Ryder Cup golfer and captain? AP: I think Tom Watson is a great guy, a great player, and one who is very competitive. He’s had so much great experience in the Ryder Cup and in playing all those [British] Opens in Scotland too, many of which he won. All of this should make him very wise when it comes selecting the pairings and in working out how to get his team fully prepared for the competition and conditions they will face in the Ryder Cup.

H&G: How did you cope with being the US captain as well as a player back in the 1963, only your second playing appearance in the Ryder Cup, at East Lake? AP: Cope? It was all a lot of fun. I enjoyed all the aspects of playing and captaining at once. I had a really great team and enjoyed working with all the players. And getting to play, too, made it even more special H&G: From a team management perspective, how difficult was it for you to decide which of your players to leave out and which to pair together? What criteria did you apply to both decisions? AP: That’s probably the most difficult aspect about being captain. And those kinds of decisions make or break Ryder Cup teams. As captain I looked at all the factors: the personalities, the strengths, the weaknesses and most importantly, just who I thought could help our team win. It’s a tough call to really know who is going to prevail when they get down to the matches. But even if someone doesn’t play much, they can still contribute by supporting their teammates. Everyone on the team contributes. H&G: Should someone’s off-course behavior affect his eligibility to be on a Ryder Cup team? AP: Off-course behavior is part of the game. These players are professionals and most of them have been around long enough to know how to behave. So, yes, it is part of it.

All out, every shot: Palmer competes in the 1963 Ryder Cup at East Lake

H&G: The PGA Championship at Valhalla was a difficult week for the American Ryder Cup effort, with Dustin Johnson not playing, Tiger Woods playing injured, and with Jason Dufner and Matt Kuchar both withdrawing injured. What did you make of the situation, from the point of view of the U.S. Ryder Cup team?

AP: I think it does make it more difficult for the United States, yes. It’s another challenge. The players who do go to Gleneagles are really going to have to concentrate on playing and on what they need to do to get the job done. H&G: Tell us about the 1967 Ryder Cup at Houston’s Champion’s Club—you did a little low altitude reconnaissance over the course? AP: It was in my Jet Commander. I got a call and had to explain to the FAA what I did. I didn’t really violate any aviation rules, but I was low enough that I scared some cattle. I had the whole British team on board with me at the time. They all threw up.

AP: I don’t know the European captain well, but I don’t think his age or relationship with the players will influence his picks. He knows them well enough to know who can handle the situation, as Watson does. Of course, Watson has played with the players on the United States team long enough to know them well and pretty much how they play. H&G: Phil Mickelson found some form in the PGA Championship. How important is he as an on-course leader for the U.S. team? AP: I think Phil Mickelson is a good player and a good guy and I think he’ll be very competitive. He can be a real spark for the US.

H&G: What are your fondest playing memories from the Ryder Cup and who was your favorite partner? AP: Just having the opportunity to represent my country on those occasions is my fondest memory. Thinking about it still gives me a lump in the throat. As for playing partners, Dave Marr was always a good buddy of mine and a great partner. He always kept me lose and laughing. Billy Casper and I were very competitive, too, but we made for great Ryder Cup teammates. Jack Nicklaus was a great partner. We had a great individual rivalry, but we had a lot of success as a team, not just in the Ryder Cup but in other team events like the World Cup. H&G: You played at Gleneagles in celebrity pro-ams in the past, and in an exhibition match with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. Do you have particular memories of Gleneagles? AP: I remember the golf course to some degree. It’s a more American style of golf course than the links courses like St. Andrews. It’s more rolling and hilly with more undulation. It’s a really good golf course, a really fun one to play. H&G: Hosting the Ryder Cup is an enormous honor and adds instant status to the hosts. How proud were you to help secure the Ryder Cup for Laurel Valley in 1975 and that your design at the K Club, in Dublin, Ireland, was chosen to be host in 2006? AP: We felt very fortunate to have the Ryder Cup at Laurel Valley and we’d be happy to have it there again. I felt the same way about the K Club. It’s a tremendous honor to have one of your courses selected for such a prestigious and historic competition. We were all very proud. H&G: Which of your other course designs could host a Ryder Cup and why? AP: Name ‘em! Any one of ‘em! We’re very proud of the courses we’ve designed. Bay Hill would be a good one. You can pick ‘em. H&G: Ireland’s Paul McGinley, who was the touring professional at the K Club, is the captain of the European team. He is obviously much younger than Tom Watson. Will his popularity with the players help him as a leader or will it make it more difficult for him when it comes to making tough decisions?

Grand design: Ireland’s K Club, where a Palmer-designed course staged the 2006 Ryder Cup

“Jack Nicklaus was a great partner. We had a great individual rivalry, but we had a lot of success as a team, not just in the Ryder Cup”

H&G: Poulter was the star of the show in 2012 but Rory McIlroy has stated he will be an on-course leader for the European team this year. Who do you think will be the key player for the European team and why? AP: I think McIlroy is a really good player and he’ll be a factor in whatever they do. As for Poulter, I think he’s a nice young man. It should bring some real spice to the competition.

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Gl e n Ro a m i n â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles, in the heart of heathery Scotland, glistens with dew and whetted appetites. Can Team America defy the odds to regain the trophy that so agonizingly slipped their grasp at Medinah two years ago? Paul Trow weighs up their chances

Ninety-three years, longer than most people care to live, generally amount to little more than a blip in the timeline of the human race. The last 93 years, though, are an exception. In 1921, most of the machinery, technology and protocols on which we habitually rely today hadn’t even been thought of. The same was true of golf. Back then clubheads were made of iron or wood, while balls were wound at the core and covered in balata. Steel shafts, very much at the experimental stage, were outlawed and the sand wedge wasn’t even a twinkle in Gene Sarazen’s eye. But the prospect of a team contest, measuring the skills of the finest professional golfers from each side of the Atlantic Ocean, was very much alive. Both the British PGA and the PGA of America had bought into the idea thanks to intensive lobbying from James Harnett, circulation manager of Golf Illustrated magazine, and financial support from several US golf clubs. And so it came to pass that America’s top 10 players, headed by the great Walter Hagen, boarded

the RMS Aquitania in New York on May 24, 1921 to set sail on what proved to be one of the most significant voyages in the history of sport. Their ultimate destination was the newly opened King’s Course at Gleneagles, laid out across a beguiling glen (what the Scots call a valley), beside Scotland’s Grampian range of mountains. Awaiting them was a fearsome line-up representing the cream of British golf, including the great triumvirate of James Braid, who designed the King’s Course, Harry Vardon and J.H. Taylor, along with the reigning U.S. and [British] Open champions, Ted Ray and George Duncan. Naturally, the Americans were regarded as underdogs and for once the bookies weren’t wrong, the home team cruising to a comfortable 10½ to 4½ victory. True, it took a further six years for the inaugural Ryder Cup to tee off in earnest at Worcester Country Club, Massachusetts, but the impetus behind what has become golf’s greatest spectacle most definitely had its roots in Gleneagles’ rich purple heather and panoramic Perthshire backdrop.

Patrick Drickey / stonehousegolf.com

Picture of tranquility: but don’t expect the PGA Centenary Course to set such a peaceful scene during the last weekend of September

Winning away: Tom Watson holds the Ryder Cup trophy aloft at the Belfry in 1993, the last time the United States won in Europe

In the meantime, the PGA Centenary has played host to the ‘Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles’ on the European Tour since 1999 (for Ryder Cup reasons the tournament is taking a ‘sabbatical’ in 2014), so ‘home’ players have had plenty of opportunity to familiarize themselves with its idiosyncrasies and likely set-up. But this is not the reason the hosts will start as overwhelming favorites, as they did in 1921, for the upcoming three-day extravaganza, September 26-28. Far from it in fact, as very few of the leading Europeans ever play in the Johnnie Walker event and the only member of the current team to have won the title is Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn, in 2011. In theory, the course, as American in design as Muirfield Village or Bay Hill but with views straight out of Rob Roy, should give the visitors cause for optimism. The caveat to that assumption, though, is that most of the European team is also based on the PGA Tour. There’s no denying the Ryder Cup over the past two decades, especially when played in Europe, has been a fallow hunting ground for Uncle Sam. Not since Tom Watson’s 12 good men and true stood up to be counted at the Belfry in 1993 has an American team triumphed on the eastern side of the Pond. Defeats have followed at Valderrama (1997), the Belfry (2002), the K Club (2006) and Celtic Manor (2010), two by the narrowest of margins and two that were, in truth, a long way from close. Over in the United States, three of the five matches since 1993—at Oak Hill (1995), Oakland Hills (2004) and Medinah last time out in 2012—were claimed by the interlopers, though only the Oakland Hills encounter could be described as one-way traffic. However, the defeat at Medinah on the outskirts of the deeply patriotic sporting city of Chicago left America’s current brood of superstar golfers licking unfamiliar wounds and smarting even more than usual. After squandering a 10-6 lead, painstakingly and brilliantly assembled over the first two days of foursome and fourball play, they folded like a house of cards during the Sunday round of 12 singles— traditionally a strong suit for the US, though on this occasion, anything but. On paper, the 2012 side was more accomplished than the one that will travel to Gleneagles. How could it not be with Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson and Jason Dufner, three of Team America’s linchpins, absent this time round? Unfortunately, Woods’ year has been a catalog of disasters, caused by a back injury that has required surgery and by what looks to have been a premature return to competition. Following the ‘will he, won’t he?’ melodrama over his participation and availability that extended through the PGA Championship in August, the outstanding golfer of the modern generation has reluctantly opted to sit out this tilt at Sam Ryder’s demure trophy. Ironically, having to make do without the 14-

Fast-forwarding to the present, what goes around is coming around. The Ryder Cup is back at its spiritual home, yet the battleground could not be more different to the one that confronted Hagen & Co. back in 1921. The inexorable march of golf-equipment technology has, alas, consigned the King’s Course to resort status. No longer can it present a testing challenge to modern tournament professionals at the peak of their powers. Instead, the examination paper has been set by one Jack Nicklaus, if not the most revered, perhaps the greatest player ever to grace the royal and ancient game. What Jack built in 1993, an amalgam from the old Prince’s and Glendevon layouts, was originally named the Monarchs. Very much a stadium-style arena and, at 7,243 yards, the longest inland course in Scotland, it was renamed the PGA Centenary in 2001 to mark the British PGA’s hundredth birthday. Nonetheless, it was far from a shoo-in when bidding began to determine the venue for the 2014 Ryder Cup. Even after Scotland was named as host country, Gleneagles still had to fight it out with the counter claims of Loch Lomond, Turnberry and Carnoustie before receiving consent. In the end, the connection with the PGA probably swayed the Ryder Cup committee’s vote in Gleneagles’ favor and anticipation has been aglow ever since.

Jason Dufner, one of the standout players from Medinah (like Johnson, three wins from three matches) but struggling with a nagging neck problem. The absence of Woods, Johnson and Dufner, notwithstanding, almost all of the cast of 2012—Masters champion Bubba Watson, Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson—will be back in harness (not forgetting Steve Stricker, now elevated to vice-captain status) to form the core of the US team. From those available from the

time major winner might offer some advantages. Apart from the fact that his Ryder Cup points record is far from compelling (won 13, lost 17, halved 3), it should also be remembered that the last match Woods missed—in 2008, due to a knee injury— resulted in a memorable US triumph under the inspired captaincy of Paul Azinger. On that occasion, team bonding and morale were said to have played a significant part in the turnaround after three successive and heavy defeats. Arguably, the long-hitting, multi-talented Johnson, currently languishing in self-imposed exile from competitive golf for reasons that can only be guessed at from outside the game’s inner sanctums, will be missed more than Woods. Tom Watson, recalled as skipper at the not-sotender age of 65 with a remit to restore America’s winning ways, has also been forced to make do without the 2013 PGA champion,

Rickie Fowler is likely to be key after completing the finest ever season in the majors by a non-winner

Medinah team, only Brandt Snedeker will not make the flight to Gleneagles, having been overlooked by Watson in favor of Hunter Mahan. Rickie Fowler, a debutant in 2010 but surplus to requirements two years ago, is likely to be a key figure after completing the finest ever season in the majors by a non-winner—tied for fifth at the Masters, tied for second at the U.S. and British Opens, and tied for third at the PGA Championship. Watson, for one, will be hoping Fowler’s silky putting touch continues to flourish at Gleneagles in the fall, as he is one of only two or three Americans likely to play in all five series of games. Three Ryder Cup rookies—Jimmy Walker, Patrick Reed and the prodigiously gifted Jordan Spieth—complete Watson’s line-up, and much will be expected of them. Walker, relatively long in the tooth at 35 to be making his debut, has won three times this season, having added greater consistency around the greens to the impressive distance he enjoys off the tee. Reed, 24, will arrive in Scotland brimming with confidence, though he has curbed the brashness that prompted him to declare, after winning the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral in March (his third victory in less than 12 months): “I’m one of the top five players in the world.” In contrast, Spieth, a 21-year-old Texan who has won only once but performs with amazing consistency for one so young, is refreshingly humble and courteous—traits that cloak a fierce competitive nature.

Sinking feeling: Tiger Woods (top) has endured his worst season as a professional, but a flourishing Rickie Fowler (below) is key if the US is to succeed at Gleneagles

Obviously, each newcomer will need to be handled with kid gloves by Watson, both in terms of the experienced players he pairs them with and the positions he gives them within the singles pecking order. Without Woods on the scene, the on-course leader should be Mickelson, who has qualified for the US team outright for a record 10th match in a row. Despite never requiring a captain’s pick, he only snuck in at the final hurdle this time thanks to a runner’sup finish in the PGA Championship at Valhalla. Yet doubts continue to linger over his stomach for Ryder Cup conflict as his record—14-18-6—is scarcely an improvement on Woods’ points tally.

The on-course leader should be Mickelson, who has qualified for the US team outright for a record 10th match in a row

Major contenders: Greame McDowell (right) is among a formidable band of European major winners at Gleneagles

Furyk, another seasoned campaigner, who will be making his ninth consecutive appearance, hardly inspires confidence either. His overall tally is 9-17-4 and he has, of late, developed a chronic tendency in stroke play to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. But with fourth place on his own in the [British] Open at Hoylake and a tie for fifth at Valhalla, he still grinds out the results he needs to retain his place on the team, not to mention his position in the higher echelons of the world rankings. Under the gun, Furyk, Mickelson and the rest of their illustrious compatriots will undoubtedly have their work cut out, however well they play. Indeed, they will need to be at their sharpest to stave off exceptionally strong opponents in their own backyard. Yet perhaps by not being favorites and playing away from home, the shackles of Medinah will come off the American players and allow them to play attacking golf with nothing-to-lose freedom. Without question though, all the momentum is with the Europeans, skippered by the genial but shrewd Paul McGinley and spearheaded by his charismatic fellow Irishman Rory McIlroy, back on top of the world rankings following his third and fourth major wins—at Hoylake and Valhalla. Along with McIlroy, Justin Rose, last year’s U.S. Open champion at

Merion, Henrik Stenson, FedExCup and Race to Dubai king in 2013, and the increasingly consistent Sergio Garcia, are all ensconced in the top-five of the world rankings (the highest placed American currently is Furyk at seventh). And then there’s Martin Kaymer. The German, who confounded a trough of poor form by dispatching the clinching putt in 2012, claimed his second major in June in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst by eight shots, barely a month after annexing the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Other European alumni from Medinah who will be on parade at Gleneagles include 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell and team talisman Ian Poulter, the man who sparked Europe’s revival late on the Saturday afternoon as shadows lengthened across suburban Chicago. Victor Dubuisson, the exciting young Frenchman who reached the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in the Arizona desert in February, is surely destined for star billing, perhaps in tandem with Garcia, while Bjorn, a participant in 1997 and 2002, will be back after a hiatus of 12 years. Ryder Cup veteran Luke Donald will miss the action at Gleneagles, with Lee Westwood and Scotland’s own Stephen Gallacher receiving McGinley’s blessing, along with Poulter. Gallacher performed so valiantly in the final qualifying tournament for the European team, the Italian Open, that his form and guts could not be ignored. Donald must acknowledge, philosophically, that all good things tend to come to an end—just as they did for wound balls, wooden-headed drivers and hickory shafts. Unlike the wound ball though, Donald could well return to the fray in the future. As those with long memories, one or two perhaps going back as far even as 1921, might say— what goes around comes around.

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A kindred spirit

CAPTAINS

The PGA of America made a clear change of course in the appointment of Tom Watson as captain of the US Ryder Cup team. As Bob Harig writes, it opted for a man who is cherished in this year’s host country, and at the same time, they have gone for a man who is likely to dictate to his players more than his recent predecessors. It is a change of course that the PGA of America hopes will lead to a change of fortunes

likeness of Jack Nicklaus was displayed on a five-pound note to honor the Golden Bear in the year in which he played his final [British] Open Championship, at St Andrews in 2005, so it says something about Tom Watson that, to the Scots, it is likely he is revered even more. Perhaps it is because of the way he adjusted his thinking and accepted the way the game is played in Scotland, rather than fight it. There is no doubt whatsoever it has something to do with taking four of his five Claret Jugs from north of the border with England. Watson, 65, the US Ryder Cup team captain, is taking on the task of beating Europe at Gleneagles, a Scottish resort, where, in some eyes, the Americans will already be 1-up due to Watson’s presence—even if the 2014 team appears to be at a disadvantage in terms of form. Such is the stature of the eight-time major champion in that part of the world, where golf is often viewed as much more than a leisure activity. It has been said and written over the years that Watson is a Scot in everything but nationality, as his determination and grittiness embodies the personalities Scots often possess. “Any professional golfer who doesn’t feel a kindred spirit here in Scotland probably doesn’t have an understanding of the game,’’ Watson said five years ago at Turnberry—where he lost the Open in a playoff at the age 59. “If you’re a professional golfer and you play the game for a living, it’s the fabric of your life. It’s the fabric of life over here. People understand the game, even if they don’t play it. And that’s the beauty of it here. That’s why I love it here.’’ Words such as those show why Watson is held in such esteem. European golf fans might jeer and ridicule the Americans when they step onto the first tee on September 26, but not Watson. Whether that helps the American cause remains to be seen, but it is interesting to note that Watson is likely be more popular at Gleneagles than European captain Paul McGinley, of Ireland. It is certainly likely that Watson will bring a different approach to the

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Breaking the trend: Tom Watson’s fifth and final [British] Open victory was his only one south of the border, at Royal Birkdale in Lancashire

job than his predecessors; captains who did everything in their power to please the players—along with their wives, girlfriends and caddies—while setting up a team atmosphere that was meant to ensure everything was just right and that everyone was comfortable. And how did that work out? For all the talk about improved camaraderie and commitment, the US has won just two Ryder Cups since Watson’s first team prevailed at the Belfry in England in 1993—the last Yank victory on foreign soil. It would be unfair to blame the captains for all of those losses since though. At some point, the players have to play, and there is no better example than what happened to Davis Love III in 2012 at Medinah, where the US blew a 10-6 final-day lead and lost for the second straight Ryder Cup by the agonizing score of 14½ to 13½. Love seemed to have done everything right, until the four-point American lead disintegrated on the Sunday. Still, when you lose, those in charge look for answers, and the general consensus now is that the US captains have been too chummy with their players, making decisions by committee and not being tough enough. That won’t be the case with Watson, who is expected to make the decisions, sagacious with age and hardened in resolve. He will undoubtedly point to 2012, using the final-day setback as a reminder of just how close the Americans were, and just how much they gave up. “The problem at Medinah might have been that they had such a big lead,” starts Watson, “and maybe they got a little complacent, and perhaps the players were relying on others to win the points. Maybe they thought they could coast a little bit. That is a natural thought when you have a big lead. “The other thing that can happen is that you can play more conservatively. You can back off while the players coming from behind put their pedal to the metal. That is how I assess what happened on the last day in 2012.”

the general consensus now is that the US captains have been too chummy Watson’s good friend, two-time U.S. Open champion Andy North, chuckled at the thought of him asking for numerous opinions. “He’s going to do things his way,’’ said North, one of Watson’s assistant captains, along with Raymond Floyd and Steve Stricker. A stubborn streak has always been a part of Watson’s makeup, but he famously changed his ways to learn how to play golf on the links of Scotland. Amazingly, Watson won the Open in his first attempt, winning a playoff over Jack Newton at Carnoustie in 1975. It was Watson’s first major triumph and set in motion a nine-year run during which he succeeded Nicklaus as the top player in the game. Two years later came the famous ‘Duel in the Sun’ at Turnberry, when Nicklaus shot 65-66 on the weekend, only to be outdone by Watson’s 65-65 finish. And yet, all the while, Watson loathed the type of golf played in the Open, the along-the-ground game with unpredictable bounces that is integral to links golf. “I didn’t like it,’’ Watson said. “I think a lot of it had to do with the fact we didn’t have the conditions of wind at Carnoustie and Turnberry that we expected. We didn’t have the strong wind to deal with. In fact, each afternoon the wind died down. It was a glorious Scottish day each afternoon on Saturday and Sunday. “There was really a mental turning point. I was criticizing the golf course rather than playing the golf course. I decided I didn’t like that attitude. That was a lousy attitude to have if you’re going to try and win a golf tournament. I finally had a good talk with myself and I started playing the golf course the way it should be played. Attitude there has a lot to do with playing good golf.

“But I won two Open Championships in the first four years I played over there while not particularly liking links golf.’’ Watson added two more Open victories in Scotland— at Muirfield in 1980 and at Royal Troon in 1982. His fifth and final Open title came at England’s Royal Birkdale in 1983, with a third straight—and sixth overall—denied him in 1984 at the home of golf, St Andrews, when Seve Ballesteros edged him by two strokes. “As you get closer to the Ryder Cup, all of the Scots will react to Tom being captain,’’ North said. “He’s such a hero there. He has been adopted as one of theirs and his captaincy will bring a totally different feel to the event. Maybe that was part of the PGA’s thinking.’’ But will Watson’s appointment translate to success? There is only so much he can do, and while Watson is bringing an experienced team to Scotland, it is one that raises plenty of questions. When the nine-man automatic qualifiers were determined after the PGA Championship, Matt Kuchar stood out as the last player to have won—and that was in April. Phil Mickelson, a 20-year veteran of US Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams, didn’t automatically qualify until finishing second at the PGA. Patrick Reed and Jimmy Walker are PGA Tour winners, but have never played in the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup. Rickie Fowler starred in his first and only Ryder Cup in 2010 but had just one PGA Tour victory through the qualifying process. Bubba Watson won the Masters in dramatic fashion, but then struggled in the rest of the majors. Jim Furyk is back for a ninth Ryder Cup appearance after a strong 2014 season, but who can forget his bogey-bogey finish at Medinah?

