Sports Then and Now

Jose Maria Olazabal will have two wild card picks to make for the 2012 Ryder Cup.

New Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal will only have two wild card picks for the 2012 tournament after the tournament committee accepted his proposals to have the number reduced.

Previous Ryder Cup captains had the option of picking three wild cards in addition to the top nine European players in the world ranking list.

Another change sees the European money list take precedent over the world ranking list for automatic qualification for the team. The changes will help Europe’s plight to retain the cup in 2012, and bigfreebet will likely install them as favorites for the tournament.
Read the rest of this entry →

Davis Love III will be the U.S. Captain for the 2012 Ryder Cup.

Davis Love III has been named the USA Ryder Cup team captain for the 2012 tournament. This may well be one of the worst kept secrets in sport, but it takes nothing away from the significance of the moment for the man himself, the players and American golf.

The announcement was made the day after Jose Maria Olazabal was named as the leader of the European team.

Much like the Spanish captain of the Europeans, Love is a very experienced man when it comes to the Ryder Cup. He has played in six of the tournaments and was vice-captain to Corey Pavin in last year’s event at Celtic Manor.

It was of course a very proud moment for Love as he faced the media to give his views on one of the most privileged roles in sport. To play in the Ryder Cup is one thing, to lead your fellow countryman in the best golf tournament of all is another – just ask Colin Montgomerie. Read the rest of this entry →

Martin Kaymer has proven that you can win a major cahmpionship while playing primarily on the European Tour.

Whilst some golfing fans would have loved nothing more than to have seen the likes of Justin Rose and Paul Casey fighting it out against their PGA Tour rivals, the very fact that these individuals missed out on a place in the European Ryder Cup team is testament to the fact that the European Tour is benefiting greatly from the additional level of competition that the qualification process for the Cup generates.

Although some people who bet on Ryder Cup events will no doubt argue that the decision to continue to award points only to those competing on a tour that has traditionally been considered weaker than the US PGA is a mistake which could cost the European team the chance to win back the Ryder Cup, the majority of golf pundits have suggested that the mythical lure of the competition keeps players competing on the lower profile tour.

With players such as Martin Kaymer showing Ryder Cup betting pundits that they are capable of winning majors despite not playing week in, week out with golfers such as Phil Mickelson, and with the European team still earning itself the status of overwhelming favourites ahead of the Ryder Cup, there seems almost to be a case for only players taking part on the European Tour deserving a place on the team, with that rule even applying to wildcard picks.

Should this come into force, players such as Kaymer would find themselves in a situation in which they are unable to use the European tour solely as a launching pad from which to further their quest to compete in the more lucrative US Tour. Read the rest of this entry →

Could Justin Rose be left off the European Ryder Cup team?

Regardless of the fact that he is a two-time US Tour winner, Justin Rose is a serious doubt for the European Ryder Cup team having chosen to defy team captain Colin Montgomerie’s request that all players take part in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles next month.

Having endured a highly disappointing Irish Open, where he finished 44th, Rose has left himself with a lot of ground to make up if he wants to be included in the team, something that has been questioned after a recent lack of enthusiasm when asked about his intentions.

These reports have intensified since Rose’s statement that “the Ryder Cup is important to me, but I’m third in the FedEx Cup standings and that’s where my focus is going to be.”

With competition for places in the European team intense, especially given Ross Fisher’s victory in the Irish Open, Monty will be looking to pick players truly dedicated to the cause as Europe look to regain the trophy lost back in 2008. Read the rest of this entry →

Current Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin thinks there should also be a similar competition among the top senior golfers in the world.

American Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin believes that a similar competition for the senior players would be a fantastic idea that would go down well with golf fans across the world.

The idea has been muted in the build up to current Ryder Cup later this year and Pavin believes that although there will only ever be “one Ryder Cup” when it comes to serious Ryder Cup betting, but it would be a lot of fun for the seniors to have a similar event.

“A lot of people would be interested in watching and a lot of players would be interested in playing.

“It would probably have a different feel but it would be very competitive – players would want to win just as bad.” Read the rest of this entry →