Ryder Cup News

Tiger Woods likes Paul Azinger's appointment as Ryder Cup captain and thinks the tweaks to the selection criteria might help the U.S. team end its losing streak. Azinger was introduced as captain this week and immediately changed the selection process to give himself four picks and base the first eight spots on prize money earnings. The amendments ``are great,'' said Woods, who returned from a five-week break with an even-par ...

Now that the Ryder Cup is over, golf returns to normal. Of the 19 flags that rippled in a cool breeze Tuesday morning at The Grove, none was a blue banner with 13 gold stars. They were from Northern Ireland and South Africa, Canada and Australia, the United States and England. Chad Campbell, Brett Wetterich and Jim Furyk walked down the first fairway as friends, but not teammates. Phil Mickelson ...

Americans keep looking for a quick fix in the Ryder Cup. After watching the Europeans post their biggest blowout in 2004 and capture the cup for the seventh time in 10 tries, the PGA of America revamped the qualification process by stacking the deck in favour of the hottest players, no matter who they were. And who were they, anyway? The bottom four players who earned a spot on this ...

Darren Clarke provided the emotion, Colin Montgomerie the leadership and Sergio Garcia the inspirational golf as the Europeans handed the Americans another lopsided Ryder Cup beating. Ian Woosnam's players scored a 18{-9{ triumph on Sunday to make it three victories in a row and five of the last six. ``If it wasn't for a very difficult Sunday at Brookline, we'd have been six out of six,'' Montgomerie said. ``So that's ...

Well, at least that one's out of the way. Happened pretty quick, too. Turns out the Americans can't play singles very well, either. No big deal. Besides, it was kind of neat to watch how good the Europeans were at chugging Guinness. Now Phil Mickelson can go back on vacation. And Tiger Woods can jet over to England and win another title, assuming he can dry out the nine-iron his ...

Standing on the balcony, the celebration in full swing, Ian Woosnam took a big swig of champagne. Way too big, in fact. It came spewing out of his mouth and bubbling through his nose. That was, to be frank, the most adversity the winning Ryder Cup captain faced all week. His European team wrapped up an 18{-9{ victory over the Americans on Sunday. Well before that, most golf experts were ...

Favourites or underdogs in the Ryder Cup, it doesn't matter to the Europeans. They boasted of having their best team ever, then backed it up in dominant fashion by turning the Ryder Cup into another rout Sunday to win for an unprecedented third straight time. Luke Donald made a 10-foot par putt that gave Europe 14 points, all it needed to keep the shiny gold trophy. Moments later, Henrik Stenson ...

Tom Lehman gently pressed his index finger against pursed lips, calculating the best-case scenario for an American team that kept settling for the worst in the Ryder Cup. And then it got even worse. Luke Donald crouched to his knees as his 25-foot birdie putt broke toward the 16th hole and disappeared for a birdie that sent Europe another point, setting off another roar at The K Club that shattered ...

Brookline, Schnookline. There aren't enough motivational ploys in the world to bail the Americans and captain Tom Lehman out this time. The last time the United States trailed 10-6 after two days at the Ryder Cup was 1999 at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. On that Saturday night, U.S. captain Ben Crenshaw shook his finger at the assembled media just before departing and said, ``I'm a big believer in ...

It's a lesson they should have learned in pre-school. Somehow, though, it's hard to imagine Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods coming home with a smiley-face sticker for playing well with others. Grown-ups get points for doing just that in the Ryder Cup. Mickelson and Woods won't be going home with many of those. Barring a Brookline-like miracle, they won't be carrying the Ryder Cup with them, either. Often brilliant as ...