“These players are motivated to the ‘nth’ degree to win this Ryder Cup” —Tom Watson

As for Tiger Woods, he won’t even be in Scotland. Such were the choices available to Watson for his three wildcard picks that he did not even rule out Woods despite his worst year as a pro and lingering back problems. Woods eliminated the drama by declaring himself unfit to play. Still, question marks galore. “I’m wonderfully happy with the team,’’ insisted Watson. “I believe that each and every player has the ability to play great golf and compete at the highest level at the Ryder Cup. “My job as captain is to inspire them, if I can. I can tell you without hesitation that the motivation is there in each one of these players. I’ve talked to them, I’ve been with them, I’ve played with them. Their comments to me, the conversations I’ve had about how they feel about the Ryder Cup, have left it very clear that these players are motivated to the ‘nth’ degree to win this Ryder Cup. That’s all you can ask of a player. “With that said, you look at the European Team, and yes, on paper they look stronger than the American team. But our team has motivation from 2012 that I’m going to lay on them.’’ Watson qualified for five US Ryder Cup teams, but skipped the 1979 matches due to the pending birth of his daughter. In four appearances in 1977, 1981, 1983 and 1989, the Americans never lost, recording three wins and rallying for a tie in 1989. Watson was 10-4-1 overall. In 1993, he captained the team to victory at the Belfry, which was the last U.S. win in Europe. Now Watson becomes the first US captain to repeat since Nicklaus in 1987. That 1987 US team lost at Muirfield Village, so can Watson get one-up on the Golden Bear again, by captaining a second victorious US team? Somewhere, there is likely to be a five-pound note riding on it. That winning feeling: Tom Watson (left) with Payne Stewart at the Belfry in 1993, when Watson captained the last American Ryder Cup team to win in Europe

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The playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; choice

CAPTAINS

Tom Watson won eight majors; Paul McGinley won none. Watson played on four US Ryder Cup teams whereas McGinley played on three for Europe, but McGinley is who the European players wanted to captain their team, they made their feelings known and they got their wish. Robin Barwick spoke to the man tasked with taking on Watson and leading a European team in an unfamiliar position—for once, it is expected to win

uch is the international scope of the European Tour these days, that when its Tournament Players Committee met in January 2013 to decide who to invite to become Europe’s new Ryder Cup captain, they convened in Abu Dhabi. Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke had been the early favorite, the Republic of Ireland’s Paul McGinley was a serious contender, and Europe’s 2010 captain, Colin Montgomerie, a Scot, made a late bid to lead the team on his home turf. As decision time approached, a groundswell of support for McGinley from leading European players emerged through Twitter and media interviews. McGinley’s countryman Padraig Harrington said he hoped McGinley would get the nod for 2014 and Clarke for 2016, while Rory McIlroy tweeted: “Would love to play under Paul McGinley in ’14”. Luke Donald, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell all voiced support for McGinley. “Both Paul and Darren would be great captains in their own right,” said McDowell, “but Paul has kind of forged a little niche, given the way he has conducted himself in the Seve Trophy and the Ryder Cup. He’s a scholar of the game and a strategist.” Having played under McGinley’s captaincy in the 2009 Seve Trophy, McIlroy would later describe McGinley as “the best captain I have ever played under”. “My vote would go to Paul McGinley, definitely,” said Sweden’s Peter Hanson, a Ryder Cup player in 2010 and 2012. By the time McIlroy walked in and stood at the back of the room for the press conference in Abu Dhabi to announce the appointment, it had become apparent that the unified voice of the players had been heard. McGinley is not a major winner like 2011 Open champion Clarke—let alone a winner of eight major titles like 2014 US captain Tom Watson—yet McGinley has a fantastic record in team golf as player and captain, across the Ryder Cup and the European Tour’s other teams events, the Seve Trophy and Royal Trophy. In the Ryder Cup alone, McGinley has played

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three times, in the winning teams of 2002, 2004 and 2006, and was vice captain for winning campaigns in 2010 and 2012. That is a polished resume for Ryder Cup captaincy, and McGinley’s playing career is remembered best for holing the putt that clinched the 2002 Ryder Cup at the Belfry. The Irishman holed a 10-footer across the 18th green to halve his singles match with Jim Furyk, which edged the European score to the magic 14½, and in the ensuing celebration McGinley dived into the lake in front of the 18th green. Not many people know that the water there was only three feet deep, but McGinley resurfaced unscathed. Now, as the 40th Ryder Cup matches at Gleneagles fast approach, McGinley has a lot racing through is mind. Overall, his top priority must be on the golf course, working out how Europe can generate early momentum at Gleneagles. It doesn’t matter what the uniforms look like if Europe can’t prevent the American tear that ripped through Medinah, when Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley formed an indomitable bond and Davis Love’s team built up a lead that reached 10-4 on the Saturday afternoon. That was before the late fourball heroics of Donald (playing with Sergio Garcia) and Poulter (with McIlroy) gave the visitors the slightest glimmer of hope. “Yes, I have a lot of views on what went wrong over the first two days at Medinah, and how it can be avoided at Gleneagles,” starts McGinley, who combines his playing and captaincy with partnering Portuguese resort Quinta do Lago, where he has a golf academy, “but I don’t want to share them!” Come on Paul, we won’t tell Tom, promise. “Well, it is safe to say the Americans came out of the blocks really, really fast, and I have studied it, and I have tried to understand why it happened. The Americans built up some momentum, which accelerated through

the first two days. We were on the ropes. “We have blitzed the Americans on occasions in the past: I remember at Oakland Hills in 2004, Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington won against Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the opening fourball match, and that was the start of a surge of momentum. That first point invigorated our whole team. I was on the golf course at the time and I remember seeing that they were leading in the top match, and it enables you to take your own performance to another level.” McGinley was paired with Luke Donald that morning, who was making his Ryder Cup debut, and they halved their point with Chris Riley and Stewart Cink, while Europe won the morning session by 3½ to ½. Hal Sutton and his home team couldn’t reverse the momentum at all that week, as Europe strode on to win by a record margin, 18½ to 9½. “That shows the importance of momentum,” adds McGinley, “and the job of reversing that kind of momentum is incredibly difficult to do. “My view is that it takes a special person and a special performance to reverse the momentum of a team event, when someone can single-handedly change its direction, and then other performances kick in after that moment. “We had Ian Poulter to do that for us in Medinah, to do something so decisive and significant when all the momentum was going against us. Except it wasn’t just in a fleeting moment, Ian did it over five holes of

“It takes a special person to reverse momentum in a team event”

Moment of truth: Paul McGinley celebrates after holing the winning putt for Europe at the Belfry in 1993

“ We certainly won’t be thinking it’s a case of turning up and winning”

golf; hole after hole after hole, over a period of nearly an hour and a half. He continually made birdies to drag the team to within touching distance. To achieve that when all the momentum was with the American team was momentous.” Poulter’s remarkable performance came during the Saturday afternoon fourballs in Medinah. The American team had reached a lead of 10-4 with two matches left on the course—a lead that should have been unassailable. While Donald and Garcia combined to hold off Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker, to win 1 up, Poulter, partnering McIlroy against Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson, birdied the final five holes to secure another European point—1 up—after the American pair had led from the first hole to the 14th. It was an astonishing performance. “And remember, you have got to put golf shots like those into context,” adds McGinley. “With all that American noise surrounding the golfers, to stand up and be counted when all the momentum is going against your team, that is what makes these guys special Ryder Cup players, and what makes those shots extra special.” Hence, Poulter’s wildcard selection for McGinley’s team, despite the Englishman showing little convincing form at all in 2014, was as surprising as rainfall in the Scottish Highlands in September. Unlike all of McGinley’s predecessors as European captain, he does not have the underdog card to play, a

Winning record: Paul McGinley extended his winning record in team events when he led GB&I in the Vivendi Trophy against Continental Europe in 2009

card which has served Europe so well over the past 30 years. “Our team looks good and it looks like we’ll be favorites going into the Ryder Cup,” he admits, “which has not really happened much over the history of the Ryder Cup, but that’s good. That’s a good position to be in. “Having said that, I’m certainly under no illusions how strong America is going to be. In some ways they were very unfortunate to lose the last two Ryder Cups, where Lady Luck and a lot of European players showed a lot of fortitude at the right time, and just edged out in front to win by a point on each occasion. “The margin between the two teams is very, very small. Obviously Tom is going to do a great job of captaining, I know that and I know how big a task we have ahead of us. We certainly won’t be getting ahead of ourselves and thinking it’s a case of turning up and winning—far from it—and the players all know that.” McGinley has the support of those European players, and the feeling is mutual. “The players got me the job, and they were very vocal in their support for me,” he adds, “so I would like to think I can repay that in terms of communicating with them, and hopefully my Ryder Cup experience will stand me in good stead, and help me to make good decisions.” “I have always admired Paul’s spirit and energy,” said Luke Donald—who narrowly missed out on a McGinley wildcard for Gleneagles—earlier this year. “He is always very involved, taking things in, figuring things out. He has picked up a lot of experience, as both vice captain and as a player and he will be as well prepared as any captain we have had. I played under Bernhard Langer in 2004, who was very meticulous, and I think Paul will be similar in that respect. The American team will be gunning for us—they are still sick to their stomachs that they lost in Medinah and they will want revenge, but Paul will have it under control.”

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COMMENT

So you think the United States Ryder Cup team is heading to Scotland to receive a whipping with its pants down? Never under-estimate the Ryder Cupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s power to throw up surprises, and anyway, here Dave Shedloski lists five watertight reasons why the visiting team will return to American shores with the spoils

he Herculean effort that Europe was forced to expend for its recordtying comeback in the 2012 Ryder Cup isn’t expected to be required when the 40th edition of the biennial competition is contested later this month at Gleneagles. With two major wins this year alone, Rory McIlroy is spearheading a powerful home squad, and Europe looks like a safe bet to again retain the Ryder Cup against an American team that is banged up, put down, and in the last few months, has been scrambling to find its form like a college student cramming for an exam. But before the Europeans start counting on their eighth win in the last 10 Ryder Cups, they must entertain the possibility that an American contingent void of the services of Tiger Woods might prove surprisingly defiant. Whether America emerges with the cup is another matter entirely, but it would serve European captain Paul McGinley well to remind his charges that nine of the past 13 Ryder Cups have been determined by two points or fewer, and seven have been decided by a point or less. Despite what a lot of people are saying, the US team Tom Watson leads for a second time is by no means weak. “I think the makeup of this team is really good,” veteran Phil Mickelson said. “I think we absolutely have a chance.”

Here are five reasons the US might actually win:

2. 3. 4. 5.

The underdog factor Only once before, in 2006 at the K Club, have the Europeans looked stronger on paper versus the Americans, and then they won by a record-tying nine points. Europe has four of the top five players in the world—Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose—while Jim Furyk and Matt Kuchar, seventh and eighth respectively, are the top U.S. members. No wonder the bookmaker Ladbrokes has listed Europe as a 4-to-7 favorite. That has to rankle. As former US captain Paul Azinger said, “If I were Tom Watson, I would hammer home the message that nobody thinks the US can win. That can be a very powerful motivational tool. And it can work. Europe has done it to us enough.” Ken Schofield, former executive director of the European Tour, concurs, saying, “Europe always won against the odds. Why? World Rankings have never counted for much in a Ryder Cup because 16 of the 28 points are in team play and the singles are over 18 holes. How else has Europe been able to compete so well?” The five-foot knee knockers Putting wins Ryder Cups. This is not top secret. But when you look at the PGA Tour’s primary putting statistic, Strokes Gained, the Europeans appear to have a slight edge, which could spell doom for the visitors. Not so fast. America owns a clear advantage in another key area: putts inside five feet. Among the bottom-feeders on tour from throw-up distance are McIlroy at 176th, Martin Kaymer at 179th, Sergio Garcia at 182nd and Henrik Stenson last at 186. Concession? What’s a concession? Tiger trouble Hard to believe this could be a net positive for America, but the last time the 14-time major champion sat out the matches, due to reconstructive knee surgery, was 2008 and the US enjoyed a 16-11 thrashing of the Europeans at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Tiger made it known that he just wasn’t ready to help his fellow Yanks at Gleneagles, but in fact, he is helping. This is a psychological net gain all the way around. Revenge is sweet Momentum resides firmly in European hands after that remarkable rally in 2012. But the US was enjoying a similar moment of satisfaction after its history-making comeback in 1999 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Europe bounced back to win in 2002. Not more than a few minutes after the US won another Presidents Cup last year at Muirfield Village Golf Club, Steve Stricker, a member of the losing team in Medinah, was asked if this made up for the Ryder Cup disappointment. “Nothing will ever make up for that day until we get the Ryder Cup back,” said Stricker, who this year serves as one of Watson’s vice captains. “If we aren’t motivated by what happened [at Medinah] then we never will be.” The Tom Watson factor Watson is the last US captain to win abroad, in 1993 at the Belfry, and he is immensely popular in Scotland; two factors that contributed to his selection as captain. Watson’s nonplussed demeanor and experience will be invaluable, but he also brings numerous intangibles to the table. “Even though a captain never plays a shot, Tom Watson brings an intangible value to the team that might make the difference in a half-point or a point somewhere,” said PGA of America President Ted Bishop, the man who recruited Watson. Among them is optimism. On the night before Sunday’s singles matches in 1993, Watson stood before his team, which trailed by a point, and assured his fellow pros that they would win. “Guys,” he said, “we’re going to win because I’m lucky.” Lanny Wadkins immediately jumped up and shouted, “That’s right! You are the luckiest SOB I know!” The United States won 15-13.

COMMENT

With key players out of fitness or out of form, or both, and with a forbidding Scottish autumn awaiting the teams, Englishman Paul Mahoney, who regularly reports from both sides of the Atlantic, argues that the United States has little chance of winning its first Ryder Cup in six years at Gleneagles

o borrow a phrase from our queen, it was an August ‘horribilis’ for Team USA and captain Tom Watson. Just one month before the biennial clash of Europe versus the USA, America’s finest golfers were in meltdown. An injured Tiger Woods asked not to be considered for a wildcard, Matt Kuchar withdrew from the PGA Championship suffering from back spasms, Jason Dufner followed him to the airport at Louisville with his neck in a brace, Dustin Johnson took his leave from the game to tackle personal issues, while Bubba Watson was being a pain in the backside, complaining about the Kentucky rain at Valhalla. Maybe it was the noise of the raindrops bouncing off his empty head that was making him curse and gripe. Just wait until Bubba samples some proper icy Scottish stare rods. That’ll give him something to swear at. And in July, when captain Watson invited 20 prospective team members to join him for a reconnaissance mission to the course, only Jim Furyk and Keegan Bradley turned up. “All these guys are dropping like flies on our team and it is a bit scary,” Watson said. “It doesn’t bode well for us so far.” You can say that again. USA has as much chance of winning the Ryder Cup as there is of no one playing the bagpipes in a kilt at Gleneagles. Theirs has been the kind of team disintegration that would be enough to cause a sane man to run gibbering to his bathroom to take showers in his clothes. Which is exactly what Watson has been doing. There are many tasks a captain should be worrying about and organizing. Checking that the rain gear is waterproof is not one of them. “I’ve been wearing them in the shower to test them out,” Watson said with no sense of how ridiculous he sounded. “I’m trying to make sure they’re warm enough, waterproof enough and comfortable enough for the conditions we’ll face over in Scotland.” Recent history has driven a fully clothed Watson into the shower, because captain Corey Pavin only discovered that his team’s waterproofs weren’t actually waterproof when the heavens opened over Celtic Manor in Wales in 2010. Watson’s micro-management fails to account for the fact that, in Scotland, he won’t be able to turn off the rain and it won’t be a nice relaxing warm drizzle that will be hammering down on Bubba and the boys. The United States has lost seven of the last nine matches and has not won in Europe since Watson was captain at the Belfry in 1993. They’ve forgotten how to win. Apart from when Nick Faldo couldn’t be bothered to prepare properly in 2008 and Europe lost. No chance of Europe’s 2014 captain forgetting the names of his players or inviting family members and celebrities to be a part of his backroom staff. For McGinley, this is a privilege, not a reward. A responsibility, not a lap of honor. “If we are going to be favorites, we will take it,” he said. “But, I assure you, there will not be one ounce of complacency from us.” And then, of course, Europe has Rory McIlroy, world number one and this year’s [British] Open Champion and PGA Championship winner. “I wish he was on my team,” Watson admitted. McGinley believes the 25-year-old Northern Irishman is on the way to dominating like Woods once did. “There is no reason why not,” beamed McGinley. “That’s the best exhibition of driving I have ever seen from anybody in terms of length and accuracy,” he said after McIlroy’s triumph at Royal Liverpool. It seems everyone is now in awe of McIlroy, yet he is also approachable and popular among his peers. Unlike Woods, there will be no problems finding a partner for him in the Ryder Cup. He already has his pal Graeme McDowell, for a start. “It’s not just how the Americans view me but how I’m viewed by my own team,” McIlroy said. “It’s going to be my third Ryder Cup, I’m not one of the most experienced guys but I’m going have to be some sort of leader, be a talisman and drive us forward. I’m realizing that I have to accept that responsibility,” he said. “I’m comfortable with that.” Such is the strength of the European team, that includes recent major champions Justin Rose and Martin Kaymer, along with Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia, that McGinley had the luxury of not picking veteran Luke Donald, selecting Lee Westwood, Stephen Gallacher and Ian Poulter instead. “How d’ya like them apples?” McGinley might say to Watson under his breath. In contrast, such is the lack in depth of the US team that Watson was having to consider rookie wildcards that, while fine players, would probably go unnoticed in their home towns: Ryan Moore, Brendan Todd, Chris Kirk and Harris English, anyone? Perhaps the best chance for a US victory would be for Watson to convince his team that they are playing the Presidents Cup. They know how to win that one.

HERITAGE

Miracle or Mas sa c r e? On European soil, the 2012 Ryder Cup is revered as the ‘Miracle of Medinah,’ but in the United States it is generally recalled as little as possible—to the host nation it was more of a massacre. Northern Ireland’s Bill Elliott was there

Even Chicago— that old, bruising city so stunningly embroidered by Lake Michigan and forever linked to Al Capone and other bad boys whose violent capers were played out to a soundtrack of the best blues music in America— even this city has rarely known a day like it.

sportsman who has never struggled to hide his light under a bushel or to tone down a new pair of vibrant trousers. To the majority, however, Poulter is a star, a blue-collar lad who has sensationally over-achieved in a career that only he saw coming. Born in, Hertfordshire, England, Poulter always was a dreamer and what he dreamed most about was becoming a professional golfer. Either that or a footballer. As footballers don’t get to wear flash clothes at work, golf won. It was, however, still a stretch even for the most vivid of imaginations. When he became a teenage assistant pro at a local club he would entertain staff and members when he talked about how he would one day be a touring professional and win millions. Yeah right, was the usual response to this declaration. They thought he was a fantasist heading for a fall. This was fair enough given that Poulter’s handicap when he turned professional was set high at five, and therefore a rating that placed him the far side of nowhere when anyone contemplated the new talent emerging in the old game in England. Never underestimate the determination of the committed dreamer. Poulter is still not the most naturally gifted golfer on the planet, maybe not even the most naturally talented in Hertfordshire, but he is a grafter and a man whose eyes always have been on the biggest targets, nestling somewhere close to the furthest horizons. Over-achieving at anything is rare, but this is exactly what this Englishman has done over the last couple of decades. From a low-ranking amateur to one of the world’s very best is some trip, and it is because of what is between his ears and in his heart that Poulter has overtaken so many more obviously gifted players. Even by his inflated standards of personal endeavour, his performance at Medinah on that Saturday afternoon was a landmark combination of effort and competitiveness. Partnered by an incredulous Rory McIlroy— world No.1 at the time—Poulter took on Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson on his own. While the Americans birdied three of the last five holes, Poulter went on a rampage with birdies at them all, for the most improbable of victories.

