Europe posts yet another Ryder Cup win - Ryder Cup News
By: Carmen Diode

One given regarding the Ryder Cup matches is that, win or lose, the European team will get hammered at the conclusion of the competition. Obviously it is more fun if the inebriation goes hand in hand with a victory and victory is what the Europeans had in hand at the conclusion of Friday morning’s fourball matches. The European team, getting stronger and cockier with each passing year, led the US team by a point and a half after completing the first round of matches and never looked back in route to an 18 1/2-9 1/2 drubbing over the Americans that re-emphasized the sizable gap between these two teams.

Europe’s Paul McGinley conceded a 25-foot putt to J.J. Henry to end their match in a draw. Had McGinley gone for the extra half, it would have been the biggest blowout in Ryder Cup history. A streaker dashed across the 18th green just before McGinley made his concession, part of the comic tragedy the Americans endured all day. It was later revealed that the streaker was in fact US team assistant Corey Pavin, but his attempt to distract the concentration of McGinley was a case of too little too late.

"We could have sent two teams out here," European captain Ian Woosnam said. "I'm not saying that we would have got this result, oh what the hell - yes I am saying that, but it just shows the potential of European golf." That may have been a little of the Guinness stout talking but clearly the European team captain felt confident about his team’s ability and probably believed that he could have defeated the US team by playing only the wives of the European Ryder Cup team members.

The European squad is filled with 20- and 30-somethings who play on a European PGA Tour that is growing and getting better. The US team’s younger players did not look or play remotely as impressive. The European win streak, which now stands at three, may well last as long as Michelle Wie’s streak of failing to make the cut of a men’s PGA tour event.

Europe dominated the week from beginning to end marking the first time either side had won all five sessions of the competition. Every European player contributed to the victory and Woosnam’s two captain’s picks, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood, contributed seven points to the victory total. The only misstep for the Europeans in the 2006 matches was appearing at a post tournament appearance in pink sport-jackets.

The biggest disappointment for the US team was most likely the play of Phil Mickelson – currently ranked as the number two player in the world rankings but no longer deserving of such a lofty rank. Taking a cue from Michelle Wie, Mickelson blamed his poor play on jet lag, a growth spurt with his breasts, and tainted spinach.

Woosnam’s performance as the European team captain was nearly flawless after hitting a few speed bumps prior to the commencement of play. He took criticism from the European press for not being as accessible or amiable or interesting or organized as his American counterpart, Tom Lehman. Woosie's biggest pre-event news came several weeks ago when he may have surprised a few by choosing Clarke and Westwood as his wildcard players, then ham-handedly telling Thomas Bjorn, one of the players he passed over, about the choice rather casually at a pub. Bjorn then called Woosnam an “idiot” and opined that Woosnam was out of his element in coaching the European team. Bjorn has yet to back down from those comments in spite of the European rout of the American team. Bjorn suggested that the European margin of victory would have been much greater had he been on the team and he hinted that he may organize an alternate Ryder Cup match with a European team captained by him competing against a US team captained by Michelle Wie.

Darren Clarke emerged as the emotional ringleader for the winning Europeans. He went 3-0, and everywhere he turned, he was embraced — by teammates, opponents, the roar of the crowd.

"I think we've got strength and depth for a long time to come," Woosnam said. "And I think the future of the Ryder Cup is going to look great for Europe."

Next up for the Americans will be selecting a captain for the next and 37th Ryder Cup at the Valhalla course in Louisville, Kentucky in 2008. Whoever gets it will go up against six-time majors’ winner Nick Faldo who has already been named as Europe's next skipper. Faldo’s first official act as Ryder Cup captain will most likely be to declare that the 2008 team will be entirely comprised of wild card selections and then naming everyone on the 2006 team to the 2008 team.

Names most prominently mentioned as candidates for US team captain include Corey Pavin, Larry Nelson, Willie Nelson, Nelson Mandela, Davis Love and Courtney Love. It will take some creative coaching and out-of-the-box thinking to derail the European juggernaut. Some ideas that the next US captain want to entertain are:
- Consider selecting Michelle Wie and Natalie Gulbis as wildcard picks and pairing them together and putting them in bikinis. Good distraction.
- Let the US team tee off from the ladies tee.
- Select John Daly as a playing captain. European's fondness for drink appears to keep them lose and happy. Daly could teach both teams a few things about drinking.
- Spike Euro's Guinness with enough Cialis that their erections last for the duration of the 3-day match.
- Give Euro's the wrong dates to show up - US wins via forfeit.
- Give Phil Mickelson wrong dates to show up.

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