Ryder cup electrifies the sports world
The best players from the U.S.A. Call for the 39th edition of the gala. Edition of the continental comparison from this friday at the medinah country club the defending champions from europe out. Joining the prestigious duel is a reinvigorated martin kaymer, who wants to relive the "spectacular feeling of victory" of 2010.
Two years ago in wales, kaymer and his european teammates recaptured the trophy with a razor-thin 14.5:13.5 victory. "Once you’ve played in the ryder cup, you don’t want to miss another one," enthused the 27-year-old from dusseldorf, who is experiencing the fascination of this team competition for the second time. Kaymer is only the second german to take part in the ryder cup after golf idol bernhard langer.
40 kilometers northwest of chicago, the u.S. Stars around tiger woods now want to take revenge for the defeat in wales. Captain davis love III has nominated one of the strongest u.S. Teams in the history of the ryder cup. In addition to woods and the two current major champions bubba watson and webb simpson, fedex cup winner brandt snedeker stands out in particular. The 31-year-old is in superb form after his triumph last weekend in atlanta and is brimming with confidence. In addition, the experienced players phil mickelson (9 ryder cup starts) and jim furyk (8) will contribute their experience to the team competition.
The defending champions from europe also put their faith in team spirit and patriotism. "Passion, pride and comradeship – nothing beats the feeling of representing your country and wearing your heart on your shirt. It’s ryder cup time," tweeted top player luke donald. Captain jose maria olazabal has a trump card: world number one rory mcilroy. The 23-year-old from northern ireland is the undisputed leader on the course and has been playing at an outstanding level for weeks now. For olazabal there is no clear favorite: "it’s going to be a very close match".
The ryder cup has been played as a hole competition since 1927. On friday and saturday two teams of two compete against each other in 16 pairings. On sunday, it’s man against man in twelve singles matches. In 38 duels, the US boys had the better end 25 times.
45,000 fanatical US fans will give the europeans a run for their money over the three days at medinah country club. Especially when the ryder cup is played on american soil, things get particularly wild. The pressure on kaymer and co. Will be immense with this scenery – strong nerves are needed. "At least 80 percent of the spectators will be for the united states and against us. It would have been nice, though, if it had been fair," said kaymer.
Another advantage for the u.S. Stars could be the over 7000 meter long par 72 course. Kapitan love loves the tall grass on the sides of the course no.3 extra on low trim. "Our guys are long hitters. So i don’t want a rough one that you can only smoke out of," love said. "The fans will love the place."Woods also feels right at home in medinah: "i like medinah, i like the place. I’ve had a lot of success here."The world number two from california celebrated two of his 14 major victories here in 1999 and 2006 when he won the PGA championship.
The world’s roughest golf spectacle also attracts the vips to the medinah country club. Chicago sports idol and basketball legend michael jordan is one of the u.S. Team’s biggest supporters. Many celebrities also took up the cigar themselves. U.S. Comedian and golf enthusiast bill murray, fellow actor and singer justin timberlake and 18-time olympic swimming champion michael phelps entertained fans at an invitational tournament.
