New faces on the European team?
With just 16 weeks of golf remaining before European captain Nick Faldo finalises his team for Ryder Cup 2008, it does appear likely that the European team will feature quite a few new faces in Valhalla.
Some of the veterans of the 2006 victory, and indeed of many previous victories, will have to play a lot of successful golf to climb back into serious contention for this year’s team. Previous European stalwarts such as Colin Montgomerie, Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Jose-Maria Olazabal are all facing an uphill climb to get themselves into contention on the points lists.
Ryder Cup Captains Spat
You know the Ryder Cup season is firmly in train when the first PR salvos are fired! In a recent article in the UK paper Mail on Sunday Paul Azinger loosed the following shot across Nick Faldo’s bow…
“Nick Faldo has tried to redefine himself,” “I’d say he is both who he is and who he was.
“Some people have bought it. Some have not. But if you’re going to be a p***k and everyone hates you, why do you think that just because you’re trying to be cute and funny on air now that the same people are all going to start to like you?”
“The bottom line is that the players from his generation and mine really don’t want to have anything to do with him. He did what he did as a player and there are consequences.”
The Mail on Sunday is not exactly the paper of record and as we all know controversy sells papers however there’s often no smoke without a fire…
Olazabal won’t be teeing it up in September
Jose Maria Olazabal, vice-captain of the European team in this year’s Ryder Cup is almost certainly going to contribute in a non-playing role only. Olazabal has played in seven Ryder Cups, most recently in Ireland in 2006. He has battled bravely against different forms of rheumatism and arthritis for over a decade, famously coming back from crippling arthritis in his foot to win the Augusta Masters in 1999. (Read on …)
Match-play format certainly suits Tiger!
Match-play format, where players compete directly against each other to win each hole, is rarely employed on the major golf tours. This is primarily due to the impracticality of arranging a tournament in head-to-head fashion, in contrast to the standard practice of allowing 100+ professionals to measure themselves against the par of the course. The Accenture Match Play Championship (part of the World Golf Championships series) is one such rare event and has brought the (nominally) Top 64 players in the world together in Tucson, Arizona for five glorious days of mano-a-mano competition.
The next time we see match-play dividing some of these talented players will be in Valhalla in September. (Read on …)
Will a change in format bring a change in outcome?
The captain of the American team for Ryder Cup 2008, Paul Azinger, has already shown great determination to do whatever it takes to wrestle the Cup back to the Americans in Valhalla in September. He introduced a radical shake up to team selection by doubling the size of his personal picks, from two to four, and has transformed the qualification criteria for the other eight players.
Now, he’s requested a change in the format of the competition itself. (Read on …)
Ryder Cup Louisville
Louisville is host to the Ryder Cup 2008, which will be held at Valhalla Golf Club just outside the city in September 2008.
The city is preparing to host the event in style with a wide ranging program planned in the lead up to the Ryder Cup matches. The city is no stranger to major events as it plays host to famed The Kentucky Derby and The Iron Man every year. There is no doubt that Louisville intends to surpass itself for golf’s premier event. Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson has formed a task force comprised of local business executives to create activities surrounding the event that include the entire community. The Governor of Kentucky has formed a similar group on behalf of the Commonwealth.
“The Cup Experience” is expected to draw thousands (Read on …)
Elin Nordegren Woods Settles Case
Elin Nordegren Woods settled her libel case against The Dubliner magazine in the High Court in Dublin for a reported sum of $183,250 and an apology.
She has indicated that the settlement will be donated to a cancer charity in honour of Heather Clarke. (Read on …)
Ryder Cup Gleneagles
The 40th anniversary Ryder Cup matches will be held on the Centenary Course at Gleneagles in 2014.
Gleneagles has a special historic connection with the event as it was here that the precursor of the Ryder Cup was held in 1921. This informal competition between British and American teams was won by the British team which included James Braid, the course designer. (Read on …)
Ryder Cup Information
The Ryder Cup Diary provides comprehensive information on the Ryder Cup. It’s a valuable resource for those who want to attend and are looking for information on the Ryder Cup 2008 at Valhalla or the Ryder Cup 2010 in Wales, for those looking for information on the History of the Ryder Cup and we also have lots of information from the European Team and the US Team for the enthusiast.
On the other hand if you are a Ryder Cup novice and are trying to figure out what it’s all about and how it works we have a Ryder Cup for Dummies introduction…
We welcome any up to date information on the Ryder Cup, Player information, Ticket information, and General Ryder Cup information, so if you want to share something relevant just contact us and we’ll tell the fans…
Hotels for Ryder Cup 2008 Selling Out
If you’re going to Valhalla for the Ryder Cup and you haven’t already found a Ryder Cup Hotel you’d want to sort out your accommodation pronto. Several of the big downtown Louisville hotels, such as The Brown and The Seelbach Hilton, are already sold out for the Ryder Cup dates. Others are selling out fast and the smaller hotels are jacking up the prices to close to their Kentucky Derby rates. With a huge influx of golf fans expected for the event, the availability of good accommodation is likely to become more and more difficult to source. So if you are going to the event or thinking about going you should investigate where you are going to stay quickly.
There are many self catering options available in the area also, which may prove to be a viable alternative although the experience around the K Club was that owner expectations exceeded what golf fans were willing to pay.
