Fourth Ryder Cup Question: Can We All Agree That Harvested Rough Is A Silly And Cynical Stain On A Golf Course?

I know that the horror of great players displaying their skill was problematic for a few cynics who want to see these young, rich, athletic men suffer the indignity of a buried ball in bluegrass for daring to not hit every ball to perfection. However, with essentially no rough at Medinah, we may have just witnessed the most exciting and rewarding three days of shotmaking in modern times.

Oh yes, there were 62s that might have been posted if this was a major, but that's a credit to impeccable greens and silly distances the ball flies. Which is why people harvest four inches of lush stuff along fairways and around greens in the first place: to combat distance increases.

Anyone care to make the case that Medinah would have been a better Ryder Cup venue with high rough lining the fairways and surrounding the greens?

Don't be scared...

Ollie On Not Conceding Tiger's Putt: "Rules are the rules"

Apparently in Captain Jose Maria Olazabal's eyes, the rules forbid a player from conceding a putt!

At today's London press conference, Ollie said that he will not captain in 2014, that he's received congratulatory messages from the likes of Rafael Nadal and the King of Spain and that three of his four cart drivers are in line for Captaincies (The Mechanic was not mentioned after McGinley, Clarke and Bjorn!).

But most curious of all was Olazabal's rationale for insisting Francesco Molinari finish the final match even after (A) the Cup had been retained (B) the chaotic setting was not conducive to proper golf and (C) young Molinari had the class to recognize this:

"I said to Francesco 'you have to half this match'. There's a huge difference between tying and winning the cup. I know some people might think Francesco should have given Tiger that short putt, but at the end of the day the rules are the rules. It was important to finish the match."

Yes, the rules say you have to finish all of the matches, but that does not preclude a player from conceding a putt. Or maybe those famous concessions from the past violated Captain Ollie's Merely Retaining The Cup Is For Losers.

Imagine an American captain saying "rules are rules" in an identical situation? 

Fleet Street couldn't file those "Ugly American" columns fast enough!

Chicago Fans Don't You Dare Go Bartman On Us: Rory's Angel Chauffeur Revealed

Colin Murray interviews (BBC 5 Live audio here) Patrick Rollins, deputy chief of Illinois Lombard Police Department, who got Rory McIlroy to the Ryder Cup just in time for the World No. 1's match against Keegan Bradley.

Michael Sneed in the Sun Times also writes about Rollins.

“He looked stunned, anxious and looked like a lot was going through his mind like I would have been,” said Rollins. “So I asked him if he’d be okay with me driving because of the possibility of motion sickness.”
McIlroy said: “No, just get me there. Get me there.”

Quoth Rollins: “He was very composed, but I kept reassuring him we’d get to the course on time. I believe it was 11 a.m. when he got in the car and we must have gotten to the club in 30 minutes. It’s hard to gauge.”
Rollins radioed ahead to traffic posts, used his sirens to bust-up traffic at one juncture and got McIlroy to the golf course in the nick of time.

The rest is history.

This better not happen.

Third Ryder Cup Question: Did The Course Setup "Backfire"?

I've seen and heard in several places how the course setup (fast greens and no rough) backfired on Captain Davis Love. Before the matches, there had been suggestions the USA had a few tricks up their sleeves while Lee Westwood said he saw the approach favoring neither team.

Now, the match was decided by a point. The U.S. played particularly well in the foursomes and four-balls where they historically haven't been as strong.

The only impact I saw was in the way the setup tactics possibly inspired the Europeans to overcome a perceived obstacle. There may have been many other instances we'll learn about in time from players about little things that were done to aid the Americans.  Otherwise, Curtis Tyrrell and team's beautifully conditioned Medinah seemed to reward shots from both sides and allowed skill to dictate the outcome instead of rough or the actions of PGA setup man Kerry Haigh.

Thoughts?

If You Watch The Ryder Cup Singles Re-Airing...

...from 4-9 ET Tuesday on Golf Channel, watch the moments immediately after Martin Kaymer sinks the winning putt and pay special attention.

We'll talk about it on Wednesday, class. There might even be a pop quiz.

Meanwhile, historian Cliff Schrock of Golf Digest posed this in a GolfDigest.com column Monday:

But an opportunity was missed for the European team to have a double victory at Medinah. If the final match was allowed to end with a halve on 18 for a Woods victory and 14-14 tie, it would have demonstrated that Ryder's code of fairness has stayed foremost among the minds of players and captains. The Europeans would have demonstrated a respect for the effort and huge advantage the Americans had made to go into Sunday with a 10-6 lead. A tie would have given the home crowd and madly supportive Chicago-area crowd a kiss on the cheek for how much they made the event a success with their financial backing. It would have been a "thank you" to the state trooper who made sure time-zone confused Rory McIlroy didn't miss his tee time.

And the tie would have followed some notable gestures of its kind, such as Jack Nicklaus' famous concession in 1969 with Tony Jacklin, which ensured an overall tie, and, quite interestingly, something that occurred in 1999, the year a team -- the Americans -- first came back from a 10-6 deficit to win.

