With the score standing at Europe 5 USA 3, the action begins all over again on Saturday morning at 8am with these pairings:
8.00: Cink/Henry v Casey/Karlsson
8.15: Mickelson/DiMarco v Garcia/Olazabal
8.30: Woods/Furyk v Clarke/Westwood
8.45: Verplank/Johnson v Stenson/Harrington
Tom Lehman is sticking with his two heavyweight pairings and understandably brings back JJ Henry, who was the star performer of the morning on the US team. Scott Verplank gets his first taste of the K-Club leaving Vaughn Taylor to hang out on the range for another day.
Three European pairings almost picked themselves but the Stenson/Harrington combination will raise a few eyebrows. It’s a novel pairing but if both can find their best form, they should have the game to beat their opponents. Both Luke Donald and David Howell will be disappointed not to be involved but may well feature in the afternoon.
Technorati tags ryder cup, golf
Players win Ryder Cups and Captains lose them:
The American captain Tom Lehman may be questioning his decision to withhold two of his players on day one of play. Vaughn Taylor and Scott Verplank were the only two players to sit out both sessions today and with the Americans two points down, there is now added pressure on the pair to perform on their first competitive outing of the competition this morning.
Verplank is known for his accuracy off the tee and his putting, two key elements in match play. He was the first player to make his Ryder Cup debut as a captain’s pick in 2002
Unbelievably Taylor has never competed in any form of match play.
Golf is primarily about mental strength and self-belief.
Ian Woosnam selected what he believed to be the best squad of European players available to him, if you believe you have the best players then you have to step back and let them do their thing. By throwing all his players into the arena on day one Woosnam showed unconditional confidence in his team and this can only have a positive mental effect on all of his players.
My personal view is that Ian Woosnam is currently ahead in the psychology battle, by stepping back and allowing his player’s to play he is giving them responsibility for their own destiny and when you consider the efforts put in by some of the players to gain selection (Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley, Lee Westwood) and the enthusiasm of Sergio Garcia we could very well see a third Europen victory in a row on Sunday.
But then again, maybe the Americans will win….