Ryder Cup
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Doomsday101
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Go team USA!!!! I like the lineup we have this year and really hope Kenny Perry can stay as hot as he has been this season.
jimmy40
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Phil Mickelson won as many points as his last two Ryder Cups combined. Justin Leonard had never won a match in any Ryder Cup until two blowout victories at Valhalla.
And the most stunning turnaround Friday might have been all those celebrations.
Finally, the Americans had all the fun.
Boo Weekley revved up the crowd, Anthony Kim set a record for high-fives and the Americans delivered four big comebacks to take a 5½-2½ lead, their largest margin after the opening day since Europe first was included in the Ryder Cup in 1979.
"We're in a good place," U.S. captain Paul Azinger said. "Who would have thought?"
The Americans hadn't led after any session since last winning the Ryder Cup in the "Miracle at Brookline" in 1999. But with six rookies and no Tiger Woods, they lost only one of eight matches and left European captain Nick Faldo wringing his hands.
Europe has won the Ryder Cup the last three times, and five of the last six, but now finds itself desperate to catch up.
"We've had a tough time," Faldo said. "We lost a few points, but we haven't lost any spirit."
One of the few bright spots for Europe was Lee Westwood, who tied Arnold Palmer by running his unbeaten streak in the Ryder Cup to 12 matches. Westwood and Soren Hansen birdied the last three holes in the final fourballs match of the afternoon, the final birdie enough to earn a halve against Weekley and big-hitting J.B. Holmes.
"It's a novelty, isn't it?" Westwood said. "It's not the position we wanted to be in, that's for sure."
Westwood landed in an even worse spot after the long day. In a surprising move, Faldo decided to bench Westwood and Sergio Garcia for the Saturday morning foursomes. Neither has ever missed a Ryder Cup match — 27 straight for Westwood, 22 straight for Garcia. Combined, they have a 27-5-8 record in team play.
Rarely has a European captain shook up his lineup so drastically. But then, rarely is Europe behind.
Indeed, it was an amazing start for the Americans.
In the opening match, Mickelson and Kim trailed by three holes with six to play until winning three straight holes and earning a halve against double major winner Padraig Harrington and Robert Karlsson. Down by three after four holes in the afternoon, Kim gave them their first lead of the day with a 7-foot birdie on the 14th, and Mickelson dropped in a 20-foot birdie on the 17th that led to a 2-up victory.
"We played with a lot of heart and a lot of emotion today to pull the halve and win out," Mickelson said. "We have a lot of work to do. This is a fun day. I love playing with this guy. Anthony has got this youthfulness to him, and he has a lot of game."
It was a big day for most of the U.S. rookies, who went 3-2-2.
Leonard teamed with one of those rookies, Hunter Mahan, and they won both matches without reaching the 17th hole. The afternoon victory came at the expense of Sergio Garcia, who finally looked ordinary in the Ryder Cup.
It was the first time Garcia failed to win a match in a single day.
Garcia had been undefeated in foursomes (8-0) but had to settle for a halve with Westwood in the morning. Kenny Perry, the lone disappointment for Kentucky, missed a 5-foot par putt that would have won the match on the 17th, then drove into the water on the 18th hole to allow Europe to catch them.
After his lackluster performance in Day 1 of the Ryder Cup, Sergio Garcia will be benched on Saturday. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
Leonard and Mahan then handed Garcia only his second loss in team matches by going 9 under through 15 holes, with Leonard finishing it off with a chip-in for birdie that had him pumping his fists.
It was a familiar scene across Valhalla.
Weekley, with a pinch of snuff jutting out of his lip and his arms flapping to exhort a spirited crowd, knocked in a 50-foot birdie from just off the green at No. 12 to give his team a lead it never relinquished.
And while Weekley and Holmes didn't win the match, they illustrated the Americans' resolve.
Europe had the lead in all four morning matches in the first hour and only came away with one point. It was the first time since 1991 that the United States won the opening session of the Ryder Cup.
In the afternoon, Europe had the lead in three matches going to the back nine, and came away with only 1½ points.
The Americans had watched 11 consecutive matches go to the final hole without winning until Chad Campbell, the final captain's pick, hit a 5-iron to 20 feet on the par-5 18th as he and Stewart Cink went 1-up over Ian Poulter and Justin Rose.
Poulter and Rose won the only match for Europe, a 4-and-2 victory over Steve Stricker and Ben Curtis.
But that wasn't enough to quiet the crowd.
"There was a lot of noise all day, from the first tee on," Cink said. "Just to hear them excited about the way we were playing for a change in the Ryder Cup was refreshing. I've never been able to experience that myself when we were ahead. So it's great.
