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Ryder Cup 2006
The drama has all begun.
It's always tough to call this event, but perhaps even harder this year. The Americans have the top three golfers in the world, but look weak in the tail. The Europeans - well, we always seem to want it, that much more.
In previous years we've been lucky that Tiger has played poorly, at least by his own lofty standards, but this year he seems to have realised that there's more to golf and to life than his own performance. The still unanswered question of whether Tiger can finally transform himself into a team player may well decide the fate of the Cup. At least he's not paired this time with Mickelson, who for his own part hasn't played like a world number 2 since failing to win a US Open which was well within his grasp. Next in line comes Furyk. He may once have been described as the man 'with a golf swing like an octopus inside a telephone kiosk', but that description belies a deadly straight driver who putts like a genius. And if any one player can win the Cup for the US, it's likely to be Chris DiMarco, who fights like his life depends upon it.
Amongst the Europeans, Casey is in the best form, but looked very shaky in this event two years ago, despite winning an important match when propped up by Howell. Both need to win several points if Europe is going to win, this time. Montgomerie is far from the force he was, but that didn't seem to matter in 2004 when he was inspirational. Donald has the experience, but will be disappointed to have been left out this morning to allow Garcia and Olazabal to play together. They have the potential to build another legendary Spanish pairing, if only Olly can find a fairway or two for once. The two Swedes, Karlsson and Stenson, have played wonderfully on the European tour all year, but this event is something completely different and as rookies it will be hard for both. Which means that they're both about to find out just how hard it is to play whilst their knees are shaking like jelly.
That leaves the Irish boys. McGinley says he's playing like a drain, which puts the onus firmly on Harrington and Clarke, picked this morning in the top and bottom pairings respectively, with Monty and Westwood. Both those pairings have worked well in the past, and the crowd will surely lift them. But I think Europe needs to win at least one of those two crucial matches.
Captains aren't supposed to make a difference in this event, where theoretically it's all down to the players on the course. But who could forget the inspirational captaincy of a Ballesteros or the ludicrous misjudgments of a Hal Sutton ? So far, Lehman looks far more thoughtfully assured than Woosnam, who is likely to be more focused on generating the right atmosphere in the bar than in delivering heroic oratory.
With the result in the balance, then, and the event taking place on the Emerald Isle this time, I feel it may well come down to two factors in the end - the enthusiasm of an Irish crowd, and the consumption of exactly the right amount of the black stuff by our Irish players. And as I recall (somewhat foggily) from my last visit to an Irish wedding, those two factors can weave together to yield both emotional and genuinely staggering results.
My prediction, then ? Europe to come back from a first-day deficit to win 15-13. Olazabal to hole the winning putt, to make up for Brookline in 1999.
And the certainty level surrounding my prediction ? Absolutely none.
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