***The OFFICIAL 2014 Ryder Cup thread***

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Questions

Habitual User
Oct 18, 2006
25,006
Worthing
Mumbles and whispers about Watson's leadership skills now on the radio. However apart from Faldo, you could give the captaincy to anyone and we would win it.

Great press conference from the septics with Mickleson putting the knife in because he got dropped yesterday. Although I did feel for Watson, an honourable man whose team where just not quite up to it.
 


Questions

Habitual User
Oct 18, 2006
25,006
Worthing
Bored with SKY over hyping of it and putting crap football on today, it hasn't got any history as wasn't so long it was UK v USA

Good point...........it's not like the boat race or the varsity netball matches is it. Come to think of it why haven't they been covering the UK versus Canada lacrosse matches.......they date back to the 1880's.
 






vegster

Sanity Clause
May 5, 2008
27,963
Best sporting event on tv every shot counts brilliant and always nice to turn the yanks over.

Wholeheartedly agree, it should be played yearly though.
 


nwgull

Well-known member
Jul 25, 2003
13,990
Manchester
Best sporting event on tv every shot counts brilliant and always nice to turn the yanks over.

Yep. I hardly watch any golf on telly but flippin love the Ryder Cup. Shame the yanks couldn't make it exciting this time round.
 


Questions

Habitual User
Oct 18, 2006
25,006
Worthing
Quick quiz question for those interested.

How many countries outside of the UK have contributed players to the European Ryder cup teams and which countries are they. ........no googling.
 




Weststander

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Aug 25, 2011
65,179
Withdean area
Best sporting event on tv every shot counts brilliant and always nice to turn the yanks over.

Brilliantly covered by Sky (except too many ad breaks, but they are obviously milking it) and brilliant highlights programmes by the BBC.

A great escape from the spitefulness of football (between fans of clubs), and the cheating and over hype of PL football.
 




wakeytom

New member
Apr 14, 2011
2,718
The Hacienda
Wholeheartedly agree, it should be played yearly though.

Got to admit I do love the fact that its not every year so it builds up and if it was annually there would be similar players each time with a lack of rookies or players playing for the first time in 12 years etc. One of the best sporting events especially as its normally a lonely sport, the way it flip flops all weekend is quality.

Boat race, Netball and Lacrosse are minority sports in the UK I would think in comparison to golf
 




Questions

Habitual User
Oct 18, 2006
25,006
Worthing
France
Italy
Sweden
Germany
Spain
Ireland
Denmark
Belgium

I think that's it.

Well done if you didn't look that up but just had a thought about Jersey. Not a country but not part of the UK either.
 


Beach Hut

Brighton Bhuna Boy
Jul 5, 2003
72,057
Living In a Box
I think the best thing about the Ryder Cup is that it includes the form players at the time bar the captains pick so a fair reflection on which players are at the top of the game.
 


Hugo Rune

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Feb 23, 2012
22,059
Brighton
I think the best thing about the Ryder Cup........

O.K, forget your dribble. The best thing about the Ryder cup is not anything to do with golf, it's about beating the yanks. It's about Mcllroy crushing that f**knu* Fowler so hard he is bereft of confidence for months. It's about Europe pulling together, we are original and authentic. We take pride in crushing our weak relations whose ancestors were too weak to fight our kin and ran off to America to work the land in somewhere called Virginia. We smashed them again. I'd follow McGinley - what a wonderful chap. Stuffing the life out of American sportsman is amazing and we did it tonight. Well done my boys, well done!
 




KZNSeagull

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
20,059
Wolsingham, County Durham
Great press conference from the septics with Mickleson putting the knife in because he got dropped yesterday. Although I did feel for Watson, an honourable man whose team where just not quite up to it.

He should look to himself first. He has been in 10 Ryder Cups of which he has lost 8. Don't blame the captain when you are an integral part of a losing team. As Watson said, "the bottom line is that Europe kicked our butts. They were the better players this week.".

It is all down to team spirit I reckon - the yanks don't appear to have any. You can see in the European team that they are all, for the most part, mates with each other. The yanks look like they have never met each other before.
 
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Triggaaar

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2005
50,337
Goldstone
It is all down to team spirit I reckon - the yanks don't appear to have any. You can see in the European team that they are all, for the most part, mates with each other. The yanks look like they have never met each other before.
And that's what's so weird. They're all American and you'd expect them to be united, while we're different nations that don't get along too well, yet this is the one time we're all proud to be European.
 


Questions

Habitual User
Oct 18, 2006
25,006
Worthing
And that's what's so weird. They're all American and you'd expect them to be united, while we're different nations that don't get along too well, yet this is the one time we're all proud to be European.

They're united enough when they win. It's how they take defeat as a team that is the thing. Michelsons history in the Ryder cup is littered with little digs and behaviour not be-fitting a senior member of an international team.
His club change a few years back - the week before the tournament - to please his sponsors and his taking himself off to practise on another course alone just two things that spring to mind.
 


KZNSeagull

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
20,059
Wolsingham, County Durham
They're united enough when they win. It's how they take defeat as a team that is the thing. Michelsons history in the Ryder cup is littered with little digs and behaviour not be-fitting a senior member of an international team.
His club change a few years back - the week before the tournament - to please his sponsors and his taking himself off to practise on another course alone just two things that spring to mind.