To suggest that the final Sunday of the 2012 Ryder Cup offered momentous memories is to underplay, for those of us fascinated by the unpredictability of big-time sport, what occurred at Medinah Country Club two years ago. What happened was the most extraordinary comeback by any side in the frenetic history of the Ryder Cup matches. Down, out and apparently buried by an American team led by a gung-ho skipper in Davis Love, the Europeans were trailing 10-4 by mid-afternoon on Saturday. The atmosphere in the giant media center was as subdued as the American galleries were loud out on the course. This was building not just into a heavy loss, but into a humiliation. Europe’s leader, Jose-Maria Olazabal, wore the wearily startled look of a general who had wandered into enemy territory and found himself irretrievably surrounded. We European journalists, meanwhile, were working out what to do with the rest of Sunday after the USA had mopped up the points they needed for victory. Downtown Chicago, one of those blues bars, and a long drink surely beckoned. And then something amazing happened. Now amazing is the most overworked descriptive word currently in the English language. Anything, almost everything, these days is described as amazing, the mot du jour used to capture the irritatingly mundane and banal. For once, however, this is indeed the most apt description of events late on that Saturday afternoon. How else to explain the late heroics, first by Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia as they extracted a point from their tussle with the USA’s blue-chip twosome, Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker, and then by you know who? Ian Poulter is many things to many people. To some he is a bit of an irritant, an uppity

Suddenly, the heavily outnumbered European supporters found their voice and their confidence again, suddenly the American fans turned down their own volume, replacing it with resigned applause for what they were watching. When it finished, Olazabal’s grimace had been overtaken by a grin for now he knew that he had something to take into that evening’s team meeting. Until Poulter’s surge forward, the Spaniard had been contemplating a ‘play for our honor’ sort of speech before the last day singles, but now he could point at Poulter, lead the applause and tell everyone they had a chance. It still was, to be fair, only a chance. At 10-6 down they were still stuck behind one of Medinah’s towering oaks, but there was genuine belief within the European team room that if momentum was gained swiftly, then some Americans, barricaded until this point by experienced partners, just might crumble. And so it proved, as the Europeans rocked into Sunday and swept aside their opponents for the mother of all revivals. There were many heroes on this Sunday, and so much for Thanking their Europe to savour. But first, Olazabal had to get lucky stars: the European McIlroy out of bed and to the course. Or rather team celebrates local policeman Pat Rollins had to rescue the (below) while Jose Maria situation by hurtling to the club with McIlroy in Olazabal his car, sirens screaming, lights flashing after contemplates (right) the Irishman mixed up his tee time and lay

Jaw dropping: Rory McIlroy, world number one, then as he is again now, celebrates the astonishing European victory at Medinah

tee for a Sunday fourball at the local club, then did his job by taking a point, and so avoided the most embarrassing moment to date of his stellar career. It all ended in cascades of Champagne for the vitising team, whoops and hollers and the inevitable chants of “olé-olé-olé-olé” as everyone went nuts. Well, everyone except those for whom the Star Spangled Banner is a patriotic beacon. As the home fans streamed away from Medinah and into all those great bars for solace, they were as disbelieving as the American players themselves. In the middle of the merry mayhem, no one was merrier or creating more mayhem than Poulter. This man may never win a major, may never be ranked the best in the world but, really, does it matter? This was Poulter’s time, his major, his triumph. Winning Ryder Cups takes a massive team effort but Poulter was the catalyst, the one who made it possible. Never has he succeeded more in achieving his special fantasies. When Olazabal spoke at the closing ceremony he cried as he referred to his old friend Seve Ballesteros, whose image and reputation had hung everywhere that week. Looking across at his team, Ollie said, “All men die but not all men live. You made me feel alive again this week. Thank you.” Amen to that.

relaxing on his hotel bed instead of practicing his putting. This good cop did his job well and McIlroy, sandwich in hand as though dashing to the

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HERITAGE

Gather round: Crowds enclose a green at Gleneagles in 1925, a year after the hotel opened

HI S TORY T UR NS F U L L C IR C L E. The Ryder Cup will be held at Gleneagles for the first time in 2014, but as Scotland’s own Colin Callander writes, this storied Perthshire resort played an integral role in the formation of the Ryder Cup matches nearly 100 years ago

hen teams of professional golfers from the United States and Great Britain played each other at Gleneagles in 1921, things were quite different. Back then, Gleneagles’ King’s course was ready, but its hotel was not, and the golfers had to stay in railway carriages and even fetch their own water. The level of luxury could not have been further removed from the team rooms, luxury suites and team chefs that Ryder Cup golfers enjoy today. It wasn’t until June 6, 1924, that the Caledonian Railway Company opened the doors of its luxury hotel at Gleneagles in central Scotland. That was five years after golf was played on the site for the first time. Five-time [British] Open champion, James Braid, had been asked to design two courses on this majestic piece of land. Just a year after the 18-hole King’s and the (then) nine-hole Queen’s courses opened in 1919, the former hosted the Scottish Professional Championship, the £650 Glasgow Herald Tournament and a Scottish Amateur Championship sponsored by the Dundee Evening Telegraph & Post. The amateur event, which was won by Gordon Lockhart—who later went on to become the first professional at Gleneagles—was the precursor to the Scottish Amateur, which started under the aegis of the Scottish Golf Union the following year. Then in 1921 Gleneagles was asked to break more new ground when it was invited to stage the first ever trans-Atlantic

match between the professionals of Great Britain and the United States. That year Gleneagles was again playing host to the Glasgow Herald tournament and, with time available between that and the top professionals moving on to compete in the Open Championship at St Andrews, the Herald was persuaded to put up a not inconsiderable 1,000 guineas to fund this inaugural International Challenge Match. It was a formidable group of American players that left the United States on RMS Aquitania that summer, including reigning U.S. Open champion, Jock Hutchison, a former native of St Andrews, the legendary Walter Hagen and William Earl “Wild Bill” Mehlhorn, but in the end the visitors were no match for an experienced British team featuring the likes of Harry Vardon, Ted Ray and Braid himself, which went on to win 9-3. “The feature of the day was the superb play of the old guard,” reported The Scotsman. “Braid and Vardon produced sterling golf, which nobody probably could have beaten. The golf of Vardon and Braid was astonishing for men of 51.” “Britain has come out with flying colours from the first American professional challenge,” wrote a special correspondent in the Glasgow Herald. “Today over this testing and magnificent course, a team of America’s best professionals were beaten by ten of our own men…

throughout the day there was bright sunshine, which was tempered by a slight breeze. Under these genial conditions, the course was seen at its best (by) the large crowds that gathered to witness play.” The transatlantic International Challenge proved such a success that the idea of a regular match between the two countries gathered momentum. In May 1926 another contest was played at Wentworth near London, with the hosts emerging as 13½ to 1½ winners. Just after that, St Albans seed merchant, Samuel Ryder, donated a gold trophy, and the first official Ryder Cup was staged 12 months later at the Worcester Country Club in Worcester, Massachusetts, where Walter Hagen’s US team reversed the previous two results by trouncing Ted Ray’s British team 9½ to 2 ½ . Like the Ryder Cup itself, since those early beginnings in the 1920s Gleneagles has earned a deserved international reputation, both as a hotel and a championship golf venue.

Famous four: This formidable British foursome was photographed at Gleaneagles at the 1,000 Guineas tournament in 1922. (l to r) Harry Vardon, Ted Ray, James Braid, and J.H. Taylor

which was hosted by commentator and former Ryder they had the Californian weather, I’d move there. I’ve Cup golfer Peter Alliss and featured professionals of played all the finest courses, but there is nowhere like the calibre of Palmer, Player, Jacklin, Lee Trevino, Seve the first tee of the King’s.” Ballesteros, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Sandy Lyle, Of course, much has changed since Hope’s day, Tom Weiskopf and Johnnie Miller, as well as category not least golf equipment, which is why in the early “A” celebrities like Sean 1990s, Nicklaus was brought back to build a new golf Strong-arm tactics: Ian Connery, Bing Crosby, course. The result was the £5.9 million, 7,081-yard, Woosnam won the Scottish Telly Savalas, Scottish par-72 Monarch’s course (subsequently renamed The Open at Gleneagles in 1990 Formula One motor PGA Centenary), which was opened on May 15, 1993, racing world champion albeit not without a late scare. Jackie Stewart, and That day 44 players, including HRH The Duke of England’s heavyweight York and stars from the world of sport and entertainment, world champion boxer were invited to Gleneagles to take part in a televised Henry Cooper. team competition. “For the opening of the Monarch’s, It was in the late we wanted to create something that was very interesting 1970s that Trevino was for TV, to get into the key markets we wanted to reach,” heard to say that “if recalls Ian Ferrier, managing director of Gleneagles Golf heaven is anything like Developments. “Everyone worked tirelessly, but then this, I hope they save me we woke up that morning and it was as if someone had a tee time,” and he was painted snow halfway down Glen Devon. It was the first by no means the only snow in May for 30 years. You think of everything and professional to profess then you stare at that.” a love for Gleneagles. “I Fortunately, the snow melted in time for the just remember it as a very match to go ahead and now some 19 years later, after beautiful place and a very several revisions, and having hosted 14 successful Over its first 70 years, Gleneagles’ King’s course enjoyable hotel. The surroundings were tremendous,” European Tour events, Gleneagles’ newest course is went on to stage the Penfold tournament, the Dunlop agreed Palmer. Entertainer Bob Hope concurred in ready to stage the Ryder Cup. tournament, the Skol Lager tournament, the Double his own inimitable style, when asked why he regarded In a very real sense, with the arrival of the Diamond International, the Bell’s Scottish Open, the Scotland with such affection. “Because the people are Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, the resort’s history has McDonald’s WPGA Championship, and several other so warm and they have got Gleneagles,” he said. “If only turned full circle. leading European professional events. It was there in 1974 that a strong English team comprising Tony Glamour of the Glen: (l to r) American golfers P. E. Leviton, Olin Dutra, Billy Burke, Walter Hagen and Al Free relax on the hotel’s terrace during a visit after the 1933 Ryder Cup Jacklin, Peter Townsend, Maurice Bembridge, Tommy Horton and Peter Oosterhuis captured the Double Diamond International team tournament, and there three years later where a callow 20-year-old Nick Faldo banked £4,000 after winning his first European Tour title in the Skol Lager Individual. More recently, Ian Woosnam won twice as the King’s hosted eight Scottish Opens in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1966 the King’s Course was selected as one of the venues for the Big Three in Britain matches contested between Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. In the UK it will always be remembered for staging the BBC’s International Pro-Celebrity Golf series,

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STAGE

Mon arch of the Gl en

There is so much that is fitting about the Ryder Cup landing at Gleneagles this year. Gleneagles was not only the venue for one of the first matches played between teams from the United States and Great Britain and Ireland in 1921, but it is also home to the PGA Centenary Course—originally the Monarch’s Course—which was re-named to mark the centenary of the British PGA, one of the Ryder Cup’s founding bodies, in 2001. Scotsman Colin Callander provides a hole-by-hole guide to the Jack Nicklaus-designed PGA Centenary Course, a course built upon some of the finest golfing terrain of the stunning Scottish heartland

Bracken Brae

426 yards, Par 4 The opening tee shot in the Ryder Cup is always one of the most nervewracking in golf, and that pressure won’t be eased here on the first tee of the PGA Centenary course. The best line is down the left as this leaves an uninterrupted view of the slightly raised green. Hitting driver might well get players past the bunker built into the right-hand side of the landing area, but then they will be left with a second shot off a downhill lie and into a narrow putting surface, protected by a bunker on the right. A three-wood or a long iron might be a better option off the tee, as this will mean hitting the second from a flatter lie.

Schiehallion

431 Yards, Par 4 This hole takes its name from a prominent local mountain, which is said to be the geographical centre of mainland Scotland. That is appropriate because the tee is at the highest point on the course and as such is exposed to the elements, and often plays into the wind. The key is to avoid the bunkers built into the right-hand side of the fairway, leaving a mid-iron into a relatively flat but well-bunkered green, which opens up at the back.

Wester Greenwalls

Gowden Beastie

211 Yards, Par 3 Gowden Beastie (Golden Bear) is named after course architect Jack Nicklaus and it is the longest of the par-3s on his PGA Centenary Course. It can play anything up to 239 yards depending on which tee is used, and as it plays uphill and into the prevailing wind it can be very demanding. The original large bunker to the left of the green has been replaced by a smaller but deeper hazard, which needs to be avoided at all costs. Back right is the safest target on the green, although golfers have to be careful to clear the bunker on that side.

516 yards, Par 5 This will be a two-shotter for most of the players at the Ryder Cup, although there is plenty of trouble if they stray off line. The tee shot should be hit to the right or just past the fairway bunker, leaving a long iron or fairway wood into a narrow two-tier green protected by water on the left and by bunkers on both sides. Most players will try to hit their approach short of the flag rather than risk running through into a deep swale at the back of the green. The hole is named after the ruined croft to the back of the green.

Crookit Cratur

461 Yards, Par 4 There are a lot of people who think this is the best hole on the PGA Centenary course, and it is certainly one of the toughest. It requires an accurate drive into a tight fairway and then a similarly pinpoint second into a green protected by a bunker on the left and marshland on the right. The marshland has been designated as a Site of Scientific interest as it is home to a wide assortment of wildlife.

Mickle Skelp

201 Yards, Par 3 Mickle Skelp translates as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;small hitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, but it can be anything but when the wind is into the golferâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face. In more clement conditions the Ryder Cup players will need a mid-iron into a green that has been redesigned to remove a ridge that used to run through it. There is a bunker on the green and a wetland short and right, so the safest shot is to the back right, from where the ball will often feed towards the middle of the green.

Larch Gait

468 Yards, Par 4 This dogleg right is another hole that has been altered since the course was first opened in 1993, and it is a much better test as a result. The tee shot has to be threaded between bunkers, leaving a middle-to-short iron into a raised green, which slopes from right-to-left and is particularly difficult to hold when the prevailing wind is blowing.

Sidlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Brows

419 Yards, Par 4 The biggest hitters might try to drive over the fairway bunkers but the rest will play their tee shots out to the right, leaving a good view of a green, which falls away on the left side and is protected by bunkers on both sides. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a birdie opportunity but the green is more open than most and so is exposed to the elements. Two new bunkers to the right of the green have been added since the hole was first laid out.

Crook Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Moss

618 Yards, Par 5 This is the longest hole on the PGA Centenary course and it was made much more challenging when Nicklaus elected to move the water hazard closer to the right of the green. Water is also a threat from the tee and there are three new bunkers in the middle of the fairway, which will catch any errant second shots. In certain conditions the big hitters might go for the green in two but the rest will elect to hit their second shots down the left, leaving a straightforward shot straight up the narrow green.

Sleekit Howe

208 Yards, Par 3 Club selection can be difficult here, because this downhill par 3 is played from an exposed tee down to a green that lies about 18 to 20 yards lower. There is a small bunker to the left of the green and another on the right, while the putting surface has a prominent ridge running through it. It is not a long hole but is far from easy when the wind is swirling over the course, as it often does.

Laich Burn

350 Yards, Par 4 This is the second-shortest par 4 on the course, and is named after the burn that sits down at the bottom of a steep slope just past the tee-shot landing area. Most players will hit a fairway wood or a long iron from the tee and then a short iron over the ravine, to a plateau green, which sits into the side of a hill. It is a birdie hole but the green is protected by bunkers on both sides and the prominent false front also catches out a lot of players who come up just a couple of yards short.

Carn Mairg

445 Yards, Par 4 This used to be a par-5 but is now a challenging par 4, where a good tee shot will find the left side of the fairway and leave golfers with a long second shot to an angled green that is protected by bunkers on the front-left and back-right corners. The green itself is undulating so it is important to find the correct portion if golfers want to leave themselves with a straightforward putt. On at least one day of the Ryder Cup the hole is likely to be cut just over the front left bunker, which will make club selection very important.

Wimplin’ Wyne

481 Yards, Par 4 Wimplin’ Wyne (which means ‘meandering turn’) is another hole Nicklaus has extended over the years, and it is now challenging for even the best players in the world. The bigger hitters will probably hit driver over the right side of a bunker situated about 260-yards from the tee, although they will have to be careful because there is another bunker on the right and deep rough on the left. From there it will be just under 200 yards to a raised and undulating green protected by a large front bunker.

Nebit Knowe

320 Yards, Par 4 This par 4 is driveable in certain conditions, and as such might well be one of the most exciting holes at this year’s Ryder Cup. The most aggressive players could try to carry a group of bunkers which sit about 280 yards out on the right side of fairway, but the rest will take an iron and hope to hit an accurate wedge into what is the smallest green on the course. This is bound to be one of the most popular spots for fans to gather at this year’s matches.

Ochil Sicht

463 Yards, Par 4 This hole is named after the delightful view the players get of the distant Ochil Hills—an unspoilt landscape that has remained unchanged for centuries. It is the first in a series of demanding closing holes and requires a long draw round the slight dogleg, followed by a downhill approach to what is the longest green on the course. The green stretches 50 yards from front to back, so club selection will be vital, as will be accuracy, with the putting surface falling away on the left, and protected by sand on the right.

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Lochan Loup

518 Yards, Par 5 This is another hole that could have a pivotal role in this year’s Ryder Cup. The landing area is heavily guarded by bunkers but if players can avoid them they can then fire a second shot straight over the water (Lochan Loup means ‘Leap Over the small Loch’) towards an undulating green. It is a typical Nicklaus risk-and-reward hole. It might yield eagles but there is also more than enough trouble to lose the hole to a par if you hit a shot off line.

Ca’ Canny

194 Yards, Par 3 Ca’ Canny means ‘Be Careful’, and that is good advice because this downhill par-3 is heavily bunkered on three sides. The two bunkers on the left are both deep and there is a ridge on the green that makes it very difficult to get up and down from the bunker on the right. This penultimate hole is primed to settle quite a few matches during this year’s Ryder Cup.

Dun Roamin

513 Yards, Par 5 Nicklaus has done a great deal of work on the closing hole on the PGA Centenary course, and it now provides both a wonderful amphitheatre for the crowds, as well as a fine opportunity for the players to win their matches with a birdie or an eagle. It is another excellent example of the risk-and-reward the Golden Bear values so highly. The tee shot should be hit down the left to avoid being blocked out by trees. Rewards await those players who can hit the small kidney-shaped green, but that is easier said than done. The green is heavily guarded by bunkering, and the contoured run-off areas make it devilishly difficult to get up-and-down.

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EXCLUSIVE

Phil Mickelson already holds the record as the American golfer who has contested for the most Ryder Cup points—38 matches over nine Ryder Cups—and as Art Spander writes, the on-course leader for Tom Watson’s team will set another record at Gleneagles, as the first American golfer to play in 10 consecutive Ryder Cups. Little wonder his teammates follow Mickelson’s lead

Montana Pritchard / PGA of America

Leading by example: Phil Mickelson tees off at Medinah in 2012, when he excelled in partnership with Keegan Bradley, going 3-0-0

“I just love it,” says Mickelson. “I just love the event.” Players and others representing the US feel the same way about Phil. He’s played for more points than any American, 38 matches in nine Ryder Cups, and even if he’s lost more than anyone other than Tiger Woods—16 points to Tiger’s 17—his loyalty, durability and advice have been invaluable. At 44, Mickelson is the team’s elder statesman, both literally and symbolically. His first Ryder Cup was 1995, two years after e did it his way, which certainly is not surprising current teammate Jordan Spieth was born. about Phil Mickelson. Along with great pride, “Guys on Tour say they used to watch me on TV there’s always been stubbornness about the when they were six or seven,” adds Mickelson, man, a persistence—after all he’s a right- with a self-deprecating laugh. “That makes hander who plays golf left-handed. Sinatra me feel old.” sang about doing things “my way.” Mickelson Keegan Bradley, with whom he paired exists doing things his way. in the 2012 Ryder Cup and 2013 Presidents Phil is on the American team for this 2014 Cup, and Rickie Fowler, like Phil a southern Ryder Cup. Even after a lackluster spring and Californian, see him as their mentor. It summer, without a single top-10 in a PGA Tour seems inevitable that one day Mickelson will event, he was certain to be a pick by the US be captain of the US squad, although not captain, Tom Watson. Yet Mickelson wanted to immediately. He plans to continue the quest, prove he belonged, he wanted to play his way for that U.S. Open missing from his resume of on. Which in a sparkling PGA Championship, majors, for the 2016 Olympics and for the 2016 finishing only a shot behind the remarkable Ryder Cup. That 2016 Ryder Cup would see Rory McIlroy, is exactly what Mickelson did. Mickelson match Faldo’s perfect attendance “I’m confident that I’ll get on the team on record of 11 uninterrupted Ryder Cups. my own and won’t require that pick,” Mickelson “It’s fun to play with some of these young said at the start of the PGA Championship at guys,” Mickelson says of Bradley, who’s 28 and Valhalla. “I want to keep that streak going of Fowler, 25. “When you’re out here 22 years you two decades that I have. I want to keep making sometimes take everything for granted, and the team on my own.” when I see the excitement and appreciation The streak lives. Mickelson has made it from these younger guys it gets me excited to the Cup for a 10th straight time. Arnold again. I see their energy.” Palmer couldn’t do that. Ben Hogan couldn’t What others see is Mickelson’s do that. Nor could Sam Snead. Phil Mickelson sportsmanship and civility, including his Ryder has done it, and it is an American record Cup opponents. When Englishman Justin Rose (England’s Nick Faldo played in 11 consecutive made a long birdie putt at 17 to draw even Ryder Cups, from 1977 to 1997, to hold the in the singles against Mickelson at Medinah, trans-Atlantic record). Mickelson gave him the thumbs-up. More

than that, Phil quieted one of the numerous hecklers in the pro-American gallery. “Someone in the crowd was trying to put me off,” said Rose. “Phil and the other American players were amazing. They pointed security in the right direction.” Mickelson has his detractors, those who say he is too conscious of image, but one writer calls him the most visible “good guy” in golf since Arnold Palmer. Visibility has certainly never been a problem, whether he’s attending a middle school graduation speech given by daughter Amanda and then flying late into the night to play in the 2013 U.S. Open, or botching the final hole in the 2006 U.S. Open. Even as an amateur student at Arizona State, Mickelson made the cover of America’s monthly ‘Golf Digest’. He’s unorthodox, from the righty-as-lefty bit—developed as a tyke when he mirrored his father’s swing—to the adventurous style with which he chases a golf ball. Mickelson is also a battler. Four years ago he was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. He could barely swing a club the pain was so severe. It was thought his career was at an end. Not so. With the help of a drug, he keeps the ailment under control and in 2013 he won the Open Championship at Muirfield—the strongest vindication for his medical treatment and perseverance. “The kids on the team, including rookies Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth, will surely take their cues from Phil,” wrote Michael Bamberger in ‘Sports Illustrated’ immediately after the PGA Championship. “Mickelson is most likely to be the dominant personality of this year’s Ryder Cup because of two big names who will be missing.” Those names belong to Woods, unable to play because of a bad back, and Dustin Johnson, who pulled his name from the list to deal with personal issues after he was rumored to have violated the PGA Tour’s drug policy. The brilliant short game on which Mickelson has normally relied, has been off for most of 2014. Then, a week before the PGA, he had a final-round 62 at the Bridgestone Invitational. Then he knew he hadn’t lost the touch. No less important, others knew too. He promptly finished second at Valhalla, and as easy as that, he was ready for the Ryder Cup. The American team would seem to be a heavy underdog, but that doesn’t faze Mickelson, the insatiable chance-taker. He enjoys darting through traffic when he’s behind the wheel, and he enjoys hitting shots over his head so they land behind him—on the green. Odds don’t frighten Mickelson; they stoke his flame. “You know, sometimes it’s easier for

guys to pull together as a team when it seems there are a lot of things going against them,” reflects Mickelson. “I really think we’ll be fine and we’ll find a way to play well.” In some of the past Ryder Cups, Mickelson and Woods were notorious for their aggressiveness, in table tennis. With his one-liners and constant needling, Phil kept the team upbeat when they weren’t on the course. There’s no reason he won’t be the same at Gleneagles. Especially after his PGA Championship revival. “It was good for me to get back in the thick of it,” Mickelson said, thinking as much about the future as the past. “To get back in contention. To compete in the big tournaments. And it’s just fun. It’s just fun.” On either side of the Atlantic, there aren’t many tournaments bigger than the Ryder Cup. Mickelson understands that, but even after a sub-standard season, playing away from home and as underdogs, Mickelson will play undaunted. “You have to attack,” he confirms. That’s the Phil Mickelson way, and win or lose, it’s never boring.

