The Ryder Cup gets underway tomorrow morning from Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. The first tee time for the morning foursomes goes off at 7:05 am.
It’s then three thrilling days of high stakes matches, concluding with Sunday’s always-exciting singles showdowns.
To get primed from the big biennial team event, here are 10 stories we bookmarked to read.
1. 2021 Ryder Cup Primer: History, TV, Teams, Player, Profiles, Schedule, More
While the PGA Tour’s 2020-21 season is officially over, the “super season” has one more event: the rescheduled 2020 Ryder Cup.
The best event in golf will be contested for the first time since the 2018 matches in Paris France, where the Europeans dominated once again, winning the for the fourth time in the last five tries.
But an impressive American squad, highlighted by eight of the world’s top-10 ranked golfers, including six of the top 7, will look to win for the second consecutive time on home soil as the biennial matches will take place at famed Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
Read it here at ProGolfWeekly.com
2. Brooks Koepka Says Comments Were Spun Negatively
Brooks Koepka took issue with the media’s reporting of an interview with Golf Digest in which he expressed issues with the difficulty of Ryder Cup week.
“I never said it was negative. Y’all spun it that way,” Koepka said during a news conference Thursday at Whistling Straits, where the Ryder Cup begins Friday morning. “I never said it was negative. I said it was different. Like I said, I’ve never played any of these team events [before turning pro]. I didn’t play Walker Cup. Never played Junior Ryder Cup. Never played anything.
“I just said it’s different. That doesn’t mean it’s bad. Y’all spun it that way.”
Read it all at ESPN.com
3. Jon Rahm Was ‘Built for the Ryder Cup’
Davis Love III still remembers when he knew Jon Rahm was born to take his rightful place among the great Spanish Ryder Cup players.
“We’re playing in Houston in April 2018, almost six months before the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National and I got paired with Jon on Saturday and he bombed it by me but I did all right, held my own,” recalled Love, the U.S. captain in 2012 and 2016 who is reprising his vice-captain role from 2018 again this year. “We walk off the green and he was very professional, took his hat off, I took off mine and he shook my hand and said, ‘I will see you in Paris.’ I’m not even playing!”
Read it all at Golfweek.com
4. Darren Clarke on Ryder Cup: “McIlroy is the Most Gifted Player in the World”
Ahead of the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, we caught up with Europe’s 2016 captain Darren Clarke.
Clarke made five appearances for Team Europe between 1997 – 2006 and was on the winning side on four of those five occasions.
In this exclusive Q & A, the Northern Irishman discussed his countryman Rory McIlroy, his captaincy, the Brooks/Bryson feud and much more.
Do you think Rory McIlroy will turn it on in the Ryder Cup despite another major-less season?
Rory is a real leader for the team and I’m sure we can rely on him to do what he needs to.
He’s the most gifted player in the world and he knows what is required this week.
He’ll be looking forward to it very much, I’m sure.
Read it all at GolfMonthly.com
5. Golf Ball Choices For All 24 Ryder Cup Players
When it comes to potential foursomes partnerships, there’s a lot that Ryder Cup captain’s consider: strengths and weaknesses, personalities, golf ball.
The latter has become less of an issue over the years, especially since 2004, when Phil Mickelson notably struggled adjusting to Tiger Woods’ Nike ball at Oakland Hills. In 2006, a rule was implemented where players were allowed to switch balls between holes in foursomes. This change gave each player the opportunity to hit his own make and model ball on iron shots.
Still, the ball is something to think about, says Xander Schauffele.
“Some guys are high-spin guys, some guys are low-spin guys,” Schauffele said. “Typically, you either alter equipment, meaning your clubs, or I guess club your golf ball. … If you have two guys that are on the opposite sides of the spectrum you can get kind of a mess, especially when the breeze picks up out here.”
Read it all at GolfChannel.com
6. The 2021 Ryder Cup: 10 Records That Can Be Broken Or Tied
Like any sport, records are made to be broken, whether it’s a 100-metre time in athletics or scoring a goal to break a club record, there is always something to be beaten.
It’s the same when it comes to golf, especially in the Ryder Cup, arguably the sport’s biggest event.
From all-time points’ scorer to appearances and matches played, there are several records to aim for and, at the 2021 Ryder Cup, a few of those could fall for Team Europe.
Read it all at GolfMonthly.com
7. Gossip from the Grounds: What Insiders Are Talking About at Whistling Straits
The Ryder Cup preparations are nearly through their third day and inklings of insight are dripping out from all sides. A mix of speculation, fact and fiction, each one helps paint the early outlines of how this year’s contest could look by week’s end.
Here’s a few things we’re hearing from the site of the 2021 Ryder Cup.
Read it all at Golf.com
8. Lynch: Staged Brooks Koepka-Bryson DeChambeau Video Proves U.S. Ryder Cup Team Lacking Proper Focus
Advertising, author Gore Vidal once declared, is the only art form America ever invented, but if the 43rd Ryder Cup were to be decided on the ingenuity of team messaging, the home side would be headed for defeat.
Europe is on a conspicuous charm offensive in Wisconsin, with Wednesday’s uniforms in Green Bay Packers colors and Cheeseheads being tossed into the stands in lieu of autographs that are banned in the COVID era.
The Cathedral of the Sainted Vince Lombardi at Lambeau Field is an hour north of Whistling Straits, and Europe’s captain Padraig Harrington admitted that he figured most fans here early in the week would be regular worshippers in those pews.
But the differences between Europe and the U.S. go beyond gestures. Call it a tale of two tapes.
Read it all at Golfweek.com
9. Ryder Cup Power Rankings: American Team
After being pushed back a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Ryder Cup finally descends upon Whistling Straits this weekend.
The teams are now finalized for the 43rd edition of the event, with the Americans looking to reclaim the trophy after the Europeans romped in Paris three years ago.
One day after ranking the players making up the European outfit, here’s how Steve Stricker’s American roster stacks up.
Read it all at TheScore.com
10. Key to a Successful Golf Broadcast? Dan Hicks Explains
Producing a proper sportscast is no easy task, but according to longtime announcer Dan Hicks, one guiding principle — no matter the sport — is to be kept top of mind.
“It’s about the game,” Hicks said on this week’s Off Course with Claude Harmon. “There’s a winner, there’s a loser, there’s a way it happened. There are the nuances of it that people want to hear about it and want to watch. As sports broadcasters and as golf broadcasters, you can never forget that it’s all about the game.”
Hicks explained that while the frills of the broadcast — flashy graphics, informed commentary, etc. — are important, ultimately what the viewers wants is simple.
Read it all at Golf.com
