My report for Crain’s Chicago Business on Day 2 of the Ryder Cup:
Birdie. U.S. Tiger Woods? Who needs Tiger Woods? Never in anyone’s wildest dreams, especially U.S. captain Davis Love III’s, did it seem possible that the Americans could hold a 10-6 lead with Mr. Woods sitting at 0-3 for the matches.
The U.S. played brilliantly in the morning, winning three out of four matches, and only a late European rally in the afternoon prevented things from getting completely out of hand.
Love now has to get his team focused on finishing the job Sunday. If he does, he will be lifting the Ryder Cup on Sunday night.
Bogey. Playing the role of the Chicago Cubs: The European Ryder Cup team.
Jose Maria Olazabal now needs to cue the Ben Crenshaw “I’ve got a good feeling about this” speech from the 1999 Ryder Cup, when the U.S. rallied to win from a 10-6 deficit on Saturday. However, it also might be a good idea if he practices his concession speech.
Bogey. NBC. Besides the Europeans, the other people who don’t like the one-sided score are the NBC executives. The biggest ratings come when there is suspense. That likely won’t be the case Sunday unless the Europeans pull a repeat of the U.S. in 1999.
Birdie. Last 90 minutes. How good was that? The last two matches went to No. 18 with players on both sides hitting incredible shots. That’s what the Ryder Cup is all about, friends.
Birdie. Keegan Bradley. Luke Donald said it best about Bradley. “He’s a rock star out there,” Donald said.
Donald made that comment after he and Sergio Garcia were on the wrong end of a 7 & 6 thrashing by Mr. Bradley and Phil Mickelson. Yes 7 & 6 in a Ryder Cup.
Bradley has been flawless in winning all three of his matches. And the crowd and U.S. are feeding off his emotion and intensity.
“It’s just an unbelievable event, an unbelievable experience as a player and fan,” Bradley said.
On a day when Michael Jordan, both presidents named George Bush, and Woods were on the course, the biggest star was Bradley.
Birdie. Phil Mickelson. The 41-year old has found the fountain of youth in playing with Bradley. “Phil is a smart guy,” Love said. “He picks good partners.”
Bogey. Tiger Woods. He got benched in the morning, the first time he ever sat on the sidelines during a Ryder Cup. Then he and Steve Stricker lost to Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia in the afternoon.
Woods did play terrific on the back 9, registering five birdies to nearly pull off the comeback. But as has been the case during the matches, he struggled again on the front side, failing to record a bogey. It led to a 4-down deficit at the turn, and ultimately Woods looking for his first point in singles Sunday.
Bogey. Steve Stricker. He’s playing as if he’s not 100 %. Also 0-3, Stricker made only two birdies, and failed to convert on 18, losing to the Europeans.
Birdie. Ian Poulter. He has been Europe’s equivalent to Bradley. Talk about clutch. He made birdies on the final five holes to give Europe a crucial point and some hope going into Sunday.
Birdie/bogey. Luke Donald. He and Lee Westwood were terrible in getting blitzed by the Bradley-Mickelson team. However, Northwestern’s very own did redeem himself with three birdies in the final five holes to win the match over the Woods-Stricker team. Huge clutch shot into the par 3 to record a critical birdie.
Bogey. Rory McIlroy. The No. 1 player has yet to show up at this Ryder Cup. He lost in the morning and needed Poulter to bail him out in the afternoon. Even worse, his body language is terrible. He seemed whipped for most of the day. That’s hardly the look you want from your big gun.
Birdie. Chicago golf fans. The roar for Dustin Johnson’s birdie putt at 17 rivaled anything heard at the United Center, or the old Chicago Stadium for that matter. “The 13th man” has delivered for the U.S. team.