Odds don’t frighten Mickelson; they stoke his flame

Experience counts: Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley eye up a putt at Medinah (below), before Mickelson congratulates Justin Rose after their singles match

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Six feet for it

EXCLUSIVE

Two German golfers have played in the Ryder Cup, and both have faced six-foot putts to retain it. Bernhard Langer missed his in 1991, but Martin Kaymer did not make the same mistake in 2012. The reigning U.S. Open champion spoke to Robin Barwick

Ross Kinnaird / Getty Images

Moment of redemption: Martin Kaymer reacts after holing the putt that retained the Ryder Cup for Europe at Medinah

t may as well be chiseled into one of the towering, immovable rocks at Stonehenge. ‘The Miracle of Medinah’ is how the 2012 Ryder Cup will be forever remembered, and cherished, on European soil. The miracle work was triggered by Ian Poulter’s birdie rush on the Saturday afternoon, and it was sealed by Martin Kaymer’s sixfoot putt on the 18th green to defeat Steve Stricker 24 hours later. That was not the putt that won the Ryder Cup, but it gave Europe its 14th point, to retain, before Tiger Woods and Francesco Molinari halved the final match to complete the European triumph. Germany’s Kaymer, who had lost in his only previous match at Medinah that week, walked up to the 18th green knowing he had two putts to retain the Ryder Cup, the first of which was a slippery, downhill 35-footer from the back of the green. “I jumped out of my chair when Martin hit his first putt,” recalls Bernhard Langer, a close friend, mentor and compatriot of Kaymer’s, who was watching from home when Kaymer’s ball sped six feet past the hole. “I was like, ‘Why did you hit it that far past? Why didn’t you just lag it up to the hole?’” Langer feared a repeat of his own indelible six-footer, at Kiawah Island in 1991 in the final singles match against Hale Irwin. He needed to hole it to win his point and for Europe to retain the Ryder Cup, but he tried to putt around a spike mark on his line and missed the hole. It was the most agonizing

moment of Langer’s career. As Kaymer lined up his putt to retain the Ryder Cup at Medinah, Langer wasn’t the only one thinking about that fateful stroke 21 years earlier. “I did think about Bernhard’s putt,” admits Kaymer. “But I thought, okay, it’s not going to happen again, it’s not going to happen again. I didn’t really think about missing. There was only one choice you have; you have to make it. Actually I was not that nervous. I was very controlled, because I knew exactly what I had to do.” “I was just hoping Martin would keep his cool, make a good stroke and knock the thing in,” says Langer. He did. The player who had arrived in Medinah short of form and low on confidence left with the biggest boost he could have dreamed of, and with the Ryder Cup under his arm. “That is something I will remember for the rest of my life and hopefully I can talk about it if I have grandchildren one day,” adds Kaymer. “I was thrilled for Martin,” says Langer. “He had been criticized by the media for his swing changes, so that was the best thing that could have happened to him.” Kaymer, now 29, arrived at Medinah as a golfer in transition. He had won the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in 2010, reached number one in the world early in 2011, but then promptly missed the cut at the Masters for the fourth consecutive time because he couldn’t draw the golf ball. Augusta National is hard enough, let alone if you can’t shape the ball from right to left. So under the guidance of his coach since childhood, Gunter Kessler, Kaymer embarked on a mission to add a draw to his armory, but by the time the 2012 Ryder Cup came around, the work remained unfinished. That is why Jose Maria Olazabal, European captain at Medinah, kept Kaymer on the bench for foursomes and for one fourball series too. In the Friday afternoon fourballs, Kaymer partnered Justin Rose against Matt Kuchar and Dustin Johnson,

but the German did not post a single birdie before the match finished on the 16th green, 3&2 to the American pair. It is a testimony to Kaymer’s mental strength that in the Sunday singles against Steve Stricker, he summoned the fortitude to fight back from one hole down, to ultimately win his point 1 up at the last. That fortitude has come in useful for Kaymer since Medinah too, because even after the euphoria of holing the decisive putt, the ensuing 18 months came and went but the inconsistencies and uncertainties remained. Then, at the end of March this year, practicing with Kessler at TPS Scottsdale, near Kaymer’s US base in Phoenix, something clicked. “At Scottsdale I hit five drives at every hole,” says Kaymer. “Two draws, two fades and then a straight one, and afterwards we sat down and realized that I hardly missed any shots out there. There were one or two, but there was proof for me right there that I could hit any shot I needed. It is just a matter of being brave. Everyone can talk positively, and think positively, but you have to put it into action, and you can only really put that to the test in tournaments. When you play the right shots in tournaments, in difficult situations, that is when the confidence develops, and you gain from that immensely. “I knew in Scottsdale that everything was there, and I knew it would just be a matter of time.” Kaymer finished 31st at the Masters— not great but a career best at Augusta—and then at Sawgrass in May he opened with a spectacular round of 63, nine under par, to tie the course record and take the lead at the Players Championship, a lead he would hold onto until he had a winner’s cheque for $1.8 million in his pocket. “I don’t have to think about my swing any more, which is nice,” says Kaymer, who looked an unlikely 2014 Ryder Cup candidate until Sawgrass. “I have made a lot of changes and I have had a lot of swing thoughts, but now my mind is clear and I can play again, which is the way it is supposed to be. “A lot of people have been saying that I wanted to change the shape of my natural shot. I did not want to change it, but I wanted to add to it. If your natural shot is a fade or a draw, that is how it is and that is your shot; that belongs to you and you should never try to change that. But in order to play the very best golf I can, and to compete against the very best players in the world, I should be able to hit any shot. That is why I needed to add the draw to my game. I needed to change a

couple things in order to achieve that, and I am a better player now than I was three years ago—100 percent.” At the U.S. Open in June, Pinehurst No. 2 was scorched and Kaymer’s putter burned, as he opened with a pair of 65s, 10 under par for 36 holes, when players all around were seeing their balls slip and slide off the beguiling, raised greens. Another wire-to-wire win, this time by eight shots. It was the greatest possible vindication of all the work and turmoil Kaymer had endured. “You can work on something so hard, and focus on technique, technique, technique, that you forget about the feel,” reflects Kaymer, who will play in his third consecutive Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, having made his debut at Celtic Manor in 2010. “There is technique, and then there is hitting shots, and that takes feel. I don’t have to think about the physical movements in my swing any more. I am playing on instinct again, like I used to, except now I can play more shots than I could before.” Twice a major champion and now ready for his third Ryder Cup, the version of Martin Kaymer who will arrive at Gleneagles will not be the timid rookie or the golfer in transition. This is the finished product, in his prime, and there is no-one McGinley would rather see standing over a clutch six-foot putt on the 18th green at Gleneagles.

At the U.S. Open in June, Pinehurst No. 2 was scorched and Kaymer ’s putter burned

American odyssey: Martin Kaymer raises the Wanamaker Trophy at Whistling Straits in 2010 (left) and wins the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 (below)

You call the shots You’ve always been in control Now it’s time to take it back It’s your call

A date with destiny. The most eagerly anticipated teams in golf are complete. Qualification is over and the captains, Tom Watson and Paul McGinley, have made their picks, breaking the hearts of the banished while issuing the chosen few with gilt-edged tickets to Gleneagles. Tour golfers strive to write their chapters in golfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history books, and while most never make it in from the margins, the Ryder Cup presents these 24 players with a golden opportunity to make a mark that will never be forgotten.

Teams for the 40th Ryder Cup. UNITED STATES.

EUROPE.

Captain: Tom Watson.

Captain: Paul McGinley.

Bubba Watson Rickie Fowler Jim Furyk Jimmy Walker Phil Mickelson Matt Kuchar Jordan Spieth Patrick Reed Zach Johnson Keegan Bradley (wildcard) Webb Simpson (wildcard) Hunter Mahan (wildcard)

Rory McIlory Henrik Stenson Victor Dubuisson Jamie Donaldson Sergio Garcia Justin Rose Martin Kaymer Thomas Bjorn Graeme McDowell Stephen Gallacher (wildcard) Ian Poulter (wildcard) Lee Westwood (wildcard)

Over the next 24 pages, we profile all of the golfers playing in the 2014 Ryder Cup, with everything they have achieved, be it good, bad or downright ugly.

Bubba Watson

Born: November 5, 1978, Bagdad, Florida Home: Windermere, Florida College: Faulkner State Community

College; University of Georgia Turned pro: 2000 Career wins: 8 Best finish in each major: Masters 1st (2012, 2014), U.S. Open T5 (2007), [British] Open T23 (2012), PGA Championship 2nd (2010) Ryder Cup appearances: 2 (2010, 2012) Ryder Cup points: 3 (p8, w3, l5)

Did you know?

Watson celebrated winning the Masters this year by taking two tables at the Waffle House on Washington Road, Augusta.

Andrew Redington / Getty Images

Two-time winner of the Masters, Bubba Watson went off the boil after his latest triumph at Augusta, missing the cut at the U.S. Open and at the [British] Open, and finishing in a tie for 65th in the PGA Championship. United States captain Tom Watson will be desperate for his namesake to stand up and become one of his go-to men at Gleneagles because he has the game to do some damage. The bighitting Watson has the touch around the greens that will be needed in Scotland, as he has proved in the Masters. One of the PGA Tourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more enigmatic characters, Watson famously has never had a proper lesson; he was just shown how to hold a club by his late father Gerry. The lack of formal tuition has proved no barrier to his career. Some players have fluked one major, but not many fluke two.

Rickie Fowler

Born: December 13, 1988, Murrieta, California Home: Jupiter, Florida College: Oklahoma State University Turned pro: 2009 Career wins: 2 Best finish in each major: Masters T5 (2014), U.S. Open T2 (2014), [British] Open T2 (2014), PGA Championship T3 (2014) Ryder Cup appearances: 1 (2010) Ryder Cup points: 1 (p3, l1, h2)

Andy Lyons / Getty Images

Rickie Fowler takes one of the best records in this year’s major championships with him to Gleneagles, having followed in the footsteps of only Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in posting top-5 finishes in all four majors in the same year. After placing fifth at Augusta, Fowler was tied second in the U.S. Open and the [British] Open, at Hoylake, and he held the final-round lead in the PGA Championship at Valhalla before Rory McIlroy surged ahead to win. Fowler has risen to a world ranking of 11th. Fowler played his first Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor when he was a captain’s pick for Corey Pavin, and became the event’s second youngest player at 21 years, nine months. Fowler finished the week by birdieing his last four holes to square his singles match against Italian Edoardo Molinari. That cut no ice with Davis Love III, who left him out of the 2012 match at Medinah. Did you know?

Fowler gave up dirt-bike racing after breaking his foot in a crash, aged 15.

Jim Furyk

Did you know?

Furyk’s 59 in the BMW Championship in Illinois last year was the sixth time that score had been recorded on the PGA Tour.

One of the veterans on the United States team with eight Ryder Cups already in the locker, with two of those being wins, Jim Furyk has one of the most distinctive swings in golf. An unorthodox backswing does the job though, as nearly $60 million in prize money and a U.S. Open title prove. Furyk is 44 but his fourth place at the [British] Open and runners-up spots at the Players’ Championship, Canadian Open and Wells Fargo Championship are not performances to be sniffed at. That habit of finishing second—he blew a three-shot lead at the Canadian—will not have been on his wish list, and his Ryder Cup record is below par for a player of his status. Tom Watson will be expecting Furyk to lead and produce in Scotland.

Montana Pritchard / PGA of America

Born: May 12, 1970, West Chester, Pennsylvania Home: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida College: University of Arizona Turned pro: 1992 Career wins: 26 Best finish in each major: Masters 4th (1998, 2003), U.S. Open 1st (2003), [British] Open 4th (1997, 2006, 2014), PGA Championship 2nd (2013) Ryder Cup appearances: 8 (1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012) Ryder Cup points: 11 (p30, w9, l17, h4)

Andrew Redington / Getty Images

Jimmy Walker

Born: January 16, 1979, Oklahoma City Home: San Antonio, Texas College: Baylor University Turned pro: 2001 Career wins: 6 Best finish in each major: Masters T8

(2014), U.S. Open T9 (2014), [British] Open T26 (2014), PGA Championship T21 (2012) Ryder Cup appearances: 0 Ryder Cup points: 0

Did you know?

Harmon is so confident Walker will win a major he has a $1,200 bottle of wine in his cellar ready to open when he does.

Everything comes to those who wait and after 187 starts without a win on the PGA Tour, Jimmy Walker rattled off three victories in eight tournaments at the start of this season and added top-10s in the Masters, Players Championship and the U.S. Open. The best win of the three was in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, when Walker looked to have blown his lead but holed a nervy five-foot putt at the last. Walker will need that sort of nerve when he pitches up at Gleneagles as a 35-year old Ryder Cup rookie who non-golf experts had barely heard of a year ago. Â Walkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s late blossoming can partly be put down to his association with coach Butch Harmon, which started two years ago.

Phil Mickelson

Born: June 16, 1970, San Diego, California Home: Rancho Sante Fe, California College: Arizona State University Turned pro: 1992 Career wins: 51 Best finish in each major: Masters 1st

(2004, 2006, 2010), U.S. Open 2nd (1999, 2004), [British] Open 1st (2013), PGA Championship 1st (2005) Ryder Cup appearances: 9 (1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012) Ryder Cup points: 17 (p38, w14, l18, h6)

Phil Mickelson will be a key figure at Gleneagles as he contests the Ryder Cup for the 10th time. Unlike Tiger Woods, the left-handerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s powers do not seem to be waning and he played one of the best back nines in major championship history to win the 2013 [British] Open at Muirfield. He was also the nearest challenger to Rory McIlroy at the recent PGA Championship at Valhalla, finishing second to show a much needed return to form. The 44-year old won three points out of four at Medinah two years ago, with his only blemish being a loss in the singles to Justin Rose. In one of the great pieces of Ryder Cup sportsmanship, Mickelson gave the Englishman the thumbs-up after he had holed a huge putt to level their match on the 17th. The Californian has three of the four major championships chalked off but has had a frustrating run in the U.S. Open, finishing second or tied for second six times.

Did you know?

Leon Harris

Mickelson earns more than $40million a year from endorsements before he has hit a golf ball.

Matt Kuchar

Born: June, 21, 1978, Winter Park, Florida Home: Sea Island, Georgia College: Georgia Tech Turned pro: 2000 Career wins: 11 Best finish in each major: Masters T3

(2012), U.S. Open T6 (2010), [British] Open T9 (2012), PGA Championship T10 (2010) Ryder Cup appearances: 2 (2010, 2012) Ryder Cup points: 4 (p7, w3, l2, h2)

Montana Pritchard / PGA of America

Matt Kuchar gave Tom Watson a scare when he pulled out of the PGA Championship with back spasms, and with some senior players unavailable the captain has been desperate to get the two-time Ryder Cupper to Gleneagles. Kuchar has big wins to his name, without claiming a major, having won the Players Championship in 2012 and the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in 2013, when he beat Hunter Mahan 2&1 in the final. His other victims that week included Jason Day, Sergio Garcia and Nicolas Colsaerts. This year Kuchar won his seventh PGA tour title when he came from six shots back to win the RBC Heritage, holing from a bunker on the last to deny Luke Donald at Harbor Town Golf Links. Kuchar is also a World Cup winner, having triumphed for the United States at Mission Hills in China in partnership with Gary Woodland. Did you know?

Kucharâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife Sibi was a top college tennis player and the pair teamed up to win the consolation title at the USTA National Husband/Wife Doubles in 2009.

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Jordan Spieth

Born: July 27, 1993, Dallas, Texas Home: Dallas, Texas College: University of Texas Turned pro: 2012 Career wins: 1 Best finish in each major: Masters T2

Jordan Spieth is the coming man of American golf and at the age of 21, he already has a runners-up finish in the Masters to his credit, after sharing the lead this year. He has also spent time in the top-10 of the world rankings. A Walker Cup player in 2011 as an amateur, Spieth won for the first time in July 2013, becoming the first teenager to win on the PGA Tour for 82 years, in claiming the John Deere Classic after a play-off with Zach Johnson and David Hearnâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a performance that helped him to the Rookie of the Year award. Spieth was unbeaten in his only Walker Cup appearance, winning 2Â˝ points out of three at Royal Aberdeen, and although that was in a losing cause the experience will help him at Gleneagles. Did you know?

Spieth gave up the last two years of studies at University of Texas to turn pro in 2012.

Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

(2014), U.S. Open T17, [British] Open T36 (2014), PGA Championship CUT (2013, 2014) Ryder Cup appearances: 0 Ryder Cup points: 0

Patrick Reed

Born: August 5, 1990, San Antonio, Texas Home: Spring, Texas College: University of Georgia, Augusta

State University Turned pro: 2011 Career wins: 3

A business graduate from Augusta State University, Patrick Reed won the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Trump National, Doral in March, coming home a shot in front of Bubba Watson and Jamie Donaldson. That was Reedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third win on the PGA Tour and he was the fifth player to win three times before the age of 24. He is in pretty stellar company with the others being Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia. Reed got his first taste of major championship action this year but has missed out in all four, with a best finish of 35th in the U.S. Open, won by Martin Kaymer at Pinehurst. Reed has never played Ryder Cup golf but had an impressive match play record at college, having a 6-0 record in two years at the NCAAs.

Did you know?

Reed left the University of Georgia after being arrested for under-age drinking and possessing false ID. Â

Stan Badz / PGA TOUR

Best finish in each major: Masters CUT (2014), U.S. Open T35 (2014), [British] Open CUT (2014), PGA Championship T59 (2014) Ryder Cup appearances: 0 Ryder Cup points: 0

Zach Johnson

Born: February 24, 1976, Iowa City Home: St Simons Island, Georgia College: Drake University Turned pro: 1998 Career wins: 26 Best finish in each major: Masters 1st (2007), U.S.

Open T30 (2011), [British] Open T6 (2013), PGA Championship T3 (2010) Ryder Cup appearances: 3 (2006, 2010, 2012) Ryder Cup points: 31/2 (p7, w3, l3, h1) Zach Johnson won his 11th PGA Tour title when he claimed the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii in January, but he has not made much of a ripple in this year’s major championships, missing the cut in the Masters and being out of contention in the other three. Johnson made the automatic qualifiers for the USA team by the skin of his teeth, when he finished in a tie for 70th place at the PGA Championship at Valhalla. A last round 77 left him fretting over his place but he managed to squeak in at the expense of Jason Dufner. Johnson has never won a Ryder Cup but is a serial winner in the Presidents Cup, being part of victorious United States teams in 2007, 2009 and 2013.

Andy Lyons / Getty Images

Did you know?

A group of 10 Iowa businessmen brought shares in Johnson—at $500 each—to give him financial support early in his career. They were on hand to watch his first PGA Tour victory at the 2004 BellSouth Classic.

Keegan Bradley

Born: June 7, 1986, Woodstock, Vermont Home: Jupiter, Florida College: St John’s University, New York Turned pro: 2008 Career wins: 7 Best finish in each major: Masters T27

(2012), U.S. Open T4 (2014), [British] Open T15 (2013), PGA Championship 1st (2011) Ryder Cup appearances: 1 (2012) Ryder Cup points: 3 (p4, w3, l1) After failing to make it into the line-up as an automatic selection, Keegan Bradley was a virtual certainty for a captain’s pick after his display at Medinah two years ago. The 2011 PGA Championship winner won three out of three there in partnership with Phil Mickelson—including a 7&6 drubbing of Luke Donald and Lee Westwood in the Saturday foursomes—before being shaded by Rory McIlroy in the singles. Bradley’s sole major championship win so far came at his first attempt—as a rookie on the PGA Tour— when he beat Jason Dufner in a play-off at Atlanta Athletic Club, having come back from five behind with three holes of regulation play remaining. His form this season has been generally average, although Bradley did finish in a tie for 4th in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, behind the runaway winner Martin Kaymer. Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

Did you know?

Bradley has some work to do to catch up his aunt, Pat Bradley, in major championship wins. She won six between 1980 and 1986, including the U.S. Women’s Open in 1981.

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Webb Simpson

Born: August 8, 1985, Raleigh, California Home: Charlotte, North Carolina College: Wake Forest University, North Carolina Turned pro: 2008 Career wins: 4 Best finish in each major: Masters T44 (2012), U.S. Open 1st

(2012), [British] Open T16 (2011), PGA Championship T25 (2013) Ryder Cup appearances: 1 (2012) Ryder Cup points: 2 (p4, w2, l2)

Did you know?

Simpson might be a U.S. Open champion but his burning ambition has been to win the Masters ever since he first played Augusta National when he was just 12 years oldâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a year after watching Tiger Woods win his first major there in 1997.

