Rest of world 3 – 1 USA

Not only has there been a definite shift of power – exemplified by the fact that three non-Americans emerged victorious in three out of the four Majors this season, ten Europeans in the World’s Top 20 – the fact that they were all maiden winners bodes well for a new breed of players out to end the dominance of Woods, Mickelson etc.

The excitement on the final day of the PGA Champion-ship went some way to erase the ‘walk in the park’ victory of Louis Oosthuizen at St Andrews recently. The European challenge was also being borne by Rory McIlroy who, sadly, could not get his putter to work: A level par final round, whilst hardly disastrous, was a case of what might have been; surely his time will one day come? A note of congratulations to some of the lesser lights on the European Tour like Stephen Gallagher and Simon Dyson who played consistently over the four days finishing a handful of shots adrift.
With three holes to play what once looked like a two horse race between Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer was suddenly thrown on its head as Dustin Johnson made a spate of late birdies to arrive on the final tee one ahead. What happened over the next half hour before throwing down his card in disgust in the Starter’s Hut will be remembered for years to come. Having pushed his drive to the right he mistakenly grounded his club before hitting a longish iron through the green. Chipping up he missed the putt which, viewers believed, would have won the title outright but guaranteed a place in the play off. Unfortunately, TV evidence was soon to show that his sandy lie had been in fact in one of the numerous bunkers on the course. Deemed to be guilty of an infringement the laws of the game clearly state the penalty is two shots. His caddy is sure to be ruing a missed win bonus and the only consolation for the player was a guaranteed inclusion the automatic Ryder Cup standings.

Therefore, Watson and Kaymer went head to head over three holes with Bubba coming unstuck on the 18th, leaving Kaymer needing only a bogey to become only the second German golfer, after Bernhard Langer, to have won a Major.
Spare a thought for Bubba Watson. Hailing from the Deep South he excelled at both golf and American Football at college and, with the greatest respect, most likely baseball too if his swing is anything to go by. Driving the ball some prodigious distances from the tee it should be remembered that this mere slip of a lad with the ill-fitting polo shirt was once anything but before embarking on a strict health regimen. He was also gracious in defeat which saved us from nicknaming him….. ”Blubber.”

If Colin Montgomerie is enduring selection (not to mention emotional headaches)  his American counterpart, Corey Pavin, almost came to blows with a journalist in a press conference. Now it is official that Woods failed to make the team on merit alone (i.e current form) he will be dependent on Pavin’s judgment whether to include a player  clearly still fighting inner demons and, on past Ryder Cup form, not imbued with team spirit nor camerarderie. The four players currently occupying positions nine to twelve in the table are: Anthony Kim; Lucas Glover; Zach Johnson and Tiger. Do you think Pavin will pick these four as wildcards or choose somebody in the mode of Lehman or O’Meara to provide experience? Just for fun email your predictions by 6th September and there might be a sleeve or two of golf balls to the person getting the most number of picks correct.

Tags: Mickelson, PGA, USA, Woods