"This was about men like McIlroy, Rose and Kaymer and their wildly exciting journeys to scale the summit of their sport."

Exceptional read from Derek Lawrenson on the anatomy of a Sunday surge for Team Europe, with an emphasis on the stories of Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer and Justin Rose.

A few more details on Rory's near-disaster Sunday.

After ignoring a couple of calls from numbers he didn’t recognise, McIlroy eventually answered one from his manager, Conor Ridge.

‘Are you at the course?’ asked Conor.

‘No, I’m not,’ replied McIlroy.

‘You’re teeing off in 25 minutes.’

‘No, I’m not, it’s an hour and 25.’

‘You’re taking the mick, you’re at the golf course.’

‘No, I’m not.’

‘Rory, listen to me, you need to get there.’

So it was that McIlroy sprinted into the lobby and found the state trooper who might have been the American star of the final day. With the emergency light on and every speed limit broken, McIlroy sat in the patrol car on the edge of panic.

‘It would have been bad enough missing my tee-time playing for myself but letting down all my team-mates and the whole of Europe? I’ve never been so worried in my life,’ he confessed.

Euros Party Into The Night; Traditional Post-Ryder Cup Wig Wearing Ritual Ensues

Hey, maybe this is why you-know-who is so eager to be Captain again?

Anyway, Brian Keogh has all of the details of Team Europe's post Ryder Cup party.

Captain I-Want-To-Win-Not-Halve had some Spanish wine, while the team received a visit from Captain Love along with a few unnamed American players.

Former DJ Colsaerts added: “I haven’t slept. But I’ll be alright. This used to be my first job so it’s okay.”

Asked where the party ranked, he said: “It was just the length of it, the intensity of it after all that work.

“We were just stretching it out and stretching it out. I don’t know how bumpy this plane ride is going to be but I might give it 10 out of 10.

“It was just a good old fashioned party with drinks flying in the air and other stupid stuff going on.

“There were a few Diana Ross wigs and things like that. Frankie Molinari was wearing a blonde one which made him look like Marilyn Monroe!"

Ian Poulter Tweeted a couple of photos from the party, including one with the cup and a classic of his daughter wondering "where she gets it."

"The best-televised sporting event of the year – if not the young century – was almost spoiled by the stop-start nature of the action."

Brad Klein wasn't too keen on NBC and the PGA of America's commercial-heavy Ryder Cup broadcast, though he noted the nice "last three-quarters of an hour went without an ad or a break," but by then the damage had been done for most viewers.

And Klein documents the damage, totaling up how many times certain ads ran. The top eight:

NBC Network Programming: 31
Omega Watches: 16
Get Golf Ready/Tee It Forward/Play Golf America: 13
Cadillac: 10
Mercedes: 10
National Car Rental: 10
Samsung Galaxy: 9
Royal Bank of Canada: 8

Europe May Be Ready To Move On After Geno Apologizes For Highly Inoffensive Column Declaring Matches Over

I'm not sure why there was so much outrage over Gene Wojciechowski's column suggesting the Euros had no chance Sunday since it would take a comeback of Brookline proportions to win. A view many of us shared.

But the BBC 5 Live's Colin Murray hunted down the not-evil ESPN.com scribe to wring out an on air concession for the United Kingdom listening audience, allowing Geno to take higher ground over Captain Don't Halve in the class department. And Geno, wisely hoping to show his face in Europe sometime soon, said he was sorry.

The audio is here.

Second Ryder Cup Question: How Does 2012 Impact 2014?

I know, I know, so much brilliant golf to discuss and we'll review some of the highlights and lowlights. But one of the first thoughts I've had about the 2012 Ryder Cup relates to 2014.

With Europe facing a rout you could already sense the case being made for Colin Montgomerie to make the triumphant return as 2014 Captain that he'll only accept if asked, pushing aside next-in-line Paul McGinley. With a Europe win, it seems more likely now that McGinley will get his deserving shot at Gleneagles.

On the American side, a big win would have paved the way for a natural transition to presumed Captain David Toms who fits the PGA of America's requirements of being affable, cautious and a former PGA Champion. But with the U.S. loss and the way they lost, I wonder if we'll see a more dynamic option explored?

First Ryder Cup Question: Did Captain Ollie Miss Opportunity For An Act Comparable To Nicklaus' Concession?

Not much came out of the "boys-will-be-boys" European team press conference, but Francesco Molinari did establish himself as one of the classiest golfers on the planet by revealing that he wanted to concede the 18th hole to Tiger Woods. With the matches decided, the celebration ensuing and chaos having overtaken Medinah's home hole, this was no longer a competitive landscape.

Bob Harig on that scene and understandable celebration after Martin Kaymer's putt:

The chaos on the 18th green carried on for several minutes. Dozens of people from the European entourage were there, as well as media conducting interviews. If it didn't matter, perhaps Woods and Molinari should have walked off, Woods getting the point and the match ending in a tie.

With over 1600 votes in our instant poll, it's a virtual 50-50 dead heat between those saying the ending was just fine and those wishing Europe had conceded the match to Woods to finish an amazing cup off in a 14-14 tie.

