Chip Shots

Sunday, October 03, 2010

Boom, baby! In case you missed it.

It’s hard to believe that only a few hours ago, the United States Ryder Cup team was full of hope.

And Jeff Overton and Bubba Watson were screaming at each other like crazy people in the middle of a fairway.

It happened on the eighth hole. I’ll let you witness the magic yourself.

It was an honest, raw moment of pure elation and adrenaline. It’s probably going to go down as the most memorable moment of the Ryder Cup—no matter who wins.  My favorite part—and the funniest part, by far—is Bubba Watson screaming: “I can say it, too! C’mon!”

“C’mon!” also happens to be the European players rather clever, not to mention, creative catchphrase of the week (For the record, I’ll take “Boom, baby” over “C’mon” every time), so some people have said that Overton and Watson’s celebration crossed the lines of golf etiquette. Those people should go away.

After a weekend of people cheering your misses—and having to watch all those strange, flailing attempts at fist-pumping for Ross Fisher, and Ian Poulter acting as if he just won a major after every made four=footer—Overton and Watson can Boom, Baby! to their heart’s content. It’s about the only good thing the Americans will take from this week.

In a related note, Jeff Overton is never, ever going to live this moment down. Both Overton and BOOM BABY were trending on Twitter for the better part of the morning and I shudder to think how many fans will be screaming “Boom, Baby! at Overton in the next year. Let’s just hope it doesn’t become the new, “It’s in the hole!”

Pavin the way to defeat

I have always liked Corey Pavin as a golfer.

He was that scrappy little guy who always found a way to get the most out of his talent. The guy who, against all odds, was able to succeed on the highest level.

But as a U.S. Ryder Cup team captain, there’s just no other way to say it: Pavin has been the stuff that nightmares are made of.

From banning twitter to picking leaky rain suits to putting his players in bad situations, Pavin has made mistakes in every facet of the job.

It’s shown up on the course as Europe rolled over the U.S. in the third session, winning five of the matches and halving the other to take a commanding 9.5 to 6.5 lead. The U.S. needs to win 7.5 points on Sunday to retain the cup, and overcome the biggest deficit since winning after trailing 10-6 in 1999.

But things are much different than they were in 1999. The U.S. was playing on home soil then, against a European team that didn’t have many stars. They also had a captain with a pulse: Ben Crenshaw.

On the night before singles, Crenshaw famously said, “I’m a big believer in fate. I’ve got a good feeling about this,” to the disbelieving members of the press. All Pavin could muster after Sunday’s matches was: “They know what they have to do.” And this gem: “We have a chance.”

Who wants to play for a guy who acts like the Ryder Cup is a trip to the dentist? Apparently, no one.

Hal Sutton has been widely derided as the worst U.S. Ryder Cup captain of the last few decades for his ill-advised decision to pair Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson together—and his stubbornness in keeping them together too long. It led to a European beat-down on the Yankees’ home soil in 2004.

But Pavin has been just as stubborn. He’s like a cross between Sutton and a two-by-four: boring and slow to react to a rapidly changing situation.

Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson looked lost in their opening match, yet Pavin kept them together for what turned out to be a second lopsided loss. Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker were the most successful U.S. team after their first two matches. But Pavin failed recognize that Woods and Stricker had been lucky to win in alternate shot after a wild ball-striking day from Tiger. Rather than sending Woods and Stricker out for best ball, he sent them out again for alternate shot, where they suffered their first loss—a 6 and 5 trouncing from Lee Westwood and Luke Donald. Clearly, Woods and Stricker would have had a better chance in the more forgiving best ball format.

But perhaps Pavin’s biggest mistake was not using a resource that was right in front of his face. After three straight Ryder Cup losses, Paul Azinger used an approach that mixed logic with science and emotion to lead the U.S. to victory in 2008. Yet Pavin hardly consulted with Azinger before the matches. Apparently, doing it Corey’s way was more important than giving his team the best chance to win.

Decisions like these, coupled with Pavin’s controlling and robotic nature, has sucked the momentum out of team USA.

It’s true, this isn’t all Pavin’s fault. How could he have known that Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson would become golf-playing train wrecks in front of our eyes? He did some good things leading up to to the tournament: His captain’s picks, Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson, Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler have accounted for five of the 6.5 U.S points.