He has never endeared himself to the fans in Europe. Even in the Walker Cup in Ireland, 1991 I think it was, he said that he did not want to hit the ball into the crowds as the Irish girls were not pretty enough. Twonk. Did you watch the build up on Sky? They were asking all the players questions about Scotland and all his answers were "I don't do that" and "I don't know what you are talking about", whilst the rest of the team knew the questions were a joke so answered them accordingly. When asked "who would be best at tossing the caber", Speith replied "Mickelson as he thinks he is the best at everything". Says a lot. Furyk's reply was "I don't think I want to know what that is" with a grin on his face.

It has always been said the the European Tour is a much more friendly place to be. Many Europeans have said that when they play in the US, they never see or socialise with the US players as they just turn up to play, practice and then disappear. It is telling that one of Ricky Fowler's best mates on tour is Rory.

The Europeans play for each other, not their country. I doubt that they have any affinity to the EU per se, just an affinity with the rest of the team and the tour, whilst the yanks seem to take playing for their country and flag far too seriously. It is no coincidence that team spirit in the US seems to have evaporated since Payne Stewart sadly passed away (he knew how to have fun and not take things too seriously) and the rise of the Tiger machine. Can you imagine the US team taking the mick out of their best player like the Europeans did yesterday with Rory and the champagne bottle incident, or Darren Clark ribbing Jimenez taking selfies on the first tee ("Miguel is not adverse to loving himself")?

Anyway, they can carry on losing for all I care.

Re Jersey - not sure there has been a player from Jersey since the Europeans became involved?
 




Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
29,943
Hove
He has never endeared himself to the fans in Europe. Even in the Walker Cup in Ireland, 1991 I think it was, he said that he did not want to hit the ball into the crowds as the Irish girls were not pretty enough. Twonk. Did you watch the build up on Sky? They were asking all the players questions about Scotland and all his answers were "I don't do that" and "I don't know what you are talking about", whilst the rest of the team knew the questions were a joke so answered them accordingly. When asked "who would be best at tossing the caber", Speith replied "Mickelson as he thinks he is the best at everything". Says a lot. Furyk's reply was "I don't think I want to know what that is" with a grin on his face.

It has always been said the the European Tour is a much more friendly place to be. Many Europeans have said that when they play in the US, they never see or socialise with the US players as they just turn up to play, practice and then disappear. It is telling that one of Ricky Fowler's best mates on tour is Rory.

The Europeans play for each other, not their country. I doubt that they have any affinity to the EU per se, just an affinity with the rest of the team and the tour, whilst the yanks seem to take playing for their country and flag far too seriously. It is no coincidence that team spirit in the US seems to have evaporated since Payne Stewart sadly passed away (he knew how to have fun and not take things too seriously) and the rise of the Tiger machine. Can you imagine the US team taking the mick out of their best player like the Europeans did yesterday with Rory and the champagne bottle incident, or Darren Clark ribbing Jimenez taking selfies on the first tee ("Miguel is not adverse to loving himself")?

Anyway, they can carry on losing for all I care.

Re Jersey - not sure there has been a player from Jersey since the Europeans became involved?

I bet Mickelson is a right pain in the arse to be around over a weekend. Strange that Davis Love III got almost everything right in 2012, but Mickelson elected not to mention he blew his last 2 holes in Medina that would have been enough to clinch the cup, a defeat that confirmed Europe's charge at the time being the 4th match up. Had he as an individual even halved that match going up the 17th 1 up, the rest may have been entirely different, but maybe he forgot about that?

I also think you're right that the US team always look far too serious. In 2008 Azinger as well as tactics and captaincy, he had a great collection of characters; I don't always remember a lot of Ryder Cup players, but I remember Boo Weekly, J.B Holmes, Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell who seemed different from the stereotypical 'stars' of that US team. They seemed to connect to the home crowd and enjoyed the occasion - they had fun even!
 


KZNSeagull

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
20,059
Wolsingham, County Durham
I bet Mickelson is a right pain in the arse to be around over a weekend. Strange that Davis Love III got almost everything right in 2012, but Mickelson elected not to mention he blew his last 2 holes in Medina that would have been enough to clinch the cup, a defeat that confirmed Europe's charge at the time being the 4th match up. Had he as an individual even halved that match going up the 17th 1 up, the rest may have been entirely different, but maybe he forgot about that?

That sums him up really. He just wants a Captain who will not drop him, that's what he means. He does not give a damn whether they win or lose as a team, he just feels snubbed because Tom dropped him (rightly so). His Ryder Cup record isn't all that anyway - 14 wins out of 38.

As an aside, has Keegan Bradley's club spinning right behind the ball been investigated, particularly when he is in the rough? Looks suspiciously like trying to improve his lie. I know it is a habit, but I am surprised he is allowed to do it, unless he does not actually touch the ground of course. Not that it helped it him what with him getting royally stuffed yesterday afternoon!

That's true re the US side. The only character they have at the moment is Bubba, but I am sure he does not get on with many in that team. He is not serious enough! Azinger was always trying to wind Seve up, that was always good to watch. It usually backfired on him though. Freddie Couples would make a decent Captain, but maybe too laid back for the USGA. The best scenario would be to bring back Azinger, Mickelson fails to qualify and then does not get chosen as a captain's pick! That would raise a smile or two.
 


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