Azinger told the Kentucky crowd — he called them the "13th man" — at a pep rally Thursday night that it was OK to cheer if Europe missed a putt. He defended that remark as educational, and said the crowd did nothing to embarrass itself.
Westwood, however, took issue with Weekley whipping the crowd into a frenzy before the hole was completed.
"You walk a fine line when you start doing that sort of thing," Westwood said. "I don't mind raising your arms and whipping the crowd up. But at 12 when Boo holed off the back (of the green), I've still got a putt for the halve. There's no need to do it between shots. At least wait until we're walking off the green."
Westwood glared at him, and occasionally shook his head. But he kept his opinions to himself on the course.
"It's not my job to tell people how to behave," he said.
Harrington, Europe's best player with three majors since the last Ryder Cup, had no problem with the exuberance from the 23-year-old Kim, who high-fived Mickelson after an array of great shots and clutch putts.
None was bigger than Mickelson, who has struggled with his putting all summer, knocking in the 20-footer on the 17th hole that gave the Americans a 1-up lead going to the 18th in a match that swung momentum to his side.
"Anthony, it's his first Ryder Cup and he was excited out there," Harrington said. "And he hit some great shots at times, and he had a right to be excited."
So did the rest of the American team.
Even though they were on home soil, they found themselves in foreign territory - in the lead at the Ryder Cup.
And the most stunning turnaround Friday might have been all those celebrations.
Finally, the Americans had all the fun.
Boo Weekley revved up the crowd, Anthony Kim set a record for high-fives and the Americans delivered four big comebacks to take a 5½-2½ lead, their largest margin after the opening day since Europe first was included in the Ryder Cup in 1979.
"We're in a good place," U.S. captain Paul Azinger said. "Who would have thought?"
The Americans hadn't led after any session since last winning the Ryder Cup in the "Miracle at Brookline" in 1999. But with six rookies and no Tiger Woods, they lost only one of eight matches and left European captain Nick Faldo wringing his hands.
Europe has won the Ryder Cup the last three times, and five of the last six, but now finds itself desperate to catch up.
"We've had a tough time," Faldo said. "We lost a few points, but we haven't lost any spirit."
One of the few bright spots for Europe was Lee Westwood, who tied Arnold Palmer by running his unbeaten streak in the Ryder Cup to 12 matches. Westwood and Soren Hansen birdied the last three holes in the final fourballs match of the afternoon, the final birdie enough to earn a halve against Weekley and big-hitting J.B. Holmes.
"It's a novelty, isn't it?" Westwood said. "It's not the position we wanted to be in, that's for sure."
Westwood landed in an even worse spot after the long day. In a surprising move, Faldo decided to bench Westwood and Sergio Garcia for the Saturday morning foursomes. Neither has ever missed a Ryder Cup match — 27 straight for Westwood, 22 straight for Garcia. Combined, they have a 27-5-8 record in team play.
Rarely has a European captain shook up his lineup so drastically. But then, rarely is Europe behind.
Indeed, it was an amazing start for the Americans.
In the opening match, Mickelson and Kim trailed by three holes with six to play until winning three straight holes and earning a halve against double major winner Padraig Harrington and Robert Karlsson. Down by three after four holes in the afternoon, Kim gave them their first lead of the day with a 7-foot birdie on the 14th, and Mickelson dropped in a 20-foot birdie on the 17th that led to a 2-up victory.
"We played with a lot of heart and a lot of emotion today to pull the halve and win out," Mickelson said. "We have a lot of work to do. This is a fun day. I love playing with this guy. Anthony has got this youthfulness to him, and he has a lot of game."
It was a big day for most of the U.S. rookies, who went 3-2-2.
Leonard teamed with one of those rookies, Hunter Mahan, and they won both matches without reaching the 17th hole. The afternoon victory came at the expense of Sergio Garcia, who finally looked ordinary in the Ryder Cup.
It was the first time Garcia failed to win a match in a single day.
Garcia had been undefeated in foursomes (8-0) but had to settle for a halve with Westwood in the morning. Kenny Perry, the lone disappointment for Kentucky, missed a 5-foot par putt that would have won the match on the 17th, then drove into the water on the 18th hole to allow Europe to catch them.
After his lackluster performance in Day 1 of the Ryder Cup, Sergio Garcia will be benched on Saturday. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
Leonard and Mahan then handed Garcia only his second loss in team matches by going 9 under through 15 holes, with Leonard finishing it off with a chip-in for birdie that had him pumping his fists.
It was a familiar scene across Valhalla.
Weekley, with a pinch of snuff jutting out of his lip and his arms flapping to exhort a spirited crowd, knocked in a 50-foot birdie from just off the green at No. 12 to give his team a lead it never relinquished.
