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MI Golf Holidays

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01

Oct
Mon

How the European team missed a double victory

By Cliff Schrock During the opening and closing ceremonies of the 39th Ryder Cup, organizing dignitaries invoked the name of Samuel Ryder and cited the sportsmanship and goodwill he hoped to inspire by having a competition between golfers from America and, at the time, Britain. The fact that the English seed-and-garden merchant was also a justice of the peace explains why he liked seeing golfers react judiciously and with fairness in competitive moments. So how did the conclusion of the Europeans' victory fit in with how Ryder wanted the two sides to compete? Not too well, and the lack of a gesture of the type seen in the Ryder Cups of 1969 and 1999 did nothing to keep filtering out hostility that festers between the sides over past slights. Related: How the U.S. lost After Europe had clinched retaining the cup following Martin Kaymer's par putt on the 18th green in his match with Steve Stricker, the final singles match between Francesco Molinari and Tiger Woods was left in limbo back in the middle of the fairway. The awkwardness of even finishing the match was now in question. Woods was leading, and certainly began 18 with the hope that his full point, combined with a Stricker half-point if he could win 18, would allow the United States to escape with a victory after a huge European comeback. Woods would have salvaged a major moment in 2012 by taking the winning point. But after Kaymer's 1-up victory gave Europe its 14th point, and Europe's massive victory celebration in front of the green held up play, was there even a need to finish the match? Dave Kindred: Europe gets a little help from above There certainly was, out of Samuel Ryder fairness to Woods and Molinari, who had battled hard up to that point, expecting that their result would have meaning. In fairness, it was worth letting them play their second shots to see how the advantage played out. But when they stood nearly next to each other with similar-length par putts, the situation begged for a "good-good" conclusion, each conceding the other's putt. The result would have been a Woods 1-up victory, an overall 14-14 tie, but Europe still keeping its hands on the cup for another two years. But after Woods missed, he conceded Molinari's putt, giving him the hole and a halve in the match. So why was no "good-good" deed done? During questioning afterward, Molinari said he was told after Kaymer clinched that he needed to play out the hole because there was significance in getting to a score of 14 1/2 rather than 14. Woods had beaten Molinari, 4 and 3, in 2010, so perhaps it was felt getting a halve would be significant for the Italian. Woods said he conceded the par putt because it meant nothing by then and Europe had already kept the cup. Molinari, in just his second Ryder Cup, had the lesser pedigree and was only doing what he was told to do. Related: Sunday's winners and losers from Medinah But an opportunity was missed for the European team to have a double victory at Medinah. If the final match was allowed to end with a halve on 18 for a Woods victory and 14-14 tie, it would have demonstrated that Ryder's code of fairness has stayed foremost among the minds of players and captains. The Europeans would have demonstrated a respect for the effort and huge advantage the Americans had made to go into Sunday with a 10-6 lead. A tie would have given the home crowd and madly supportive Chicago-area crowd a kiss on the cheek for how much they made the event a success with their financial backing. It would have been a "thank you" to the state trooper who made sure time-zone confused Rory McIlroy didn't miss his tee time. And the tie would have followed some notable gestures of its kind, such as Jack Nicklaus' famous concession in 1969 with Tony Jacklin, which ensured an overall tie, and, quite interestingly, something that occurred in 1999, the year a team -- the Americans -- first came back from a 10-6 deficit to win. After the U.S. had clinched that comeback, and Payne Stewart was left on the 18th green to finish with Colin Montgomerie in the last singles match, Stewart conceded a birdie putt to Montgomerie, which gave Monty a 1-up victory. Stewart showed sportsmanship, character and compassion, the latter for verbal abuse Montgomerie had been getting from the gallery. After a missed chance to follow Nicklaus' thinking that it's not in the spirit of the game to ruin a week's worth of golf with some potential animosity, we leave Medinah with the question: If a concession was good enough in 1969 for a tie, and a good-will gesture made in 1999 after a victory is assured, why was it not possible in 2012? (Photo by Getty Images)

