Seve Ballesteros retired from tournament golf last July, and Spain's best golfer is known as much for his "competitive spirit" as for his five major championships and tenacious Ryder Cup performances.
Something of a controversial figure on the course -- he and Paul Azinger spent much of the '89 Cup accusing each other of cheating -- but some 20 years later Ballesteros has softened. Kind of:
"They need to win badly," said the five-time Major winner. "I hope the Americans win this year in all seriousness.Nice. This is what happens when Europe (which, apparently, is not a country) wins three events in a row, all in convincing fashion, and four of the last six. For as much as I'd love to have a snappy comeback for Ballesteros, he's right; the Ryder Cup is slightly more competitive than one of those silly season skins game televised in prime time. That's what happens when the tournament is pretty much decided by Friday night.
"I see the Ryder Cup getting very boring because we are beating them so badly. Everybody is losing interest. I think it will be good if they win the next one. It would give the Ryder Cup a lift.
"I just hope the matches are a little bit closer because they have been no-contests. My heart is always with the Europeans but my head is with the Americans for the good of the trophy."
I do have a hard time figuring out why the Americans, with eight players in the top-25 in the World Golf Rankings, aren't even competitive. Europe currently has six players in the top 25, but it seems to have less to do with individual talent and everything to do with playing well in the two-man events.
In an effort to change the American's fortunes, Azinger, the 2008 captain, has opted for pre-tourney Jedi Mind Tricks, but unless teams now get points for verbal slapdowns, it probably won't much matter come September.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-19-2008 @ 6:00PM
Scott said...
Europe's a country?
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5-19-2008 @ 6:01PM
ryan said...
Scott,
Yes.
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5-19-2008 @ 6:34PM
Scott said...
For us fans who think golf is a game and not a sport, there's really nothing more funny or ridiculous than the Ryder Cup. Especially the year Tom Kite rode around in the cart like he was actually doing something related to athletics. Coaching the Ryder Cup is tantamount to scheduling a game of bridge.
A different Scott than above
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5-19-2008 @ 10:04PM
Steve said...
Europe is not a country, but a continent made up of different country's. This is basic stuff. Doesn't anyone pay attention in school, anymore?
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5-19-2008 @ 10:06PM
ryan said...
Steve,
I think you're wrong. I'm 43 percent certain that Europe is a country. It has a capital and everything, not to mention its own currency.
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5-20-2008 @ 12:34AM
Ken said...
The Ryder Cup means nothing, it is important to the Europeans because they do not have the World Series, Superbowl, Final Four, NBA, NHL, they just have soccer, and cricket which can be very boring. The USA has the highest level of athletic compitition and the Ryder Cup just is not that important. Plus the American PGA Tour is so far superior then any other tour, our Nationwide Tour is deeper then the other tours around the world. The Ryder and President Cups are just for fun, they mean NOTHING! The USA RULES THE WORLD and we will back with a vengance and everyone knows it.
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5-20-2008 @ 10:22PM
jakebarnes said...
Yes, Steve, (and Virginia), Europe is a very large country...it does have it capital and everything. I do agree that this is basic stuff, and that we really don't pay attention in school anymore. But, give us a break for some smarts, why don't you...and we do thank you for trying to convince us that Europe is made of many smaller countries, but buddy, sadly, you are wrong. That speak European, and eat European food, and date European chicks, and do European things (like not taking baths, etc.)
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5-21-2008 @ 9:04AM
sal cunningham said...
I don't know of anyone who gives a fat rats patootie who wins Ryder Cup!!
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5-23-2008 @ 6:58PM
Jack Carmody said...
Which one of the following is true?
A. Europe's a country;
B. Golf's an athletic event;
C. Ballesteros is telling the truth; or
D. Ballesteros is still jealous of Faldo and wants him to fail as European captain.
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5-25-2008 @ 5:11AM
Chitown said...
When someone compares a game of bridge to golf, I have to laugh at their weak analogy. More importantly the tour players treat it as a sport. I don't thin there are too many bridge players that can average 300 yards off the tee. Oh wait a lot of football coaches ride around in a cart in practice, so it must not be a sport. What a joke of an argument. How many sports does a captain or coach need to cover so much ground. Tom Kite is not worried about anything other than covering the entire playing field and coaching his players. What an absolute joke of an argument.
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5-27-2008 @ 10:47AM
Tom said...
Let's have a Women's Ride Her Cup. I'd like to see some of them hot gals on the LPGA in a real knock down "cat fight!"
signed............Howard Stern
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5-31-2008 @ 11:34PM
Bud Foster said...
Remember when international sports were fun? Now we have a bunch of nationalistic a--holes who just hate for the other side to win. You di-kheads who can't enjoy the competition are a bunch of losers.
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