Weekend Watching

I certainly won't watch it all, but I will pay attention to The Ryder Cup, starting today.  The Ryder Cup is a team golf event matching the USA against Europe.  It is played every other year, and alternating venues between the USA and Europe.  This year's Ryder Cup is being contested at Celtic Manor in South Wales.

Normally, golf is an individual sport, where one plays for and by oneself.  Professionals, and some country clubbers, rely on a caddie to carry their bags and provide guidance, but the game is played individually.  The Ryder Cup asks the best golfers in the world to play for and as a team.  There are foursomes, fourballs, and singles play; each match offering one point to win, lose or split.  The team with the most cumulative points wins the Cup.

I rarely watch golf and stopped playing in college.  I tell people I gave it up because it was too easy, but that has probably never happened in the history of man.  I'll watch some of the Masters and the Ryder Cup, but that's about it. 

I have attended golf tournaments twice (at East Lake and Sugarloaf) and, in both cases, had a great time.  I highly recommend going if you have an opportunity.  Watching the best in the world make a difficult game look easy (but sometimes they look just like the rest of us), and seeing the landscaping and layout of the golf course make for a good day.  Watching Tiger Woods drive a golf ball while I stood 10 feet away (then getting him to chuckle at a joke as he headed to the tee-side porta john) rates as a unique experience.  Both times, beer was available to the gallery.

I am also interested in anything representing a high level of international competition, where the competitors are motivated by playing for their country (or, in Ryder Cup, continent).  To be on the Ryder Cup team, golfers accumulate points based on performance leading up to the event.  Eight qualify, and four are chosen by team captains, making for 12 man teams.  Players are honored to earn a spot on their Ryder Cup squad. 

I root for Americans to win.  I root for all to perform well, regardless of nationality.  Same with the Olympics, World Cup, FIBA Championships, and other international competitions.  I want to see something special.  The Ryder Cup is not routine, like a normal four round golf tournament or a 162 game baseball season.  The spectators tell you all you need to know.  That it's the best golfers in the world playing as a team for a title they truly care about.  It is a chance to see something special. 

And yes, Tiger Woods is playing.