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USA Team Azinger Wins Ryder Cup

The professional pen-wielders said Paul Azinger’s team was a serious underdog in this years version of the Ryder Cup. After all, Tiger Woods wasn’t playing due to injury, while Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard, Stewart Cink, and Jim Furyk had all been utilized as cleaning solvent by the Euros in Cups past. The rest of the squad a bunch of Cup rookies whose underwear was sure to shrink so small as to make breathing a conscious activity.

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The professional pen-wielders said Paul Azinger’s team was a serious underdog in this years version of the Ryder Cup.  After all, Tiger Woods wasn’t playing due to injury, while Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard, Stewart Cink, and Jim Furyk had all been utilized as cleaning solvent by the Euros in Cups past.  The rest of the squad  a bunch of Cup rookies whose underwear was sure to shrink so small as to make breathing a conscious activity.

  Nick Faldo’s European squad had a bunch of guys with winning Ryder Cup experience led by Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Padraig Harrington and Miguel Angel Jimenez.  It was a given these guys would come in to Kentucky and make putts from all over the yard leaving the US squad cleaning their wounds and drowning their sorrows with imported Tennesee Whiskey. 

Something happened on the way to the mugging.   How about the only American not to win a match being Steve Stricker, the captains selection whose putting prowess is well documented managed a half point over the three days. The rest of the US team won two matches each save Mr. Mickelson, Ben Curtis and Mr. Cink who won one match apiece.   Compare that to the European squad members who won no matches; Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey, Soren Hansen, Padraig Harrington, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and Lee Westwood.  If I had been offered a wager on that group being winless, I’d have lost a nice tidy sum.  Mr. Faldo’s controversial captains picks, Justin Rose and Ian Poulter were 3-1-0 and 4-1-0 respectively.  I’d say 7 of the 11.5 total points confirms the wisdom of those selections.

 

Anthony Kim dismantled Mr. Garcia during Sunday singles, recording 3’s on the first four holes and playing the front nine 4 under par thanks to two birdies and an eagle for a 3 up lead.  He closed Mr. Garcia out 5 & 4 with two more birdies along the way.  Quite a display from a young man on the way to the top of his sport.  It was marvelous to watch great golf shots and the exuberance of youth.  The talent was obvious, as was the sense that the best is yet to come. 

Kenny Perry was a man living a dream.  His goal, as anyone who paid any attention to golf this year, was to make this team.  To see him Sunday roll in putts of various lengths in jumping out to a 3 up lead was to see a man performing at his best.  When Henrik Stenson turned his game around on the 10th hole by making a birdie, Mr. Perry followed with a birdie of his own on the 11th hole.  Mr. Stenson birdied the 12th, Mr. Perry the 13th, Mr Stenson the 14th, Mr. Perry the 15th, a remarkable stretch of golf as one could ask to see on any stage.  Mr. Perry then closed out the match on the 16th hole with a par.   Exciting stuff.

Boo Weekley started Sunday riding his driver like a horse into battle, a vision I will never forget.  All three days Mr. Weekley waved his arms exhorting the crowd to cheer louder, antics which got under the waistband of Mr. Westwood on Friday.  Mr. Weekley subsequently stayed calm until everyone had holed out before returning to his role as cheerleader.  If there ever was someone so obviously having fun with this atmosphere, it was Mr. Weekley.  For a man not know for his putting prowess, he made enough to earn 2.5 points.  The game is certainly easier when you’re having fun, both to play and to watch.

Hunter Mahan, captain’s choice maligned by both talking heads and pen wielders alike for speaking his mind about the inanities surrounding the Ryder Cup, only won more points than anyone for the US team.  I liked his selection immediately because the guy can putt and has streaks where he makes everything he looks at during a round.  Witness his 5 rounds of 62 in 5 years on tour.  This is a player who can go low consistently.  Putting wins Ryder Cups, so give me all the putters you can find. He and Justin Leonard’s two wins Friday helped the US to an early lead they never surrendered.  He almost stole a half point from Paul Casey Sunday when he made a side hill bomb on the 17th hole, but gave it back with a drive into the hazard on the 18th hole. 