McGinley Resigns
Paul McGinley has tendered his resignation as Vice Captain of the Ryder Cup Team for Valhalla.
McGinley who was chosen by Nick Faldo as one of his two assistants for the event back in May has now announced that he would prefer to compete for a playing place on the team.
“On reflection, and after careful consideration, I feel it’s in my best interest to concentrate on playing myself into the team, which I said from the outset was my first objective,”
The timing of this announcement has some of the commentators speculating that all is not well in the European camp (Read on …)
Omega European Masters Kicks Off Race For Valhalla
The race for a place on the European Ryder Cup Team for Valhalla (2008) began today at the Omega European Masters in Switzerland today.
The year long points race to qualify for one of the 10 automatic places on the Ryder Cup 2008 team began with this event in Crans-Sur-Sierre Golf Club in Valais, Switzerland. It’s the first event where European golfers can earn points towards qualification for Nick Faldo’s team who will defend the title against Paul Azinger’s US team.
Five of last years victorious European team are competing in this event Paul Casey, David Howell, Lee Westwood, Robert Karlsson and Darren Clarke.
Centenary Golf Course Criticised by Clarke
Darren Clarke was in the news again today when he slammed the Gleneagles Centenary course as a venue for the 2014 Ryder Cup Matches. The Centenary course was designed by the legendary golfer and course designer Jack Nicklaus, however Clarke’s comments after his first round on the course, while playing in the Johnny Walker Championship, are bound to spark controversy… (Read on …)
US Ryder Cup Points 2008
UPDATED (17 August 2007): The latest standings for the US Ryder Cup team are shown below. This is following the last qualifying event of the year, the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Oklahoma, under the new US Ryder Cup qualification system. There’s a lot of change further down the table but the top three remain the same with Tiger Woods stretching out the gap from first to second even further. Zach Johnson’s win early in the year has held him strongly in contention still. This will be the last change before the race for Ryder Cup points begin in earnest again next year with far more opportunities to earn points available.
Rider Cup
The Ryder Cup is often mis-spelt by those searching for it as Rider Cup.This article is just to alert you to the fact that the event is spelled with a Y after Samuel Ryder the original patron of the event.
The Ryder Diary has a wealth of information on the History, The Teams, The Players. We also have articles on the current News on Tickets, Sponsorship and attending the event.
Floyd, Browne and Stockton Chosen by Azinger
Paul Azinger has announced his assistants for Ryder Cup 2008 - They are Raymond Floyd, Dave Stockton and Olin Browne.
Floyd and Stockton are both former Ryder Cup Captains and Olin is a Tour regular.
Raymond Floyd (64) is a four-time majors champion and a veteran of eight Ryder Cup campaigns, posting a 12-16-3 record and serving as Captain in 1989. He won one of his two PGA Championships at Southern Hills in 1982.
Dave Stockton (64) won PGA Championships in 1970 and 1976. He served on two Ryder Cup Teams, compiling a 3-1-1 record. Stockton was Captain in 1991, when the U.S. edged Europe out at The Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C.
Olin Browne (48) is one of Azinger’s closest friends on Tour, and has had three PGA Tour and four Nationwide Tour victories since joining the PGA Tour in 1995.
Ryder Cup Ticket Fraud
A scam selling Counterfeit Ryder Cup Tickets worth over £10,000 was uncovered in court yesterday. A Welsh man sold fake tickets to unsuspecting golf fans on both sides of the Atlantic by using the online auction site Ebay. The judge imposed a custodial sentence of 9 months on the 22 year old scammer for obtaining money by deception. This conviction comes just a month after a very similar case of a 20 year old from Cwmbran who was also convicted of selling non-existent tickets for the Ryder Cup over eBay.
This highlights the dangers of buying Ryder Cup tickets online. The PGA lottery is the only legitimate source of tickets for the public and the PGA have issued warnings to that tickets are non transferable.
Padraig Harrington Wins the Claret Jug!
A heartfelt congratulations to Padraig Harrington winner of the 2007 British Open at Carnoustie. And what a win it was.
After posting an impeccable round to catch Sergio Garcia, Harrington seemed to fall at the final hurdle through an errant drive on the 18th. Garcia however couldn’t master the 18th either and the dramatic loss of the 1999 Open on the same hole by Jean Van de Velde had to be going through the minds of both players. The four hole playoff couldn’t have started better for Harrington when he managed to leave the first hole with a two stroke lead. Coming up the 18th was nail biting stuff as Harrington chose to (correctly!) lay up and settle for (Read on …)
Sky Sports Sign TV Rights
Sky Sports have signed a deal with the European Tour to guarantee continued Ryder Cup coverage for the UK market.
The new contract will see The Ryder Cup 2010 in Celtic Manor, Wales and The Ryder Cup 2012 in Medinah Country Club, Illinois broadcast live exclusively on Sky Sports with extensive highlights on BBC Sport.
This new contract will mirror those already in place for Europe’s trophy defence at Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky, in 2008 . (Read on …)
Play the Ryder Cup Course at Celtic Manor
The new course designed for the Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor is finally ready to be unveiled! This is the first course to be specifically designed for the Ryder Cup.
Celtic Manor are now offering an exciting opportunity for golf fans to experience the course first hand. The “Ryder Cup Experience” package is available for a limited period only. The cost is £150 per person and all details (Read on …)
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