The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Ryder Cup: Let the battle begin. Glitzy opening ceremony at Hazeltine.
Rose and Stenson take on Spieth and Reed in opening foursomes
Sport
Something’s got to give on the opening morning of the 41st Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club with captains Davis Love III and Darren Clarke fielding unbeaten partnerships in the opening foursomes.
Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, who won all three matches together at Gleneagles in Europe’s victory in 2014, will take on Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed, who were also unbeaten two years ago in three games together, in the first match out on the course at 7.35 am.
With six rookies in his team of 12, European captain Clarke has sat four of them but is forced to play two, pairing his top man Rory McIlroy with England’s Andy Sullivan, a pairing that the new Fed Ex Cup and European No 1 reportedly requested.
They will take on Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler, a pairing putting together two of the USA’s most charismatic players. Mickelson’s controversial week continued with an apology for his comments about former captain Hal Sutton yesterday. Fowler has yet to win a Ryder Cup match in his two appearances so far, in 2010 and 2014.
The other rookie Clarke fields on the opening morning for Europe is Thomas Pieters, his final wildcard choice.
FOURSOMES PAIRINGS continued from page 60
The big-hitting Belgian is partnering another wildcard pick in Lee Westwood, who is going for Europe’s all-time points record in this Ryder Cup.
The Englishman, in his 10th match, has specialised in partnerships with rookies in foursomes and fourballs in recent Ryder Cups; nine of his last 11 matches in the partner formats were with debutants.
That pair are in the anchor foursome against Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar.
In the third match Love counters Clarke’s experienced pairing of Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer with new major champion Jimmy Walker and last year’s Open champion Zach Johnson.
Neither Garcia nor Kaymer has a strong recent record in foursomes and fourballs, Garcia winning just two out of his last nine matches since 2008 and Kaymer also just two out of seven, and none since his debut at Celtic Manor in 2010.
All the remaining European rookies – Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Matt Fitzpatrick, Danny Willett and Chris Wood – sit out the opening session, while Love has sat out both his debutants Brooks Koepka and Ryan Moore, as well as JB Holmes and Brandt Snedeker.
Arnold Palmer’s memory was writ large over proceedings in a lengthy opening ceremony in front of a huge crowd at the Hazeltine practice area.
Tributes were paid by both captains as well as by Palmer’s great friend and rival Jack Nicklaus, while a moment’s silence was impeccably observed for the golfing great, who died aged 87 on Sunday.
Love said “there was one more captain here, working for both teams” in Palmer, whose funeral was held in his home town of Latrobe yesterday.
Crieff professional David Murchie, chairman of the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland, was among the introductory speakers as the 2016 Ryder Cup was finally launched.