With the sun yet to rise on Valhalla on Day 2 of the 2008 Ryder Cup, here is a selection of press analysis on the exciting happenings of Day 1 and some thoughts on what is to come on Day 2
- The Louisville Courier-Journal accurately captures the essence of Day 1 with their Pumped-up jump start headline.
Referring to the intensity of the crowd, Kim said: “It feels like I’m playing for the Lakers, and it’s the championship against the Celtics. It’s amazing. It’s a dream come true to be out here, and the fans in Kentucky are tremendous. This was a great day.”
- Despite sinking some heroic putts, Europe’s #1 player Padraig Harrington only managed to return a half-point from his two outings. The Irish Independent focuses on how things didn’t work out on the 18th green.
The script and recent history insisted Harrington’s putt must drop, giving European fans in the massive 40,000- strong gallery the opportunity to cheer one of the Ryder Cup’s greatest escapes … yet golf balls don’t follow any script. They merely go where they’re hit and Harrington’s Titleist rolled a good three feet past the hole on the high side.
- One of the heroes of Day 1 was Boooooo Weekley. As the afternoon progressed, every single movement that Boo made was greeted by huge roars of “Booooooooooo!!” from his adoring fans. At times, Boo resembled an orchestral conductor as he waved encouragement to the crowd. This apparently didn’t go down too well with some of the Europeans, as reported by the New York Post.
“You walk a fine line when you start doing that sort of thing – between using the crowd to your advantage when you’re at home, which you do by playing good golf, which they were doing – and going over the line where you take it too far,” Westwood said.
- The Telegraph ponders the surprise absence of Westwood and Garcia from the Saturday foursomes. Only time will tell if this gamble by Nick Faldo is inspired or merely an act of desperation. Azinger’s reaction reveals a lot.
Opposite number Paul Azinger was in the middle of a press conference when he was handed the pairings and could not hide a smile, although he was diplomatic when asked about the duo’s omission.
Tags: Ryder Cup 2008, Ryder Cup News