Darren Carroll / PGA of America

Former Walker Cup player Webb Simpson proved he has a taste for the big occasion in winning the U.S. Open in 2012 at the Olympic Club, San Francisco, on only his fourth start in a major. In 2014 Simpson has missed the cut in three majors and in the Playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Championship, but Tom Watson clearly saw something in his displays in the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah, where he won two points from four, striking up a fruitful partnership with Bubba Watson. Simpson boosted his candidacy by hitting form at the right time, with top-10 finishes in the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club and the Deutsche Bank at TPC Boston.

Andy Lyons / Getty Images

Hunter Mahan

Born: May 17, 1982, Orange, California Home: Colleyville, Texas College: Oklahoma State University Turned pro: 2003 Career wins: 9 Best finish in each major: Masters

T8 (2010), U.S. Open T4 (2013), [British] Open T6 (2007), PGA Championship T7 (2014) Ryder Cup appearances: 2 (2008, 2010) Ryder Cup points: 4 1/2 (p8, w3, l2, h3)

Hunter Mahan must feel the Ryder Cup owes him one, after the events at Celtic Manor in 2010, his last appearance, when he was cast as the fall guy for losing the deciding match to Graeme McDowell. Then, in Wales, Mahan’s duffed chip on the 17th effectively handed McDowell their singles match, and the player who had won three-and-a-half points in the United States’ win at Valhalla two years before was reduced to tears. Mahan has not had a chance to make up for it since, as he missed the match at Medinah after finishing one place shy of qualification, and was left out by Davis Love III despite winning twice on tour that year. The 32-year-old has a chance of redemption after finishing the 2014 season strongly, and ending a two-year title drought at The Barclays at Ridgewood Golf Club, New Jersey in August.

Did you know?

Mahan is a sports fanatic. He has signed golf gloves from Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in his memorabilia collection and a pair of shoes that once belonged to Shaquille O’Neal.

It’s knowing you’re not perfect. Yet hoping that maybe, just for one swing, you can be. It’s gaining complete focus. Pristine, laser-fine focus. Because that focus isn’t just what’s required, that focus is why you’re here. Everything else dissipates into nothing. Sounds muffle. Touch is sharpened. Every detail is in the highest definition. And there you are. In the moment. After this you can go back to all the flaws, the fears, the doubts and the doubters. But not now. Now there’s you and the ball. And the opportunity for a split-second of perfection. Wouldn’t that be nice.

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Rory McIlroy

Country: Northern Ireland Born: May 4, 1989, Holywood,

Rory McIlroy might be the most talented golfer to come out of Europe since Seve Ballesteros burst onto the scene in the 1970s, and aged 25 he already has three legs of the Grand Slam in the bag. McIlroy was a Ryder Cup rookie in 2010 when he was taken under the wing of fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell, but he arrived at the 2012 Ryder Cup as a double-major winner and he was the senior figure in the partnership. He was nearly late for his singles match on the final day however, having got his US time zones confused, and got a lift to the course at Medinah from a local police officer before beating Keegan Bradley 2&1. In May, McIlroy won the European Tour’s flagship event at Wentworth, the BMW PGA Championship, days after splitting from fiancée Caroline Wozniacki. He won his third major in July, leading from start to finish to land the [British] Open by two shots, before claiming the Bridgestone Invitational and then the PGA Championship at Valhalla. That was three victories in as many starts for the world number one, and underlined his status as the form player in world golf leading into the Ryder Cup.

Did you know?

Keen soccer fan McIlroy paraded the Claret Jug—the [British] Open trophy—at Old Trafford, home to his favorite team, Manchester United, on the opening day of the 2014-15 Premier League season.

Jamie Squire / Getty Images

Northern Ireland Home: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Turned pro: 2007 Career wins: 14 Best finish in each major: Masters T8 (2014), U.S. Open 1st (2011), [British] Open 1st (2014), PGA Championship 1st (2012, 2014) Ryder Cup appearances: 2 (2010, 2012) Ryder Cup points: 5 (p9, w4, l3, h2)

Henrik Stenson

Country: Sweden Born: April 5, 1976, Gothenburg, Sweden Home: Orlando, Florida Turned pro: 1998 Career wins: 16 Best finish in each major: Masters T14

(2014), U.S. Open T4 (2014), [British] Open 2nd (2013), PGA Championship 3rd (2013, 2014) Ryder Cup appearances: 2 (2006, 2008) Ryder Cup points: 3 (p7, w2, l3, h2)

Henrik Stenson is the European comeback kid. He was ranked number 4 in the world in 2009 after winning the Players Championship, then down to 230 in 2012 and back to number 3 in 2013, after winning the Fed Ex Cup and the European Tourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Race to Dubai. His slump could partly be attributed to losing millions of dollars in the Stanford Financial scandal but he has got them back and more with his scintillating form over the second half of 2013. He finished in a tie for fourth in the U.S. Open and was in the thick of the action at the top of the PGA Championship leaderboard at Valhalla, eventually finishing two shots behind Rory McIlroy. Stenson is yet to win a major; he has top-10 finishes in all the majors except the Masters and is due to win one. He holed the winning putt for Europe in the Ryder Cup match at The K Club in 2006. Did you know?

Sam Greenwood / Getty Images

Sometimes hot headed, Stenson lost his temper at the [British] Open this year, breaking a club in two over his knee in frustration on the 17th.

Victor Dubuisson

Did you know?

Dubuisson’s uncle, Hervé, is considered one of France’s greatest basketball players, and played for the New Jersey Nets.

Country: France Born: April 22, 1990, Cannes, France Home: Antibes, France Turned pro: 2010 Career wins: 2 Best finish in each major: Masters

Frenchman Victor Dubuisson is coy on when he exactly left formal education, but he puts it at some time between the ages of 10 and 12. Either way, he probably felt vindicated when he landed the Turkish Airlines Open in 2013, having turned professional in 2010 after a stellar amateur career. American golf fans got a taste of what he was capable of when Dubuisson was runner-up in this year’s WGC Match Play at Dove Mountain, Arizona. He lost to Jason Day in the final—on the fifth extra hole—but had illuminated the week with some spectacular recovery play, including one shot from a cactus bush on the 18th to help him save par. Hampered by a shoulder injury in early 2014, he bounced back to finish ninth in the [British] Open at Hoylake. He will be making his Ryder Cup debut at Gleneagles.

David Cannon / Getty Images

CUT (2014), U.S. Open T28 (2014), [British] Open T9 (2014), PGA Championship T7 (2014) Ryder Cup appearances: 0 Ryder Cup points: 0

Jamie Donaldson

Country: Wales Born: October 19, 1975, Pontypridd, Wales Home: Macclesfield, England; Orlando,

Florida

Turned pro: 2000 Career wins: 6 Best finish in each major: Masters

Ian Walton / R&A

T14 (2014), U.S. Open T32 (2013), [British] Open T32 (2013), PGA Championship T7 (2012) Ryder Cup appearances: 0 Ryder Cup points: 0

Did you know?

Donaldson has never played in the Ryder Cup, but represented Great Britain & Ireland in the Seve Trophy in 2011 and 2013.

Jamie Donaldson could have had his Ryder Cup spot virtually assured by mid-summer if he had carried on in the same form he had at the end of last year and the start of this. The Welshman tied for second place in the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral behind Patrick Reed, and had top-10s in the BMW International in Germany and the French Open. More recently he was set for a high finish at the PGA Championship but his final round of 71 saw him slip from 10th to a tie for 24th place at Valhalla.Â Donaldson had his breakthrough win at the Irish Open in 2012 and in 2013 he won the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. He is the first Welshman to play in the Ryder Cup since Phillip Price was part of Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winning side in 2002, beating Phil Mickelson in the singles.

Sergio Garcia

Did you know?

Garcia is president of his local soccer club FC Borriol, who play in the Spanish third division in a stadium that holds 1,000 fans.

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(2004), U.S. Open T3 (2005), [British] Open 2nd (2007), PGA Championship 2nd (1999) Ryder Cup appearances: 6 (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012) Ryder Cup points: 18 (p28, w16, l8, h4)

Jamie Squire / Getty Images

Sergio Garcia is the youngest player to appear in the Ryder Cup; he was aged just 19 at Brookline in 1999 and then it seemed Tiger Woods had found a rival for the next decade. But while Woods piled on the majors the Spaniard has fallen just short, most recently at Hoylake in July in the [British] Open, when he was tied second behind Rory McIlroy. Garcia may have missed out in the big ones but in team golf he is a different animal. Like Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal before him, the Ryder Cup gets Garcia’s juices flowing and like his two countrymen he has an outstanding record in the matches, winning 18 out of a possible 28 points. Even when Garcia did not make the 2010 European team he did not wait to be offered the vicecaptain’s job—he went to Colin Montgomerie and asked him for it.

Country: Spain Born: January 9, 1980, Borriol, Spain Home: Borriol, Spain Turned pro: 1999 Career wins: 27 Best finish in each major: Masters T4

Justin Rose

Country: England Born: July 30, 1980, Johannesburg, South

Africa

Home: Lake Nona, Florida Turned pro: 1998 Career wins: 17 Best finish in each major: Masters T5

Few people thought Justin Rose would have to wait until 2008 to make his Ryder Cup debut after he finished fourth in the [British] Open at Royal Birkdale as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998. When Rose finally did make the European team it was at the age of 28 and his team were comprehensively beaten at Valhalla, although he won three points. Four years later Rose won three points again, rekindling his profitable partnership with his friend Ian Poulter, and he won a memorable singles match against Phil Mickelson on the last. Rose had led in various major championships before then, but finally became a major champion when he won the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion, to become the first English winner of the championship since Tony Jacklin in 1970. Aged 34, Rose is in his prime and will be central to the European team.

(2007), U.S. Open 1st (2013), [British] Open T4 (1998), PGA Championship T3 (2012) Ryder Cup appearances: 2 (2008, 2012) Ryder Cup points: 6 (p9, w6, l3)

Did you know?

Andy Altenburger / Corbis

Rose was the youngest golfer to ever play in the Walker Cup, at 17 in 1997, until his record was broken by 16-year old countryman Oliver Fisher in 2005.

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Martin Kaymer

Country: Germany Born: December 28, 1984, Dusseldorf,

Germany Home: Mettmann, Germany Turned pro: 2005 Career wins: 21 Best finish in each major: Masters T31 (2014), U.S. Open 1st (2014), [British] Open T7 (2010), PGA Championship 1st (2010) Ryder Cup appearances: 2 (2010, 2012) Ryder Cup points: 31/2 (p6, w3, l2, h1)

Did you know?

Martin Kaymer is another multiple major winner on the European side, having bagged the PGA Championship in 2010 and added the U.S. Open this year, which he won by a remarkable eight strokes at Pinehurst. That romp in the year’s second major franked the German’s return to form, which he had first shown in winning the Players Championship a month before. Kaymer has Ryder Cup pedigree—it was his putt that retained the trophy for Europe at Medinah after they had been 10-6 down going into the singles, and he will be a central plank of Paul McGinley’s team. A former world number one, Kaymer struggled in 2012 and 2013 when he worked on re-shaping his game to add a draw to his armory. He still managed to snuff out the challenge of Steve Stricker on that final green in Medinah, despite captain Jose Maria Olazabal only playing him once before the singles.

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Ross Kinnaird / Getty Images

Kaymer was 13 years old when he started working with coach Gunter Kessler.

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Thomas Bjorn

Country: Denmark Born: February 18, 1971, Silkeborg,

Andrew Redington / Getty Images

Denmark Home: Silkeborg, Denmark Turned pro: 1993 Career wins: 21 Best finish in each major: Masters T8 (2014), U.S. Open T22 (2001), [British] Open T2 (2000, 2003), PGA Championship T2 (2005) Ryder Cup appearances: 2 (1997, 2002) Ryder Cup points: 31/2 (p6, w3, l2, h1)

Thomas Bjorn has been around so long it is surprising he has only played in two Ryder Cup matches. A natural leader, the Dane has been a vice-captain of the European team three times, in 2004, 2010 and 2012, but this year he has played himself back onto the team thanks to a win in the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa and a third place finish in the European Tour’s flagship event—the BMW PGA Championship, at Wentworth. That week, Bjorn startled the field with a first round 62—10-under par—but had to give best to Rory McIlroy after signing for a closing 75. Bjorn is a respected member of the European golfing community and has been chairman of the European Tour’s tournament committee since 2007. Many consider him to be a future Ryder Cup captain.

Did you know?

Bjorn had his best chance to win a major at the [British] Open in 2003 at Royal St George’s. In the lead down the final stretch, he took three to get out of a greenside bunker on the 16th and the unheralded Ben Curtis won. That sand trap has been known as ‘Bjorn’s Bunker’ ever since.

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Graeme McDowell

Country: Northern Ireland Born: July 30, 1979, Portrush, Northern Ireland Home: Portrush, Northern Ireland; Orlando, Florida College: University of Alabama at Birmingham Turned pro: 2002 Career wins: 13 Best finish in each major: Masters T12 (2012), U.S.

Open 1st (2010), [British] Open T5 (2012) , PGA Championship T10 (2009) Ryder Cup appearances: 3 (2008, 2010, 2012) Ryder Cup points: 6 (p12, w5, l5, h2)

Did you know?

McDowell opened his restaurant, Nona Blue, which serves American cuisine such as meatloaf and ribs, in Orlando in 2013.

Sam Greenwood / Getty Images

Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell has a fine Ryder Cup pedigree, and holed the winning putt for Europe at Celtic Manor in 2010. That was the year he won his first major championship, the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, and European captain Colin Montgomerie identified McDowell as a tough competitor to put at the business end of the singles. He did the job, beating Hunter Mahan 3&1, and he will be one of Paul McGinley’s senior players this time. McDowell has not been a factor in the majors this season, as his best finish was a tie for ninth at the [British] Open at Hoylake, although he had top-10s at the Canadian Open and in the WGCBridgestone Invitational. McDowell will be playing in his fourth Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

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Stephen Gallacher

Country: Scotland Born: November 1, 1974, Dechmont,

Scotland Home: Linlithgow, Scotland Turned pro: 1995 Career wins: 4 Best finish in each major: Masters T34 (2014), U.S. Open CUT (2005, 2011, 2014), [British] Open T15 (2014), PGA Championship T18 (2010) Ryder Cup appearances: 0 Ryder Cup points: 0

Did you know?

Gallacher is the nephew of Bernard Gallacher, who captained the European Ryder Cup team in 1991, 1993 and 1995, winning at the third attempt.

Stuart Frankiln / Getty Images

Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stephen Gallacher made a valiant attempt to qualify automatically for the European side, but needing second place in the Italian Open he could only finish third, after failing to make a birdie on the last in Turin. That left it up to captain Paul McGinley, and he decided to reward Gallacher for his improved form this season. The Scotsman, who had a successful amateur career and played on a winning Walker Cup team in 1995, has been around for a while, first playing on the European Tour in 1996. But he struggled until winning the Dunhill Links Championship in 2004, before a long wait for his next victory, 201 tournaments to be precise. Then he won the Dubai Desert Classic in 2013 and successfully defended that title this year, and has added a string of solid finishes.

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Ian Poulter

Country: England Born: January 10, 1976, Hitchin, England Home: Orlando, Florida Turned pro: 1995 Career wins: 16 Best finish in each major: Masters 7th

Did you know?

(2012), U.S. Open T12 (2006), [British] Open 2nd (2008), PGA Championship T3 (2012) Ryder Cup appearances: 4 (2004, 2008, 2010, 2012) Ryder Cup points: 12 (p15, w12, l3, h0)

Ian Poulter has yet to win a major championship—although he has two World Golf Championships in the bag—but put him in a Ryder Cup uniform and he becomes a world beater. At Medinah in 2012 it was Poulter who inspired Europe’s comeback, making five successive birdies as he and Rory McIlroy stole a one-hole win over Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson in the Saturday fourballs. Even in Europe’s losing side in 2008 at Valhalla, where he was one of Nick Faldo’s captain’s picks and his side was routed, Poulter won four points. The Englishman is four from four in singles and despite some indifferent form, once he failed to qualify Poulter was considered a certainty for a captain’s pick.

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Andy Lyons / Getty Images

Poulter is an avid soccer fan and chartered a plane from Ireland to France on the eve of the 2006 Irish Open to watch Arsenal in the Champions’ League final. Unfortunately his team lost to Barcelona.

Lee Westwood

Country: England Born: April 24, 1973, Worksop, England Home: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Turned pro: 1993 Career wins: 40 Best finish in each major: Masters 2nd

(2010), U.S. Open 3rd (2008), [British] Open 2nd (2010), PGA Championship T3 (2009) Ryder Cup appearances: 8 (1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012) Ryder Cup points: 21 (p37, w18, l13, h6)

Montana Pritchard / PGA of America

Former world number one Lee Westwood has an impressive Ryder Cup pedigree but would have made his captain’s life a lot easier if he had qualified automatically. The Englishman won the Malaysian Open back in April but has not secured another victory since, making him the most surprising of McGinley’s picks. He has shown glimpses of form with a 63 at the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone and three rounds in the 60s at the PGA Championship at Valhalla, where he was 15th, and that was good enough to earn a pick. Westwood has played every Ryder Cup since 1997 and in recent years he has been considered one of the strong men of the European team. He has won nine points in 14 fourball matches, and McGinley will be expecting a big return on his show of faith in the 41-year old.

Did you know?

Westwood’s wife Laurae is the sister of Scottish golfer Andrew Coltart, who played in the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline.

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e h T r e w o p of o w t

Indomitable duo: Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal won 11 times and lost just twice in 15 outings as a Ryder Cup pairing

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EXCLUSIVE

Ryder Cup pairings—are they an art or a science, or a bit of both? Andy Farrell, who has reported on every Ryder Cup since 1991, considers what pairing strategies have worked in the past, and what have failed

here has been something slightly different about recent Ryder Cups. No, Europe keeps winning, there is no change there. But if the United States’ successes in the fourballs and foursomes keep trending in the same direction, Europe’s domination may not last much longer. Twice in the last three Ryder Cups, the US has been leading going into the singles, and in that time Europe has, amazingly, won only two sessions of partner play, once in each of the 2008 and 2010 matches. Only that stunning singles victory two years ago—which was atypical given the history of the encounters— secured a devastating comeback triumph that will forever be known in Europe as the ‘Miracle at Medinah’. Of course, over the whole history of the Ryder Cup, the United States’ long stranglehold on the match means it is overwhelmingly ahead on points in each of the disciplines; foursomes, fourballs and singles. But over the last 15 matches, since they got interesting—starting with the USA’s narrow win in 1983—it is a different story. Over that span, USA has won more singles points but only just: 91-89. In partner play, however, Europe is miles ahead: 132-108. That translates into Europe taking the lead into the singles nine times, USA three times and with the teams being tied at 8-8 another three times. Overall since 1983, Europe has won nine times, USA five times, with one tie, so the importance of the first two days is clear. Winning the singles—as USA usually has to do and Europe has done twice on US soil when trailing, at Oak Hill in 1995 as well as two years ago—can hide a multitude of sins and overshadow the tactics of getting the pairings wrong. “I’m going to second-guess myself for a long time,” Davis Love III, the most recent US captain, said after Medinah. In fact, he probably got more right than wrong before his team got steamrolled on the final day, an experience many past European captains are familiar with. There are two approaches to making the pairings; to keep chopping and changing, mixing and matching according to the styles of players available and the relevant format and

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An unhappy marriage: Tiger Woods (left) and Phil Mickelson lost two points together in 2004

conditions; or to stick with certain partnerships and ride the ones that prove successful. The first approach works when a team has the superior players, as USA did for decades. It also worked for Europe in 2006 at the K Club, when it had such a strong team that everyone deserved to play at some stage. Love took the second approach at Medinah and it proved successful, while his counterpart Jose Maria Olazabal ended up chopping and changing in seeking a way to get back into the match. Usually the European way is to stick to tried and tested pairings, as Tony Jacklin did in inspiring his teams in the 1980s. But then he did have the likes of Ballesteros-Olazabal, Faldo-Woosnam and Langer-Lyle to call on. While the idea is to hide weaker players, the disadvantage is that the stronger ones can be exhausted come Sunday. Mark James took this to the extreme in 1999 at Brookline, leaving out three rookies on the first two days who consequently, were no more than sacrificial lambs in the singles, while the rest of the line up had been over-worked. Europe led 10-6 on the Sunday morning, yet USA came roaring back in the singles to win, as Europe would at Medinah.

Monty retorted: “It’s amazing how many putts you hole if you ask your partner for the line”

Pod formation: (l to r) Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan, Anthony Kim and Justin Leonard practice at Valhalla in 2008

Paul Azinger had a clever adaption to the policy of sticking with certain pairings with his ‘pod’ system at Valhalla in 2008. Azinger split his 12 players into three groups of four, which made up the practice groups early in the week. Azinger told his players they would only be paired with players from their ‘pod’ and he stuck to that policy, as well as managing not to overwork any particular pairing on the first two days. The result was a sustainable campaign over the three days that brought America its only victory since 1999. Hal Sutton, on the other hand, provided the nadir of pairing strategy in 2004. He sent his players out in the practice rounds with the instruction to prepare as they would for a major championship. They never practiced in pairs, and in fact, Phil Mickelson was off testing new equipment on the other course at Oakland Hills. Sutton then delivered his masterstroke—lumping together his two biggest guns, and rivals, Mickelson and Tiger Woods. It worked out disastrously. Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington birdied six of the first eight holes against the undefeatable duo, and won their morning fourball 2&1, before Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood won their foursomes encounter by one hole in the afternoon.