01

Oct
Mon

The Ryder Cup: An All-Star game that actually matters

By Lou Riccio The Ryder Cup is among the most exciting competitions in sports, and this one was no exception. The outcome was not what I would have preferred, but it was riveting right to the finish. The intrigue behind the Ryder Cup could be attributed to national pride, or rival golf tours competing for world recognition and dominance. But the simple reason is the importance players place on it. Related: How the U.S. lost the Ryder Cup Professional golfers understand this is a unique competition. They change their lives and schedules to qualify for the team. When you hear players talk about the Ryder Cup, they desperately want to make the team because it establishes their place in golf. Why? Because the Ryder Cup is golf's All-Star game. Photo by Getty ImagesMaking the team establishes the golfer as one of the best. The players take making the team as recognition of their ranking among their peers. And once on the team there is pressure to prove you deserve to be there. Dave Kindred: Europe gets a little help from above Not only is it golf's all-star game, this is the one all-star game in sports that actually matters. It is the one in which people care about the outcome, from players on down. Do people really care whether the American League beats the National League in baseball. In football making the Pro Bowl is great, but the game is all about not getting injured. Who cares who wins? The same for the NHL All-Star Game. And in the NBA All-Star Game, defense is optional. Those are all showcase events without any real meaning. Can you image a post-mortem press conference for one of those? A baseball player feeling badly that his league didn't win or a hockey goalie traumatized for life for having let a puck in the net to lose the game? The Ryder Cup is very different. In some ways, unlike the other sports, it is the biggest event in golf. It is big-time sports. As I said above, national sporting rivalries and golf tour rivalries are at stake. But it is even bigger for the players. Ryder Cup records are part of a player's legacy. They are an element in Hall of Fame calculations. Since golf is almost always an individual sport, a golfer's record in the Cup walks with them as they face the competition even in stroke play events. Related: Sunday's winners and losers from Medinah Although I didn't like the outcome, both teams should be proud to be the best of their respective tours. Being an all-star is very special. Now if we can only figure out how our all-stars can beat their all-stars! Lou Riccio, Ph.D, a professor at Columbia University, provides statistical analysis for Golf Digest Live

01

Oct
Mon

Trending: Animated Ryder Cup is better than reality

By Derek Evers Were you sick and tired of listening to all of the self-congratulatory rhetoric at this year's Ryder Cup? You know, how great it all was, and despite losing in epic fashion, Davis Love III was still proud of his team? Don't you just wish someone would come along and paraphrase what really happened in Taiwanese and provide an animated re-cap with over-characterized battle scenes of the Europeans as knights in shining armor and the Americans as pizza-eating Uncle Sam's? Well, you're in luck. Follow @derekevers !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

01

Oct
Mon

Berry, Runas take top college honors

By Ryan HerringtonGOLF WORLD COLLEGE PLAYER OF THE WEEKSept. 24-30MENTom Berry, San Diego StateThe senior from England entered the final round atop the leader board at the Ping/Golfweek Preview on the Capital City Club's Crabapple...

01

Oct
Mon

The Ancient Twitterer At The Ryder Cup

Highlights of Golf Digest Writer-at-Large Dan Jenkins tweeting from the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah.

