Ryder Cup

rubertoe

Might as well have a thread to discus it

its the classy Europeans vs the Noisy Americans and the first Ryuder cup since the passing of Seve.

big Mac and wee Mac of first against Furyk/Snedeker and will be hoping to get the first points on the board...

let the fun begin in the foresomes (one ball alternate shots).

the_fuggler

No real feel for how this is going to go. Suspect it will be close though. We always seem to start well and then the US close up to set-up a showdown on the final day.

FoldingJoe

Great chip-in from Rory!!

tailwindhome

Shame no one else is interested.....or maybe it's just the weekend.

Europe mounting a comeback but I think they are going fall short.

iPete

Don't think they can but it's been great watching. Rose and those last two birdys were immense!

Poulter rose to the occasion as expected, epic.

walkingbootweather

In the words of Boy George (while he was still in Culture Club)

"Kaymer Kaymer Kaymer Kaymer Kaymer Comedian"

Get in

cjcp

When was the last time Europe won that many singles matches?!

Bloody hell.

suzyb

I checked the BBC site just to see the result. Not that I'm all that interested in Golf but I like to know how the "home" team gets on. I have sat for the last 10 minutes with the live update open to see the result :shock:

Bet that shut the noisy Yanks up.

tailwindhome

Great Result.

Anyone who can watch that and still say golf is boring needs a good tight kick in the clams.


And I think Poulter has just thrown his hat into the ring for SPOTY.

Alinshearah

I can't believe Match of the Day 2 was cut short for a bunch of millionaires hitting a white ball around a grassy surface.

suzyb

Golf is like cycling imho, a lot of boring then exciting near the end

walkingbootweather

Alinshearah wrote:

I can't believe Match of the Day 2 was cut short for a bunch of millionaires hitting a white ball around a grassy surface.

As opposed to a bunch of millionaires kicking a white ball around a grassy surface?

suzyb

walkingbootweather wrote:

Alinshearah wrote:

I can't believe Match of the Day 2 was cut short for a bunch of millionaires hitting a white ball around a grassy surface.

As opposed to a bunch of millionaires kicking a white ball around a grassy surface?

CiB

Saw the ten o'clock news when they said it was becoming exciting, and then left MoTD to watch the highlights on the BBC to see how it pans out. The not so good lady wife has just seriously blotted her copybook by looking up from Facebook with the words 'it says here Europe have won. How does that work then if you're still watching it?'

Gaaah.

clarkey cat

was with my mate who is a very good golfer and went to the local to watch it. My first experience of watching golf and I loved it! The pub shut at 11 but they did a 'lock-in' for another 1/2 hour so everyone could see the finish.

mudcow007

suzyb wrote:

Golf is like cycling imho, a lot of boring then exciting near the end

sounds like sex?

tailwindhome

suzyb wrote:

walkingbootweather wrote:

Alinshearah wrote:

I can't believe Match of the Day 2 was cut short for a bunch of millionaires hitting a white ball around a grassy surface.

As opposed to a bunch of millionaires kicking a white ball around a grassy surface?

the_fuggler

Unbelievable. Just when you thought the summer of sport couldn't possibly give you anything else, this happens.

iPete

U.S.A . . . U.S.A . . . U.S.a. . . . U.s.a . . . u.s.a. . . u.s . . . eh!!!

rick_chasey

Forgive my ignorance but how does playing in teams or head to head really make a difference?

It's not like the opposition player can physically affect anything in your game at all. At best they put on some pressure.

???

iPete

Rick Chasey wrote:

Forgive my ignorance but how does playing in teams or head to head really make a difference?

It's not like the opposition player can physically affect anything in your game at all. At best they put on some pressure.

???

That's a bit like 'why doesn't the fastest cyclist just ride away from everyone'.

In matchplay you can take a lead and defend it, match the pace of the other golfer, reduce the number or risky shots you have to make. If you are trailing you need to attack. Then there is the mental aspect, no longer are you putting for a birdie/par, you are putting against someone else's score.

How you play your shot is very dependent on what the other guy is doing.

Wrath Rob

Got home from the sportive, caught 5 minutes and saw Europe were lots of points down, down in 5 matches and therefore looked a foregone conclusion. So I went to bed. This morning I wished I'd stayed up that little bit longer.

Wallace1492

Rick Chasey wrote:

Forgive my ignorance but how does playing in teams or head to head really make a difference?

It's not like the opposition player can physically affect anything in your game at all. At best they put on some pressure.
???