I should leave Phil Mickelson alone, but can’t, really I just can’t help myself but to say this is not the format for Mr. Mickelson.  His putter just let him down too many times all weekend. They say that Ryder Cup pressure will expose the weakness in your golf game and it surely did that today.  18 hole match play is just not his forte.  Too bad, because Mr. Mickelson is someone who could have real fun with this environment.  Maybe he should stay home next time.

So the day ended with Team USA holding the Cup.  For some, Captain Azinger with be hailed as a genius for his changing the rotation of events on Friday, and in allowing for 4 captains selections.  His course set up will probably be praised to the heavens as a feat similar to that of walking on water, hey he even got the way they cut the grass in the rough named after him.  Captain Nick Faldo will be swatted around in the British press like a badminton birdie for his team losing to a bunch of underdog nobodies.  Neither will deserve everything handed out by the all knowledgable press monkies.  These two did a great job promoting the event, witness all the made for the tube competitions they aired because there was nothing else to show. What we saw was an entertaining event, the first such in 9 or so years.  It did what it was supposed to do, show us how good these guys really can be, and how funny the game of golf can be at times. 

I salute both teams, the last three days were as entertaining as any tournament this year.  I thank you all for your stellar performances.

 

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6 Comments

  1. bobsuruncle

    Sep 26, 2008 at 1:14 am

    Great golf all round. It looks like the side with the burden of expectations (this year – Europe) has faltered again. The stars with the burden placed on them to “carry the team” on both sides, especially Europe’s Big 3, faltered. Historically, the world #1&2 also didn’t deliver for the USA. Perhaps they should just loosen up and relax to play their best.

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  2. cody

    Sep 23, 2008 at 7:15 pm

    i think this was one of the most exciting molments in golf for me ever. Even though the Americans were slated as the underdogs for not having Tiger. I KNEW that they were going to win because they did not have Tiger, they had a bunch of young bloods that wanted to win very very badly. that is all the ryder cup takes determination and a will to represent ones county> I hope future American ryder cup captains take not and look for young hot players that want to go and wail.

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  3. mark

    Sep 23, 2008 at 3:28 pm

    Great golf to watch. GREAT for golf itself. Very well done T.V. even when I had to use the mute button when Mr Miller rambled on. Course conditions and set up looked fantastic. Both captains and there interactions made it even better. Celtic Manor here I come. Thank god for that ancient Scott so long ago who had that wonderful idea.

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  4. ander

    Sep 23, 2008 at 9:06 am

    justin rose wasn’t the other captain’s pick, that would be paul casey. good article though.

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  5. Joef

    Sep 22, 2008 at 5:25 pm

    How on earth do you bash Mickleson but praise Kim? Mickleson is not a great match play player no doubt there..But Remember he had to Birdie the last 2 holes on His own Friday to salvage that match he also played very well in the first match which they might have won if Anthony Kim had not duffed the shot out of the bunker on 18. Also he kind of fell apart on Saturday Morning which is why He did not play Saturday afternoon and what did it take to beet mickleson and Mahan on Saturday afternoon? Robert Karlson went lights out and shot 6 birdies on the back..Mickelson finished Even 1-2-2 thats 2 points for 2 against…YEah what a smart comment Dont show up next time…Anthony Kim praised Phil for helping Him..

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  6. Frankie

    Sep 22, 2008 at 10:23 am

    This was VERY exciting! Some will say that because the Americans won is the reason I think it was great (true) but to see Mr. Karlsson make putts for everywhere says one thing to me…. look out world “this guy is good!” Mr. Poulter gained a lot of respect from me as I love the guy that has fire in his gut and he does, there is nothing wrong with showing some emotion, then there was Mr. Garica shouting after holing the long put for birdie and Mr. Stricker (I think) holing out on top of that! Just a great Ryder Cup.

