Bleacher Report: Why Has Team Europe Dominated Team USA at the Ryder Cup?

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By Art Spander
Featured Columnist

GLENEAGLES, Scotland — Losing is the great American sin. A Harvard-educated author of young adult fiction, John Tunis, said that first. Losing is what America has done in the Ryder Cup.

With Tiger Woods. Without Tiger Woods, who is not on the team that this week in the rolling countryside of Perthshire will face Europe. With a deficit going into the last of the three days of play. With a lead, as was the situation last year at Medinah

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Newsday (N.Y.): Rory's next test comes at Royal St. George's

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By Art Spander
Special to Newsday
SANDWICH, England -- The British Open this week returns to the course where Ian Fleming carried a handicap of 007 -- well, 7 -- where canines and females both were refused access; where France is visible across the Channel; and where Rory McIlroy is going to find out what it's like to be his sport's newest celebrity.

Royal St. George's is where Tiger Woods lost his opening tee shot in the rough in the Open of 2003; where Jack Nicklaus shot an 83 in the second round in the Open of 1981; and where a streaker darted out of the crowd only to be tackled by Peter Jacobsen at the 72nd hole in the Open of 1985.

When the wind blows, and Saturday it was around 20 mph, St. George's might be the hardest course in the Open rota. Unquestionably, it is the most southern, about 75 miles from London.

McIlroy, the reigning U.S. Open champion, will find out how it suits his game this week, and he hasn't played a competitive round since his overwhelming victory at Congressional.

McIlroy showed up at least twice at Wimbledon and jetted to Hamburg for last Saturday's Klitschko-Haye heavyweight championship fight.

"Some people may have wondered why I chose to go straight from one major to another, without anything in between,'' the 22-year-old McIlroy said this week. "The answer is simple. It's because of what happened at Congressional and the way it became such a big deal.

"I wanted to get everything out of the way and sorted, so when I did start playing again, I could just concentrate on golf.''

But Graeme McDowell, McIlroy's more experienced countryman and winner of the 2010 U.S Open at    Pebble Beach, and three-time major champion Padraig Harrington said just receiving congratulations is a huge distraction. Colin Montgomerie, captain of the 2010 European Ryder Cup team which beat the United States, seemed worried about the same thing.

"He's so natural, I don't think there are any fears about his game,''

Montgomerie pointed out, "but it's the locker room. Whether it was the French or the Scottish Open, he could have got that out of his system and out of the way so he can start the Open afresh.

"Now he's got that ahead of him and on the first tee, I think he will be mentally tired -- but who am I to say?''

While McIlroy was climbing the ladder of stardom when he won the U.S. Open, the last British Open at St. George's in 2003 produced one of the biggest "Who's he?'' champions, Ben Curtis of Ohio. He was a rookie then and benefited from back-nine failures by Woods, Vijay Singh, Davis Love III and Thomas Bjorn.

If that sounds like the plot of a James Bond novel, Bond's creator, Fleming, became a St. George's member in the late 1940s. In "Goldfinger,'' where Bond takes on Auric Goldfinger and his evil "caddie,'' Oddjob, Fleming named the course Royal St. Marks, but descriptions of various holes -- especially the fourth, the "Himalayas,'' with a bunker as big as a swimming pool -- are identifiable.

There used to be a sign near the entrance, "No Dogs, No Women,'' but ladies are now permitted.

So are American pros, although the English press has spent the week going after Bubba Watson, following Bubba's oafish remarks about France and the Alstom Open there, referring to the Arc de Triomphe as "The arch I drove around in a circle,'' and other such comments.

A writer for the Daily Telegraph said Watson had the "aesthetic appreciation of Ronald McDonald,'' and joined the gloating on this side of the Atlantic because Americans are winless in the last five majors.

The most recent was the U.S. Open last month at Congressional, where McIlroy of Northern Ireland -- part of Great Britain -- set records and golf on its ear.

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Copyright © 2011 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Newsday (N.Y.): Donald tops Kaymer in Match Play final

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By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

MARANA, Ariz. — He majored in art at Northwestern and has his own name on a California wine. The image of Luke Donald, enhanced by his proper English accent, was that of a man who played golf less for the competition than for the
exercise and enjoyment.

“I’ve been depicted as someone happy contending, picking up checks, but doesn’t really care about winning,’’ said Donald after he picked up $1.4 million, the biggest payday of his career, for winning the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship yesterday. “And that’s about as far away from the truth as it can be.’’

