The American Ryder Cup team wasn't supposed to win---and it didn't. Although they fell short of a win, even after staging a healthy comeback in the singles matches, a few things (besides the cup itself) can be taken away from the one point defeat...
---Sun Mountain is ShamWow meets Snuggie: The first hours of the 2010 Ryder Cup provided a wardrobe malfunction that was as publicized as Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson's "Nipple-Gate" during the Super Bowl, and as idiotic as the typo for the Washington "Natinals."
The press jumped all over the U.S. team's blatant oversight of providing rain gear that actually repelled, not absorbed moisture, and the embarrassment of having to buy European team sponsored gear from the Pro Shop like tourists at Disney World who lost their luggage. However, to put a positive slant on the faux-pas in a sport that presumable fancies its fashion sense, their blunder may have led to the next great "As Seen on T.V." invention. Keeping in mind that some of the greatest inventions combine two already useful tools--i.e. the spork, the key-tar, and the Jack and Coke.
The new Sun Mountain line of Sham-Snuggies is a perfect marriage. They apparently have the capability to squeegee wine out of white carpet, and are so ugly you'd never want to be caught out of the house with them. Available in the signature U.S. lavender only.
---Golf with Tiger still is intriguing: The Neilsen ratings won't necessarily say so, but despite any detractors of U.S. Captain Corey Pavin's decision to include Tiger 2.0 (3.0? or 4.0?) as a wild-card pick on this year's roster, or questions regarding whether Woods should accept, the man in any form can still undoubtedly grab your attention. The stories were endless in only three days of play. Whether it was Stricker carrying the normally unbeatable team on Day 1, but getting floored by Lee Westwood and Luke Donald thereafter; the new Sean Foley swing; what some call the greatest sports photo ever captured (bologna);
...or Tiger getting buried in the U.S. order and the subsequent dismantling of Francesco Molinari, the intrigue and speculation about the world's number one is stronger than ever--and we didn't even see him lock horns with the young Rory McIlroy. So despite the awkward break-up of sessions due to the HELLO! forecasted rain in Wales, AND the fact that live coverage primarily aired in the U.S. when even most McDonald's drive-thrus close, AND the tape-delayed coverage battling college and NFL football, the "most boring/old man/would rather watch ice cubes freeze" sport still provided some compelling television that certainly should, but unfortunately won't, outdraw a bunch of spray-tanned Italians getting wasted, fist pumping in clubs, and hooking up on The Jersey Shore.
---Home Court Advantage: It's tough to make any concrete conclusions regarding the biases of a home-fairway advantage considering that the recent history of this event has been a little lopsided (Europe has claimed four of the past five and six of the past eight). The return of the Cup to Uncle Sam in the broadcaster battle between captains Sir Nick Faldo and Paul Azinger at Valhalla in 2008, and the subsequent President's Cup victory held in California featured more raucous "Happy Gilmore" crowds and brought back memories of Justin Leonard waving his hands in the air while stomping cleat marks all over Jose Maria Olazabal's line. The 2010 victory on Welsh soil marked the 4th straight victory for the European side across the pond, and brought more than the stoic beefeaters, the Queen's bourgeois, and the tea partiers(no, Sarah Palin wasn't there). The galleries didn't quite reach "Hooligan" status, but among the ambient claps and the fabled pub songs echoed a few digs at Americans Tiger, Phil Mickelson, and Dustin Johnson, only to be drown out by a few pints after the closing hole.
---Pros flub chips: Martin Kaymer thought of one thing standing next to 17th green: "Schadenfreude." The German termed coined for someone taking pleasure in another's misfortune. There is something dastardly therapeutic about watching another golfer duff, flub, dip, skull--whatever vernacular you prefer to use for "messing up." Rooting interests aside, watching the greatest players in the world scoop at a ball and catch it fat can either induce a stomach dropping cringe, a wry smirk, or some emotionally ambiguous combination of the two. Hunter Mahan suffered from a mishit in the worst possible moment on the second worst stage for a golfer. The entire Ryder Cup rested on the shoulders of the final singles pairing between U.S. Open champ Graeme McDowell and an otherwise ineffective Mahan. A slippery birdie putt on 16 gave the Europeans a 1-up lead with two to play, until Mahan went limp around the green.