And there is the answer...... It's all about pressure, rising to the occassion, and performing the best they can when under that pressure. It is a very strategic game and one's next shot can depend on what your opponent does. Its very rare that one golfer will simply go out and play their game without adjusting to what the opposition is doing. Superbly exciting end and huge respect to Tiger Woods for his concession on the last, showed real sporting integrity there.

Edit: Ipete got in there first!

tailwindhome

Rick Chasey wrote:

Forgive my ignorance but how does playing in teams or head to head really make a difference?

It's not like the opposition player can physically affect anything in your game at all. At best they put on some pressure.

???

One of the formats for the first day is "Foursomes". Under this format the players on the team take alternate shot. So if it was you and I playing; you may drive, I hit the approach shot to the green, you putt etc. Under this format how we interact as a team is obvious. How will I react if you hit a pish drive and leave me in the rough?

Under the fourball format we each play our own ball. The team work is less evident but similar. Again if I'm playing with you and you're having a pish day it puts me under pressure. Conversely if you are hitting birdie after birdie I can play safe.

When it comes to the singles it's all about who rises to the occasion and how cracks under the pressure of 'my team depending on me'. Not unlike a pen shoot out in soccerball.


Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have been 2 of best players in the world over the last 15 years. Both have a pish record in the Ryder Cup. Woods is especially renowned for being a lone player unable to adapt to a team game.

tailwindhome

iPete wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Forgive my ignorance but how does playing in teams or head to head really make a difference?

It's not like the opposition player can physically affect anything in your game at all. At best they put on some pressure.

???

In matchplay you can take a lead and defend it, match the pace of the other golfer, reduce the number or risky shots you have to make. If you are trailing you need to attack. Then there is the mental aspect, no longer are you putting for a birdie/par, you are putting against someone else's score.

How you play your shot is very dependent on what the other guy is doing.

Under Matchplay each hole is worth a point. Under strokeplay you add up the total shots taken for the 18 hole round (72 hole tournament)

Matchplay = Paris Roubaix Strokeplay= Tour De France

rick_chasey

iPete wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Forgive my ignorance but how does playing in teams or head to head really make a difference?

It's not like the opposition player can physically affect anything in your game at all. At best they put on some pressure.

???

That's a bit like 'why doesn't the fastest cyclist just ride away from everyone'.

Not really. Golf is turn based and you can't actaully touch the other player's ball.

Surely it'd just make sense to hit as low a score every time, regardless of what the other bloke is doing?

the_fuggler

Logic would dictate that Rick, but as with most sports, particularly those where you have a long time to think about each play, the mind does some very funny things to you. The balance of risk and reward is very difficult to manage.

tailwindhome

Rick Chasey wrote:

iPete wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Forgive my ignorance but how does playing in teams or head to head really make a difference?

It's not like the opposition player can physically affect anything in your game at all. At best they put on some pressure.

???

That's a bit like 'why doesn't the fastest cyclist just ride away from everyone'.

Not really. Golf is turn based and you can't actaully touch the other player's ball.

Surely it'd just make sense to hit as low a score every time, regardless of what the other bloke is doing?

Risk V Reward.

If your oponent dumps his ball in the water you may decide to play your shot more conservatively. You don't want to 'follow him in'

dodgy

I'm not a fan of golf, but this is tremendous!

http://espn.go.com/golf/rydercup12/stor ... -locked-us

Written on Saturday, the comments are good.

iPete

Rick Chasey wrote:

iPete wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Forgive my ignorance but how does playing in teams or head to head really make a difference?

It's not like the opposition player can physically affect anything in your game at all. At best they put on some pressure.

???

That's a bit like 'why doesn't the fastest cyclist just ride away from everyone'.

Not really. Golf is turn based and you can't actaully touch the other player's ball.

Surely it'd just make sense to hit as low a score every time, regardless of what the other bloke is doing?

To the lay person it is. Anyone who doesn't cycle doesn't get the whole drafting thing in the same way anyone who doesn't play golf doesn't get matchplay. Why not just hit it as far as you can every time/ why don't they just cycle as fast as they can?

Like cycling there are times to play it safe and times to attack.

In the fourball if your partner drivers into the trees you play it safe. If your partner hits a nice drive down the middle you have the option to attack.

If your opponent attacks the pin and lays up a foot away you have to attack also. If the GC contendors don't attack on a mountain stage and your in the lead, you might match pace. If they attack you've got to go with them.

If you attack all the time your legs are going to go/your going to duff a ball into the trees/sand/water.

rick_chasey

Hmm.

Ah well. Golf obviously not for me. Feels similar to darts in the 'tactics' stake. Only without hilariously chavy wives getting overwrought and outstanding 'coming onto the stage' songs.