Video: Celebrity Tuesday At The Ryder Cup; Bill Murray Tries To Pilfer Samuel Ryder's Trophy

Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times was on hand and so was a video crew to capture the sweet-swinging Scottie Pippen, the also smooth-swinging Michael Phelps (who earned a groan for his tee shot) and the PGA Tour's favorite tournament host George Lopez. Bill Murray is in video #2.

But first, the results because I know you were dying to find out who won:

Murray teamed up with Justin Timberlake, Dick Stockton and Tom Lehman to finish tied for second at 6-under par. The winning team consisted of Michael Phelps, George Lopez, Hal Sutton and Lanny Wadkins, who finished at 9-under.

And the separate video for Bill Murray's first tee appearance.

Golf Channel sets their celeb highlights to music. Maybe to help us cope with the general awkwardness of celebrity golf?

State Of The Game Podcast 13: Ryder Cup Preview

Rod Morri hosts a joint Talking Golf/State of the Game podcast with yours truly and John Huggan who is at Medinah. The topics include all things Ryder Cup and a little bit of FedExCup talk too.

You can listen below, or as usual, through iTunes. And subscribing is always the best option if you have a smart phone.

Whoa: Tiger Shoulders Blame For Recent USA Ryder Woes

Not that I don't trust Steve DiMeglio, but I did have to go read Tiger's transcript to see that I wasn't hallucinating when he took some of the blame for the U.S. losing six of the last eight Cups.

"Certainly I am responsible for that, because I didn't earn the points that I was put out there for," said Woods, who is 13-14-2 in the Ryder Cup. "I believe I was out there, what, in five sessions each time, and I didn't go 5-0 on our side. So I certainly am a part of that, and that's part of being a team. I needed to go get my points for my team, and I didn't do that."

Sheesh, next thing you know he's going to be apologizing to the fire hydrant, nominating Hank Haney for a Pulitzer and announcing that he's joining the Peace Corps.

Medinah's New Driveable 15th: More reward than risk?

One of the first serious reviews of the new Rees Jones-designed addition to Ryder Cup host Medinah, the lake guarded 15th.

Brad Klein feels it benefits the long hitter.

In addition to some added length, there’s an entirely new par-4 15th hole, this one tipping out at 390 yards but intended as a drivable hole when played from 331 yards. A shaved bank on the right that leads to water poses a hazard, but it’s still possible to make 4 after the drop, so that’s not exactly terrifying.

The hole, as designed, is more “reward” than “risk,” because a good player hitting driver can favor the left side, from which the green opens. The greenside bunker on the left serves as an ideal landing spot, so the anxiety level here will be minimal.

Anyone seen any good photos or video showing the options on what could be the pivotal hole in many matches?

Update on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at 09:36 PM by Geoff

**Frank Nobilo's dissection of the 15th doesn't show much either, which makes me wonder if he was avoiding talking about a green that doesn't look particularly tempting.

"Greenkeepers have played a starring role in home-team preparation since at least the 1980s when the Ryder Cup became more competitive after decades of U.S. dominance."

Mark Peters files an excellent WSJ look at the various course setup tactics, fetishes and other neurotic acts of Ryder Cups past, whether they really matter and how Medinah super Curtis Tyrrell will be doing his part for Team USA.

On a recent afternoon, Mr. Tyrrell, the director of golf-course operations, was zipping around Medinah in a cart overseeing last-minute preparations as corporate tents and concessions rose around the course. Even as players and fans start to see some of the gamesmanship Mr. Love has planned, other plans remain private.

"Some of it is real obvious, with the mowing heights in the rough," Mr. Tyrrell said. "But there are a lot of things that are meant for the team only."

There is also an audio segment featuring Peters talking to Tyrrell.

Euros Paying Tribute To Seve By Wearing His Signature Navy On Navy For Sunday Singles

Ewan Murray reports, even though European Captain Jose Maria Olazabal would not confirm during Monday's press conference.

That's where Paul Lawrie helped out.

Paul Lawrie, who will be part of this week's Europe side against the US, said: "I don't know for sure but the word is that we're wearing navy trousers, navy sweaters and white shirts like Seve always wore in the final round of majors. I think that will be our singles outfit.

"I don't know that for certain but a few of the boys have mentioned that and I think that, if that is indeed the case, there could be no more fitting a tribute to a guy like Seve than having 12 of the best players in Europe wearing his outfit on the final day of the Ryder Cup.

