IT’S LATE BUT THIS IS STILL GREAT
GOLF’S ULTIMATE CONTEST IS BACK TO CAPTIVATE AND THRILL YET AGAIN
SPECIAL things do come to those who wait then. We may be a year late with this Ryder Cup but the drama is sure to be as captivating as ever when one of sport’s most treasured events bursts into life again at lunchtime today.
Even the build-up this week has felt interminable at times but that will all be forgotten when play begins at Whistling Straits. It is still hard to think of any sporting encounter with a better format than this one. From now until Sunday, we will all be on planet Ryder Cup again.
The United States are worthy favourites. Truth be told, quite a lot is stacked in America’s favour. One simple fact is that if you take away the miracle of Medinah – one of sport’s great freaks – the home team usually win Ryder Cups nowadays.
That advantage will be magnified this time with so few European fans on site due to travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
In pure rankings terms, there is a stark contrast between the two line-ups. The lowest ranked American player, Scottie Scheffler, is world No.21. Only three Europeans are above him in the list – Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton.
Also, Whistling Straits is gargantuan, a real monster of a place. The American big-hitters, who were so restricted in Paris three years ago, will be licking their lips.
So logically it will be Wisconsin man Steve Stricker and his men celebrating on Sunday night. But since when has the Ryder Cup done logic?
The Europeans still have that ‘special sauce’, as one US golf writer memorably put it. Even in the build-up, we’ve seen again that you just can’t beat the sense of camaraderie among Europe’s players.
Sure, the Americans are doing their best – Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka even seem to be on speaking terms now – but the force of team spirit is as ever with their opponents. Experience could count for a lot for the visiting team too – talismanic figures like Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter have been there, done it and worn the T-shirt time and time again.
The six American rookies do not have any of the bad baggage many more seasoned stars like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have had in past matches, but in the white-hot heat of this event, first-timers can buckle under the strain.
The overriding truth is, of course, nobody can quite be sure how this thing is going to play out. The sheer unpredict
ability of the Ryder Cup is one of its many great joys. The fluctuations will keep us transfixed over the next three days, that’s one of the few certainties.
You have all waited long enough, so sit back and enjoy. Let golf’s great show begin at last.