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Five Things We Learned: Friday at the PGA Championship

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2 hours ago

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May 18, 2024

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Early on Friday morning, a vendor working for the PGA Championship was struck and killed by a tournament shuttle bus. Nearly at the same time, as he arrived for his second round of tournament play, Scottie Scheffler attempted to detour around the scene, and was arrested, booked, then released. Somehow, Scheffler returned to Valhalla and played his second round of the tournament. Despite the jokes and memes of some in the golf industry, the tournament took a back seat to life and humanity on Friday morning. Our prayers are with the family and friends of the vendor, as well as with all involved.

Day two of Valhalla’s fourth PGA Championship did not see a repeat of the record-setting 62 posted by first-day leader, Xander Schauffele. The low card of 65 was returned by five golfers, when play was suspended by darkness. Five golfers still on the course, were on the positive side of the expected cut line of one-under par, while 12 more either had work to do, or knew that their week had come to an end.

The best 70 golfers and ties would advance to the weekend. 64 golfers figured at minus-two on Friday evening, with another 15 at one-under par. The most likely scenario saw those at even par, headed home. The formula was simple: finish under par and stick around. Play resumed at 7:15 on Saturday, to sort through the last six threesomes. Before the night turned over, we learned five important things to set us up for a weekend of excitement and excellence. It’s a pleasure to share them with you.

1. The 65s

On Thursday, three golfers etched 65 into the final box on their card of play. On Friday, nearly twice that number finished at six-under par for the round. Collin Morikawa moved from top-five into a spot in the final pairing. The 2020 PGA Champion at Harding Park teed off at the tenth hole, and turned in minus-two. He then ran off five consecutive birdies from the fourth tee to the eighth green, before finding trouble at the ninth, his last hole of the day. Bogey at nine dropped him from -12 to -11.

The same score moved Bryson DeChambeau from 11th spot to T4. Joining the pair with 65s on day two were Matt Wallace and Hideki Matsuyama (each with 70-65 for T11) and Lee Hodges (71-65 for T16.) Morikawa, Matsuyama, and DeChambeau have major championship wins in their names, while Wallace has been on the when to break through list his entire career. Hodges epitomizes the term journeyman, bu the PGA Championship is the one major of them all when lesser-known challegers find a way to break through.

2. The Corebridge team of PGA Professionals

Last year’s Cinderella story, Michael Block, did not repeat his Oak Hill success. Block missed the cut by a fair amount. Of the other 19, however, two were poised to conclude play and reach the weekend’s play. Braden Shattuck had finished at one-under par, while Jeremy Wells (-2) and Ben Polland (-1) were inside the glory line, each with two holes to play.

With three holes to play on the front nine, Kyle Mendoza sits at even par. His task is simple: play the final triumvirate in one-under par or better. If Mendoza can pull off that feat, and if the aforementioned triumvirate can hold steady, the club professional segment of the tournament will have four representatives in play over the weekend.

3. Scottie Scheffler

In his post-round interview, Scheffler admitted that his second round, following the surreal nature of the early morning’s events, was made possible by the support he received from patrons and fellow competitors. The new father expressed his great sadness for the loss of life, and also praised some of the first responders that had accompanied him in the journey from course to jail cell. Yes, jail cell. Scheffler spoke of beginning his warm-up routine with jail-house stretches.

Once he returned to Valhalla, Scheffler found a way to a two-under, opening nine holes. He began birdie-bogey-birdie on holes ten through twelve, then eased into a stretch of pars, before making birdie at the par-five 18th. His second nine holes featured three birdies and six pars, allowing him to improve by one shot from day one. Scheffler found himself in a fourth-place tie with Thomas Detry, and third-round tee time in the third-last pairing. Scheffler’s poise illustrated grace under pressure, which is the only way that he could have reached this status through 36 holes.