The look of disgust on Tiger’s face, however hard he tried to hide it, as Mickelson’s tee shot at the last sailed 50 yards off line, told everything about how the pair had failed to bond. Woods has a remarkably poor record in the foursomes and fourballs, winning nine times but losing 16 points and halving once. The opposition are always ‘up’ to play him and sometimes he can intimidate his own partner. He is difficult to pair up. He and Steve Stricker won two out of three at Celtic Manor but then lost three out of three at Medinah. Foursomes, in particular, is a game of trust. “You can spend a lot of time feeling guilty in alternate shot,” Fred Couples once said. “It’s one thing to go yank a shot and then go dig yourself out. It’s another to have to watch your partner go over and try to do it.” Famously, the Seve-Ollie partnership had “no sorries”. “That is very important,” said the late Ballesteros, whose pairing with Olazabal led to 11 wins, two losses and two halves over four Ryder Cups. Many think that Europeans are better at foursomes than the Americans due to greater familiarity from amateur team days. But over the last 15 Ryder Cups, Europe only has a five-point lead over the Americans in foursomes. Foursomes are a bit weird for everyone. In fourballs, however, where it is thought Americans should be more comfortable as they can play their own ball, Europe leads 69.5 to 50.5 since 1983. That is a huge disparity. The traditional formula is to put a streaky player with a steady Eddie. Love put Bubba and Webb Simpson together, as well as Dustin Johnson and Kuchar, and both pairings delivered two fourball points. But if Europe has a secret, it is in putting two aggressive players together in the fourballs. What is the worst that can happen? The loss of a hole. Better to have two players who might make birdie. Where Love struck gold in 2012 was with two ultra aggressive players in Mickelson and Keegan Bradley, who knew each other from practice rounds

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Best of British: Ian Woosnam (left) and Nick Faldo endured mixed fortunes as a pairing

on tour. But after trouncing Westwood and Luke Donald 7&6 on Saturday morning for their third win in a row, the pair sat out the last session. Mickelson said they were spent and needed to rest, but in Ryder Cups there are moments to strike, and had the dynamic duo been out last in the afternoon, they might have halted Ian Poulter’s charge—that ignited Europe’s comeback—before it had even started. And America would have won the contest there and then. This year Mickelson has an obvious partner in Rickie Fowler, another player he has taken under his wing in practice sessions, which resulted in them battling Rory McIlroy for the PGA Championship in August. And anyway, pairings have shelf lives, and recognising that is important. Faldo and Woosnam won six points out of eight in 1987 and 1989 but lost twice on the first day in 1991. The dynamic was different. Theirs was a melding of opposites that worked until Woosnam won a major and Faldo was off-form. Faldo-Montgomerie was good in 1993, less so two years later. Ballesteros and Olazabal survived together for so long because they recognized when the dynamic altered. In 1987, Seve looked after the kid, but later Ollie played all the golf while Seve just pointed him in the right direction. Ballesteros initially complained at being Paul Way’s “father” in 1983, and it was Jacklin who persuaded him that was exactly his role for the team. “He looked at me for three long seconds and then said, ‘Tony, it’s no problem’,” recalled Jacklin. Ballesteros set the precedent, and that ‘there-for-you’ attitude has been seen time and again since. When Clarke lost his first wife Heather to cancer in 2006, the team rallied round and his partner Westwood was there every step of the way. When Woods once put the result of a Ryder Cup down to the Europeans holing a “boatload of putts”, Monty retorted: “It’s amazing how many putts you hole if you ask your partner for the line.” Such teamwork has been seen more from the Americans in recent Ryder Cups, but as Butch Harmon told Sky Sports: “You can pair short guys with long guys, or whatever, but at some point in a match there are going to be bad times and you need someone to put an arm around you and tell you, ‘We’ll get through this’. The Europeans have done that awfully well the last 20 years.”

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Made for each other: Phil Mickelson (left) and Keegan Bradley won three points at Medinah

Teaming from th e Top How can a group of winners still lose â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and why can a group of losers still win? Robert Lalage considers what makes teamwork tick

Miracle on ice: The American hockey team celebrates victory over Russia in the 1980 Winter Olympics

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COMMENT

Miracle workers: the 2012 European team celebrates its remarkable comeback

It should be easy: stick a bunch of great players on a team, send them out against a weaker opponent and watch them win. But then there’s the 1980’s ‘Miracle on Ice’, in which a bunch of American college kids beat a fearsome team of Soviet professional hockey stars in the Olympics. Or the National League’s 2011 Division Wild Card Series, in which a fair-but-not-great St. Louis Cardinals beat a better-funded, betterstaffed and just plain better Philadelphia Phillies. In fact, the improbable victories are what keep sports interesting because they seem so, well, improbable. The difference in these wins (and losses) is often the mindset of the teams, not the talents of the individual players. Establishing that mindset, and channeling those talents, comes down to leadership. “I knew going in, the narrative was either going to be the team won or the captain screwed it all up.” So said Davis Love III in an interview with ESPN The Magazine’s Bob Harig following the U.S. team’s collapse on the final day of the 2012 Ryder Cup. “Critics like to single out Tiger Woods’ 0–3 record in team matches or the fact that we sat our best pairing, Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley, on Saturday afternoon. But we were four points ahead on Saturday. What else can you ask for?” After some reflection, Love explained that the team seemed “tight” and “nervous” on the final day despite the lead. “And ultimately I didn’t get them to calm down on Sunday. That’s on me; that’s coaching.” On the other side of the fairway, European Team Captain Jose Maria Olazabal pulled off the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ in rallying his boys to a victory no one saw coming. Invoking the spirit of the late Seve Ballesteros, with whom Olazabal had formed a legendary patnership in Ryder Cups past,

the captain drove home the importance of confidence and faith at a team meeting before the final day of play. “[Seve] was a big factor for this event and last night when we had that meeting the boys understood that believing was the most important thing,” Olazabal said after the victory. His words hit home, as many team members explained after the win. “He has made us cry in the team room this week,” Rory McIlroy told the press. “Some of us have broken down in tears with some of his speeches.” Likewise, Sergio Garcia, who beat Jim Furyk on the 18th at the outset of the upset, said the team’s triumph came down to spirit. “We did believe,” he said. “There’s no doubt we’ve been inspired by Seve, through our captain. I don’t know how my teammates pulled it off. I got a little bit lucky today, but I found something.” Another indefatigably positive thinker and team leader in golf is Nancy Lopez. “If you doubt yourself, you will doubt everything around you,” once said the golfer who had to battle against prejudices as a woman golfer

with Mexican descent. “If you judge, you will see judges all around you. But if you are confident in your own voice, you can rise above doubt and judgment and you will always see.” In 2013, the European Solheim Cup team was in a different situation when its leadership decided to make a few adjustments: they were ahead. Vice-Captains Annika Sorenstam and Carin Koch, working under captain Liselotte Neumann, watched their team build a nice lead on day one. But as Sorenstam later explained on her blog, the team leaders felt some changes were necessary to keep the momentum going. “For day two we decided to change the strategy a bit,” Sorenstam wrote. “We told the team to go for the center of the greens instead of focusing on attacking the pins. No shortsiding and let the opponents be aggressive and make mistakes… In the past, for whatever reason, the Euros have always had trouble with the singles matches… but not this year. With a carefully planned player order, we were prepared for a US comeback, and this year our girls executed their mission.” Europe won the Solheim Cup on American soil for the first time. The Miracle on Ice, the Miracle at Medinah, Marshall University’s 1971 football win over Xavier, the 2002 Oakland A’s 20-game win streak… The stories and teams are sports legends, the tales that keep us on the edge of our seats. Each of those winning teams was pulled together by a great leader who ultimately believed in himself and in his team, leaders like 1963 and 1975 Ryder Cup US captain Arnold Palmer, who’s a living testament to the power of faith. As Palmer himself once explained, “I’ve always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed entirely against me. I never quit trying; I never felt that I didn’t have a chance to win.” Against all odds: Europe won its first Solheim Cup in the US in 2013

Building the highest per forming teams at

EYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kelly Grier and Tom McGrath at Knollwood Club in Lake Forest, IL

“Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships” Michael Jordan

“None of us is as smart as all of us”

The high performance recipe

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much” Helen Keller

Ken Blanchard,

management expert The quotes, mottos and axioms are everywhere, and yet effective teamwork remains an elusive goal for many. Not so at EY, the global professional services organization formerly known as Ernst & Young. EY, Official Partner of the 2014 Ryder Cup, holds teamwork at the core of its culture and the foundation for delivering exceptional service to clients. EY’s success is reaching new heights with a progressive approach to collaboration the organization calls “high performance teaming.” And it’s yielding superior business results and tremendous global success. “High performance teaming differentiates us. It’s what we’re known for,” says Tom McGrath, EY Americas Senior Vice Chair of Accounts. “The better we team within EY and with our clients, the more successful we are, and the better we can fulfill our purpose to ‘build a better working world.’” More than an effective business strategy, high performance teaming could be a model for achievement everywhere, in sport and business. No doubt, both 2014 Ryder Cup captains will be looking for some. In short, high performance teaming—and ultimately creating the highest performing teams—involves assembling a diverse group of outstanding individuals, then collectively

utilizing each member’s perspective and skillset to achieve a common goal. “The highest performing teams have the right mix, a shared vision for success, and a commitment to quality,” says Kelly Grier, EY Americas Vice Chair of Talent. “Those are the three critical elements—the clubs you absolutely have to have in your bag.” It sounds simple, but in practice it’s tough to get right. “I typically hear three things from our clients. First they’ll say, ‘it’s clear you guys work well together as a team, that you actually like each other. There’s collaboration, cohesion, and we feel it,’” says McGrath. “Second, they say, ‘you listen.’ And we do listen differently. We don’t come in and tell. We come in and ask questions and keep our ears open. Lastly, we respect their business. It’s not about EY and what can we sell you, it’s about what is strategically important to you as a company and how we align our services and resources to help you realize your ambitions and solve your problems.” That’s the kind of feedback you get only with high performance teams, he says. The three must-have clubs are definitely in EY’s bag, and the results benefit the entire organization, its member firms’ clients and their people.

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Start with the “mix.” “Think of diversity in the broadest context,” says Grier. “It’s gender, ethnicity, skill set, culture, social style… the entirety of it.” To achieve this unique mix, EY firms actively recruit diversity—an effort made easier by a reputation for inclusiveness. EY firms have been named a top employer for overall diversity, and for women, Hispanics, blacks, Asia-Pacific Islanders, mothers, LGTB, and for people with disabilities. “Our pace of growth has been tremendous,” she says. “We’re at the top of our peer group and we’re recruiting a lot of diverse talent on campus and also experienced hires— people who come from other firms, with other backgrounds, with a host of different accomplishments. EY is hungry for the expansive range of experiences they bring.” Like next-generation technology that sends a golf ball a dozen yards further —either down the fairway, or deeper into the woods— that high octane mix must be managed just right, or you will fail. As McGrath admits, “The more diverse the team is, they’ll do one of two things: they will significantly outperform, or crash and burn.” “The problem is, many leaders focus solely on diversity, period,” Grier explains. “What you get is a collection of people who are very different, but who are not brought into the fold. Their perspectives aren’t being actively sought, they don’t feel valued—they just feel different. That’s where you crash and burn. We need our leaders to be inclusive.” Inclusive leadership helps high performance teams embrace the second critical element: a shared vision. “No single perspective will generate the best solution for a client,” says Grier. Great leaders draw people out, utilize diversity, and help the group arrive together at its objective. “Gathering and synthesizing all the different perspectives into one common view— that’s the shared vision, that’s the way forward, that’s really setting the common objective for the team,” she explains. “The best leaders don’t drive success, they enable success.” Add the final element—shared and unflagging commitment to deliver quality work for clients—and the recipe for the highest performing teams is complete.

EY firms have worked with some of the biggest enterprises on the planet, shaping businesses and even countries. Through the challenges of this complex work, EY learned to become agile and respond to the rapidly-changing business landscape. Its teaming strategy remains a fundamental part of that agility. “EY professionals are in 150 countries, so the diversity of culture is very, very significant for us,” says McGrath. “The key is diversity within the social norms of a country. So when you’re dealing with companies headquartered in India or China you need a different approach than with a Japanese company or U.S.-headquartered company. Bringing the right team to the table is so important.” Beyond teaming within EY, teaming with clients is essential, and this has led to EY’s reputation as a truly effective and collaborative advisor.

EY is renowned for its collaborative culture

The big win

No rock stars

contemporaries,” says Grier. “So the business With so many highly intelligent and able results are meaningful.” individuals at EY, egos occasionally present It’s the ultimate virtuous cycle. People a challenge to the team environment. enjoy being a part of an inclusive team. “We’re not looking for individual ‘rock stars,’” Their voices are heard. They feel valued, says McGrath. “We want people to join the appreciated, energized. So engagement is whole band.” high and retention rates are off the charts. Soloists are given every chance to “Obviously this equates to high quality succeed within a team, but ultimately the EY service delivery, and ultimately bottom line environment may not be a good fit. “In many performance,” says Grier. “But I don’t think cases, solo players are struggling to find their you can lead with that. Bottom line results are way. They may need coaching, guidance, and just that: they’re results.” support to perform in a way that’s authentic EY believes: put people first and great and in sync with our culture,” says Grier. “But results follow. “As in many organizations, the EY’s culture is too valuable to sacrifice for one majority of our people are below the age of person, even a star. If they can’t make the 30,” Grier says. “They need to be inspired. transition, we would sooner part ways than They want to be part of the highest performing have somebody compromise our culture.” teams. They want to be led inclusively to transform businesses and help build a better People first working world. That’s what inspires them. Day to day, EY’s high performing teams drive The end game, the bottom line, is obviously its success, but success really shines when it significant, but it is truly the result of putting all comes together and a highest performing people first and inspiring them in the highest team is created. The results are unassailable. performing teams.” “When we look at teams with the highest Still, EY’s end game is impressive. High engagement, a shared vision, common goals, performance teaming, combined with a legacy the right mix of people, a commitment to of solid strategy and performance, has led EY quality—the ones we call highest performing— professionals to work with 98 percent of the our internal research shows they have 10 Fortune 500. EY has worked with companies percent greater revenue growth and a like Google and Facebook when they each had margin that’s six points higher than their but a handful of employees. At the same time,

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At the end of the day, the same high performance teaming principles of the right mix, a shared vision, and a focus on quality have helped EY become a 190,000-person worldwide high performing team. EY’s purpose creates that shared vision. “Everyone at EY knows our purpose is to build a better working world,” says Grier. “It galvanizes all of our people. It promotes consistent behavior around the world, whether it’s teaming to improve communities through volunteerism, create confidence in capital markets through audits, or help clients build their businesses and expand markets.” “I had the privilege of attending the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline when the U.S. rallied on Sunday, and you really felt the energy coming from that team,” recalls McGrath. “Watching how the players who had already finished were out following, cheering those still on the course—it was amazing. That was great captaining. You saw the genius in how that team was formed, how they were paired, how those last groups overcame the pressure and rose to the occasion.” “While it’s nice to win the ones you’re supposed to win, when you win the one that nobody thought you could win, that’s high performance teaming at its best. When you pull together, when the objective is clear and you have a great leader and the willingness to take on the challenge to do what it takes to win—it’s phenomenal.” Learn more about EY and high performance teaming at  ey.com

COMMENT

Eur pean union Somehow, against all odds, Europe has defeated the higherranked United States in five of the last seven Ryder Cups. Englishman Clive Agran wonders why

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Although you could never discern it watching Justin Rose putting or Miguel Angel Jimenez puffing, there is a wave of anti-federalism sweeping through Europe right now. In the recent elections to the European parliament, worries about immigration from countries most recently admitted to the European Union helped fuel a fervent nationalism in the older member states and boosted all manner of weird nationalist parties. In Britain, the rather eccentric UK Independence Party came top of the poll, as did the altogether more sinister Front National in France and the equally far right People’s Party in Denmark. In Greece, the left-wing anti-EU party Syriza finished first. No doubt Tom Watson’s geopolitical advisers have analyzed these results most carefully and must surely be encouraged by the significant cracks appearing across the European continent. If heartened though, they are seriously misunderstanding the situation as it relates to the Ryder Cup. Prior to 1979, this biennial trans-Atlantic battle was an unequal contest between a traditionally plucky Great Britain and Ireland side and a supremely superior USA team. The latter won 18 of the first 22 matches, there was a famous tie in 1969 and GB&I managed just three wins. Since Seve Ballesteros and his continental cousins entered the fray, the subsequent 16 matches have been altogether tighter affairs with Europe winning eight, the USA seven and one being tied. Because the tie at the Belfry in 1989 enabled Europe to retain the Ryder Cup, the 8-7 European edge is effectively 9-7. And Europe winning seven of the last nine matches has prompted commentators increasingly to wonder, what’s the secret of their success? Two factors render the issue particularly perplexing to Uncle Sam. The first is the fact that, on paper at least, the USA team is almost invariably the stronger of the two. The American players occupy higher places in the world rankings, so how come they don’t routinely win? And the other seemingly inexplicable phenomenon is what appears to be a greater team spirit among a motley group of disparate nationalities. Despite different prime ministers, flags, anthems, currencies and languages, the Europeans nevertheless appear to display more cohesion than their opponents, even though all of the latter love apple pie and understand what is meant by a quarterback sneak. Surely Connecticut and California have more in common than Sweden and Spain. Although the most successful European pairing of all time was undoubtedly the all-

Spanish bond of Seve Ballesteros and JoseMaria Olazabal, who won 11 and lost just two of their matches, many others crossed several national frontiers. Germany’s Bernhard Langer and Scotland’s Sandy Lyle seemed an unlikely combination at Muirfield Village in 1987 but went on to win all three of their matches. Perhaps there is a special bond between Germany and Scotland—a mutual mistrust of England perhaps—because Langer also forged a successful partnership with Colin Montgomerie. They first played together and won at Kiawah Island in 1991, picked up two points out of three at Valderrama in 1997 and did even better at the Belfry in 2002, when scoring two-and-a-half points out of three. In particular, the European Ryder Cup team has found great success throwing these odd couples of golf into the tricky foursomes. Ah, foursomes! This rather traditional form of golf, with two golfers taking alternate shots with one ball, tends to favor the Europeans. There’s little to choose between the two sides in the afternoon fourballs, while the Americans are rather better at singles. The conventional wisdom has it that Europe needs to be comfortably ahead at the start of the final day to have a realistic chance of winning. Medinah would appear to be the exception that proves the rule. Does this generalization give any sort of clue to the character of the teams? One rather obvious explanation is that it reflects different philosophies. Because it’s the format that can put the most strain on a relationship, foursomes demands a great deal in the way of understanding, forgiveness and human compassion, whereas with singles it’s very much more a case of “each man for himself.” Is the fact Americans are better at singles a consequence of a society in which considerable emphasis is placed on the individual? The two tours—the PGA Tour and European Tour—are rather different. Several

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Common cause: Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer (crouching) combined for 2 1/2 points in three matches as a pair at the Belfry in 2002

Europeans, attracted by the bigger bucks in the States, have subsequently returned somewhat disillusioned, claiming the player camaraderie is better at home. If there is a friendlier atmosphere on the European Tour, would this produce a better team spirit at the Ryder Cup? Another possible explanation of the ‘overachieving’ Europeans is founded upon the underdog theory. Europeans have developed something of an inferiority complex in relation to the stronger PGA Tour, which in turn stiffens their resolve to vanquish their more powerful rival. Seve Ballesteros, who first inspired the European revival, certainly manifested an extraordinary degree of determination to defeat who he regarded as the bitter foe. This golfing rivalry mirrors a significant geopolitical phenomenon. Over the course of the 20th century, the world order underwent a seismic shift as the center of power, both economic and military, swung across the Atlantic from Europe to America, leaving behind a measure of resentment. The Old World was further aggravated by perceived brashness on the part of the then-upstart Americans, who insensitively flaunted their newfound wealth and power. On top of everything else, throughout the 1900s the USA rapidly established itself as a sporting powerhouse, dominating most sports— eventually including golf. Subsequently, for Europeans, nothing quite compared with the delicious pleasure of stuffing the Yanks—and they’ve carried that taste into the 21st century. Until Seve led the European revival in the

1980s, the Americans appeared to be not nearly so fussed about beating Europe. However, this has shifted as the cumulative hurt of successive defeats has built to the point where the USA simply can’t take any more. Stepping away from the emotion and into coldhearted analysis, the United States will surely wreak its revenge soon. Why? Because there is an ‘Invisible Hand’ which ensures all long-term sporting rivalries, such as the Dodgers and the Giants or the Celtics and Lakers, eventually even themselves out. Take perhaps the oldest of them all: the Oxford-Cambridge boat race. The first encounter on the River Thames was in 1829 and the score currently stands at Oxford 78, Cambridge 81. The worry for the American Ryder Cup team must be that this ‘Invisible Hand’ has included in its calculation all those crushing defeats inflicted on poor old GB&I before the rest of Europe came to the rescue. If that’s the case, the United States might have a lot more suffering to endure before balance is restored. At least that’s the way this Englishman sees it.