30

Sep
Sun

Crazy happened, and Seve saw it

By Dave Kindred MEDINAH, Ill. -- This story begins on a sandy beach in the north of Spain. A boy with an old 3-iron. Hitting stones. Severiano Ballesteros, who in time would work magic. Better with a 3-iron out of a greenside bunker than most men with a sand wedge. Seve would win in ways no one else could imagine. To call him beautiful is to be precise, for he came to the world with looks and charm and with a gift of talent that he shared with us all. He died a year ago, 54 years old, a cancer in his brain. He was in Chicago this week. Photo: Montana Pritchard/Getty Images Sunday morning , before anyone struck a golf shot in this Ryder Cup, the European captain, Jose-Maria Olazabal, told a reporter, "I felt Seve in the team room last night." They'd been friends and partners, Ballesteros and Olazabal. Both won the Masters. They won and lost Ryder Cups together. They shared life. Sewn into the left sleeve of the European team's shirts for the Sunday singles competition, Olazabal had asked for the iconic image of Seve, an arm raised, Seve triumphant. This was the kind of day Seve Ballesteros lived for. It was a day when something gets done that no one thought could be done. To win the Ryder Cup, the Europeans needed an historic, unprecedented comeback. They needed to win 8 of 12 singles points on the other team's home course. They won 8.5. Related: Five biggest Ryder Cup Goats They won those points against an American dozen that had nearly turned the thing into a rout in the first two days. As the shadows lengthened at Medinah Country Club late Saturday afternoon, the U.S. led, 10-4. With 14 points available, needing only 4 ¿ to win, a certain confidence settled on the Americans -- until, in Saturday's last two four-ball matches, the Europeans produced unlikely victories. Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald defeated Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker. Then came Ian Poulter, the fire-breathing Englishman, "a cross between Rod Stewart and Sid Vicious," broadcaster Peter Jacobsen called him. Came Ian Poulter with five straight birdies on the last five holes to beat Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson. There, in Poulter's work, was the turning point in this story. Poulter recognized it. "It was amazing to see the atmosphere change in that team room," he said. "The spirit, I mean, it just changed. ... All week we'd been beaten quite clearly, and we just felt there was that little glimmer of hope." Two hours into Sunday's rounds, the glimmer had grown to a glow. Midway through most of the 12 matches, the Europeans led three and were all-square in seven. Suddenly, the game was afoot. On a golden autumn day, with Medinah's thousands of trees blazing orange, red, and yellow, the Ryder Cup became the best sports event in America. Better than any World Series spread over two midnight-oil weeks ... better than any NBA Finals, because, really, Oklahoma City? ... better than any Super Bowl because Mother Nature's spectacle is better than anything the NFL can create ... better, mostly, because the Ryder Cup is golf, and golf, more than any sport, gives us real narratives that, in the best of its stories, cause us to wonder how in hell anybody can breathe let alone draw it back for a shot over a pond the approximate size of the Atlantic. Related: Winners & Losers from the 2012 Ryder Cup Then the blue went up on the scoreboards, the European blue. The Scotsman, Paul Lawrie, defeated Brandt Snedeker, 5-and-3. That wasn't supposed to happen. Then Rory McIlroy defeated Keegan Bradley, 2-and-1 -- this after McIlroy had lost track of Illinois time and needed a state-trooper escort to reach Medinah 12 minutes before his tee time. Next, Poulter defeated Webb Simpson, 2-up, and he talked, haltingly, of "this good man on my left sleeve right now that's going to pull us through this." A fantasy, that. But the signs were there for those who would see. It turns out that McIlroy can make six birdies in Ryder Cup play without warming up, unless stuffing a breakfast sandwich into one's mouth while putting on one's shoes is warm-up enough at age 23. Soon enough, three Europeans had chipped in for birdies from distances as great as 100 feet. Lee Westwood heard silence and knew what it meant during his match with Matt Kuchar: "Quiet... then you knew that when you start hearing fans, 'Matt, we need you, they are under pressure." The story is things we didn't know. "A Ryder Cup is not for the faint of heart," Poulter said, and the Belgian Nicolas Colsearts said, "It gets you through the guts." The Canadian sportswriter Bruce Arthur, in a tweet, called the developing story a mash-up of "Happy Gilmore and an Idiocracy Presidential convention." Meaning, let's guess, that Arthur liked the goofy improbability of it all. "It's what golf is all about," U.S. team captain Davis Love III said. Now we have seen Keegan Bradley on fire. We have seen Jason Dufner impervious. Tiger Woods, the ultimate soloist, came down the first fairway this morning to cheer for a teammate. Zach Johnson has iron in his spine. All those Europeans, with their stout hearts, earned this Ryder Cup; with the Cup at stake, they made 51 birdies to the Americans' 44. This after trailing in birdies the first two days, 99-74. Related: Memorable Ryder Cup celebrations Whoever wrote this implausible story foreshadowed its end early. The fourth American out, Phil Mickelson seemed to have a critical point won only to see the Englishman Justin Rose steal it by rolling in three straight putts on the last three holes, the last two for heroic birdies. And Rose said of his last stroke, "As soon as I holed that putt, and as soon as I came off the green, my first thought was of Seve." There were groups behind, the story moving quickly to its end now. "He's been an inspiration for this team all week long, and who knows, if something crazy happens today, I know that were are going to be looking upwards." Crazy happened. Seve saw it. Follow @DaveKindred !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