4. Sahith!

It’s a little bit funny that the fellow who followed 65 with 67, is nowhere to be found on the video highlight reels. He’s not alone in that respect, as Thomas Detry (T4) was also ignored by the cameras. Theegala has won on tour, and has the game to win again. The Californian turned in four-under par on Friday, then made an excruciating bogey at the par-five tenth. He redeemed himself two holes later, with birdie at the twelfth hole.

Theegala is an unproven commodity in major events. He has one top-ten finish: the 2023 Masters saw him finish 9th. He did tie for 40th in 2023, in this event, at Oak Hill. Is he likely to be around on Sunday? Yes. Will he be inside the top ten? If he is, he has a shot on Sunday. If Saturday is not a 67 or better, Theegala will not figure in the outcome of the 2024 championship.

5. X Man!!

After the fireworks of day one, Xander Schauffele preserved his lead at the 2024 PGA Championship. He holds a one-shot advantage and will tee off in the final pairing on Saturday, with Collin Morikawa. Eleven holes into round two, Schauffele made his first bogey of the week. The stumble stalled his momentum, as he had played the first ten holes in minus-four. Will the run of seven pars at the end signal a negative turn in the tide of play for Schauffele? We’ll find out on day three. One thing is for sure: minus twelve will not win this tournament. Schauffele will likely need to reach twenty under par over the next two days, to win his first major title.

 

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Scottie Scheffler arrested, charged, and released after traffic incident at Valhalla

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1 day ago

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May 17, 2024

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As first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police on the way to Valhalla Golf Club this morning due to a traffic misunderstanding.

“Breaking News: World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police in handcuffs after a misunderstanding with traffic flow led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club. The police officer attempted to attach himself to Scheffler’s car, and Scheffler then stopped his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla. The police officer then began to scream at Scheffler to get out of the car.

“When Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer shoved Scheffler against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs. He is now being detained in the back of a police car.”

Darlington also posted a video of the dramatic moment which you can view below:

There was an unrelated accident at around 5am, which is what may have caused some of the misunderstanding of which traffic was moving.

Speaking on ESPN, Darlington broke down exactly what he witnessed in full detail:

“Entering Valhalla Golf Club this morning, we witness a car pull around us that was Scottie Scheffler. Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police officers, placed in the back of a police vehicle in handcuffs after he tried to pull around what he believed to be security, ended up being police officers.

“They told him to stop, when he didn’t stop, the police officer attached himself to the vehicle, and Scheffler then travelled another 10 yards before stopping the car.”

“The police officer then grabbed at his arm, attempting to pull him out of the car, before Scheffler eventually opened the door, at which point the police officer pulled Scheffler out of the car, pushed him up against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs. Scheffler was then walked over to the police car, placed in the back in handcuffs.

“Very stunned about what was happening, he looked towards me as he was in those handcuffs and said ‘please help me’. He very clearly didn’t know what was happening in the situation.”

“It moved very quickly, very rapidly, very aggressively. He was detained in that police vehicle for approximately 20 minutes. The police officers at that point did not understand that Scottie Scheffler was a golfer in the tournament, nor of course that he is the number one player in the world.”

Due to the accident, play has been delayed this morning. Scheffler’s current tee time for the second round of the PGA Championship is 10:08 a.m.

Scheffler’s mugshot following the incident:

*Update*

Scheffler has been charged with 2nd Degree assault of a police officer, criminal mischief 3rd degree, reckless driving and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic.

*Update*

According to ESPN+, Scottie Scheffler has been released and is now on his way to the golf course.

*Update*

Scottie Scheffler arrives at Valhalla ahead of his 10:08 a.m second round tee time.

*Update*

The PGA of America released this statement regarding the fatal accident, which diverted traffic at Valhalla this morning.

“This morning we were devastated to learn that a worker with one of our vendors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla Golf Club. This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family and loved ones.” 

Per the PGA Tour, Scheffler released the following statement.

We will update this developing story as more information on the situation is revealed.

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Five Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

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2 days ago

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May 16, 2024

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It was a year ago that we the north, found ourselves with toes and fingers crossed. The Oak Hill PGA Championship of 2023 finished on schedule, despite the iffiness of weather in upstate New York. It’s 75 degrees today across the Niagara Frontier, which makes it two out of three (2022 was the same way) for sultry, unseasonal weather.

