Blog Archives
2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah
So it has been a week since the USA Ryder Cup team lost to the Europeans. I was all set to post a big write-up recapping the tournament, but I was so upset last Sunday that I didn’t have it in me, and I still don’t. I do want to share a few thoughts about the Ryder Cup tournament though.
I am huge sports fan, and an avid watcher of all sporting events…..I’ve basically seen it all. Without a doubt in my mind, and I will argue this with anyone, the Ryder Cup is hands down the best sporting event on the planet. Golf?…..really? Yes!!!! I love the Super Bowl, I love the Stanley Cup, I love the NCAA basketball tourney, I love the World Cup…..but none compare to the Ryder Cup.
I sat in front of my TV for 3 days, and watched 20+ hours of golf, and wasn’t bored for one second. The crowd, the players, the excitement, the tension, the camaraderie, the competition, the intensity, the nerves, the passion, the skill…..this tournament had it all. These players were here for one reason, and one reason only…..to win for their country. No cash prize, no money at all. 24 golfers from the USA and Europe battling for the right to bring home the Ryder Cup trophy to their country. It’s plain and simple bragging rights.
If you had the chance to watch last weekend you would understand what I am talking about. The passion these players showed was unbelievable. Hearing how much the fans were cheering was amazing, and the players fed off the crowds intensity. Celebrities, professional athletes, former presidents, were just walking around Medinah cheering on their country. You just don’t see that at sporting events everyday. Again this was at a golf tournament. Not sure if everyone caught it, but on Saturday at the par 3 13th, Michael Jordan and President Bush were sitting next to each other right behind the tee box. When Tiger stuck it close to the pin, they both went crazy and stood up to cheer. It’s things like this that make this event the best.
I hope everyone had the chance to catch some of the tournament, regardless of the result, and experience why the event is like none other. I wish it was played every year, but we’ll just have to wait till 2014 to start cheering again. Here is a list of the future sites for the Ryder Cup…..looks like the Midwest will be its home for next the two in the USA!!!
2014: Gleneagles – Perthshire, Scotland
2016: Hazeltine National GC – Chaska, MN, USA
2018: Le Golf National – Paris, France
2020: Whistling Straits – Kohler, Wisconsin, USA
Tee it Up!!
Ryder Cup Practice Round
I had every intension of going to the 2012 Ryder Cup tournament over the weekend, but unfortunately was unable to make it. I wasn’t going to miss the action so I decided to attend one of the practice rounds, and I’m glad i did. It was an opportunity for me to get a great view of the course and an up close view of the golfers in a more laid back relaxed atmosphere. Even though it was a practice round the fans were still electric and plentiful. It looked amazing through the TV over the weekend, but I can only imagine what the atmosphere was like in person.
I decided to get there early because I wanted to walk around before the golfers took to the course. I know several people who have played the No. 3 course at Medinah, and have heard great things. This course really lived up to the accolades. It is apparent why Medinah No. 3 is ranked #2 in Illinois, and #23 in America according to Golf Digest. With all the heat we had this summer the grounds crew really had their work cut out for them, and they did a unbelievable job making the course look the way it did. The course was in absolute pristine condition. I took some great photos of the course and shared a few of my favorites below. Enjoy!
Golf’s New #1
If you are an avid watcher of this great game, and tune in each weekend you knew that it was just a matter of time till this 22 year old would become the #1 golfer in the world. With only his 3rd PGA Tour victory (hard to believe) yesterday at the Honda Classic, Rory McIlroy took golf’s #1 ranking from fellow European Luke Donald. Even with Tiger shooting a remarkable 62 and taking the club house lead, Rory stayed poised and held onto his 2 shot lead. He was not missing anything within 5ft of the cup. Clutch putt after clutch putt. I haven’t seen this much confidence from a young golfer since, well…..Tiger.
Since Rory has been at the top of the leaderboard in the majority of the events he enters into we get to see a lot of him on TV. I have to say he has one of the most balanced swings I’ve ever seen. He swings so hard, but somehow maintains his balance, making his swing look so damn effortless and smooth. This is common for PGA players, but Rory’s swing is different…..in a good way. It really frustrates me, because when I swing hard I lose my footing at least 50% of the time. Don’t get me wrong, I know there is a huge difference between myself and a professional golfer, but it still annoys me. Just proves to me how much talent these guys really have.
Congrats to Rory, and his future sure looks bright.
Tee it Up!!
Tiger’s Putting Problems
One of my favorite sports columnists Rick Reilly just wrote a good article on Tiger’s putting problems. See the link below.
http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7624365/tiger-putting-woes
Tee it Up!!
Feherty being Feherty
David Feherty is a CBS and Golf Channel announcer who finds very unique, colorful and uninhibited ways of explaining or describing whatever is on his mind. Below are some great quotes form this candid guy…..
“Fortunately, he (Rory) is 22 years old so his right wrist should be the strongest muscle in his body.”
“That ball is so far left, Lassie couldn’t find it if it was wrapped in bacon.”
“I am sorry Nick Faldo couldn’t be here this week. He is attending the birth of his next wife.” Truth hurts
On his decision to give up his playing career in favor of a microphone:
“When CBS came to me and asked me to do on-course commentary, I said, ‘You know, I’m only 37, I still have hopes of [playing] a little better.’ So they told me what they were going to pay me, and I said, ‘You want to buy a set of clubs?”
On giving up alcohol:
“I didn’t quit drinking because I was a bad drunk. I quit because I was a spectacular drunk. It got to be like a video game, where you get to the highest level and it’s not even a challenge.”
On McCord’s recent revelation, at the annual JCC Sports Awards banquet in Vancouver, that Tiger Woods’ caddie Steve Williams and Feherty often try to outdo one another on the course in the area of flatulence, Feherty said:
“Tiger is no slouch himself: He can lay ’em down like a crop duster.”
On Gary Player’s unsubstantiated suggestion last year about use of performance-enhancing drugs in pro golf:
“Gary thinks he invented fitness because he used to do pushups on the airplane. He’s just upset because you can’t win a major any more with a low, flat hook and a Napoleon complex.”
On the 14 years since CBS colleague Gary McCord was banned from the Masters:
“They don’t do comedy at the Masters. The Masters, for me, is like holding onto a really big collection of gas for a week. It’s like having my buttocks surgically clenched at Augusta General Hospital on Wednesday, and surgically unclenched on Monday on the way to Hilton Head.”
CHICAGO GOLF CENTRAL 