Harig noted the significance of this:

Only twice in Ryder Cup history has the event ended in a tie, and, although the circumstances were far different, you can bet that the Great Britain & Ireland team was thrilled with the 16-16 score in 1969 even though the Americans retained the Cup.

That was the famous "Concession" when Jack Nicklaus conceded a putt to England's Tony Jacklin on the final green. Had Jacklin missed the short putt, he would have lost his match to Nicklaus and the U.S. would have won. Instead, they halved the match and the overall Ryder Cup ended in a tie -- with the U.S. retaining the Cup.

I've tried to consider Captain Olazabal's thinking, and the only reason I can come up with for continuing to play the last half of the 18th hole was due to something in the Captain's agreement about finishing all matches.

But according to Molinari, that was not what his Captain suggested:

You know, I thought about giving him the halve on the fairway, but then the Captain was there, the Chairman was the there, they told me, it's not the same, winning or halving, so get focused and do your best, and that's what I did.  So I just tried to win the hole, to win the tournament, basically.

He's right, winning and halving are not the same. Winning is winning and the Europeans are to be commended for clutch play.

However, halving in this instance as the result of a goodwill concession probably goes down as one of the great acts of sportsmanship in golf history.

2012 Ryder Cup Ratings Are Up Despite That Rental Car Ad No One Ever Wants To See Again

From NBC PR:

Sunday #RyderCup on NBC draws 4.1/9 overnight. Up 71% from '10 (2.4/7), up 21% from '08 (3.4/7) and best since '99 (6.3/15 at Brookline).

Nice, but not PGA Tour Playoff numbers. You have to divide by two to get those.

One note: the 2010 Ryder Cup finished on a Monday.

In Golf World Monday I noted that it was a historic week for Golf Channel, with a fantastic Ryder Cup build-up and the kind of thorough coverage core fans have longed for.

But both the NBC and ESPN's telecasts were marred by so many commercials that many on Twitter and in emails suggested they have actually taken a disliking to the companies whose same lame ads ran as many as 20 times over the weekend.

Ultimately, this is not about the networks who can show restraint (and presumably profits) on telecasts with fewer breaks (Players, U.S. Open, Masters). Yet just as with the unwatchable PGA Championship, this is a PGA of America problem. We all know they expect to maximize profit from the game while reminding us they want to grow the game, but to do that you have to let people actually see the golf to fall in love with it.

Oh, and when your President is Tweeting tacky stuff like this on the final day of the Ryder Cup, it never looks good. But it does explain a lot.

Update on Monday, October 1, 2012 at 09:19 AM by Geoff

**More from NBC PR:

RYDER CUP FINAL ROUND SINCE 1999:

2012 4.1/9, Medinah, Ill.
2010 2.4/7, Newport, Wales
2008 3.4/7, Louisville, Ky.
2006 2.7/8, Kildare, Ireland
2004 3.4/7, Detroit, Mich.
2002 3.9/12, Blefry, England
1999 6.3/15, Brookline, Mass.

TOP 10 MARKETS FOR RYDER CUP FINAL ROUND:

1. West Palm Beach 8.1/16
2. Ft. Myers 7.6/15
3. Greensboro 6.8/13
4. Louisville 6.6/13
5. Chicago  6.5/15
6. Greenville/Spartenburg  6.4/11
7. Detroit 6.0/11
8. Richmond  5.8/10
T9. Columbus  5.4/11
T9. Knoxville  5.4/10

Saturday’s Ryder Cup coverage (9 a.m - 7:45 p.m.) drew a 3.2/8, up 52% from 2010 (2.1/6), up 14% from 2008, and tied 2006 as the best second day for Ryder Cup since 2004 (3.9/9 from Detroit).

Update on Monday, October 1, 2012 at 03:36 PM by Geoff

**The cable numbers are in...For Immediate Release:

ESPN’s telecast of the first-day matches in the 39th Ryder Cup on Friday, September 28, set records as cable’s highest-rated and most-viewed telecast of the event on record.
 
With the telecast airing 11.5 hours from 8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN earned an average household coverage rating of 1.7 (1.5 U.S. rating) and an average of 1,679,359 viewers, according to the Nielsen Company. The rating peaked at a 2.5 in the 6-7 p.m. range.
 
The highest previous Ryder Cup first-day average cable rating on record was a 1.6 on the USA Network for the 2004 event. That telecast averaged 1,394,064 viewers.

Revised by ESPN...

ESPN’s Ryder Cup Telecast Sets Cable Viewership Record
 
With more than 3.2 million people watching at the peak, ESPN’s telecast of the first-day matches in the 39th Ryder Cup on Friday, September 28, was cable’s most-viewed Ryder Cup telecast on record.
 
ESPN earned an average of 1,984,853 viewers and an average household coverage rating of 1.7 (1.5 U.S. rating) during the 11.5-hour telecast, according to the Nielsen Company. Viewership and ratings peaked at 7 p.m. ET with 3,289,047 watching and a 2.6 rating. ESPN’s telecast aired from 8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
 
The highest previous Ryder Cup first-day average cable viewership on record was 1,735,295 on the USA Network in 1999.