But in so many ways, this team has been a reflection of its leader: uninspiring.

AP Photo

Saturday, October 02, 2010

Stewart to the rescue

It felt like so many other Ryder Cups we’ve seen in the last 15 years. Blue flags were popping up on the leaderboards. The European crowds were starting to roar, and somehow, Sergio Garcia was in the middle of it of all.

The USA had worked hard to built some momentum, but very quickly—as always seems to happen to them at the Ryder Cup—it was all starting to slip away.

With one putt, Stewart Cink changed everything for the team that hasn’t won in Europe since 1993.

With Europe inside five feet for birdie, and the match all square on the 17th hole, Stewart Cink drained a 30-foot putt for birdie. As Cink fist pumped like a crazy person on the edge of the green, most the of crowd looked on in shock. They got even more quiet when Rory McIlroy missed short birdie, halting Europe’s momentum and helping Cink and partner Matt Kuchar secure the point. It was sweet silence for the Americans.

The U.S. win in that match helped the team secure a 6-4 lead heading into the third session, protecting the momentum that the U.S. hard worked all day to build. The Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker partnership was at the front of it all, and as clutch as ever. Last year, they went 4-0 at the Presidents Cup. They won both their matches on Saturday, before embarking on a third. And Rickie Fowler bounced back from an early gaffe (he was penalized a hole for playing the wrong ball) to make a birdie putt on the final hole to secure a halve in his match with Jim Furyk against Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer. Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan, who sat out on Friday, also got a key win over brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari.

But the action continues. Here’s a look at the matchups for the third session.

fourballs—Jim Furyk and Dustin Johnson (USA) vs. Padraig Harrington and Ross Fisher (Europe)

fourballs—Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton vs. Peter Hanson and Miguel Angel Jimenez

foursomes—Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods vs. Luke Donald and Lee Westwood

foursomes—Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan vs. Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy

fourballs—Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar vs. Edoardo Molinari and Francesco Molinari

fourballs—Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler vs. Ian Poulter and Martin Kaymer

OK, so the good news is that captain Corey Pavin has abandoned the failed Dustin Johnson/Phil Mickelson experiment. I think Mickelson and Fowler are a good match, and Johnson and Furyk are a nice contrast that could work.

This session is not going to be completed before dark, and will wrap up on Sunday morning before the singles. So the key for the U.S. is just to hold on to the momentum they’ve worked so hard to build. If the U.S. has any lead headed into the singles on Sunday—where the U.S. is conventionally the stronger team—it will increase their chances of winning in a huge way.

But I have this funny feeling that Europe isn’t going to go away quietly into tonight’s sunset.

AP Photo

Despite cardigans, U.S. takes early lead

It took 27 hours, but for the United States Ryder Cup team it was well worth it.

Jeff Overton (pictured above) helped spur the U.S. to 2 1/2 to 1 1/2 lead over Europe after the first session at Celtic Manor in Wales. It’s the first time the U.S. has led the Ryder Cup after the opening session in Europe since 1985. And it could have been an even bigger lead.

After struggling on Friday, Rory McIlroy showed up big for Europe on Saturday morning. He made three birdies, including a long curler on the 17th hole to help him and Graeme McDowell earn a half point against Matt Kuchar and Stewart Cink.

But no one played better than Overton. His stretch of four straight birdies helped Overton and Bubba Watson deliver a 3 and 2 win over Europe veterans Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald.

Continuing the theme for 2010, Tiger Woods struggled mightily in his first 18 holes at the Ryder Cup. But partner Steve Stricker was there to bail him out, helping to deliver a 1-up win for the U.S. over Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher. Woods, who was all over the place, hit a terrible chip on the 18th hole (he was about 40 yards from the hole and the ball went about 20 feet, prompting NBC’s Johnny Miller to say, “That was almost embarrassing, actually.”) It’s going to be interesting to see how much Woods’ inaccuracy hurts the U.S. as alternate shot gets underway.

The only U.S. team not to win a point was Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson. The duo never looked comfortable—especially after donning the purple cardigans on Saturday morning—and got trounced 3-and-2 by Europe’s Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer.

Inexplicably, Corey Pavin decided to pair Johnson and Mickelson together for the afternoon foursomes (alternate shot) despite their struggles. I’ve been wrong before—see Watson and Overton—but this pairing has disaster written all over it.