And while Weekley and Holmes didn't win the match, they illustrated the Americans' resolve.
Europe had the lead in all four morning matches in the first hour and only came away with one point. It was the first time since 1991 that the United States won the opening session of the Ryder Cup.
In the afternoon, Europe had the lead in three matches going to the back nine, and came away with only 1½ points.
The Americans had watched 11 consecutive matches go to the final hole without winning until Chad Campbell, the final captain's pick, hit a 5-iron to 20 feet on the par-5 18th as he and Stewart Cink went 1-up over Ian Poulter and Justin Rose.
Poulter and Rose won the only match for Europe, a 4-and-2 victory over Steve Stricker and Ben Curtis.
But that wasn't enough to quiet the crowd.
"There was a lot of noise all day, from the first tee on," Cink said. "Just to hear them excited about the way we were playing for a change in the Ryder Cup was refreshing. I've never been able to experience that myself when we were ahead. So it's great.
Azinger told the Kentucky crowd — he called them the "13th man" — at a pep rally Thursday night that it was OK to cheer if Europe missed a putt. He defended that remark as educational, and said the crowd did nothing to embarrass itself.
Westwood, however, took issue with Weekley whipping the crowd into a frenzy before the hole was completed.
"You walk a fine line when you start doing that sort of thing," Westwood said. "I don't mind raising your arms and whipping the crowd up. But at 12 when Boo holed off the back (of the green), I've still got a putt for the halve. There's no need to do it between shots. At least wait until we're walking off the green."
Westwood glared at him, and occasionally shook his head. But he kept his opinions to himself on the course.
"It's not my job to tell people how to behave," he said.
Harrington, Europe's best player with three majors since the last Ryder Cup, had no problem with the exuberance from the 23-year-old Kim, who high-fived Mickelson after an array of great shots and clutch putts.
None was bigger than Mickelson, who has struggled with his putting all summer, knocking in the 20-footer on the 17th hole that gave the Americans a 1-up lead going to the 18th in a match that swung momentum to his side.
"Anthony, it's his first Ryder Cup and he was excited out there," Harrington said. "And he hit some great shots at times, and he had a right to be excited."
So did the rest of the American team.
Even though they were on home soil, they found themselves in foreign territory - in the lead at the Ryder Cup.
dillinger319
Striped Leopard
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Ive just recently started playing golf and I absolutely love it. Its taken alot of my time away from focusing on the Cowboys which is a good thing. I take this a little to serious... Ive never watched golf on TV and right now I cant stop watching the Ryder Cup..This is must see tv IMO.
Chad Campbell is from my home town which gives me another reason to watch. There is some great golf going on... Anthony Kim is playing out of his mind right now. Boo Weekly is doing his best Happy Gilmore impression and just pissing those EUROs off.... I hope they can pull this off..
Chad Campbell is from my home town which gives me another reason to watch. There is some great golf going on... Anthony Kim is playing out of his mind right now. Boo Weekly is doing his best Happy Gilmore impression and just pissing those EUROs off.... I hope they can pull this off..
DallasCowpoke
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dillinger319;2273385 said:
You're frm Andrews? Small world.
My sister and BIL live there. They moved there from Lubbock about 10 years ago. Two of their three kids graduated HS there.
My BIL is the city comptroller.
DallasCowpoke
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YES, USA wins it!! Way to go team and especially Capt Zinger!!
dillinger319
Striped Leopard
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Yeh Im from Andrews.. Born and Raised.... Whats their names? Im not up to date on the City Government.. ha.... Work, kids, golf and Cowboys take up my time... Might know some of the kids, my brother just graduated 2 years ago.
USA USA.... We won.. Handily.... I love it... Kim and Boo....... lol...
USA USA.... We won.. Handily.... I love it... Kim and Boo....... lol...
Danny White
Winter is Coming
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U.s.a.!
DallasFanSince86
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Danny White;2274140 said:
Glad to hear we won.
silverbear
Semi-Official Loose Cannon
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There was some amazing golf played today, on both sides... for about 20 minutes, it seemed like they cut from one long putt falling, or one bunker shot going in, to another...
I'm thinking Valhalla must not be the toughest track around, but it sure was entertaining...
I'm thinking Valhalla must not be the toughest track around, but it sure was entertaining...
Doomsday101
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silverbear;2277231 said:
I agree that was some great golf by both sides this will be a Ryder cup to remember. I loved seeing Boo Weekly stepping up big and getting the crowd pumped up for the US and Anthony Kim taking down Garcia.
DallasCowpoke
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dillinger319;2274122 said:
Their last name is Huckabay.