Put three days in Paris, sunshine, fresh air and a roundup of international stars battling it out for glory. Add stadium cheering, an impressive number of spectators and a gigantic amount of viewers. Season with Francesco Molinari and Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Bubba Watson, Jon Rham and Bryson Dechambeau. Mix well and you will have the Ryder Cup 2018, edition 42, a planetary event that pits the best European and American golf professionals against each other in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The Ryder is played only every two years and is the most anticipated moment in golf. In 2020 he will return to the USA and in 2022 he will land in Rome where even Mario Draghi could arrive as guest of honor, who has a bag and balls and who, for that time, will be free from ECB commitments.
In the meantime, this edition officially begins today at 17 pm, at Le Golf National, in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (a suburb near Versailles) with the opening ceremony. Instead, the field will take place tomorrow from 8 to 19. The same will happen on Saturday and Sunday, for a total of 28 match play challenges, 16 doubles competitions (formula fourball and foursome) and 12 single matches.
Captains Thomas Bjorn for Europe and Jim Furyk for the USA are refining their strategies and will reveal their first pairings in a few hours. Alchemy is not easy, because golf is an individual sport and players, rivals until yesterday, will be playmates tomorrow. There are twelve soloists for each continent forced into a choral performance. The Europeans always succeed better in this mixture and know how to show off an enviable team spirit, a team spirit that has led them to an unforgettable victory like that of Medinah in 2012. Even then, as today, there was Francesco Molinari, who is in his third appearance in Ryder. That was also Tiger's last time, who in the 12th match, just to Francesco, conceded a ball for the European victory.
Much water has passed under the bridge and yet they are still there to dominate the world stage. Chicco is the leader of the European tour, which will end in November. Tiger, after a descent into hell and 4 back operations, returned to the fray last week, with victory in the Tour Championship and second place in the FedexCup. Justin Rose prevailed in the US championship, with a masterful second shot on the 72nd hole that earned him the ten million dollar maxi-bonus.
For the first time in Ryder's history, all of the top ten players in the world order of merit are featured.
The European team is made up of: Molinari, Rose, McIlroy, Garcia, Rahm, Paul Casey, Tyrrell Hatton, Alex Noren, Thorbjorn Olesen, Ian Poulter, Henirk Stenson. The USA team includes: Woods, Mickelson, Sipeth, Dechambeau, Watson, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson, Justin Thomas.
To win the cup, the only prize up for grabs, the captains make use of the help of a large group of vice captains. The blue-starred can count on the English Lee Westwood and Luke Donald, on the Irish Padraig Harrington, on the Swede Robert Karlsson and the Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell. The USA on Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, David Duval, Davis Love III and Steve Stricker.
Every team wants to win, but must also deal with the results achieved so far: Europe must redeem the heavy defeat (17-11) suffered at the Hazeltine National GC in Chaska in 2016 and the United States must make up for 25 years of failures on the European continent.
Thomas Bjorn guarantees: “We are not afraid of anyone. Twelve individuals do not take to the field, but a compact team. And this is our strength”. Jim Furyk replies: “I don't have to motivate my players, they know perfectly well they haven't won in Europe since 1993, but we are counting on Tiger. I'm glad he won, he'll be loaded. He had a great season and it's great news for us. Having him on the pitch gives everyone great confidence."
270 spectators are expected and British aplomb is not guaranteed. In fact, the Ryder Cup is the only golf event where the label doesn't count, because the emotions are too strong. Not only is the public freer, even the players indulge in unusual behaviors, in fact parochialism is exaggerated. Ryder unleashes the crazy side of the sport, where otherwise discipline, fair play, self-control and concentration are the dominant characteristics.
If you can't go to Paris, to follow the race you can stay glued to the TV for three days without ever getting bored: Sky sports guarantees total live coverage and commentary in the studio.
It will be a great celebration, with only one very sad note: the murder of Celia Barquin Arozamena, the young Spanish amateur (current European champion) killed a few days ago by a peer in Ames, in the United States, while she was training in the morning. It is an unjust and inexplicable tragedy that has saddened the entire golf world. To remember this splendid girl, the European team will wear a yellow ribbon on its uniform.