Anyway, here’s a look at the six alternate shot matches, which got started at about 6 a.m. eastern time.

Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan (USA) vs. Edoardo Molinari and Francesco Molinari (Europe)

Jim Furyk and Rickie Folwer (USA) vs. Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer (Europe)

Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson (USA) vs. Padraig Harrington and Ross Fisher (Europe)

Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker (USA) vs. Miguel Angel Jimenez and Peter Hanson (Europe)

Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton (USA) vs. Ian Poulter and Luke Donald (Europe)

Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar (USA) vs. Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy (Europe)

Yes, you’re reading that right. All four U.S. groups that went out for the first session are back together again. I like Fowler with Furyk, but again, keeping Dustin Johnson with Mickelson is a highly questionable strategy for Corey Pavin. We’ll see how it works out.

If Twitter’s your thing, you can follow my thoughts here.

AP Photo

Friday, October 01, 2010

Ryder Cup: We’ve only just begun

It started out as a fiasco for the U.S. Ryder Cup team, with bad rain suits and even worse results on the course.

But, as darkness fell over Celtic Manor and the first day of the Ryder Cup, team USA had turned it around. Yes, the ol’ Stars & Stripes had something to feel good about (despite those very Europe-like blue shirts), at least for now.

More than 12 hours after players arrived at the first tee, the United States walked off the course leading in two matches, tied in one and trailing in another. A seven-plus hour rain delay had made ensured none of matches had been completed. But considering that USA was trailing in three of the four matches when play was suspended, their last two hours of golf had turned a bad situation into a good one.

So, how’d they do it?

Leading the leading the way for the underdog U.S. team was Jeff Overton and Bubba Watson—the first rookies to be paired together in the first session since 1981. I expected them to get blown out of the water, but they’ve led the entire way (one-up through 8) against seasoned vets Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald.

In another matchup where many expected the American’s to struggle: Stewart Cink deserves plenty of props, too. He carried struggling partner Matt Kuchar all over the course, as Cink drained several long birdie putts to give the U.S. a two up lead through 11 holes over Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. 

Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker began to apply pressure to Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher as darkness fell. Woods and Stricker took their first lead of the day with a birdie on No. 9. But Poulter would not go gently into the still night. He rolled a lengthy birdie putt through the dusk on No. 10 to send the pro-Europe crowd into a frenzy and square the match.

But no match was more interesting than Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson against Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer. The U.S. was three-down through six and Mickelson looked in the midst of another Ryder Cup meltdown. The dude looked like some hack at Overpeck, wearing to rain gloves for the first time in his career, even while he putted (I know, very unlike Phil to tinker with things at an important event, right?). After the delay, he came back without the gloves and posted three birdies in a row. Johnson answered with some solid shots of his own and the U.S. is only one-down through 12.

Now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. None of these matches are close to done and darkness may have robbed team USA of its momentum, much like the rain delay robbed Europe of its. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens when play resumes (3 a.m. eastern on ESPN).

The change in schedule isn’t a great one for the U.S. The second session will feature six matches of foursomes, meaning every U.S. player will have to compete in alternate shot—yep, there’s nowhere to hide. This should be a huge advantage for Europe, which has the more accurate drivers of the ball and traditionally excels in alternate shot. But if the U.S. can somehow get through that foursomes session near the lead, they’ll have an advantage and the momentum. The third session features two foursomes and four fourball matches. And in the singles, USA always seems to give itself a fighting chance.

The point is, you’re going to want to watch on Saturday. Whether it’s to see Rickie Fowler’s Ryder Cup debut, or how Tiger fares, or whether or not Phil Mickelson uses four gloves and two drivers and a periscope. It’s going to be wall-to-wall, every-shot-counts golf. And the galleries are going to be so into it, you’ll get chills watching from thousands of miles away.

Yep, if you want to find out what makes the Ryder Cup so great, tune in on Saturday.

AP Photo

Ryder Cup: Major changes in schedule

In the hopes of getting everything in by Sunday, or Monday, officials have made drastic changes to the Ryder Cup schedule.

When the first session—fourballs—is completed on Saturday morning, the second session will feature six foursomes—alternate shot—matches.

The third session will then have two foursomes matches and four fourballs matches. And finally 12 singles matches will close it out in the final session.

