2016 will remain an unforgettable year for golf and the season reaches its peak of excitement with the Ryder Cup, the biennial Europe-United States challenge which is played in Minnesota from Friday to Sunday. The Ryder Cup is the most beautiful golf show you can see, so we suggest even those who don't know the sport to watch some matches on Sky Sports, if they have the opportunity to do so. The competition is in teams, one against the other, match play formula, i.e. head to head, in doubles or individual matches. Teams consist of 12 players, most of whom earn a qualification within 24 months. The others are chosen with a wild card directly by the captains. At stake are a cup and honor, yet it is one of the most watched sporting events in the world, live and on TV.
The USA are coming off three consecutive defeats and since 2000 they have won only once out of seven. The climate is incandescent and the American captain, Davis Love III, wants to wash away the burning humiliation of 2012, when the USA lost at home, in Medinah, a confrontation conducted for the first two days.
However, the European team is very strong and determined to sell their skin dearly. His spearhead is Rory McIlroy, the Northern Irish champion who seems more and more Tiger Wood's only true heir every day. Rory is in top form and took the FedexCup by storm last week, winning the US circuit. The 26-year-old captured the Tour Championship and the bonus, for a total of $11,530 million won in one fell swoop.
Among the starred blues we also find the Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose, the Open champion Henrik Stenson, the Masters champion Danny Willett. The group is completed by Sergio Garcia, Rafael Cabrera Bello, Chris Wood, Andy Sullivan, Matthew Fitzpatrick and the three wild cards, Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood Thomas Pieters. The captain is Darren Clarke, the assistant captains are Thomas Bjorn, Padraig Harrington, Paul Lawrie, Ian Poulter and Sam Torrance.
On the other side of the fence, however, there aren't any amateurs. In fact, the USA field world number one Dustin Johnson, winner of the last major of the year and then Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Jimmy Walker, Brooks Koepka, Brandt Snedeker and Zach Johnson, plus four wild cards of great weight such as Rickie Fowler, JB Holmes, Matt Kuchar and Ryan Moore. Tiger Woods stands out among the vice captains of Love III, finally on a golf course after a very long fast. Alongside him Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Tom Lehman and Steve Stricker.
The players have already tried the course and the Europeans have started to make the dressing room. The trump card of the blues has always been friendship, compared to the more marked individualism of the rival team. Unfortunately, the absence of a great agonist like Ian Poulter, with a powerful team spirit, will be felt. However, the Englishman is playing very badly and there was no way to bring him into play.
The formula, as we have said, is match play. In the first two days there are two sessions of four doubles matches, foursomes in the morning and fourballs in the afternoon, on Sunday there is the grand finale with twelve singles. One point is awarded for each match won and half a point for a draw, totaling 28 points. In the event of a tie in the final count, the Ryder Cup will remain with Europe as the reigning champions. Until Friday, the pairings and even the meetings will not be known. Just before playing Clarke and Love III will present their lists and the challenges will be held according to the chronological order established by the captains, without each other's knowledge.
The playing field is the Hazeltine National Golf Club, an endless course of almost 7000 metres, par 72. Experts argue that it is an ideal course for those who want to set a trap for their opponent. The work of the architect Robert Trent Jones, subsequently retouched by his son Rees, the field extends between hills, ancient woods, lakes and prairies, it looks like a paradise, but it can become hell for an inaccurate player and after every shot you can find yourself in a wrong point. Among the most demanding holes is hole 7, a 5-metre par 520, with a stream along the left side of the fairway, defined by some as the most difficult hole in their career. Even the climate may want to show off and may not be pleasant for the players.
The support, as always, will be strong and all in favor of the stars and stripes team, although the North Americans are also crazy about many European players, first of all Rory, supported by the public last week in Atlanta, even if the prize from the big hands of the American Dustin Johnson.
Too bad, in the context of the splendid party, for the mourning that has hit the golf world in recent days: the death of Arnold Palmer, 87 years old, the King of this sport. His nickname was just The King. Palmer was not the one who won the most, even if he amassed a good number of majors, but he was the ambassador of golf for 40 years, the one who gave the sport a decisive push to the top. It is no coincidence that the tournament he sponsors, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, is one of the most important on the PGA Tour.
As for Ryder on TV, it kicks off tonight at 23pm with the opening ceremony. Then we continue with a total immersion, afternoon and evening, starting on Friday at 14pm.
