The final pieces of the Ryder Cup jigsaw were slotted into place on Tuesday as holders Europe, who are to be hosts and heavy favorites later this month, and the US rounded out their 12-man teams with three wild-card picks.
European captain Paul McGinley, spoilt for choice, ultimately went for seasoned Cup veterans in Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, along with 39-year-old rookie Stephen Gallacher.
Later in the day, McGinley’s counterpart, Tom Watson, opted for a blend of experience and form by announcing Keegan Bradley, Hunter Mahan and Webb Simpson as his three picks.
Photo: AFP
While both captains expressed delight and strong faith in their teams, the US will go into the Sept. 26-28 matches at Gleneagles in Scotland with a record of seven losses in the past nine editions.
“The Europeans, on paper, have been touted as being the favorites and we are the underdogs, but I have a fundamental belief in my team,” Watson told a news conference in New York after announcing his selections. “More importantly, our players have a fundamental belief in themselves that they can go and win the Ryder Cup.”
Watson felt that the stinging defeat suffered by the US in the most recent edition, at Medinah outside Chicago in 2012, would serve as his team’s greatest motivation.
“I can tell you that all the players I have talked to, every one of them without a doubt, had one thing to say about the Ryder Cup,” said the 64-year-old, who was captain when the US last won on foreign soil, at The Belfry in 1993.
“They want to go back and they want to make amends for what happened at Medinah two years ago,” Watson said.
Two years ago in what became known as the “Meltdown at Medinah,” the US threw away a commanding four-point lead on the final day to lose by 14.5 points to 13.5.
While the highly motivated US will be looking for redemption at Gleneagles, the Europeans will strive to maintain the iron grip they have established on the trophy so often in the past two decades.
Yet McGinley, who described himself as “a very lucky man” on Tuesday because of the strength of players at his disposal for his three captain’s picks, is preparing his team for a strong challenge on home soil.
“We are playing against a very, very strong American team led by a very, very strong individual in Tom Watson,” the Irishman said at Wentworth on the outskirts of London. “I for one am under no illusions how difficult the task ahead is going to be, and the players will, as well, too, and they do know already.”
“On the positive side, we have three players who will add a lot to the nine who have already qualified and make the European team as strong as it needs to be to take on the might of America,” he added.
The European team bristles with strength. Led by Northern Irish world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, they boast four of the game’s top-five ranked players.
The US arguably have greater depth with nine of the top 20.
However, very few of the Europeans have been scarred by bitter memories at the Ryder Cup, while only three of Watson’s players — Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and Mahan — have ever experienced what it is like to win the trophy.
All three played on Paul Azinger’s triumphant US team at Valhalla in 2008, and Cup veterans Mickelson and Furyk also featured in the astonishing last-day comeback at Brookline in 1999.
“Europe has flat-out kicked our butt the last 10 or 15 years and that’s just the way it is,” said Mahan, who is to play on his third US Cup team at Gleneagles.
“We have a great challenge ahead of us, but we’re extremely motivated and we have a lot to prove among each player,” he said.
Englishman Westwood is to be making his ninth successive Ryder Cup appearance.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was