This means that all 28 remaining points of the Ryder Cup will be contested and that all 12 players will be playing in the final three sessions.

Typically the Ryder Cup features five sessions: two fourballs sessions, two foursomes sessions and one session of singles matches.

Back at it: Ryder Cup continues after delay

Heavy rains caused a seven hour and 15 minute delay at the Ryder Cup. But the rain stopped falling just in time for the players to get back out on the course at Celtic Manor before dark.

Play resumed at 5 p.m. in Wales, noon in North Jersey, and will probably last until sunset, which is about 1:40 p.m. eastern.

The US leads one match, Europe leads two and one match is all square. 

The US has shown signs of life after the delay. Stewart Cink made a long putt to square his match with teammate Matt Kuchar against Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy. And Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson just won a hole as well—no thanks to Mickelson. At the seventh hole, Johnson hit a shot into about eight feet and made the birdie. Mickelson has been a no show so far, he hit the ball in the water on No. 6 and made bogey from a greenside bunker on No. 7. Johnson and Mickelson trail Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, two down through seven.

AP Photo

Ryder Cup: Rain rules on Day 1 of Ryder Cup

The weather delay is now in its fifth hour at the Ryder Cup in Wales, where the rain continues to come down like crazy. And every minute this continues, it’s looking more and more like there will be no more golf for the day.

2008 Ryder Cup Captain Paul Azinger just gave us a nice update on Twitter. You can see for yourself just how bad the conditions are.

Officials announced that they won’t give the next weather update until 4 p.m. Wales time—11 a.m., in North Jersey—which means that we won’t be seeing golf until 11:45 a.m., at the earliest. Sunset in Wales will come just before 2 p.m. North Jersey time, so it’s certain that Friday’s morning session will not be completed today. And that almost guarantees that the Ryder Cup won’t be finished until Monday. With a full slate of matches scheduled for both Friday and Saturday, the place on the schedule to make up time is Sunday morning before the singles matches. And there isn’t going to be nearly enough time to make up a full missed day of golf.

Now, the good news. This stoppage in play couldn’t have come at a better time for the USA. But that’s only because their start was a complete, unrivaled nightmare.

Trailing in three matches, the USA was literally leaking water after two hours of play this morning. Adding to what has been, frankly, a terrible and embarrassing start to the captaincy for Corey Pavin, USA’s rain suits are failing to keep the players dry as the deluge engulfs the Ryder Cup. This mind-blowing oversight, considering Pavin has been a control freak as captain—for example, keeping the players off of Twitter and being evasive of the media.

During the delay, the PGA of America actually had to go to the Ryder Cup merchandise tent to buy new rain suits for the players and caddies. Again, this is not a joke—well, team Europe might think it is. You can’t make this stuff up.

The only group that has had a worse day than Pavin and the USA is Sun Mountain Golf. They’re the company who provided the rain suits for the United States.

AP Photo

U.S. starts slow in rain, play suspended at Ryder Cup

Well, a Ryder Cup that started very slowly has come grinding to a halt.

Heavy rains suspended play on Friday morning, as casual water made it nearly impossible for the morning groups to navigate the course. Play at Celtic Manor was officially suspended at 4:45 a.m. on the east coast, 9:45 a.m. in Wales.

Europe leads in three of the four matches, while USA leads the other match. When play was called—after exactly two hours on the course—the first group had yet to complete the sixth hole and the last group had finished two holes.

The delay—and slow pace of play—means that Saturday’s schedules matches will almost certainly be pushed back to Sunday.

It was a tough morning for the Americans, who fell behind in the first three matches. But rookies Jeff Overton and Bubba Watson have been the lone bright spot. Overton birdied the first hole, with a long putt from off the green, and Watson birdied the second hole to give them a two-up lead over Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald. It’s the only match USA has led so far.

Tiger Woods struggled on the first hole, but birdied No. 2. He and Steve Stricker are one-down to Ross Fisher and Ian Poulter through three holes. Europe’s Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer are two-up over Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson through five holes. Meanwhile, Europe’s Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell lead Matt Kuchar and Stewart Cink, one-up through four.

AP Photo

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Reason to smile, the Ryder Cup is here!

Ah, it feels like Christmas morning come early. Well, if you’re a golf dork, anyway.

Yes, the moment has finally arrived and the Ryder Cup is only a few hours away.

