Ryder Cup: Europeans out to Retain Title

The Europeans are looking to defend the title they earned in 2010 at Celtic Manor in Wales and have a strong squad again this year. World No. 1-ranked Rory McIlroy leads the way and has a great supporting cast with three other players in ranked in the top five – Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, and Justin Rose. Europe has won seven of the last 10 Ryder Cups, but with this one being played on American soil at Medinah Country Club in Illinois, it is the US side that is set as the -139 favourite at Sports Interaction.

Tiger Takes the Blame
Tiger Woods took responsibility for the US team’s recent struggles in the Ryder Cup in a press conference earlier this week. “Certainly I am responsible for that, because I didn’t earn the points that I was put out there for,” Woods said. “I believe I was out there, what, in five sessions each time, and I didn’t go 5-0 on our side. So I certainly am a part of that, and that’s part of being a team. I needed to go get my points for my team, and I didn’t do that.”

US Team Up to the Challenge
The US squad hopes Ryder Cup rookie Brandt Snedeker can ride his momentum into this week’s competition. Snedeker is coming off his PGA Tour Championship victory and is just one of four Ryder Cup rookies on the US side. That inexperience hasn’t discouraged Snedeker. “I’m very, very competitive,” he told reporters recently. “People don’t get that because I’m polite. But I’m going to try to beat their brains in as bad as I can.” This will be the 39th Ryder Cup and the rivalry between the US and European teams is as strong as eve. The players are playing strictly for bragging rights with no cash prize up for grabs.

No Place like Home
The American side will have a ton of support from a traditionally enthusiastic crowd this week. The US is 16-3 when hosting the Ryder Cup. American captain Davis Love III has had the rough trimmed back at Medinah and he can decide on pin placement, which could turn out to be a huge advantage. Medinah can play as long as 7,668 yards and with the short rough, expect the big hitters on the American team to be reaching for their drivers consistently throughout the competition. It looks as though Mother Nature will cooperate this week as well. Temperatures are expected to be comfortable with mostly sunny skies for the rest of the week in Chicago.

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