"If that's how they're going to do it, then it's absolutely bang on."

Update on Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at 08:03 AM by Geoff

**Thanks to reader Brian for this link to a lengthy Michael McEwan story where Lawrie's comments first appeared. He also talks to Lawrie about several other Cup topics.

PGA Encourages American Fans To Wear Red This Sunday, Even If Sitting At Home In Their Favorite Jammies

From the Team USA portion of RyderCup.com--yes we're still splitting the website into teams--an unbylined report on the PGA of America encouraging a "Red Out" to make Sunday look like a Nebraska Cornhuskers tailgate party.

Fans attending the Ryder Cup are encouraged to wear red clothing on Sunday at Medinah to show their patriotic pride, while fans watching from home are encouraged to the same.

What is this, the Tavistock Cup?

Even Nice Guy Davis Love Can Only Take Azinger's Windbaggery In Small Doses

Farrell Evans with one of the better bits from Monday's Captain's press conference to kick off the Ryder Cup.

Love has experiences from his six Ryder Cups as a player and from the captains of those teams. He's getting more information than he could ever apply for from Paul Azinger, who led the U.S. team to a win at Valhalla in '08.

"When the iPhone says 'Paul Azinger,' I have to make a decision: Do I have 30, 45 minutes, or do I hit the ignore button," Love said with a grin. "And sometimes I hit ignore and sometimes I answered it.

"It's really incredible how much thought and passion he put into it, and I could tell you 10 or 12 things we're going to do."

The entire set of comments can be read in the ASAP transcript.

Oh, and if you don't know what a nice, patient guy Davis is, then check out Jaime Diaz's October Golf Digest profile of the American captain.

Here is Golf Channel's Monday coverage, including excerpts from the press conference and, perhaps, the pay cable debut of Kelly Tilghman's new homage-to-Erin Andrews hair, about the only real shocker from Medinah on Monday?

Review & DVR Alert: War By The Shore

With the captivating documentary War By The Shore, core golf fans will have one less thing to bemoan about Golf Channel's neglect of the game's rich history. In yet another shining example of the Comcast/NBC merger benefiting golf fans, this artfully produced film takes full advantage of NBC's original 1991 Ryder Cup footage and intermixes the highlights with historic photos and an extensive mix of interviewees to relive one of the most thrilling events the game has ever witnessed. Beyond retelling the story of an epic match, the 51-minute Ross Greenburg produced documentary makes an open-and-shut case for this as the transcendent event in the Ryder Cup. And maybe even in golf's place in the network pecking order.

Directed and edited by George Roy from a script by Steve Stern, the first nine minutes are devoted to the Jack Nicklaus-inspired 1979 switch to a competition against a team from Continental Europe. By 1987 when the Europeans dominated at Muirfield Village and Jose Maria Olazabal broke out in a celebratory dance across Muirfield Village's 18th green, there was "bad blood" and the arrogance was viewed as an "affront" to the Americans, Paul Azinger says in the film.  A 1989 tie was remembered mostly for Captain Ray Floyd's "twelve best golfers in the world" remark at the opening ceremony. Throw in a testosterone boost from the Gulf War even though the U.S. and Europe were allies, and the stage was set for the 1991 event at Kiawah Island's Ocean Course.

The early week antics recalled in the Peter Coyote-narrated film are many, from footage of the opening dinner (everyone had so much hair and Sir Nick had such lovely highlights!), the Steve Pate limo accident (didn't need to see Pate shirtless though) and even the traditionally-diplomatic President George Bush giving a pro-American taped message shown at the dinner (he refers to the bi-annual matches…nice job presidential speechwriters!). It all eventually pales compared to the on-course dramatics: Seve Ballesteros coughing-in Chip Beck's backswing, the ball compression controversy between Azinger and Seve, and even Azinger suggesting teammate Corey Pavin's ode-to-the-troops camouflage hats "crossed the line" (now we know why the two eventual Captains weren't sharing many notes in 2010!). The combination of rarely seen footage, fresh memories and a nice cross section of players and media interviewed, makes for terrific television. (Included is Curt Sampson, who has a new book on the matches. Excerpt here.)

