The
Ryder Cup
in association with Genuity International |
| | | Advantage
USA before Ryder Cup tee off Now
that both teams have been finalised for the Ryder Cup showdown at The Belfry from
September 28-30, direct comparisons can be made between the respective line-ups. Although
initial examination would appear to give the Americans an edge, it is worth bearing
in mind Europe's two strongest cards over the course of the last nine Ryder Cup
matches. Ever
since the 1983 Ryder Cup at PGA National, Europe have, in the main, displayed
stronger team spirit. They have also generally dominated the foursomes and fourballs
over the first two days. In
stark contrast, however, Europe's principal Achilles' heel has been the singles
matches on the final day when they have crucially lost ground in 1983, 1987, 1989,
1991, 1993, 1997 and 1999. All
of these facts are, of course, now consigned to the past and this month-end at
The Belfry will bring together a new set of circumstances for two new teams, under
two new captains, facing different pressures and expectations. How
will they match up, given their respective team selections? THE
QUALITY When it
comes to sheer quality, as rated by the official world rankings, the Americans
are streets ahead of their European rivals. In
Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and David Duval, U.S. captain Curtis Strange has the
global top three at his disposal, and five of the current top 10 if you add Davis
Love III and David Toms. Furthermore,
the U.S. are bristling with 10 of the world's top 20 while Europe can only boast
six. When it comes
to this year's four major champions, the Americans will be fielding three of them
at The Belfry -- in Woods, Duval and Toms -- compared with zero from Europe. "I'm
very, very happy. When you have the three best players in the world on your team,
you can't be anything but pleased," said Strange. "Then
you have the rest of the (U.S.) team. They are all very solid." European
captain Sam Torrance sees things slightly differently, though. "Their
top four are obviously very strong with Woods, Mickelson, Duval and Love III.
But there aren't too many intimidating players after that. "And
we've certainly got a lot of strength in depth in our own squad. Only eight guys
play per day, so I think we've got a great chance." THE
WILDCARDS On the
wildcard front, Europe would appear to enjoy a big advantage. Spaniard
Sergio Garcia and Swede Jesper Parnevik have both displayed excellent form this
year and the pair proved unbeatable as a combination in both the fourballs and
foursomes at Brookline two years ago. Expect them to be one of Torrance's trump
cards at The Belfry. The
two American wildcards, 1993 PGA champion Paul Azinger and first-timer Scott Verplank,
are a little more difficult to predict. Although
both possess character and determination by the bucketload after their respective
fightbacks against cancer and diabetes, Azinger's Ryder Cup record of won five,
lost six and halved two hardly intimidates while the jury is still out on Verplank,
as it would be for any Ryder Cup debutant. THE
ROOKIES This area
is balanced fairly evenly, with Europe fielding four rookies in Swedes Pierre
Fulke and Niklas Fasth, Ireland's Paul McGinley and Welshman Phillip Price and
the U.S. going with three in Verplank, reigning PGA champion Toms and Stewart
Cink. History
has shown that rookies on either side have tended to play out of their skins on
their Ryder Cup debuts and Torrance is well aware of this fact. "We've
got the young rookies that fear nothing. I think we've got a very solid team and
we've got good strength in depth," he said. Seven
times European number one Colin Montgomerie also knows that rookies can shine
in the cauldron of the Ryder Cup. "We
have four rookies this time as opposed to seven two years ago and Fasth, McGinley,
Fulke and Price might prove to be inspirational," said the big Scot. THE
EXPERIENCE When
it comes to Ryder Cup experience, the balance sheet is closely matched and both
sides boast five players apiece who can be described as battle-hardened. Europe,
though, have the edge on Ryder Cup longevity with Germany's Bernhard Langer a
veteran of nine trans-Atlantic encounters and Montgomerie a five-time Cupper. Although
Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke, Englishman Lee Westwood and Parnevik have only
played in two competitions each, all three are seasoned internationals who can
raise their game on the biggest stage. For
the U.S., Love III has played in four Ryder Cups while Hal Sutton, Mark Calcavecchia
and Mickelson have all taken part in three. When
all is said and done, though, this year's confrontation at The Belfry is almost
certain to be a nailbiting affair. The
last seven Ryder Cups, since Muirfield Village in 1987, have seen Europe and the
U.S. each win a total of 98 points. You can't get any closer than that.
Genuity
International, in association with Ryder Cup, sponsors Golf Today
| 
