Although all of
the Ryder Cup players were able to get their practice rounds in today, they might
not be so lucky on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service forecast called for cloudy and cold, with a drizzle
and a chance of more sustained rain. Temperatures were expected to peak in the
60s.
The rain was
expected to pass by Thursday.
"Hopefully,
the rain will come this evening," U.S. captain Ben Crenshaw said today. "I think
that has maybe accelerated some people's wanting to get out to the course."
The Boston Herald reported
last week that the Ryder Cup would have been held last weekend except that NBC
wanted to broadcast a college football game between Notre Dame and Michigan State.
That turned out to be a
stroke of luck for the golfers, because Hurricane Floyd drenched the area from
Thursday night into Friday, which would have been the tournament's opening day.
The course took on 8 inches of rain.
"That
was the only thing that (course superintendent) Bill Spence feared," Crenshaw
said. "We're right into the (hurricane) season here. We've been very, very lucky."
DON'T KNOW MUCH
ABOUT HISTORY: Tiger
Woods, who has a 1-3-1 record after playing in his first Ryder Cup at Valderrama
in 1997, said a player doesn't need to win in the pressure-packed event to be
considered great.
"The
greatest player of all time, Jack Nicklaus, had a losing record in the Ryder Cup,"
Woods said. "I don't think that's going to say that he's been a bad player. ...
It's obvious that Jack has gone on to do some pretty good things in the game of
golf."
Well, he's
half right.
Nicklaus
actually went 17-8-3 in six Ryder Cups -- one of the best winning percentages
among Americans who have played in more than five Cups. Only Billy Casper, Arnold
Palmer and Lanny Wadkins have won more matches than Nicklaus. Maybe Woods was
thinking of Nicklaus's Ryder Cup singles record which, while not a losing one,
was only 4-4-2.
BUDDY,
CAN YOU SPARE A DIME? Ryder Cup captains have been known to mix up their practice
round pairings to keep people -- and especially the opponent -- guessing about
what the matchups might be when the tournament begins.
But maybe U.S. Captain Ben Crenshaw was showing his sense of humour when he sent
Woods, David Duval, Phil Mickelson and Mark O'Meara off the first tee this morning.
What do the four have in
common? They're the ones who complained earlier this summer about the lack of
payment for Ryder Cup play. Although the PGA of America will take in an estimated
$63 million from the event, players get a $5,000 stipend.
Wood said he would give his share to charity. But he said it should be up to the
player to decide what to do with the money.
At the time, the captain nicknamed "Gentle Ben" spoke sternly about the need for
his team to take pride in playing for their country. Crenshaw and the players
have since put the matter behind them, saying it will be taken care of at the
end of the year.
RANK
RANKINGS: With nine of the top 14 golfers in the Official World Golf Ranking,
the U.S. team is heavily favoured over a European squad that has only two of the
top 14.
But Jeff
Maggert says they may even be better than that.
"Let's
face it, we've got the 12 best players in the world and if they just go out and
play golf and hit golf shots, it's hard to mess up putting two guys together,"
he said when asked about the pairings for Friday and Saturday.
That's the kind of bulletin board comment that tends to anger opponents. But European
captain Mark James wouldn't take the bait.
"I've
always said the world rankings are wrong," James said. " I'm glad Jeff agrees
with me."
PRICELESS
MOMENT: Reported scalpers' price for 1999 Ryder Cup tickets: $5,000.
Watching Bernhard Langer
and Hale Irwin duel to the final hole of the 1991 event at Kiawah Island, S.C.:
Priceless.
That's
the opinion of a credit card company's poll of golf reporters on the top moments
in Ryder Cup history.
With the Cup on the line, Irwin hit his approach to the final green wide, chipped
onto the green and put his first putt within a foot. After conceding Irwin's bogey,
the German put a 45-footer 6 feet past the hole and missed the comebacker for
par, halving the match and returning the Ryder Cup to the U.S. (14 1/2-13 1/2)
for the first time since 1985.
No. 2 on the list was Jack Nicklaus conceding Tony Jacklin's 2-foot putt at the
18th hole at Royal Birkdale in 1969. Third was Sam Torrance's 18-foot birdie at
the Belfry in 1985 that gave Europe its first Cup since 1957.
DIVOTS:
David Duval is back to wearing a goatee for the first time this year. ... Tiger
Woods said he talked to his friend Michael Jordan on Monday night. ... Mark James
said one concern is pairing together players who speak the same language. There
are three European players apiece from Scotland and Spain, two from Sweden and
one each from France, England, Northern Ireland, and Ireland. Most players speak
fluent English.