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Perfect harmony: the pairs record of Jose Maria Olazabal (above, left) and Seve Ballesteros may never be matched The original rivalry: Oxford University’s eight (below) wins the first Boat Race in 1829

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PROFILE

A test of grip: Captains Raymond Floyd (left) and Tony Jacklin at the Belfry in 1989. (Opposite page) European stalwart Miguel Angel Jimenez

Paul McGinley has taken an early lead, five vice captains to Tom Watson’s three. With major winners and Ryder Cup historymakers among them, Dave Shedloski reports on what the vice captains will bring to the 2014 Ryder Cup, featuring an exclusive interview with former U.S. Open champion Andy North When Tom Watson ventured to the Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England, in 1993 with his US Ryder Cup team—the last American squad to triumph abroad—he didn’t have at his disposal the help he can rely on when the biennial matches resume later this month at Gleneagles in Perthshire, Scotland. “This is quite a change from the last time, isn’t it? But times change. The job has changed,” said Watson, the eight-time major champion, who will become just the seventh US skipper to lead multiple Ryder Cup teams. Watson, 65, called upon two-time U.S. Open champion Andy North, one of his closest friends on the PGA Tour, almost immediately, and he later added steely-eyed Raymond Floyd—one of his two captains picks for that

1993 team—and Steve Stricker, a congenial, likeable man who was a member of the last three US teams. This is Floyd’s second turn as an assistant. The four-time major winner was one of three men who helped captain Paul Azinger’s team to a resounding 16½ to 11½ victory at Valhalla Golf Club in 2008, America’s last win. Floyd, 72, also captained the 1989 U.S. squad that played Europe to a 14-14 tie, though Europe retained the cup with its previous wins in 1985 and 1987. Paul McGinley has countered with an all-star cast at his side. In addition to Des Smyth and Sam Torrance, the winning 2002 European captain, who McGinley tapped in March, Padraig Harrington, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jose Maria Olazabal have just

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Current affairs: Steve Stricker is the youngest of Tom Watson’s three vice captains at 47, and he played in the last three Ryder Cups

recently been added to the vice captaincy delighted he has accepted my invitation to be attitude that, ‘I’m going to get this done.’ Andy roster. Olazabal twice before has been an involved again, once more maintaining that brings the same type of attitude underneath assistant, and, of course, was the leader when important continuity.” that, you might say that soft demeanor; if Europe registered its stunning come-fromWatson also enjoys a measure of you’ve ever seen him at a Wisconsin Badger behind win over America two years ago at continuity with Floyd, who made Watson a basketball game, you understand what that Medinah Country Club in Illinois. Jimenez, 50, wild card pick in 1989, while tapping one of his attitude is. also has been a vice captain twice before while closest friends in North. Stricker brings an age “And Steve, as I said, he’s played on the Harrington, 47, is assisting for the first time balance to the mix that lends itself to greater Ryder Cup team recently, and he’s had the after playing in six Ryder Cups. insight into the current set of players. opportunity to play with all these players, and “I know it’s been common he knows them inside and out. He in the past to have three or has their confidence and that will four vice captains but I’ve gone be a very good factor for us.” “Raymond brings an attitude that for five because I feel an extra With this appointment, I just love. It’s that killer attitude” person is justified due to the Stricker, 47, who played much of Tom Watson additional workload which comes the year with hip injury, said, “It’s from being the home team,” a sign of the times, I guess, that McGinley said. you’re moving on in your career.” While Harrington, 43, is one of McGinley’s “I can’t be happier with the three vice But he hasn’t moved on from the oldest and closest friends, his selection of captains that have agreed to help me out. They disappointment of the 2012 loss at Medinah, Olazabal, 48, came down to the Spaniard’s bring a lot of power to the role of captain,” where Europe rallied from a 10-6 deficit to obvious passion for the Ryder Cup. “Jose Watson said of his supporting trio. “They have retain the Cup. “I was honored when Watson Maria’s passion for the Ryder Cup is recognized their own individual attributes as far as being called me and just to be a part of it, just the world over,” McGinley said. able to talk to the players. because I was on that (team) last time,” he “It was obvious in his legendary “Steve is the most current, and Andy and said. “It still stings. I know it still stings me. Just partnership with Seve and was also so very then Raymond. Raymond brings an attitude to be there and try to have that opportunity to apparent two years ago at Medinah, so I’m that I just love. It’s that killer attitude. That get the cup back … is a dream come true.

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Unfinished business: Andy North is haunted by the 1985 Ryder Cup, when he lost the decisive singles point to Sam Torrance

“I won’t lie to you; I’d rather be playing,” Watson wasted little time calling on his was expecting this gruff, intense guy. He was Stricker added. “If I thought at all I was going friend, asking him to join him in January 2013, certainly intense, but he couldn’t have been to be on another team, I expected it to be nearly six months before North was officially nicer. He was great to be with. And Andy North as a player. So this is different. But it’s also introduced. “That was like the longest six just brings a lot to the table as a player and fun. Tom leaning on me for my insight, what months of my life,” he said. “Obviously, we doing television all these years.” I know about the current players, it’s been an have a great relationship. There’s a trust North has been a golf analyst for ESPN interesting experience. I’ve already learned factor between us that goes back a long way, since 1992 and covered his share of Ryder a lot.” to when we competed against each other as Cups. While he was objective in covering the Like Stricker, North, a fellow Wisconsin amateurs. We think the same way. As players event, inside he admits, “it has hurt watching resident, has harbored similar dreams of we approached the game the same way; we the American guys struggle as much as redemption—going back nearly 30 years. He were both hard practicers.” they have.” won his second U.S. Open in 1985, which Nevertheless, North, who has won three Now North has a chance to help do clinched a berth on the US Ryder something about America’s Cup squad that went on to get recent disappointments. To say hammered by a powerhouse that he is completely dedicated “There’s a trust between us that European team at the Belfry, 16½ to the task is an understatement. goes back a long way, to when we to 11½. Since his appointment he has competed as amateurs” Andy North “The best thing, beyond been Watson’s confidant, he has the chance to help a friend, is accompanied Watson to talk to having a chance to make up for players and to watch them hit a disappointment that still bothers me,” said Legends of Golf titles teaming with Watson, balls, and he has been involved in the smallest North, 64, who in his only Ryder Cup went 0-3- said he would have no problem telling his details of the team’s preparations. 0. “Losing in 1985… that went badly. I played friend exactly what he thinks. “I’m not there for He has enjoyed every last minute of it. a lot of good tournaments all year. I won the me to just agree with him,” North said. “Steve “For Tom to give me an opportunity to do U.S. Open. Then I got over there and I lost and Raymond have very strong opinions, too. this means so much. It’s one of the greatest two close matches with Tom Kite and Peter There is a lot of competitive spirit among the things to happen to me,” said North, who Jacobsen as partners, and then lost to Sam four of us in the room—maybe more so than is also an accomplished course designer, Torrance in singles. the players.” with The Whitetail Club in Idaho among his “I can’t tell you how bad that felt. Then I “It’s a good mix of guys helping Tom,” said creations. “I’m an emotional guy, and I know hurt my shoulder, and I was never really the Hunter Mahan, who returns for his third Ryder when I get over there, hearing the National same player, so that was my only Ryder Cup Cup after playing in 2008 and 2010. “I like Anthem, I’ll be a mess. And Watson will until now. So this is exciting. This is a chance having ‘Stricks’ there. Raymond, he was the probably look over at me and laugh, but that’s to even my own personal record, so to speak.” leader of our ‘pod’ at Valhalla in 2008, and I okay. It’s such a great honor.”

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Wh e n re s p e c t b e c a me re ve n ge 130

Welcome to England: a largely British crowd rushes to the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge on the Belfryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 18th hole to celebrate victory in 2002

Cheering missed putts and booing visiting golfers on the first tee, and wearing fatigues to turn a golf match into the ‘War on the Shore’; the raucous crowds of the Ryder Cup have pulled golf out of the confines of traditional conduct, and to places it had never previously ventured, to the badlands of no constraint. Art Spander charts the evolution of Ryder Cup jeering, insulting and bating

“Everything changed in 1985.” So said Mark McCumber, the American, to the author Curt Sampson. Everything changed for golf. Everything changed for the Ryder Cup. Or did it? McCumber played the PGA Tour, won the Players, won the Tour Championship, became a course architect, works occasionally as commentator for television and radio. He is 62, he has seen it all, heard it all. But until 1985 he never had heard a golfer taunted by a gallery. As Sampson explains in his book, ‘The War by the Shore’, of the 1991 matches, it was in 1985 that the fans became as vocal as they had been in British football or American baseball. They noisily celebrated someone’s missed putts. That someone was an American named Craig Stadler, who blew a two-footer to give a match to Bernhard Langer and Sandy Lyle. “There was kind of a dull cheer,” Howard Clark of England, a six-time Ryder Cupper, told Brian Viner of The Independent. “But our fans weren’t cheering the miss. They were cheering Europe getting half a point. Unfortunately, it was misconstrued.” That’s what he says. That’s not what the Americans believed. Wasn’t golf supposed to be game played with etiquette, civility and polite applause? Yes, and no. The great Bobby Jones conceded golf “is nevertheless a game of considerable passion, either of the explosive type, or that which burns inwardly and sears the soul.” For decades that passion was kept under wraps, beyond a thrown putter or a swallowed vulgarity. Nobody jeered in golf. Until 1985. Since then they haven’t stopped jeering. Now the Ryder Cup, once a brotherly contest between the United States and Great Britain that in 1977 was so unimportant to Tom Weiskopf he chose to go hunting in the Yukon rather than play for America, is a figurative war. A war by the shore. A war in the valleys of Wales. A war upon the hillsides of Perthshire. Now the Ryder Cup is a raucous, bellicose event that has captured the public’s attention and at the same time embarrassed some of the old timers.

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“I wouldn’t play in the Ryder Cup today,” Lee Trevino, a [British] Open and U.S. Open champion— and one-time Ryder Cup captain, told Andy Wible. “It’s almost a contest of who can treat each side worst.” The roots of this behavior probably can be traced to the 1977 idea from Jack Nicklaus, who, taking no pride in mismatches, suggested players from European countries be added to a roster previously limited to those from Great Britain and Ireland. At the time, America was well into a streak of 13 consecutive matches without a loss. A tie in 1979, when Nicklaus—as captain—conceded the last hole, was the only non-victory. The new format brought such stars as Seve Ballesteros of Spain and Langer of Germany. It also brought European crowds, who, borrowing from their football where—unlike Britain or America— even people in the press aren’t silent. It’s us against them, all the way. Europe found success and more success, starting in 1985, having now won nine of the last 14 matches and, since 1995, seven of nine. Ballesteros, Langer, Faldo and McGinley roared on. Americans paid the price. They also finally paid attention. The United States, embarrassingly insular, rarely looked beyond borders that stretched three time zones from sea to shining sea. America had the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Indianapolis 500, Boston Red Sox versus New York Yankees. Nothing else mattered. Then, well, as Davis Love III, reviewing U.S. indifference, recalled after one American defeat, “A friend asked, ‘What’s the Ryder Cup, and how did we lose it?’” The answers to both questions have become apparent. As is the emotional link. And fan vitriol. When Lanny Wadkins was introduced for the American side in the 1989 Cup at the Belfry in England he was booed. “I looked over at my mother,” Wadkins told Sampson, “and she turned as white as that napkin.” That led two years later to the 1991 Cup at South Carolina’s Kiawah Island and, sadly, revenge. The United States had just emerged from the Gulf War, and so hardly discouraged by the US

captain Dave Stockton, American fans showed up at the course in battle fatigues and waving the stars and stripes. Everything short of a bugle and drum corps. European players were taunted and teased. They were awakened by phone calls to their hotel rooms in the middle of the night. Everything came down to a Langer par putt attempt at 18. He missed. The American crowd screamed in delight. “But here’s what I remember clearly: being appalled,” wrote John Garrity of the American weekly ‘Sports Illustrated’. “The ‘91 Ryder Cup stoked the competitive fervor of the U.S. and European sides well beyond the norms for athletic rivalry. Everyone remembers that a couple of American pros showed up in Gulf War camouflage hats, but that was nothing. The opening ceremonies were a paean to the American war machine, complete with fighter-jet flyovers, Marine honor guards and a drill team from the Citadel that spun rifles and stomped feet for a good 15 minutes. The European golfers, watching from the stage, looked like Soviet dissidents forced to witness a Mayday parade of weaponry in Red Square.” Tit for tat. In 1993 at the Belfry, the English-Euro fans had their say, and the words weren’t always gracious, even if their team didn’t have their way, with America winning—for the last time across the Atlantic. The only Ryder Cup held at a venue in neither the UK nor the US was in 1997, at Valderrama in Spain, a new setting and a new audience. This was FC Barcelona against Real Madrid. This was Man U against Liverpool. This was thousands of people not necessarily familiar with golf but very familiar with being obnoxious. Phil Mickelson rimmed out a putt and the place went mad. Champagne flowed. Irritation bubbled. And the stage was set for 1999, The Country Club outside Boston and what transitioned into a day everyone remembers and a great many rue. The U.S. trailed 10-6 going into the Sunday singles. American journalists had been ripping the squad as underachievers. Johnny Miller, on American TV, insisted Justin Leonard should go home. Colin Montgomerie, trashed by the U.S. crowd, probably felt like going home. His father, 70, left the course. British captain Mark James said his wife had been spat upon. “It was awful,” said Jane James. Leonard, four down through 10 holes, got hot, and his opponent, Jose Maria Olazabal, went cold. The match was all-square after 16. With nearly every other match complete, America needed half a point to at last win the Cup. Leonard rolled in a 40-foot birdie putt at 17, and he and the other Americans, and their wives, began to demonstrate on the green, ignoring or forgetting that Olazabal had his putt to tie. The Ryder Cup gallery, subdued for two days, came out with a vengeance on that Sunday, maybe because the US players did too. “There was a lot more of a ruckus,’’ said Tiger Woods, “because we were making a move.’’

People yelled on Montgomerie’s backswing and called him profanities. “I was disgusted,” said the man he was playing, Payne Stewart. “This is supposed to be an event for pride and honor. It’s not life or death. Colin doesn’t deserve this.” Golf doesn’t deserve it either, but that’s what it’s stuck with. “I want the noisiest crowd ever,” said Paul McGinley, the European captain, when discussing the 2014 matches at Gleneagles. Some of us would prefer the most respectful crowd ever. That seems impossible.

Agony and ecstacy: Bernhard Langer (top) misses the decisive putt to trigger unbridled celebrations at Kiawah Island You’re on my line: Justin Leonard (above) remembers that Jose Maria Olazabal is still to putt on 17 at Brookline and tries to clear the green

Phil Mickelson rimmed out a putt and the place went mad. Champagne flowed. Irritation bubbled. 132

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â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ryder Cup Revealed: Tales of the Unexpectedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is a book published this summer, written by Ross Biddiscombe. Here, the author offers an exclusive, adapted excerpt that charts the evolution of the Ryder Cup as a giant not just of sports drama, but also of sports industry

Loss and Profit

History in the making: (clockwise from main pic) both teams line up at Moortown in 1929; team GB&I set sail for the USA in 1927; the official badge from the 1931 Ryder Cup; commemorative certificate from 1929

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Delving into the finances of the Ryder Cup is a strange and complicated business. From a commercial perspective, the modern-day fan only knows the matches as huge successes with tickets gone in a flash, bursting hospitality tents, merchandising mayhem and multi-million dollar profits. At the beginning though, not only did the Ryder Cup not make a dime, but it cost its benefactors fortunes. For the first few matches, the Professional Golfers’ Associations on both sides of the Atlantic struggled to scrape together enough money to send their teams across the ocean. Everything was low-profile and low-cost back in the 1920s and 1930s. Professional golf was not big news back then and no TV companies or commercial partners were on the scene to prop it up. In fact, amateur golf was as popular, if not more so. Even the very best pros like Henry Cotton and Walter Hagen were often in the shadow of the great amateurs of the day—Bobby Jones saw to that—and an international team match for professionals was the poor relation to the amateur Walker Cup, that was successfully inaugurated in 1922. The pros twice tried and failed to launch their own trans-Atlantic international contest before the inaugural Ryder Cup in 1927. The two pro associations were the Cup’s sole owners, operators and financiers but what they

needed was a strong and dedicated patron. Samuel Ryder fitted the bill. He donated a splendid trophy and helped produce the deed of trust that provided the rules of engagement between the teams. Nevertheless, the British PGA had to send around the begging bowl to every golf club in the country to help raise £3,000 to send their team to the first match in Massachusetts. When the donations came up short, Ryder made up the difference. The PGA of America staged fund-raising tournaments to pay for their team’s travel two years later, and the Ryder Cup’s existence remained hand-to-mouth for the early Ryder Cups. After World War II, the British PGA was in a real state of poverty and the very existence of the matches was in peril. Only the largesse of Oregon fruit canning millionaire Robert A. Hudson got the series back on track in 1947. He paid a reputed $40,000 from his own pocket to cover every conceivable expense. Hudson supported the one match in his home state of Oregon, but over the next 30 years, the Ryder Cup became a financial drain on the PGAs because the matches were too just onesided, which rendered the Ryder Cup commercially stagnant. Crowds in Britain were plentiful, but they usually left disappointed, with another deflating defeat that would deter even the bravest sponsor

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Changing tide: The US team won in 1983 at Palm Beach Gardens, but the Ryder Cup had reached new levels of tension and exhileration

or television producer. The contests were more like quaint exhibitions, rather than the full-blooded international challenges we know today. A glimmer of commercial hope arrived in 1973 when the first major sponsor came on board—the insurance company Sun Alliance. The 1969 match at Royal Birkdale had ended in a sensational 16-16 tie and the new sponsor banked on the next match in the UK—at Muirfield—being a breakthrough in terms of interest around the world, and Sun Alliance

Having scraped together the finances to head to Palm Beach Gardens in 1983, everything changed paid £375,000 for a three-match deal. However, the next few American teams proceeded to slam their GB opponents by even wider margins, even when continental European players were added in 1979. Inevitably, Sun Alliance withdrew in 1981 and the British PGA was left impoverished again, to the extent that it was conceivable it would not be able to send the European team to the next match in Florida. Having scraped together the finances to head to Palm Beach Gardens in 1983, everything changed. After a gripping spectacle in which Lanny Wadkins hit a sensational last-hole pitch to give the Americans a one-point win, the Ryder Cup finally proved to be a worthy contest on American soil—for the first time. With the charismatic Spaniard Seve Ballesteros now its on-course leader and with Tony Jacklin as captain, ‘Team Europe’—in only its fourth appearance—put on a remarkable performance that captured the attention of the fans, broadcasters and potential sponsors alike. The commercial stars were suddenly aligned for the next match at The Belfry in the heart of England—a new venue that was not only the

headquarters of the British PGA, but a custom-made course for the Ryder Cup. Tickets were suddenly at a premium, and when Europe then notched its first win in 27 years, the floodgates opened. After that 1985 match, instead of crying over its bank balance, the British PGA paid a £50,000 facility fee to The Belfry out of its profits—an unprecedented result of a transformed balance sheet. This match was the first to gross over £1 million ($1,650,000). Bell’s Whisky became the next main sponsor in 1987, and hospitality tents around the 18th fairway and green sprouted, something that is taken for granted nowadays. At the same time, income from TV rights rose exponentially, especially in America. The 1991 match at Kiawah Island gathered in approximately $1 million from NBC alone for broadcast rights, and that fee grew to near to $13 million by the 1999 contest at Brookline. These sums would have read like science fiction back in 1931, when the Gaumont Company of England paid the grand sum of 15 pounds and 15 shillings for the rights to screen Ryder Cup newsreel footage in British cinemas. As the new money poured in, there was the first and—so far only—significant moment of disagreement about how those profits are distributed. It came in 1999 from US team players. The problem was the ownership of the matches. While the British PGA had agreed to share the Ryder Cup with their counterpart European association, and also the European Tour (that is, the organization representing the members of their team), the American matches had remained under total control of the PGA of America (the association whose members are the club professionals). That left the PGA Tour (the body that split from the PGA to represent tour players in 1968) without a meaningful Ryder Cup connection, apart from supplying the players at no financial benefit to the tour or its members.

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Singing from the rooftops: Captain Tony Jacklin is held aloft after Europe won at the Belfry in 1985

The row erupted in the pre-match Brookline press conferences, where US Ryder Cup team members made it clear they wanted a voice in how the PGA of America’s profits were distributed. Eventually a compromise was agreed: each member of future US teams could nominate charities to which donations would be made to the tune of $200,000. So despite the commercial spoils reaped by today’s players on tour, in the Ryder Cup they continue to compete solely for the honor and glory of representing their continent or country, as Ryder Cup golfers have always done. In an era when money generally holds sport within its totalitarian grip, the Ryder Cup is the only major global sporting event in which its stars don’t pocket a penny in prize money. Not withstanding the Ryder Cup’s charitable contributions, increased revenue has led to decreased transparency from Ryder Cup organizers, rendering it impossible to gauge recent figures precisely. However, industry experts and other sources indicate that the gross revenue from European matches is now around £65 million, a figure made up of TV fees, ticket sales, direct sponsorship, hospitality and merchandising. The Ryder Cup income numbers for the PGA of America look broadly the same, with gross revenue now estimated to be reaching somewhere between $90 and $100 million. In the United States, a bigger proportion of revenue comes from broadcasters than it does in Europe, because the American TV market is livelier, with more high-spending commercial broadcasters (NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and ESPN) willing to make concerted bids for the rights. The profits from the Ryder Cup now run into the millions as well. Net profit is said to be around 25% of the gross figure (£15 million in Europe; perhaps $25 million in America) and this money is rightly returned to the game through golf development programs, charities and supporting lower level pro tournaments.

In fact, the matches are so lucrative that a long list of criteria has been set out for future bidding venues, which can spend tens of millions of euros or dollars on securing a contest. To have that Ryder Cup logo attached to your club is a magnet for travelling golfers, who are determined to play the courses that have hosted the world’s most gripping match play golf event. The investment in hosting the Ryder Cup is usually repaid many times over. Ultimately, the money and business of the

The Ryder Cup is the only major global sporting event in which its stars don’t pocket a penny in prize money Ryder Cup have changed beyond all recognition over nine decades. The commercial success of the matches in recent years is also bolstered by a more sophisticated operational structure, far beyond a reliance on simply the competitiveness between the teams. Sponsorship is following the FIFA World Cup and Olympic models—a group of high-profile brands rather than one single financial backer— while TV rights are sold to over 100 countries; every kind of merchandise—from tees to Ryder Cup tartan at Gleneagles—is available year-round online, and even practice day tickets are snapped up within minutes of being released. So, whereas the matches started out with no money, few spectators and not much more than a little hope, now there is an abundance of cash, legions of fans and vast amounts of certainty for the successful future of the Ryder Cup. Ryder Cup Revealed: Tales of the Unexpected by Ross Biddiscombe, is available as an e-book in all digital formats.

