After a beating like the one that the European team took last week in Minnesota, with the Ryder Cup, a relaxing weekend is really needed, without giving up golf. The occasion is offered by the temple of this sport, St.Andrews in Scotland, where, starting today, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is being played, a competition that unites professionals and amateurs, a challenge in pairs, with double classification, one for the mixed race and one for the professionals. 72 holes are played in three spectacular settings: the Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns Golf Links.
Current champion is the Danish Thorbjørn Olesen. Five Italians on the track Matteo Manassero, Francesco Laporta, Edoardo Molinari, Nino Bertasio, Renato Paratore. Among the numerous participants, six players who have been part of the European Ryder Cup team stand out: the British Danny Willett, Lee Westwood and Matthew Fitzpatrick, the German Martin Kaymer, the Belgian Thomas Pieters and the Spaniard Rafael Cabrera Bello. These last two were rookies in Ryder, yet they interpreted the challenge much better than others and tried everything together with Sergio Garcia and an extraordinary Rory McIlroy, who are not playing this week.
There are also many famous amateurs in Scotland, including ex-footballer Luis Figo, entrepreneur Johann Rupert, former England cricket captains Sir Ian Botham and Michael Vaughan and jockey Sir Anthony McCoy. There are 4,7 million euros up for grabs, with the first coin exceeding 700 thousand euros.
The Americans on the main circuit instead stay at home this weekend to enjoy the coveted trophy, waiting to restart the long 2016-2017 tour, the next week with Tiger Woods at the starting line after more than 12 months of absence.
To close, a few words only on the well-deserved victory in the Ryder Cup of the US team, driven by a possessed and good Patrick Reed: he had never seen so many crashes in a race. The Yankees were great on the greens and fully deserved the title. The regret remains of a European team that doesn't always live up to expectations, also due to the choices of captain Darren Clarke. Now all that remains is to roll up your sleeves and be ready for the Paris appointment in 2018.
