Durzblog

The biennial event starts on Friday in Louisville, Kentucky, with the United States playing the underdog to a somewhat cocky Euro side.

The last two Ryder Cup have been absurdly one-sided in favor of those from across the pond. In 2004 Europe smacked the Americans so bad that losing captain, Hal Sutton, was left shaken by the experience. This event used to be a walk in the park for the Yanks....

American skipper, Azinger, recently told Golf World, "It took America losing for this to become really popular. By the War on the Shore [1991], people started freaking."

The latest installments of the Ryder Cup have not been very interesting or competitive. The US has reached a crossroads and this has to be the time to get the Cup back. With recent showings in the event and not having Tiger Woods, having six rookies....... make no mistake, the Americans are the underdogs (six rookies!). No excuse will be good enough though, the US needs to win this one...what would be sweeter than taking it to Nick Faldo?? For Azinger I suspect, nothing, as evidenced by his comments to a British writer earlier this summer,

"Faldo has tried to redefine himself [referring to his TV work]. Some people have bought it. Some have not. But if you're going to be a prick and everyone hates you [during his playing career], why do you think that just because you're trying to be cute and funny on the air now that the same people are all going to start to like you? The bottom line is that players from his generation and mine really don't want anything to do with him. He did what he did as a player, and there are relational consequences."

This could get very interesting.


Rosters (Age, RC record, Appearances, home)
USA
Chad Campbell*, 34, 1-3-2, 2, Andrews, Tex.
Stewart Cink, 35, 3-5-4, 3, Huntsville, Ala.
Ben Curtis, 31, --, --, Columbus, Ohio
Jim Furyk, 38, 6-12-2, 5, West Chester, Pa.
J.B. Holmes*, 26, --, --, Campbellsville, Ky.
Anthony Kim, 23, --, --, Los Angeles, Calif.
Justin Leonard, 36, 0-3-5, 2, Dallas, Tex.
Hunter Mahan*, 26, --, --, Orange, Calif.
Phil Mickelson, 38, 9-12-4, 6, San Diego, Calif.
Kenny Perry, 48, 0-2-0, 1, Elizabethtown, Ky.
Steve Stricker*,41, -- , --, Edgerton, Wisc.
Boo Weekley, 35, --, --, Milton, Fla.



Europe
Paul Casey*, 31, 3-1-2, 2, England
Sergio Garcia, 28, 14-4-2, 4, Spain
Soren Hansen, 34, --, --, Denmark
Padraig Harrington, 37, 7-8-2, 4, Ireland
Miguel Angel Jimenez, 44, 1-3-0, 2, Spain
Robert Karlsson, 39, 0-1-2, 1, Sweden
Graeme McDowell, 29, --, --, Northern Ireland
Ian Poulter*, 32, 1-1-0, 1, England
Justin Rose, 28, --, --, England
Henrik Stenson, 32, 1-1-1, 1, Sweden
Lee Westwood, 35, 14-8-3, 5, England
Oliver Wilson, 27, --, --, England

*captain's pick