Europe favourites in emotion charged Ryder Cup

BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2006 The 36th Ryder Cup | Preview | 19 Sep 2006

Ryder Cup fever abounds in Great Britain and Europe as the reality of their Ryder Cup side being the warm favourites for this week’s event kicks in.

There have been few occasions in the history of the event where the European side, despite the fact that it has won four of the last five encounters, has been considered the favourites on paper that they most certainly are in 2006.

A simple analysis of the respective team’s experience, highlights the advantage the European side has on paper but as has been shown on many occasions over the last twenty years of this event, past statistics make good reading one day and good wrapping paper the next.

The 2006 European Ryder Cup team members have a total of 32 Ryder Cup caps between them, have played 138 matches and have earned 83 points. The USA side has just 20 Ryder Cup caps, have played 80 matches and have earned just 36.5 points. The Europeans have just two debutantes while the Americans have four. On the basis of those statistics the Europeans have quite a margin in terms of the all important Ryder Cup experience.

Of the ten Europeans who have previously played the Ryder Cup, all have a record of 50% success or better in their matches while, of the eight Americans who have played the event previously, only four can boast that record.

On the basis of current world rankings the Americans have the edge in terms of their leading players with three inside the top ten (the top three in the world heading the team) while the Europeans have just Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald in that category. Where the Europeans do have an advantage in world ranking is in depth. They have eight of their twelve players inside the top twenty compared to just five Americans and have only two players outside the top fifty compared to three Americans.

So, as mentioned earlier, the Europeans have the statistical advantage and also have the very important home ground advantage. This will be an emotion charged event and the passion of the patriotic locals will be a key factor in providing even further motivation to the European side. Three of the European team are from Ireland and even though Darren Clarke is from across the border to the north, there will be such an outpouring of emotion and support for him in Country Kildare that he will feel like one of their favourite sons.

While the Americans are very strong at the top of their team they are exposed at the other end. Four debutantes are facing a baptism of fire in such an arena. Each of them is outside he top forty in the world ranking whereas the two European debutantes are Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson, have won European Tour events in recent weeks and in the case of Karlsson he reached the semi finals in last week’s HSBC Match Play.

The selection of this venue for this year’s event has received considerable criticism given that the Arnold Palmer designed layout offers only a geographical home ground advantage and is hardly a foreign golf course for the Americans. There has been a strong body of opinion to suggest a course more in keeping with a European style of play – perhaps a British links course – would offer a greater advantage. It should be noted however that Americans have won five of the last six Open Championships on such courses. To some extent however the choice of this venue is a reflection on money speaking louder than words.

The inland parklands style Palmer Course at the K Club is some 30 kilometres south and west of the city of Dublin. There has been considerable work on the 7335 yard layout over the last two years to have it at its peak for this week’s event.

The start of Ryder Cup week has seen a lot of rain already and with the likelihood of more, that may prove a further advantage for the Europeans who play in such a range of conditions on a weekly basis and might prove more adaptable than the Americans in such circumstances.

The matches will start on Friday with the Fourball in the morning and Foursomes in the afternoon followed by a reverse of those matches on Saturday and twelve singles on Sunday. The advantage Ian Woosnam has is that there has been plenty of history for him to call on regarding the selection of the most appropriate pairings on Friday and Saturday.

There are obvious combinations for the Europeans such as Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood or perhaps Montgomerie and Harrington with each of those combinations having had significant success previously.

Tom Lehman has similar established and successful combinations with Woods/Furyk, Mickelson/Di Marco and Toms/Mickelson all boasting previous success as combinations tried and proven in either Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup. It does appear however that there are several further obvious combinations beyond those mentioned which Woosnam can call on and expect success.

This is a Ryder Cup with a difference in that it has the Europeans as the outstanding favourites and deservedly so. The favourites have often been beaten in recent years but if they are in 2006 it will be quite a surprise. The Americans no longer have the pressure of expectation on them however and the opportunity to play as underdogs might do for them what it has done for the Europeans in recent years.

Photo – Anthony Powter