The Ryder Cup is fast approaching. Who will you be watching??
For the European team, all eyes will be on Rory McIlroy to
continue his golden season. Individually, the Northern Irishman has had a marvelous
campaign, winning both the British Open and the USPGA Championship; now the
25-year-old will be hoping to spur Europe on to their third consecutive Ryder
Cup win. Alongside him on the European
team is Mr. Ryder Cup himself, Ian Poulter. It's worth noting that Poulter has
never lost a match in the Ryder Cup.
While the hosts are undeniably the big favourites this time
round, Tom Watson will be able to call on a few quality players himself,
perhaps most notably Rickie Fowler. You
all know I am a big fan of Rickie! I am
so pleased with how he has played this season I wish him the best of luck at
the Ryder Cup.
Daily schedule
The Ryder Cup is made up of 28 different matches which are
played over the course of three days, all of which are in match play format.
The schedule for the first two days is much the same.
There will be four foursome matches in the morning, where
the captain of each side picks pairings to play together and they take
alternative shots. Then in the afternoon its the four-ball matches—four games
again—where each player has their own ball, and the lowest score on each team
counts.
Once those 16 matches have been played across the opening
two days its on to the singles, where all 12 players on each team go
head-to-head. It sounds simple enough, but it can be an extremely tactical
affair, as captains deliberate on whether to put their best men out first and
accrue some early momentum, or put some of the key players at the back of the
field when the pressure could be on.
How do you score
points?
The aim is to get to 14.5 points, a coveted number that
would give either nation guaranteed victory. If the match is drawn at 14 points
each, the holder of the trophy will retain it. So this year, if after three
days of slogging it out the score ends up at 14-14, it’d be Europe that keep
hold of the cup.
This is what we golfers live for. After very exciting Majors to finish of the
season with the Ryder Cup is the icing on top of the cake. In fact in my eyes I see the Ryder Cup as a
Masters. So hand on to your boots Ladies
and Gentlemen its going to be a bumpy but explosive ride.
| Europe | United States | |||||
| Captain | Paul McGinley | Tom Watson | ||||
| Player 1 | Rory McIlroy | Bubba Watson | ||||
| Player 2 | Henrik Stenson | Rickie Fowler | ||||
| Player 3 | Victor Dubuisson | Jim Furyk | ||||
| Player 4 | Jamie Donaldson | Jimmy Walker | ||||
| Player 5 | Sergio García | Phil Mickelson | ||||
| Player 6 | Justin Rose | Matt Kuchar | ||||
| Player 7 | Martin Kaymer | Jordan Spieth | ||||
| Player 8 | Thomas Bjørn | Patrick Reed | ||||
| Player 9 | Graeme McDowell | Zach Johnson | ||||
| Wildcard | Stephen Gallacher | Keegan Bradley | ||||
| Wildcard | Ian Poulter | Webb Simpson | ||||
| Wildcard | Lee Westwood | Hunter Mahan |