Louisville is, let’s be honest, a much better bet for a May PGA Championship, and Valhalla is an exciting venue for the year’s second major championship on the men’s circuit. Brooks Koepka came in as the defending champion, and Rory McIlroy arrived as the last golfer to win a major at the Nicklaus-designed course. That was a decade ago, and lord, have things changed in the world and golf.

Day one at Valhalla offered walk-in eagles, buckets of birdies, and potential for a record-low, winner’s score. We’ll get right to the meat of the matter, with five things that we learned. After all, if you can make par from the muck, anything’s possible in the land of the horses.

1. X marks this spot

Xander Schauffele went head-to-head last Sunday with Rory McIlroy, at least on the practice green. By the end of the round, Rors had won for a fourth time at Charlotte, while the X Man sat scratching his head, wondering what went wrong. Fortunately for us, Xander didn’t sulk.

The San Diego State alumnus absolutely torched Jack’s track with 62. Four birdies on the front nine, were followed by five more on the inward side. Schauffele never looked as if bogey was a consideration, and he might have gone even lower. Despite winning the Covid-delayed Gold medal at the Japan Olympics (I consider it a major, btdubs) Schauffele continues to chase an initial men’s major, and the validation that it brings. If 62 doesn’t get you over the hump, who knows what will.

2. Scottie starts strong? Aye.

Last month, Mr. Scheffler won a second green jacket at Augusta National. Last year in Rochester, Mr. Scheffler tied for second in this event. Mr. Scheffler began play today with a walk-in eagle, a one-hop affair that never looked as if it might go anywhere but to its home. Scheffler had a few rough holes, but that’s to be expected from a new dad. Each time he made bogey, he bounced back with birdie, so he has that short memory that winners crave. Surprisingly, Scheffler failed to manage one last birdie at the reachable 18th. Perhaps that miss will motivate him in round two.

3. LIV Check-In

It’s good to check in on the departed from time to time, to ensure that the fellows formerly known as PGA Tour members are doing well. It’s safe to say that some of them can still play. Defending champion Brooks Koepka posted 67 on the day, He had an eagle and three birdies on the day, with only a stumble at the 17th. He’s tied for 7th. Bryson DeChambeau made an eagle of his own, but also had a bogey, at the 12th hole. He cohabits eleventh position with Cameron Smith, who ALSO had a bogey on his card. They are one shot behind Koepka, and a fistful more behind the leader.

4. Sahith and Tony at Schauffele’s heels

Both Finau and Theegala represent a special sort of athletic golfer. Their power and their charisma blend to draw golf fans to their groups. Let’s be honest, too, and say that they don’t look like the traditional professional golfer. As much as Tiger Woods did in the 1990s, they have the power to bring greater diversity to the sport.

In terms of their play today, well, only Xander was better. Finau had a clean card, with six birdies and twelve pars. Theegala had seven birdies, ten pars, and one bogey. Each combined power and finesse to insert themselves squarely in contention, ahead of round two. How will they, and Xander as well, manage the afternoon putting surface on Friday? That’s the great unknown!

5. All those other guys are here!

Rory, Tom Kim, Collin, and Viktor are all at minus-three or lower. Valhalla may not be a traditional golf course, but it is the type of course that the world’s best play well. McIlroy currently sits at minus-five, tied with Robert MacIntyre, Kim, and three others in fourth position.  Maverick McNealy finished fast to reach the same figure, as did Tom Hoge. Morikawa closed with birdie to join the sextet at five below. Both Scheffler and Morikawa finished their rounds late on Thursday, meaning they should see smoother greens on Friday morning. If someone is a betting soul, wiser wagers could not be placed on better names than those two, two-time, major champions. Rory will tee off in Friday’s afternoon wave but, hey, he’s Rory, and he won going away last week at Quail Hollow, a course not unlike Valhalla.

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