In a final delayed by a hailstorm and played on fairways that had been covered by an overnight snow, Donald, 33, was as far away from finals opponent Martin Kaymer as he needed to be. Donald not only won 3 and 2 against Kaymer, the “Germanator,’’ at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain, in the winter wonderland foothills north of Tucson, he climbed to No. 3 in the world rankings.

Kaymer became No. 1 on Saturday when he won his semifinal. Since Englishman Lee Westwood is at No. 2 and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell is No. 4, it is the first time since 1992 that no American player is in the top four. Tiger Woods dropped to fifth and Phil Mickelson to sixth. Both were eliminated early in the championship.

Donald’s play this week was unprecedented in Accenture history. He became the first never to trail in any of his six matches. Yesterday he went 3-up on Kaymer, 26, in the first five holes. Donald let the lead get away by the ninth but regained it with a birdie on 11. Not once in those six matches did Donald get to the 18th hole. In the 89 holes he played, he recorded 31 birdies.

“It feels amazing,’’ said Donald, who has homes in Illinois and Florida and mainly plays the PGA Tour. “I had a bit of a monkey on my back. I hadn’t won in the U.S. in five years.” Not since the Honda in March 2006.

Donald said he doesn’t consider himself a modern player, meaning peers outdrive him by 30-40 yards and he must compensate with his short game.

“I think he’s probably the best in the world around the greens,’’ Kaymer said. And the whites, after the hail smashed down. “It was testing,’’ Donald said of the weather. “It was bizarre.’’

With the site contract at an end, the Accenture might not return to a course at 2,700-feet elevation. The tournament moved here from La Costa, north of San Diego, because of rain. Where it might go now is a question. There’s no question, however, where Donald wants to go.

“I feel my work ethic is as good as any player out here,’’ Donald said. “I work  very hard trying to keep getting better. Winning is what it’s all about.’’

It certainly was in the Accenture.

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Global Golf Post: Chevron Event Has Special Meaning for McDowell

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By Art Spander
For GlobalGolfPost.com

THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA -- It was at the Chevron World Challenge a year ago that Graeme McDowell was given a chance to jump-start his career, and, as noted by his journeys and his successes -- a U.S. Open champion is forever -- he has no plans on stopping.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2010 Global Golf Post

Global Golf Post: Tiger's Progress Gives Golf Its Groove Back

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By Art Spander
For GlobalGolfPost.com

THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA -- This is what matters: Golf again has its spirit, its soul, its attraction. Golf again has its niche in the sports pages, its place on the television screens. Golf again has Tiger Woods, stepping beyond the past and into the future.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2010 Global Golf Post

RealClearSports: Mahan Doesn't Deserve All the Blame

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By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

NEWPORT, Wales -- It's time to stop knocking Hunter Mahan. He didn't lose the Ryder Cup, the U.S. team lost it. He didn't lose the Ryder Cup, the Europeans won it.

He wasn't going to beat Graeme McDowell down the stretch. Graeme McDowell wouldn't let him.

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2010

Newsday (N.Y.): U.S. Open winner McDowell contends at St. Andrews

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By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- He's the U.S. Open champion, and that's been a disadvantage to Graeme McDowell. "People keep congratulating me on Pebble Beach,'' he said, "and it's difficult for me to move on. I've got to get refocused.''

McDowell seemed to do that Friday. He shot a 4-under-par 68 in the wind-whipped second round of the British Open and moved into a tie for sixth at 139, seven shots behind Louis Oosthuizen's 132.

On Thursday, it was McDowell's pal and countryman, young Rory McIlroy, who was the star of St. Andrews with a 63, eight better than McDowell. But on Friday, McIlroy ended up four shots back of McDowell.

"I was careless a bit on my putting,'' said McDowell, 28. "Two more careless three-putts. Four in two days, which is a little unlike me. But I felt a lot better today.''

Tiger Woods, who did it in 2000, is the last to win the U.S. and British Opens the same year. McDowell wouldn't appear to have a chance, but golf can be strange.

"For sure,'' McDowell said, "I'm going into this weekend with no expectations at all. I'm putting no pressure on myself. I've got myself in great position. I'll be out [Saturday] free swinging and just really trying to control the ball in this weather. I love being in contention. It's weird saying I'm in contention being seven back, but there's not too many guys ahead of me.''

McDowell figures some of those guys will fall victim to the ill winds that have been predicted.

