Tom Lehman is bringing the US team over to visit the K Club in advance of their forthcoming Ryder Cup campaign. The team will be at the K Club next Monday and Tuesday (28th 29th) to play a few practice rounds. Woods and Mickelson who were previously thought to be set to miss the trip, due to previous commitments, have both now confirmed that they will be there. This gives Tom a crucial opportunity to let the team get to know one and other and work on the team tactics while soaking in the nuances of the Palmer course.
The trip is reported to be costing the PGA in the region of $250,000, which gives us an indication of how serious Tom Lehman is about forging a Team this time around. The US who are billed as the underdogs by pundits, punter and bookmakers can only be an indication of the fact that it is widely believed that the US are lacking in Team spirit (rather than golfing ability). It’s important to bear in mind that some of the characteristics that make Tiger Woods a legend in Pro golf are not conducive to team play and his dismal Ryder Cup record of 7-11-2 speaks for itself.
Unfortunately the public will not be able to see the US team in action during this visit. Although Lehman favoured public attendance, the security and health & safety concerns have prevented any possibility of us getting to see the stars. The construction of the infrastructure required for the opening ceremony is still in progress and would be a nightmare from a safelty perspective.
Not sure that “Warm Up” was the right title for this post! Tom Lehman told reporter that “It’s been cold, windy and rainy but good” after a pretty miserable day at the K Club today. Mind you, that may be just the weather the team needs to get them used to the fickle weather over here…
Thanks about the info regarding changing ticket details. My friend and I bought two tickets for Saturday locally in N.Ireland and were able to get the details for one of the people and most of the other. As the two names were on the same application I was able to supply rcts with n application number as well. I submitted the info this morning to names@rcts.co.uk as you suggested but I haven’t heard anything as yet. I’ll keep you informed. I also intend to bring two methods of photo ID with me on saturday along with my GUI card and hope that this will help satisfy the security. I note that one of the other bloggers on the BBC website stated that this was sufficient for the pratice days. Have you heard anymore about this?