30

Sep
Sun

Media: Johnny Miller and the missing C word

(Getty Images photo) By John Strege The word with which Johnny Miller, broadcaster, is most closely associated went conspicuously missing at the Ryder Cup on Sunday, even as the U.S. team methodically unraveled, its insurmountable lead surmountable after all. Miller never mentioned the word "choke," though the U.S. team squandered a 10-6 lead and lost 14 1/2-13 1/2. We can only surmise the criticism he has taken for using the word freely over the years has had an effect on him. He flirted with the word, at least. "You could say this is the colossal collapse in Chicago," Miller said after Steve Stricker fell behind Martin Kaymer on the 17th hole in the penultimate match, putting the U.S. at a disadvantage. "America has played really poorly on the finishing holes today, which has allowed this to happen. It really is a collapse." Mark Rolfing also ventured into the vicinity of the word, when after a poor bunker shot by Jim Furyk (shown above) in a tight match at the 17th hole he faced a 15-foot par putt to maintain a 1-up lead over Sergio Garcia. "It's been a long summer for Jim Furyk in terms of finishing things off in big situations," Rolfing said. Furyk missed the putt, then lost the 18th hole and the match. Monty: 'Absolutely ridiculous' Rory McIlroy was savaged for arriving at Medinah Country Club only 11 minutes prior to his Ryder Cup tee time on Sunday. Good thing for his sake he won his match against Keegan Bradley. The outspoken Colin Montgomerie was most critical, eviscerating McIlroy as well as European captain Jose Maria Olazabal and his assistants and his caddie J.P. Fitzgerald. "That's absolutely ridiculous on this level," Montgomerie said during his stint in the NBC booth. "Quite unbelievable...the world number one golfer. How this happened I do not know. "Where's the captain? Where are the vice captains? Where's his caddie? We were fortunate that he's the one guy, the most natural player on our team, that didn't need to practice. If we had a Faldo or Langer we'd be in trouble." NBC's Roger Maltbie, meanwhile, was waxing on how impressed he was that McIlroy arrived so late, yet "walked onto the first tee with a smile and went about his business." "It was embarrassing though," Miller said. "I wouldn't argue with that," Maltbie replied. Shanks for the memory It's no secret that Miller often invokes his own experiences in his analysis, but he had two prime opportunities to do so on Sunday and said nothing. -- When Webb Simpson shanked his tee shot at the eighth hole, Miller said, "That was one of the fastest swings I think I've ever seen. That's a bad feeling when you've got national TV, Ryder Cup, all these fans, and to think, 'oh, am I going to do it again.' You hit with a shank and people never forget it." He was speaking from experience, though he failed to inform the audience of that. In the 1972 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, Miller was in contention on the 16th hole of the final round, when he shanked a shot. He went on to lose to Jack Nicklaus in a playoff. -- Instructor Jim McLean, who counts Keegan Bradley among his students, posted this on Twitter regarding McIlroy's tardiness and inability to hit balls prior to the starting his round: "A number of great players hit no balls prior to teeing off. One was Johnny Miller. Wonder if Johnny will mention this?" He did not. A graphic reminder NBC put up a graphic showing those who have gone undefeated in Ryder Cups, and Larry Nelson appeared twice, once going 5-0, once 4-0. It was a reminder of a glaring oversight on the PGA of America's part, that it never made Nelson a U.S. Ryder Cup captain. Nelson won two PGA Championships and a U.S. Open and played on three Ryder Cup teams. On Twitter Steve Flesch: "I still can't help but to think how big a mistake it was sitting Phil and Keegan yesterday. Every point matters. Strick and Tiger 1-7"Michelle Wie: "Watching the tv while covering my eyes. I cant watch this....so nervous!! #rydercup #gousa" Follow @JohnStrege !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