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EXCLUSIVE

A Return to Form 138

W Undeniable beauty: the politics might be ugly, but the 3rd at Trump International Golf Links is a stunner

Scotland gave America the beautiful game. Now, as Reade Tilley reports, the Americans are bringing it back home

hen discussing America and Scotland’s shared love of golf, it’s fair to say that the (ahem) links have been there since auld lang syne. In addition to establishing golf’s guiding principles and rules, the birthplace of the game has influenced and inspired American course architects and players since the very beginnings of the U.S. sport. In return, America has sent more than a century’s worth of club-wielding enthusiasts across the pond on pilgrimages to Scotland’s luminary tracks (and pubs), from whence they have returned reinvigorated with golfing passion, extolling the beauty of the country, its courses, its people and its single malts. Throughout the years there’s been a mutual, if careful, respect between old world and new, with the well-intentioned latter sometimes challenging the former’s sense of decorum, and the former doing its best to accommodate what often are regarded as somewhat less-refined American tastes. For every American frustrated by examples of Scotland’s adherence to form— like Dr. Jeffry Foster of Louisville, Kentucky, who was banned from playing at Royal Troon in 2010 after he insisted on doing so in a kilt (trousers are required)—there’s an equally flustered Scot bemoaning the ‘mini beef burger’ and tortilla chips on the menu at some of the clubhouses of St Andrews. This already delicate balance is being further put to the test recently with what might appear, to some, to be a brash, swagger-filled American spending spree as Yanks rather suddenly are putting their stamp on golf’s ancestral home with bold new course projects and purchases. Whether breaking new ground or simply raising a new flag, recent arrivals of the red, white and blue on Scottish soil aren’t necessarily being greeted with cheers and bagpipes. That said, in these turbulent economic times, some of the projects could herald a new age for Scottish golf. So does the recent uptick of American-owned courses in Scotland represent a violation of an agesold unspoken agreement to wear soft spikes when visiting each other’s green spaces, so to speak, or are we witnessing the beginnings of a beautiful new golfing friendship? The answer no doubt lies in the futures of the following properties. Should you visit any of them (and we heartily suggest visiting them all), just remember to bring a healthy respect for tradition along with your American flag— and a pair of trousers, please.

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Trump International Golf Links

Aberdeen  trumpgolfscotland.com In any current discussion of Americans and golf in Scotland, it’s little surprise that the name most often mentioned is Donald Trump. The American billionaire’s mother, Mary MacLeod, hails from Stornoway on the Scottish Isle of Lewis, and over the years Trump made little secret of his desire to return to the homeland and build a course. After what he said was more than five years of searching, Trump settled on an absolutely breathtaking piece of land along the Aberdeenshire coast, and Trump International Golf Links was born. The resulting course, which opened in July of 2012, is a stunner— no question—but the dirt started flying here long before ground was broken. For Trump, the course was a labor of love, the fulfillment of a dream to build one of the world’s great courses in the home of golf itself. For the course’s opponents—which include various locals, politicians and environmentalists—the development is an overhyped blight on the landscape. There’s still some politicking going on regarding the full project (another course and hotel were planned but are currently on hold), and for his part Trump points out that a number of environmental specialists were brought in to ensure the safety of the flora and fauna, but some dissent will likely endure due to the sheer boldness of the project, which seems to inhabit all who participated. Course architect Martin Hawtree underlined this at the opening ceremony, saying, “There is no doubt in my mind [this course] will be in the top three in the world. I just don’t know who’ll be number two or three!” Dissenters will be further frustrated by Trump’s acquisition of the legendary Turnberry this summer for a reported $63 million (price according to London’s The Independent). After purchasing the four-time Open Championship venue, which was established in 1906, Trump hinted at one rather fundamental change he was planning on making: “‘Trump Turnberry’ has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?,” he offered in an interview with GOLF.com. Whatever your opinion of the man or his projects, it’s tough to argue with his ambitions and with the quality of golf at his new properties, whether your flavor is for triedand-true tradition or the latest beauty on the map.

Castle Stuart Golf Links

Inverness  castlestuartgolf.com When Castle Stuart Golf Links opened in Golf Digest called it the “Overseas Destination of the Year,” and “the first great one of the year’s Best New Courses. Similarly, Golf Magazine immediately named it the top in an overall worldwide ranking. Co-designed by two Americans, managing partner Mark Parsinen and architect Gil Hanse, the course features views over the Moray Firth to the broad mountains beyond, and it plays incredibly well thanks to a few fun innovations. Among them, wide corridors that reduce the possibility of lost balls and which open up all kinds of chances for recovery shots. The layout has been so well received that Phil Mickelson said playing here “should almost be a prerequisite before you’re allowed to design golf courses nowadays.” The Art Deco clubhouse will catch your eye, as will the fact that the course hosted

The Renaissance Club East Lothian

 trcaa.com

With waves curling in along the beach and

demanding golfers to keep their shots low, The Renaissance Club in East Lothian is a beautiful example of an American doing it right in Scotland. Entrepreneur Jerry Savardi worked for five property from the Duke of Hamilton, who owns it, and then worked with conservationists to gain permission to build the course. The result is a natural, low-impact course that belies its youth. Architect Tom Doak, a Cornell graduate, this beguiling links, which plays more than On its website, Renaissance Golf Design maintains that its goal here was simple: “To build a course the Scots would respect, in harmony with its surroundings and inspired by—but different than—its famous neighbors.” Those neighbors include North Berwick,

Scotland’s best courses, and featuring top luxury accommodations, Castle Stuart represents a legend-quality golf destination for the Highlands.

Lufness, Archerfield, and, of course, the Honorable Company of Golfers at Muirfield, who might have raised an eyebrow when an American grabbed the real estate right next door. It seems any concerns have been assuaged, however, with Savardi telling the Telegraph that he went to great lengths to ensure the other clubs in the neighborhood understood he wasn’t there to rock the boat. “We’re a totally different business model with state-of-the-art facilities,” he said. “Most clubs are aimed at individual members; we have a family feel.” The spirit of neghborly co-operation was emphasised when modifications were made to [British] Open. Renaissance and Muirfield exchanged parcels of land so that Muirfield’s to ensure it remained challenging to today’s finest tour golfers.

Waterside retreat: The 14th hole at Castle Stuart, with the clubhouse and Moray Firth in the backdrop

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Machrahanish Dunes

Kintyre  machrihanishdunes.com Among the advice given by golfers who’ve walked Machrahanish Dunes: swing hard. Just down the road from the legendary Old Tom Morris track at Machrihanish, this 2007 design is as rugged as Scottish golf gets—and as beautiful, with the natural landscape almost completely undistirbed. It’s a testament to Southworth Development’s tact that it was allowed to build on a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI), and that this course is the first to be built on an SSSI since the days of Old Tom Morris. Subsequently, very little earth was disturbed at Machrahanish Dunes, which purports to be “The world’s most natural course.” As architect David McLay Kidd explains on the course’s website, “We did not lay out the course and make the land change with it, we designed each hole around the natural terrain. For maintenance we will do a little mowing, but will mostly rely on the wandering sheep to keep the fescue in check… No longer is [golf] a gentle walk in a garden, it will be a full-fledged mountaineering expedition at this course.” There’s a top hotel here and a group of small stone cottages available as well, plus a spa, numerous pubs and places to explore, but the course is the centerpiece of the development and, like The Renaissance Club, it’s a beautiful example of Americans treading lightly in golf’s ancestral home.

Skibo Castle

Sutherland  carnegieclub.co.uk Skibo Castle began life as a 13th century Scottish castle, before being converted into the cherished retreat of Andrew Carnegie in the late 19th century and early 20th century—a Scottish American who frequently returned to Scotland to play golf among other pursuits. The estate later became a private club owned by an Englishman until it was purchased by an American in 2003. English businessman Peter de Savary purchased the castle from the Carnegie family

in 1982 and renovated the property into ‘The Carnegie Club,’ which he subsequently sold to American Ellis Short in 2003. Now an exclusive members-owned and members-only club, its Carnegie Links course was listed among Golf World’s Top 100 Courses for 2014, and offers some access for non-residents during summer months. Old world to be sure, it’s also a supreme example of America and Scotland’s longstanding golfing relationship—forever may it play.

Who needs mowers?: Sheep keep the grass down at Machrahanish Dunes (left), and the (below), it’s 14th hole is the model of rugged beauty

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STAGE

Once Gleneagles is left to bask in the glory of hosting the biggest show golf can muster, preparations at Hazeltine National in Minnesota will gain momentum, as venue for the 41st Ryder Cup in 2016. Waiting patiently in line thereafter are Paris National for 2018 and Whistling Straits for 2020, while bidding in Europe to host in 2022 warms up. Paul Trow looks to the future

The futures market

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he mission behind the creation of Hazeltine National Golf Club at Chaska, Minnesota, venue for the 2016 Ryder Cup, was to build and maintain a course suitable for major championships. Therefore, an important step along the way half a century ago was to cultivate a membership that supported this ideal. Founding father Totton P. Heffelfinger— with a name for the ages—a former president of the USGA, laid down the policy but he also

strove to deliver an enjoyable, as well as pure, golf experience to the members. Hazeltine National is the result of his quest. There have been many twists and turns over the years, though, including financial difficulties and a lengthy period when it seemed the club’s early successes might peter out. However, despite those trials, Hazeltine’s membership stuck to the original objectives and the club’s pedigree now ranks with that of any in the United States. Robert Trent Jones Sr. created a long, demanding layout over a piece of land where the woods had battled the prairie for dominance for centuries. The course was opened for play in 1962, but Jones modified many of the holes over a number of years to adapt it to the needs of Major championship play. In advance of the 1991 U.S. Open, Jones’s son Rees oversaw several radical changes and to this day, Rees Jones still works with the club to maintain the competitive standards set by his father.

Patrick Drickey / stonehousegolf.com

“Probably the hardest par-four I ever played”: Johnny Miller’s assessment of the 16th hole at Hazeltine

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The first championship hosted by Hazeltine was the 1966 U.S. Women’s Open, won by Sandra Spuzich. In 1977, when that event returned, Hollis Stacy won the biggest of her six USGA titles by edging Nancy Lopez. In between, the 1970 U.S. Open at Hazeltine was won by seven shots by Tony Jacklin, the last European to claim America’s national championship until Graeme McDowell’s triumph at Pebble Beach in 2010. The difficulty of the course, coupled with the windy conditions that week, led to a vituperative backlash from some of the players. Most notably, the American Ryder Cup player Dave Hill was fined for his derogatory comments. When paying his fine, Hill handed over twice the amount stipulated in his penalty on the grounds that he had plenty more to say on the subject. Embarrassing though they were at the time, these events set in motion a process of change. The public debut of those changes, including the infamous water hazard on the 16th, dubbed by Johnny Miller as “probably the hardest par-four I ever played,” occurred in 1983, when Billy Casper won the U.S. Senior Open. The success of that week paved the way for Hazeltine’s return to the international golf scene. The culmination of that journey back to prominence was Payne Stewart’s playoff victory over Scott Simpson in the 1991 U.S.

Open. That championship drew rave reviews for the course, not least from long-serving head professional Mike Schultz, who takes pleasure in pointing out: “If you’re out of position at Hazeltine, you’re always hitting over something.” The PGA Championship has been to Hazeltine twice since the turn of the millennium, and both times it has led to frustration for Tiger Woods. In 2002, the unheralded Rich Beem held off a charging Woods, who birdied the last four holes, and in 2009 Korea’s Y.E. Yang became the first Asian major winner despite playing partner Woods holding a three-shot, 54-hole lead. Among the many important amateur events staged at Hazeltine, the 1999 NCAA Division I Men’s Championship was captured by the University of Georgia (with Luke Donald of Northwestern taking the individual title) and the 2006 U.S. Amateur Championship saw Scotland’s Richie Ramsay defeat John Kelly 4&2 in the 36-hole final. Now playing on the European Tour, what a triumph it would be for Ramsey if he could find the form to make his Ryder Cup debut at the same course. No victory has ever been lightly earned at Hazeltine. At times the difficulties it poses result from the natural lie of the land, and at times from its many strategically-placed bunkers. At all times, though, Hazeltine is a formidable test of golf.

National treasure: the 18th hole of the Albatros Course at Le Golf National, Paris

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2018 While the heart of European golf called for Spain to host the 2018 Ryder Cup, as the untimely death of Seve Ballesteros imparted shockwaves during the final stages of the selection process, the head—and certainly those of the Ryder Cup committee—gave a resounding ‘Oui’ to holding the tournament in France for the first time, and more specifically, at Le Golf National, 20 miles west of Paris. It was a decision based on pragmatism, not passion, but given the parlous state of the Spanish economy at the time, it’s perhaps just as well the vote went France’s way. Even though French golfers have made little impact on the Ryder Cup—Thomas Levet and Jean Van de Velde being the country’s sole representatives since France joined the fray in 1979, before Victor Dubuisson becomes the third at Gleneagles—there’s no denying that the Open de France, staged at Le Golf National every year since 1991, is one of the European Tour’s showpiece events. Like Celtic Manor, Le Golf National’s Albatros Course, which only opened the year before its French Open debut, was conceived as a tournament venue from the outset, with its stadium-style layout providing stunning vantage points over an essentially flat, parkland course that features elements of both links and Florida-style target golf.

If you want to know what a hybrid course looks like, then the Albatros is it. Given the flat, somewhat uninspiring plot of land they were given in Guyancourt on the outskirts of Versailles, architects Robert Von Hagge and Albert Chesneau squeezed every ounce of excitement and drama from a vast, one-time cornfield to create a championship layout that is tough but fair, and tests all elements of a player’s game. That said, it’s not exactly a course that sings La Marseillaise or says, ‘Look at moi, I’m French,’ as it could well be located in Las Vegas for all its authenticity. The 6,854-yard layout, which is built on a clay base, is notable for its vast, undulating fairways dotted with innumerable links-style bunkers, many measuring over 100 yards long. Its greens are both sizeable and slick, and offer numerous opportunities for heartin-mouth pin positions over the course’s many water hazards. Meanwhile, deep fescue rough, occasional trees and the rigid slopes of artificially-created dunes present additional trials that will test the world’s best. Setting the tone from the off, the opening holes are fairly penal, with the first requiring players to hit away from water for the best line into a tiny waterside green. The same is true of the second, a 210-yard par-3 played over water to a narrow green that hugs the lake

edge. As is the norm on stadium courses, there are some long walks between greens and tees, which will give Ryder Cup golfers time to take a breather and talk tactics, or perhaps the opportunity to ramp up the nerves. As seems to fit the brief for a Ryder Cup venue, the final four holes all offer the potential for high drama. Indeed, water—present on 15, 16 and 18—has played a role in determining the fate of numerous French Opens. No one standing on the 15th tee with a two- or three-hole lead will feel safe here. Water surrounds the green on this testing 395-yard par-4, and on the par-3 16th the pin is invariably tucked tight to the lake. The 17th, at almost 500 yards, is a long par-4 with thick, dense rough all down the left, while the par-4 18th is both tough off the tee and absolutely brutal for the approach over water. This treacherous finish will decide the fate of many a match. With almost 100,000 spectators able to watch the action on these holes alone, it’s not hard to see why Paris National ticked so many boxes for the Ryder Cup committee. And with its excellent national and international transport links, the splendor of the nearby palace at Versailles and central Paris less than an hour away, it all adds up to a pretty enticing package—one that will hopefully send golf fans on an international scrap for tickets.

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It’s not exactly a course that sings La Marseillaise or says, ‘Look at moi, I’m French’, as it could well be located in Las Vegas for all its authenticity

2020 Herb Kohler has been president and CEO of plumbing and household products company Kohler for four decades; and the eponymous community in Wisconsin, where the company is located, is some 40 miles north of Milwaukee. But Kohler, the man not the town, has yet another claim to fame—as the initiator of what Golf Odyssey describes as “the best 72 holes of golf in the world.” Designed by Pete and Alice Dye, this pair of 36-hole complexes offers the ultimate golfing contrast. Blackwolf Run, the older, is a riverside, woodland gem just south of Kohler, while Whistling Straits is a wannabe links laid out along the western shore of Lake Michigan, a few miles north of the town of Sheboygan. By the time the 43rd Ryder Cup comes calling in 2020, the Straits Course at Whistling Straits will have already staged three PGA Championships (in 2004, 2010 and 2015) and one U.S. Senior Open (2007). Vijay Singh claimed the 2004 PGA after a playoff with Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco, and six years later another playoff was required before Martin Kaymer edged Bubba Watson. Three decades ago, the American Club in Kohler, which originally opened in 1918 as a dormitory for European immigrant factory workers, was lavishly restored.

“We created 125 hotel rooms [at the American Club] and within months of opening in 1981 we were overwhelmed with demand [for golf ],” Herb Kohler recalls. “People wanted to know why we didn’t have our own course. So we interviewed a group of architects, including Pete Dye, who at the time was driving the pros crazy, on purpose, with his designs. We wanted a course on the leading edge so it would attract Majors. What he created was Blackwolf Run—a parkland layout with two nines running through adjoining valleys. “No sooner had it opened than [it was taking] three months to get a tee time. It became clear we needed more capacity. So we decided to split up the first course and build another nine in each valley. These became the River Course and the Meadow Valleys Course. “Thus [we] had taken the first course at Blackwolf Run, an absolute gem, and broken it up. You can’t imagine the hoo-hah this caused in the golf press. So when it was finished we said, ‘come and look at it.’ They came and said they couldn’t believe you could create two courses out of one so both would be better than the original. “But we were still overwhelmed with demand, so we decided we wanted a links. Pete and I often came over to Scotland and

Ireland to play. We absolutely love links golf— you’re so much a part of the elements and influenced by them. “We found a two-mile stretch of land that was owned by a power company alongside a disused military airfield. I had to buy an adjacent farm as well.” The Straits Course opened in 1998, followed by the Irish Course in 2000. Stretching 7,536 yards from the tips, the Straits is not really a traditional links, especially as 800,000 cubic yards of dirt and sand had to be imported to the site. But it certainly has many links features—vast rolling greens, deep pot bunkers, grass-topped dunes, off-shore winds, stone bridges, elevation changes (up to 80 feet), even a resident flock of Scottish Blackface sheep. And there are bunkers, everywhere, hundreds of them, many of them looking like stretches of wasteland. Dustin Johnson discovered this to his cost when he found himself in one on the 72nd hole of the 2010 PGA Championship and grounded his club when addressing his ball. The two-shot penalty he incurred on that occasion dumped him out of the Kaymer-Watson playoff. If Johnson makes the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2020, no doubt he will not be short of local rule reminders.

Patrick Drickey / stonehousegolf.com

Modern classic: the 7th hole of the Straits Course

Leon Harris

Founding father: Herb Kohler (right), owner of Whistling Straits

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United States: 25 Wins Europe: 12 Wins 2 Ties

1927 Worcester Country Blub, MA Captains: E. Ray (GB & IRL), W. Hagen (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 2½—USA 9½

1963 East Lake Country Club, Atlanta, GA Captains: J. Fallon (GB & IRL), A. Palmer (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 9—USA 23

1929 Moortown, Leeds, England Captains: C. Whitcombe (GB & IRL), W. Hagen (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 7—USA 5

1965 Royal Birkdale, Lancashire, England Captains: H. Weetman (GB & IRL), B. Nelson (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 12½—USA 19½

1931 Scioto Country Club, Columbus, OH Captains: C. Whitcombe (GB & IRL), W. Hagen (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 3—USA 9

1967 Champions Golf Club, Houston, TX Captains: D. Rees (GB & IRL), B. Hogan (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 8½—USA 23½

1933 Southport & Ainsdale, Lancashire, England Captains: J.H. Taylor (GB & IRL), W. Hagen (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 6½—USA 5½

1969 Royal Birkdale, Lancashire, England Captains: E. Brown (GB & IRL), S. Snead (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 16—USA 16

1935 Ridgewood Country Club, NJ Captains: C. Whitcombe (GB & IRL), W. Hagen (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 3—USA 9

1971 Old Warson Country Club, St. Louis, MO Captains: E. Brown (GB & IRL), J. Hebert (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 13½—USA 18½

1937 Southport & Ainsdale, Lancashire, England Captains: C. Whitcombe (GB & IRL), W. Hagen (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 4—USA 8

1973 Muirfield, East Lothian, Scotland Captains: B. Hunt (GB & IRL), J. Burke (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 13—USA 19

1947 Portland Golf Club, OR Captains: H. Cotton (GB & IRL), B. Hogan (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 1—USA 11

1975 Laurel Valley Golf Club, PA Captains: B. Hunt (GB & IRL), A. Palmer (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 11—USA 21

1949 Ganton, Yorkshire, England Captains: C. Whitcombe (GB & IRL), B. Hogan (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 5—USA 7

1977 Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Lancashire, England Captains: B. Huggett (GB & IRL), D. Finsterwald (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 7½—USA 12½

1951 Pinehurst, NC Captains: A. Lacey (GB & IRL), S. Snead (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 2½—USA 9½

1979 The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, WV Captains: J. Jacobs (Europe), W. Casper (USA) Match result: Europe 11—USA 17

1953 Wentworth, Surrey, England Captains: H. Cotton (GB & IRL), L. Mangrum (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 5½—USA 6½

1981 Walton Heath, Surrey, England Captains: J. Jacobs (Europe), D. Marr (USA) Match result: Europe 9½—USA 18½

1955 Thunderbird Golf & Country Club, Palm Springs, CA Captains: D. Rees (GB & IRL), C. Harbert (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 4—USA 8

1983 PGA National Golf Club, Palm Beach Gardens, FL Captains: A. Jacklin (Europe), J. Nicklaus (USA) Match result: Europe 13½—USA 14½

1957 Lindrick, Yorkshire, England Captains: D. Rees (GB & IRL), J. Burke (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 7½—USA 4½

1985 The Belfry, Warwickshire, England Captains: A. Jacklin (Europe), L. Trevino (USA) Match result: Europe 16½—USA 11½

1959 Eldorado Country Club, Palm Desert, CA Captains: D. Rees (GB & IRL), S. Snead (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 3½—USA 8½

1987 Muirfield Village, Columbus, OH Captains: A. Jacklin (Europe), J. Nicklaus (USA) Match result: Europe 15—USA 13

1961 Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Lancashire, England Captains: D. Rees (GB & IRL), J. Barber (USA) Match result: GB & IRL 9½—USA 14½

1989 The Belfry, Warwickshire, England Captains: A. Jacklin (Europe), R. Floyd (USA) Match result: Europe 14—USA 14

Ryder Cup Records

39 Matches Spanning 85 Years