Ryder Cup Preview - Scotland Welcomes Back The Ryder Cup

By Kieran Clark on Thursday, September 25th 2014
Ryder Cup Preview - Scotland Welcomes Back The Ryder Cup

The first tee will be something truly special. A palpable energy will warm up a September morning in Scotland, with thousands of keen eyes gazing upon four golfing gladiators at 7:35AM on Friday. Whether European or American, they will face a test of nerve that has unsettled many of the game’s greats down the years. Some will thrive, while some may wither. But all will experience something that has not been seen in four decades. A Ryder Cup in Scotland.

Much has changed since 1973. At the time, the Watergate Scandal had engulfed Washington DC, dominating news coverage across the globe. And it remains a year significant in the history of the Ryder Cup – golf’s biennial showpiece – with the event being contested in Scotland for the first time. And this week, after four decades, it is back.

It has taken 41 years for the Ryder Cup to make its return to the land forever enshrined as the ‘Home of Golf’, with the rolling hills of Perthshire serving as a tranquil backdrop for what is a keenly anticipated match between the best players of Europe and the United States of America.

The contest is unrecognisable from the comparatively low key affair of 1973 at Muirfield, where Jackie Burke’s American team claimed a six-point victory over Bernard Hunt’s Great Britain & Ireland squad. Since then, continental Europe has added into the mix, which has ushered in an era of dominance for its players; winning 10 of the last 14 editions of the event that was officially inaugurated in 1927.

The whole scale of the event has changed dramatically. Tens of thousands of spectators will descend on Gleneagles during the week, with an infrastructure rivalling a small town welcoming them to the course. The rampant commercialisation of the event is a regret, with the contest becoming a money making machine that receives an incredible (and somewhat ludicrous) level of hype.

However, once the first match tees off; competition at its purest form will dominant proceedings. While most other sports involve two competitors (or teams) facing each other, golf is unique in the respect in a sporting sense that it generally isn’t adversarial. But the Ryder Cup adds that head-to-head dynamic and all of the elements that it entails.

Another ingredient that makes the Ryder Cup so appetising is momentum. Specifically how quickly it can shift. The course of matches can change dramatically in a short space of time, as can the direction of the overall contest – which was demonstrated so extraordinarily by Europe at Medinah two years ago.

That ‘Miracle at Medinah’ positions Europe as the defending side at Gleneagles this week. In Paul McGinley they have a man who has spent the best part of a decade honing his skills as a potential captain. Analytical, well-spoken and likeable, the Irishman ticks all the boxes that you could hope for in a Ryder Cup captain, with his competitive edge best illustrated by holing the winning putt at The Belfry in 2002.

His team isn’t bad either. In Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose they have four of the world’s top six ranked players, with Martin Kaymer (who sunk the defining putt at Medinah) this year’s Players and US Open champion.

Europe’s “big five” is certainly eye catching, and that is before you run through the rest of the team that includes Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Graeme McDowell – all of whom have created some of the side’s most iconic moments in recent years.

Thomas Bjorn (a former winner at Gleneagles) returns to the contest after a 12 year absence, with three rookies also hoping to play their part in yet another Ryder Cup success for Europe.

Jamie Donaldson follows in the footsteps of Ian Woosnam, Brian Huggett and Philip Price in flying the flag for Wales in a Ryder Cup, with the enigmatic Victor Dubuisson perhaps the most intriguing character on either side. No player will receive a more rapturous reception than Stephen Gallacher, as he fulfils the ultimate dream of playing in the Cup on home soil.

The 39-year-old Scot, nephew of Ryder Cup legend Bernard Gallacher, follows in his uncle’s footsteps in appearing on home soil, with the experience of this week surely ranking as the pinnacle in the likable Bathgate-native’s career.

It is undoubtedly a strong looking and well led European side, but underestimate Tom Watson’s United States team at your peril.

The 65-year-old, eight-time major champion makes a return to the captaincy after 21 years since he led the US to their last victory away from home. Serving as the ‘stage manager’ for his players, Watson brings a steely grit and determination that some believe has been lacking from American players in recent times.

But there can be no doubt that this US team is determined to bring the Cup the home. The defeat at Medinah proved damaging, it hurt. Redemption has been a popular adjective for the Americans, who will be without Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson, coming into this week.

Overall, you can make a case that the US has a stronger 12 than Europe. The average world ranking of both sides would support that assertion, and there are many obvious pairings in their team – a crucial aspect for any Ryder Cup team. In fact, the US has dominated the fourball and foursomes session in recent times, winning six of the last eleven in the past three editions.

In Bubba Watson, Mickelson, Furyk, Bradley and Simpson, the United States has a team bustling with major champions who may thrive on a Jack Nicklaus designed course that looks more American than Scottish. Jordan Spieth, Jimmy Walker and Patrick Reed all look to be rookies who have the potential to excel this week. But it is Rickie Fowler who may prove to the US version of Ian Poulter – the talismanic figure who leads by example. The 25-year-old has enjoyed a fantastic season and makes his second appearance in the Ryder Cup – after missing Medinah.

With a strong looking and compatible US Team in attendance, this will be much closer than some may think. The last two editions have been clinched by Europe by the slimmest of margins, and the next three days may well produce something similar. Captain Watson may yet add the Ryder Cup to his four Open triumphs on Scottish soil.

When it is a close contest, there is nothing more thrilling in golf than the Ryder Cup. If so, it will be a quite fantastic spectacle of sporting drama. It has taken the Ryder Cup 41 years to make its return to Scotland, but it may well leave having experienced one of its greatest editions in the Scottish heartlands of Perthshire. 

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