"When the wind gets up on this course, it's a different kind of fish," McDowell said. "There's plenty of deep coffin-like bunkers to bury the wreckage out there.''

McDowell became the first European in 40 years to win the U.S. Open. He showed tenacity and fine touch on the greens, both of which are needed in this tournament more than ever.

"This golf course asks you to hit all the shots,'' McDowell said, and after winning a major, it's apparent that he has them all.

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Copyright © 2010 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Global Golf Post: Pebble Beach Revealed as Beauty AND Beast

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By Art Spander
For GlobalGolfPost.com

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA -- It's a near-lethal combination, the U.S. Open and Pebble Beach, a tournament which can ruin your mind and wrench your wrists, and a course where the sun rarely shines and the putts hardly fall.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2010 Global Golf Post

SF Examiner: McDowell the last man standing

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By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

PEBBLE BEACH — The winner, of course, was the course, Pebble Beach. Graeme McDowell was the champion, the guy who finished first, but it was Pebble — tough, mystical Pebble — that proved the winner.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2010 SF Newspaper Company

SF Examiner: Woods misses opportunity to steal US Open win

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By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

PEBBLE BEACH — They’ll look at what happened to star-crossed Dustin Johnson, how he fell apart the first few holes, mentally as much as physically, and tossed the U.S. Open over the cliff into Carmel Bay with a final-round 82.

And certainly that was true.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2010 SF Newspaper Company

Newsday: Tiger by tale par for Chevron tourney course

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By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- The year that was in golf (a U.S. Open at Bethpage, 59-year-old Tom Watson nearly winning the British Open) comes to a close Sunday with what might be called the week that wasn't. Or, depending on viewpoints, the week that shouldn't have been.

Tiger Woods' annual tournament, the $7.5-million Chevron World Challenge, had everything to do with scandal, headlines, confessions and outrage, but because of the accident that kept Woods from playing but didn't keep the world from prying, it had very little to do with golf.

Woods, of course, was involved in that car accident at 2:25 on the morning of Nov. 27 in front of his home in the gated Florida community of Isleworth, outside Orlando.

That led to questions - where was he going at 2:25 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving. Admissions of sexual dalliances by several women. Disbelief from those who idolize Woods and then an acknowledgment by Woods on his Web site that he is guilty of "transgressions."

Even Saturday the gossip and rumors continued -- a report from Orlando that Woods lost several teeth when he was hit in the mouth, either by a golf club swung by angry wife Elin Nordegren or in the crash, and that a fourth woman was involved with Woods.

"It's been a little weird," said Steve Stricker of this Chevron, a tournament that benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation. "I was really looking forward to this event, and all the things that were going on brought me down . . . I think we're tired of hearing about it. I was flipping the channels, and I mean even Nancy Grace is discussing it."

Stricker, who partnered Woods in the four-ball and foursomes of the recent Presidents Cup matches in San Francisco, understands why.

"We've built him up to such a person,'' he said, "and shame on us for thinking that's really what it's all about."

The 54-hole lead of the Chevron, at Sherwood Country Club about 40 miles west of Los Angeles, is shared by Graeme McDowell and Y.E. Yang at 10-under-par 206, with Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington at 9-under 207.

Yang, of Korea, is the one who beat Woods down the stretch in the PGA Championship in August at Hazeltine. McDowell, from Northern Ireland, was the last player in the field, invited to fill the void after Woods announced he was "unable to play."

En route to Orlando, where he lives, from the World Cup in China, McDowell was going through Los Angeles and was notified he would be invited. He stayed and played.

"I woke up Saturday morning [in China], put on the laptop to see what was going on . . . Tiger had been in a car accident,'' he said. "The shock and the scandal and everything made for some interesting reading.

"Typical locker-room chatter on Sunday. Probably disbelief more than anything, and obviously the rumor mill was working overtime on the weekend. Will we ever know what really happened? . . . I mean, it's been front-page news all over the world. He is that big."

The January issue of Golf Digest magazine has a computer photo cover of Woods, as caddie, lining up a putt for Barack Obama, the ultimate in bad timing.

The 2010 PGA Tour begins in a month, Jan. 7 in Kapalua, Hawaii. Tiger, if he's recovered from the injuries, probably will start at the San Diego Invitational Jan. 28.

"It will be interesting to see how he handles this," Kenny Perry told The Associated Press. "This is a totally different knock on him when he gets out there and plays next year."

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Copyright © 2009 Newsday. All rights reserved.