It's been that kind
of year for Mark O'Meara: Even the Ryder Cup victory feels like a loss.
Starting the year ranked just behind Tiger Woods, he's now 10th and dropping
rapidly.
O'Meara, the defending
champion when the World Match Play championship begins Thursday, won last
year's final 1-up over Tiger Woods in the 36-hole final on the West Course
at Wentworth, just outside London.
``It was one of the
most exciting, most unique, most fun quality golf matches that I have ever
been associated with,'' said O'Meara, who also won the British Open and
Masters last year.
``This year has been
a different story,'' added the American, who has struggled all year with
his driver. ``It has been kind of a battle out there on the course.''
O'Meara, who didn't
score a point in the Americans' widely criticized Ryder Cup win, said Tuesday
the controversy soured the victory, though he was lauded by the Europeans
as one of the good guys.
``I didn't feel like
I won anything at the Ryder Cup. Even though all that great golf was played
on both sides of the Atlantic, it just seemed to be so negative.
``I don't know if
Europe had won if it would have been that negative or not. But it just
seems like the two winning teams that I have been on, everything has been
so negative about what happened that it doesn't feel like we won.''
O'Meara also said
he might skip the Nov. 4-7 World Golf Championships at Valderrama in southern
Spain if his game doesn't improve.
O'Meara, Ernie Els,
Colin Montgomerie and Nick Price have the four byes in Thursday's opening
round.