30

Sep
Sun

Confused McIlroy narrowly avoids missing tee time

By Bill FieldsMEDINAH, Ill. - As the 11:25 CDT starting time approached Sunday at the Ryder Cup, there was one small problem for Europe.Before teeing off, McIlroy had to assure a concerned captain Jose Maria Olazabal. Photo by Getty ImagesIts biggest name, two-time major champion Rory McIlroy, wasn't at Medinah CC. "All of a sudden, we realized Rory wasn't here," said European captain Jose Maria Olazábal.McIlroy, back at the hotel watching pre-match coverage on television, apparently was confused by the fact that the tee times were being listed in EDT. He thought he had about 90 minutes to spare. He actually only had about half an hour.With the aid of a police escort, McIlory was driven to Medinah and arrived at 11:14 a.m. CDT, 11 minutes before he was to tee off.A few putts, a few swings with a couple of clubs without hitting any practice balls, an energy bar and McIlroy was off to the first tee, where the pro-American gallery had some fun."Cen-tral Time Zone," they chanted. McIlroy pushed his opening tee shot but halved the first hole with a par. Follow @BillFields1 !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

30

Sep
Sun

The Reasons Team U.S.A. Lost

We examine the events that led up to the U.S. loss at the Ryder Cup

29

Sep
Sat

Huggan: Will the real Rory McIlroy please stand up?

By John Huggan Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesMEDINAH, Ill. -- "They're playing well; they're having fun." That was US captain Davis Love's smiling verdict on the so-far dominating performance of his own side as the second series of four-ball matches in this 39th Ryder Cup neared their conclusion. Across the way, however, things were very different. For the increasingly beleaguered European side, led by world number one Rory McIlroy, the defense of Samuel Ryder's gold trophy has been hard going almost from the very first tee-shot. Anything else would have been at least mildly surprising, even in the wake of what was his second victory in four matches, but McIlroy was looking pretty fed up. More than that, the 23-year old Ulsterman appeared flat, done in and unlikely to be fully prepared -- either mentally or physically -- for yet another Ryder Cup match less than 24 hours later. Related: Memorable Ryder Cup celebrations Even the presence of the ever-lively Ian Poulter alongside him in their four-ball encounter with Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson had failed to rejuvenate one of golf's most appealing figures. His making a mere two birdies during a tough last-green win over the Americans was proof enough of that fact. Only two birdies? On a course with little or no rough? Will the real Rory please stand up? Which is not to say, through what has clearly been a fairly traumatic two days, that McIlroy ever stopped giving his all, or making all the right noises. "I'll really enjoy the intensity Ian brings," he said just after a morning loss with his compatriot and close pal, Graeme McDowell. "I'll enjoy feeding off him. We'll feed off each other hopefully and try to get a blue point on the board." Related: Rory McIlory swing sequence But it wasn't to be, even when Poulter turned the game by finishing with an astonishing five successive birdies. While the glorious McIlroy rhythm and swing were flowing as smoothly as ever, there was no spark or life about the two time major champion's game. Especially on the greens, where a succession of makeable putts slid by without ever really looking as if they might drop, it was a struggle. On the last green his putt for birdie came up short, which aptly summed up his day. Still, McIlroy was understandably happy with the eventual result, even if its sole purpose was to pull the visiting side to within four points of their hosts with only 12 singles matches to play. "It was great to be a part of that," he said. "Ian was incredible and deserves all the credit for our win." Significantly, he didn't have much to say about his own play. For once, the world's best golfer looked like nothing more than a young man in need of his bed.Follow @JohnHuggan !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");