Fans’ behaviour has not reached the levels of Brookline in 1999 but some of the worse actions have left a bad taste in the mouthFinding appropriate context or comparison for the behaviour of spectators at a Ryder Cup is not particularly easy.Golf has no team equivalent of similar profile. Chanting or cat-calling does not even approach the territory of football matches. If the sense of tribal atmosphere was removed from the galleries completely, the definition of the Ryder Cup would be damaged. What we have witnessed over two fiercely competitive days at Hazeltine has not reflected the routinely nasty scenario of Brookline in 1999. Related: Ryder Cup 2016: USA lead Europe 6½-5½, day two fourballs – live! Continue reading...
Some things are more traditional than others when it comes to the 41st match-up, but all are likely to have a place at Hazeltine in Minnesota this weekendThe first thing that happened at the inaugural Ryder Cup in 1927 was the team captains played each other. Back then there was no doubting the importance of the captain, leaders on and off the course. But since 1963, when Arnold Palmer became the last to also wield his clubs, the role has become partly tactical, partly motivational and largely about turning up to press conferences and flirting with sponsors. Perhaps it was because the captains started to feel a little unimportant that the role of vice-captain was invented, because only exceedingly important...
Before the first Ryder Cup since the Brexit vote, the Guardian’s European correspondents assess the public mood in their countries, and how much people really care about the competitionRyder Cup competitor: Henrik Stenson Related: Ryder Cup 2016: Europe’s togetherness is more organic, claims Rory McIlroy Related: Davis Love III: If USA keep losing, people are going to quit watching the Ryder Cup Continue reading...
It is remarkable that in an event where the sport is so electrifying, golf is merely a plot device and Hazeltine promises more multi-faceted conflict than everEven in more placid recent times, the Ryder Cup has always been the fiercest culture war in all sport. America versus Europe. The individuals versus the team. Lone wolves versus the pack. Unabombers versus cells. Sex addiction versus sex. It is quite remarkable, in an event where the sport itself is frequently so electrifying, that it should rarely attain much more than the level of a plot device in the wider story. Related: The Joy Of Six: great Ryder Cup moments Continue reading...