It’s going to be a soggy one, and with this year’s cup being contested across the pond in Wales—five hours ahead—why shouldn’t it be? The soft conditions brought on by the weather, and the wide fairways, should be an advantage for the long hitters on Team USA. But with hotter players and more experience, Europe will enter this year as the heavy favorite.

We all know how that worked out for team Europe in Louisville in 2008. We’re picking team USA to edge Europe, 15-13.

ESPN’s coverage kicks off at 2:30 a.m. Friday morning, with the first groups headed out to the course 15 minutes later. We’ll be here on Chip Shots with a highly caffeinated live blog to document all the action. Until then, here’s what to expect.

Team USA needs 14 points to retain the cup. The Europeans need 14 1/2 points to win the cup back.

Each match is worth a point, and this morning’s competition is Fourballs: every player plays their own ball, with the best score winning the hole. In the afternoon, it will be Foursomes: players on each team alternate shots using the same ball—one player per team tees off on all the odd-numbered holes, the other player tees off on all the even-numbered holes.

There are Fourballs in the morning, and Foursomes in the afternoon on Friday and Saturday. There are 12 singles matches on Sunday.

Now, let’s take a look at the opening matches.

Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson (USA) vs. Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer (Europe)
2:45 a.m., eastern
The skinny: For my money, this is the best match of the day. You have the hyper-talented, hyper-long duo of Mickelson and Johnson against the rock-steady and calm pairing of Westwood and Kaymer. USA has the advantage in chemistry—Mickelson’s outgoing personality should blend marvelously with the more laid-back Johnson—and sheer talent. Westwood and Kaymer won’t make many mistakes, but with the amount of birdies Mickelson and Johnson are sure to put up, Europe is going to have to do a lot more than play mistake-free golf.

The pick: USA, one up

Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar (USA) vs. Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell (Europe)
3 a.m., eastern
The skinny: The European team is probably a little more talented in this match. But I trust Matt Kuchar as a rookie more than I trust Rory McIlroy, at least in the first match on the first day. Stewart Cink and Graeme McDowell have both proven they can stand up to the pressure when the stakes are highest. Kuchar and McIlroy have yet to do so, and one mistake or great shot from either of them could be the difference in what should be one of the closely contested matches of the day.
The pick: Halved

Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker (USA) vs. Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher (Europe)
3:15 a.m., eastern
The skinny: Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker teamed to go undefeated at last year’s Presidents Cup. And I see no reason that Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher will be able to change that. Stricker’s ball-striking consistency and clutch putting ability serve as the rock of this partnership. It allows Woods’ to play aggressively and take the risks that make him one of the all-time greats. Fisher—a wonderful driver of the ball—and Poulter—a great putter—will put up a fight. But despite everything Woods has been through in the last year, Stricker should help him feel like the Tiger of old.
The pick: USA, 3 and 2

Bubba Watson (USA) and Jeff Overton vs. Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington (Europe)
3:30 a.m., eastern
The skinny: This pairing has abject disaster written all over it for Team USA. I like Jeff Overton and Bubba Watson a lot. Both of them can be extremely successful in this format. But both of them are also nervous, excitable players. And for Corey Pavin to put them out there together—without an experienced player—for their first Ryder Cup experience was a big mistake, no matter who they played. But they’re going up against two of the most seasoned and successful European golfers in Donald and Harrington. This one could get ugly quickly. I just hope it doesn’t negatively effect Watson and Overton for the rest of the Cup, because paired with the right person (see Jim Furyk or Zach Johnson) both of these guys can be successful.
The pick: Europe, 5 and 4

What to expect in the afternoon…
Expect all the golfers who sat in the morning to play: Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan (still can’t figure that one out) for the USA and Edoardo Molinari, Francesco Molinari, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Peter Hanson for Europe.

The “afternoon” matches start at 10:15 a.m. Eastern. The Molinari brothers will almost certainly play together. Don’t be surprised to see Rickie Fowler with Phil Mickelson or Hunter Mahan. I would also fully expect to see Tiger Woods back out there with Steve Stricker.

Now, if we could only be lucky enough to see Woods square off against Rory McIlroy on Friday afternoon. Remember, a couple of months ago, McIlroy said he’d fancy his chances against Woods in a match. Woods tends to remember comments like that. It would be fun to see him and the USA try to exact some revenge.

AP Photo