The 17th hole was conceded giving the Euros the 14 1/2 points needed for victory. What's lost in t.v. land is the fact that, despite being the most talented golfers in the world, pressure, circumstance, and humanity still factor into everything from a 350 yard tee shot to a 2 foot putt. Just like the World Series of Poker t.v. coverage, not everything is a spade on the river to cooler a flush over a straight. Most of it is mucking your Jack-Deuce while you listen to an iPod. Likewise, it can't be called a "common occurrence," but sometimes it takes two swings in the sand, or sometimes the brutal rough is a little too thick, or sometimes the nerves just get in the way. Football fans think icing a kicker is pressure, but instead of those extra thirty seconds of practice kicks before a field goal, try walking 200 yards thinking about your next shot.
Granted, there weren't 80,000 screaming Raiders fans ignoring the "Quiet Please" signs, but also consider that Adam Vinatieri, Ryan Longwell, and Scott Norwood don't have fans breathing on them and trampling the grass around their ball. A pro can flub a chip, and a 20-handicapper can hole-out from 80 yards; that's the beauty and agony of golf. But before you weekend warriors get too much encouragement, Hunter and the rest of the PGA tour have the slogan for a reason: "These Guys Are Good."
---Americans aren't team players?: Ask the P.R. firm in charge of managing the U.S.A. Basketball Olympic Committee how to field criticism like: Too many individuals. Not enough interest anymore. Isolation play can't win. Not a cohesive or balanced TEAM. They really should have been called, "The Dream Guys," or "The Redeem People that All Happen to Wear the Same Red-White-and-Blue Uniforms."
The same barbs were always hurled towards the rosters of NBA All-Stars that would stand and watch as each player took turns slashing through five Serbian defenders. Winning mitigated a lack of commitment towards "team" play, that is, until the Americans weren't winning anymore. The Ryder Cup has seemingly never lacked in patriotic motivation (Hunter Mahan's tear-filled press conference proved that), and players don't necessarily mortgage their future sponsorships or earnings on an event that doesn't even have a purse, but is it possible there is something distinctly individual about being American? Capitalism, Invisible Hand (although, Adam Smith was Scottish), Hollywood, Michael Jordan wearing a U.S. flag to cover up Reebok logo...all have contributed to creating a culture of self.
That said, well, golf is one of the most uniquely individual sports and outside of weekend gambling scrambles, most of these players aren't used to an "I" in "TEAM," and have to have more of a subconscious confidence with that seven iron in their hands, not someone else's. The U.S. has always fared well in the singles matches, and made up the majority of their points this year on that final day as well. The best performances from the world's number one (Tiger) and number two (Phil) ranked golfers, unquestionably came during the day when it was "mano a mano." Unfortunately, they would not have been in such a hole if not for the 5 1/2 to 1/2 point defeat they suffered in the previous TEAM session. During last year's President's cup, there seemed to be a strong sense of camaraderie that appeared to be absent this go-around, but that also conveniently coincided with Michael Jordan's presence, accusations Anthony Kim played a match hungover, and pre-Thanksgiving Tiger. Maybe there was something to their "team building exercises," that they claimed were only ping-pong matches between Tiger and Phil, but apparently someone stole the life of the party. (Cough) Elin (Cough).
---U.S.A.=A.O.K: In what was predicted to be a blowout, and midway through looked as though the tea leaves were clear as day, the U.S. team managed to claw their way back and forced the final pairing within two holes of deciding whether they could retain the Ryder Cup as strangers in a strange land. On paper, the Euros brought four of the top ten ranked players in the world, as well as the two other major winners this year. Despite the American's vets, their young guns were thought to be promising, but generally untested talent and no match for their underaged European counterparts. The American side proved that the British Invasion may only be a phase, however, rookie Jeff Overton showed some shot making brilliance, and Ricky Fowler didn't need his typical flashy attire to draw a crowd when he went on a birdie tear late on Monday. Jim Furyk, fresh off of his win in the Fed-Ex cup struggled, and Lefty, Matt Kuchar, and Hunter Mahan never really found their stride. Our big hitters, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson, never seemed like their bombs would help on the course and couldn't quite find the home-run swings the U.S. needed. All that and a terrible third session resulted in only a one point loss. Coming close never feels good, but after the dust settled, the Yankees old and new showed that the Euro-American rivalry wouldn't only be a three-day event.
