Ryder Cup Review
In sport competition format is vital. In some sports like cricket the authorities are forever tinkering with it and not always to the better. In football the intensity of the FIFA and UEFA competitions have been weakened by the number of competitors allowed to enter. Golf is a traditional, conservative game and crucially the corporate game so tinkering is less prevalent. To apply the cliche “if it’s not broken why fix it?””. One welcome reform was to admit Europeans to the Ryder Cup and this created a better contested competition which latterly they have dominated. It clearly mattered to the United States team that they win back the Ryder Cup which they did emphatically by six points.
I remain critical of captain Darren Clarke. His selection of Lee Westwood smacked of cronyism. Russell Knox, Shane Lowry, Graeme McDowell or Luke Donald would surely have got more points. Westwood’s failure to sink the putt on the 18th in the final match on Saturday afternoon reminded of a goal in extra time of the first half. He should have paired Cabrera Bello and Garcia in every foursome and four ball. He should have a stronger more experienced player, say Justin Rose, further down the order much as a number 8 in cricket can reinforce a long tail.
Betting-wise it worked well for me with Patrick Reed top American at 7-1. I was close but no cigar with the forecasts of 16-12 and 15.5 and 12.5 final score. Being an early to bed man, I helped myself liberally to the bottle of premier cry Givry I brought to the Sunday table which set me off for a three hour power nap. I awoke refreshed at 5-30 and ready for the six hour haul. It was as good a golf event as I can remember with thrilling play. Matchplay creates bolder shot shaping. Patrick Reed against a pumped up Rory McIlroy set the tone. One felt that if Rory could win the European revival would be inspired. It never happened and the brash Texan edged ahead in the back nine when Rory faltered. The splashes of red everywhere on the lower order matches indicated that the victory in the States was inevitable. I cannot wait for Paris and a course set up or the Europeans.
