Wow, Europe has asserted its will in Session III of the Ryder Cup, winning 5 1/2 points out of 6. Lee Westwood and Luke Donaled trounced Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker in the opening match, 6 and 5, and it was all downhill from there. The U.S. should be happy they even picked up a 1/2 point as they were down in all six matches for much of the day.
Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson continue to be the weak links of the squad, as both have lost all of their matches, two while playing together. I have not seen much of the matches, but from what I have seen, Tiger Woods has not helped Steve Stricker much. In the one four ball match, I noted that Tiger's score counted five times and Stricker's score counted 12 times. That does not mean much, but it does say that Tiger was not making many birdies. One shot Tiger hit sticks in my head. He hit a wedge or short iron about 30 yards too long on one shot. That is a fault he had in the two years he spent between working with instructors Butch Harmon and Hank Haney. Looks like distance control is back to being an issue.
Overall, the other players on the U.S. squad have played fairly average. The Europeans seem to have more energy and determination. This is a reflection of the two captains. Pavin has been stoic, Monty has been expressive.
Tomorrow, the U.S. squad will need to pull off their second biggest comeback in history if they want to retain the cup. They need 7.5 points out of 12 to reach 14 points. It is doable, but with Mickelson and Woods not on their game, not likely.
Scott Cole
www.scottcolegolf.com
www.onlinegolfswingcoach.com
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