CHASKA, Minnesota: A revamped American squad that US captain Davis Love called the best ever assembled faces a Europe team that has dominated them for two decades when the 41st Ryder Cup opens Friday.
As players on both teams at Hazeltine mourn the death of legend Arnold Palmer, holders Europe seek an unprecedented fourth consecutive victory over their US hosts, who have dropped six of the past seven meetings and eight of the past 10.
“We are very determined to keep the Ryder Cup and keep this streak going,” British Open champion Henrik Stenson said.
US Open champion Dustin Johnson, PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker and five-time major winner Phil Mickelson, making his 11th Ryder Cup appearance to match Nick Faldo’s record, lead an American squad hungry to reclaim the Cup.
“We’re just tired of being told we haven’t won in a while,” said two-time major winner Jordan Spieth. “We want this one.”
Swiping a page from Europe’s playbook, the US team assembled a committee to manage details and focus upon Ryder Cup issues, ending last-minute hurried pairings that often failed for unanticipated problems.
“It’s very much like the model that the Europeans have done with tremendous success in bringing out their best golf,” said Mickelson. “When you get together as a team and work together, you can achieve much greater success than you ever can as an individual. It’s exciting to be part of the groundwork and the foundation of the US side trying to do that now going forward.”
Olympic champion Justin Rose, US PGA FedExCup playoff champion Rory McIlroy and Stenson spark Europe, but a changing of the guard has six Ryder Cup newcomers on the roster, including Masters champion Danny Willett, who has already had to apologize for insults to US fans by his brother Pete.
If enough US supporters were angered by the comments in an European online column, the Heckling at Hazeltine might join the Battle of Brookline, War at the Shore and Miracle at Medinah in Ryder Cup lore.
But that’s not the spirit Palmer would want to see at an event where he will be honored after his death last Sunday at age 87 from heart problems.
“I hope he inspires this Ryder Cup to be all about good teamwork, fair play, good fun, camaraderie among both teams and all the fans — because that’s what Arnie stood for,” Rose said. “He was such a gentleman and he would love to see it continued to be played in that way.”
The Americans, who lead the overall rivalry 25-13 with two drawn, suffered the greatest last-day collapse in Ryder Cup history in 2012 with Love as captain, Europe winning eight singles matches and halving another for a 14 1/2-13 1/2 victory.
Jutanugarn leads Reignwood LPGA Classic
Ariya Jutanugarn birdied the final four holes for an 8-under 65 and a one-stroke lead over Brooke Henderson on Thursday in the Reignwood LPGA Classic.
In position to take the No. 1 spot in the world from idle Lydia Ko with a ninth-place finish or better, Jutanugarn had 10 birdies and two bogeys at Reignwood Pine Valley Golf Club in the first event in the six-tournament Asian Swing.
The 20-year-old Thai player is No. 2 in the world now and leads the LPGA Tour with five victories, winning the Women’s British Open in July for her first major title.
The fourth-ranked Henderson birdied three of the final four holes in a bogey-free round. The 19-year-old Canadian won the major KPMG Women’s PGA in June for the first of her two victories this season.
Americans Lizette Salas and Jennifer Song shot 68, and Australia’s Sarah Jane Smith and South Koreans Amy Yang, Mi Jung Hur and Ilhee Lee followed at 69.
Chinese star Shanshan Fengtopped the group at 70. The bronze medalist in the Rio Olympics, she won the inaugural Reignwood LPGA in 2013 at 26 under.
South Korea’s Mirim Lee had a 72. She won in 2014, the last time the event was played.
As players on both teams at Hazeltine mourn the death of legend Arnold Palmer, holders Europe seek an unprecedented fourth consecutive victory over their US hosts, who have dropped six of the past seven meetings and eight of the past 10.
“We are very determined to keep the Ryder Cup and keep this streak going,” British Open champion Henrik Stenson said.
US Open champion Dustin Johnson, PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker and five-time major winner Phil Mickelson, making his 11th Ryder Cup appearance to match Nick Faldo’s record, lead an American squad hungry to reclaim the Cup.
“We’re just tired of being told we haven’t won in a while,” said two-time major winner Jordan Spieth. “We want this one.”
Swiping a page from Europe’s playbook, the US team assembled a committee to manage details and focus upon Ryder Cup issues, ending last-minute hurried pairings that often failed for unanticipated problems.
“It’s very much like the model that the Europeans have done with tremendous success in bringing out their best golf,” said Mickelson. “When you get together as a team and work together, you can achieve much greater success than you ever can as an individual. It’s exciting to be part of the groundwork and the foundation of the US side trying to do that now going forward.”
Olympic champion Justin Rose, US PGA FedExCup playoff champion Rory McIlroy and Stenson spark Europe, but a changing of the guard has six Ryder Cup newcomers on the roster, including Masters champion Danny Willett, who has already had to apologize for insults to US fans by his brother Pete.
If enough US supporters were angered by the comments in an European online column, the Heckling at Hazeltine might join the Battle of Brookline, War at the Shore and Miracle at Medinah in Ryder Cup lore.
But that’s not the spirit Palmer would want to see at an event where he will be honored after his death last Sunday at age 87 from heart problems.
“I hope he inspires this Ryder Cup to be all about good teamwork, fair play, good fun, camaraderie among both teams and all the fans — because that’s what Arnie stood for,” Rose said. “He was such a gentleman and he would love to see it continued to be played in that way.”
The Americans, who lead the overall rivalry 25-13 with two drawn, suffered the greatest last-day collapse in Ryder Cup history in 2012 with Love as captain, Europe winning eight singles matches and halving another for a 14 1/2-13 1/2 victory.
Jutanugarn leads Reignwood LPGA Classic
Ariya Jutanugarn birdied the final four holes for an 8-under 65 and a one-stroke lead over Brooke Henderson on Thursday in the Reignwood LPGA Classic.
In position to take the No. 1 spot in the world from idle Lydia Ko with a ninth-place finish or better, Jutanugarn had 10 birdies and two bogeys at Reignwood Pine Valley Golf Club in the first event in the six-tournament Asian Swing.
The 20-year-old Thai player is No. 2 in the world now and leads the LPGA Tour with five victories, winning the Women’s British Open in July for her first major title.
The fourth-ranked Henderson birdied three of the final four holes in a bogey-free round. The 19-year-old Canadian won the major KPMG Women’s PGA in June for the first of her two victories this season.
Americans Lizette Salas and Jennifer Song shot 68, and Australia’s Sarah Jane Smith and South Koreans Amy Yang, Mi Jung Hur and Ilhee Lee followed at 69.
Chinese star Shanshan Fengtopped the group at 70. The bronze medalist in the Rio Olympics, she won the inaugural Reignwood LPGA in 2013 at 26 under.
South Korea’s Mirim Lee had a 72. She won in 2014, the last time the event was played.
