Ryder Cup 2023 Europe 16.5 USA 11.5
Curtis Cup 2024 GB&I 10.5 USA 9.5
Solheim Cup 2023 Europe 14 USA 14 (Europe retains Cup)
Solheim Cup 2024 USA 15.5 Europe 12.5
Presidents Cup 2024 USA 18.5 Europe 11.5
All of the Team Cup matches above provided us all with the great drama, great joy great sorrow, great pride and of course great entertainment that the usual stroke play game so often sorely lacks.
They provide unforgettable moments, make legends heroes and yes villain's.
The Internationals celebrates their win in 1998 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo: Craig Jones /Allsport)
In the 2007 Ryder Cup in Montreal the International Team lost 19.5 to 14.5 to the USA, but what everyone in Canada remembers about those matches was Mike Weir beating Tiger Woods in singles. Weirsy has been and will be dining out on that forever.
Si Woo Kim along with Tom Kim became the stars of the International Team with their exuberant play, the Kim's will be remembered forever, especially in Canada and Korea. Do you remember Si Woo winning the 2017 Players Championship as a 21 year old ?
Nothing highlighted my premise here better than the college women's Curtis Cup Matches at Sunningdale on a weekend when across the Atlantic the PGA Tour Championship along with the Fed Ex Cup were being decided.
After a week of intense competition the young women (amateurs) from GB&I held their nerve to edge the USA team 10.5 to 9.5 in front of huge galleries' and a world wide TV audience, most I might add who had never watched any university women's golf at all.
Social media exploded " Thrilling matches, top notch stuff, great drama, we enjoyed it all, thank you ladies !!" just an example of the millions of posts.
Meanwhile, ho hum Scottie Scheffler was being awarded the trophy and another $25,000,000 in what was widely panned as a snore fest with the PGA Tour being urged from all quarters to turn at least the Tour Championship into a 30 man knock out match play.
Xander Schauffele had a career year winning 2 majors (PGA, Open Championship) Scheffler won the Masters... was there any Mike Weir moments you'll never forget in there ?
Probably the major we all will remember this year was Rory missing 2 putts inside 3 feet to lose the US Open to Bryson DeChambeau ? Why because there was great drama, Rory with the Grand Slam in his hands, the bad guy played by Bryson, the LIV defector, the loud mouthed bomber from the John Daly grip it and rip it era.
There are always recent shots in stroke play that are memorable, Rory's 2 iron at the Scottish Open to steal the trophy from Scotland's Bob MacIntyre last year comes to mind immediately for example and moments like the Stenson /Mickelson epic at Royal Troon 2016, Henrik shot 63, Phil 65 in what became gripping match play over the last 18 holes in which the Swede prevailed.
However, pull on a team shirt, get selected to represent your country or national team, throw away any need to be paid, fill yourself with pride and desire, and comradeship, feel the your country right behind you, then send you out to meet the enemy over 3 or 4 days and do battle.
This is team match play, much more powerful than individual match play and nearly always much more exciting, passionate than stroke play.
It's the stuff that makes instant legends, makes us all proud, or sad, but make us impatient to watch again.
Last word to Weirsy post greenside, late on Sunday...'' this has been a phenomenal week for us all, players, coaches, caddies, families and our fans. It is always disappointing when you lose, but this thing is so close, so many matches went their way after 18 holes. We put this team together to win, we didn't, but we will "
Bryan Angus
No comments:
Post a Comment