Archive for July, 2008

After the Open – random thoughts

Monday, July 28th, 2008

With the 2008 Open Championship now part of golf history, here are some random thoughts on where we stand for the 2008 Ryder Cup:

  • It’s not the same without Tiger. It’s difficult to know if Tiger would have been competing for the lead in windy Royal Birkdale but what is certain is that the tournament wasn’t quite as exciting as it might have been with Tiger in the field. Greg Norman’s surprise performance injected some real drama into the weekend but the reality is that TV viewing numbers, especially in the US, were down on last year. (more…)

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US Ryder Cup Points 2008

Thursday, July 24th, 2008

UPDATED (24 July 2008): The latest standings for the US Ryder Cup team are shown below. This is following the latest qualifying events and also takes into account the news that Tiger Woods will be missing from the Ryder Cup this year. 

Don’t forget that the new US Ryder Cup qualification system is in place so there are only 8 rather than 10 automatic qualification spots this year. 

2008 US Ryder Cup Points – (24 July 2008)
Position Player Points
1 Stewart Cink 4906
2 Phil Mickelson 4570
3 Kenny Perry 4445
4 Jim Furyk 4186
5 Anthony Kim 3807
6 Justin Leonard 3278
7 Boo Weekley 2592
8 Steve Stricker 2557

 

With time running out the really interesting part is looking at who is hovering just outside the top eight with time running out and opportunities to earn those valuable points running out.  Listed below are those who are just outside the automatic qualification spots.

 

9 Woody Austin 2381
10 Rocco Mediate 2204
11 Hunter Mahan 2172
12 D.J. Trahan 2132
13 Zach Johnson 2102
14 Brandt Snedeker 2088
15 Jeff Quinney 2014
16 J.B. Holmes 1979
17 Bart Bryant 1900
18 Sean O’hair 1804
19 Ben Curtis 1787
20 Jerry Kelly 1753

 

There is a lot of players bunched up just below this and if you want to see all 204 players who currently have some US Ryder Cup points see here.

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Posted in Ryder Cup News, Team USA | 3 Comments »

Padraig Harrington Open Victory

Monday, July 21st, 2008

Congratulations to Padraig Harrington who successfully defended his Open Title over the weekend at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport. Padraig is the first European in over a century to win the Open back to back and shares the feat with Tiger Woods who won it in 2005 and 2006.

In a confident display Harrington saw off Greg Norman, who emerged as a surprise contender and led going into the final round. Harrington finished with 4 shots in hand at 18th. The weather was foul over the weekend with high winds and rain, which meant the scores were quite high – Harrington ending up 3 over for the tournament.

This win will see Padraig safely on the European Ryder Cup team, and by the looks of this tournament he will be a major force on the team.

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Tiger Woods turns down Ryder Cup Vice Captaincy

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

Tiger Woods has stirred up all the usual Tiger/Ryder controversies with his refusal to accept the Vice Captaincy offered by Paul Azinger. On Tiger’s official website he says:

“I’m not on the team,” and “The event should be about the competitors and the competition. The guys will have plenty on their minds and I wish them the best. I’ll be cheering loudly.”

Azinger obviously felt that the event and the US team would benefit by the presence of the world’s No 1 ranked player, however Tiger is not going to play ball. Is this simply a manifestation of Tiger’s single-minded determination and focus (this time on healing his knee) or is it, as many are claiming, evidence that Tiger just doesn’t care about the Ryder Cup, the Team or representing the US? I guess it we’ll never really know but it certainly adds to the media entertainment factor as pro-Tiger and anti-Tiger journalists slug it out!

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Posted in Ryder Cup News | 8 Comments »

Ryder Cup Memorabilia

Thursday, July 10th, 2008

Ryder Cup 1931

There’s a very interesting Golfing Memorabilia auction next Monday (14th of July 2008) at Bonhams in Chester in the UK. Amongst the treasure trove of items are some exciting Ryder Cup pieces. Lot 115 is The ‘Third Biennial International Dinner’ menu 25 June 1931 – the front cover signed with 12 player’s autographs to include George Duncan, Walter Hagen, Arthur Havers, Fred Robson, Abe Mitchell, Billy Burke together with the Mayor of Columbus and the Governor of Ohio.
With an estimate of £2,000 – £3,000

For further details contact the auction house:

Bonhams
New House
150 Christleton Road
Chester, Cheshire
CH3 5TD
Tel: +44 (0)1244 313 936
Fax: +44 (0)1244 340 028

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