One pleasant surprise to even this viewer--who was glued to the whole thing live and still has VHS copies of all three days--was the reminder that this was a breakthrough television event. The first Ryder Cup aired on network television, NBC's Dick Ebersol made a bold decision to stay with Saturday's Fred Couples/Payne Stewart v. Olazabal/Ballesteros match a whopping 90 minutes into American prime time. The resulting match, played in stunning late light on an Ocean Course that was firm, infinitely more fascinating and aesthetically rugged back then, set the stage for Sunday's singles while introducing a new audience to emotion-fueled golf like no one had ever seen.

For the final day, the film glosses over the decision by Pate to not play due to the car accident injury and instead focuses on the two matches everyone involved will forever remember: Mark Calcaveccia's meltdown against Colin Montgomerie and the finale between Bernhard Langer and Hale Irwin. We learn that Monty was going to concede a short putt to Calc after the "smother top" into the par-3 17th hole's lake, but then something urged him to resist and Calc missed, sending the match to the home hole. Then there was that unforgettable finish between Irwin and Langer which, while getting the full treatment, doesn't feel quite as dramatic as it did in last Tuesday's re-airing of the original telecast. Still, it's a minor quibble as the Greenburg team packed a lot of into 51 minutes of gripping and never dull Ryder Cup memories.

War By The Shore airs Tuesday, September 25th at 9 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. Here's a preview:

Wait Until The Chicagoans Boo Him: Monty Thinks 9-11 Changed Ryder Cup Galleries, Until Maybe This Week

The 2010 and self-presumed 2014 European captain might have a point, but just wait until the catcalls come out as he is driven around Medinah or, God helps us, he tries to climb the stairs to Golf Channel's Live At The Ryder Cup set where he's working as a commentator in addition to his Sky Sports work.

Ewan Murray reports.

"There is a risk," Montgomerie said. "I think the world changed. I mean the Ryder Cup and sporting events, when America played internationally, changed since 9/11.

"America realised we were their allies, their great allies, but that was 11 years ago and time moves on. Everything moves on and I have a slight fear that it is going to be very difficult for us Europeans to perform to our potential in a very difficult place to be."

Maybe Monty's been to a Cubs game after all!

"I think that what you find is that playing away from home in America when they want it [the Ryder Cup] back is a difficult place to have to play golf and I do hope that everyone realises that and allows the Europeans to play to their potential. Unfortunately, on the Sunday of the Ryder Cup in 1999, that wasn't available to us."

Just not letting that one go, are they?

On a lighter note, Tom English shares a fun Monty/Paul Lawrie first tee/clueless referee story from the '99 Ryder Cup that you won't want to miss.

“The referee comes up to us and let’s just say he’s a fair age. He introduces himself to Monty and says ‘You know Colin, I’m Scotch’ and Monty goes ‘Scotch? It’s a drink, it’s a drink. Scotch. It’s a drink’. You know the way he goes on repeating himself. ‘It’s a drink, it’s a drink’. This is two minutes before I’m supposed to hit it. Then the guy takes out pictures of his grandkids and shows them to us and, to be fair, this wasn’t helping the situation. I’m usually nervous on a first tee but that tee was frightening.

“So I’m trying to get my head round things and then Monty gets a fit of the giggles. He’s on the back of the tee and he’s losing it. I’ve never seen him laugh like that before. His own nerves, his nerves for me, the guy with the pictures – he’s completely lost it. Anything but a fresh air I’d have taken. In my life I never felt like that standing over a golf ball."

Sea Island Mafia Revealed: Partial To Oak Trees, Worshipful Of Their Don Davis Love

Karen Crouse travels to St. Simons Island, population 13,000 and branded by a headline writer as the "new capital for U.S. golf." She tries to understand what it is about the wealthy enclave that is spurring so many successful Americans including the Captain and three Ryder Cuppers.

The players were drawn to St. Simons, part of the Golden Isles chain of barrier islands along Georgia’s southeast coast, at least in part by Love, a 20-time PGA Tour winner whom they affectionately refer to as Uncle Davis.

“He’s everything from a plumber to an electrician to a hunting guide to a fishing expert, not to mention a pretty good chef when we grill out,” Snedeker said. “He’s kind of like everybody’s safety net.”

Hunter had no chance!

Matt Kuchar feels at peace with the oaks.

“It has beautiful low-country scenery with the reeds, the marshes and the oceanfront property as well,” said Kuchar, who moved his family here two years ago. “I think one of the things that I may enjoy the most is seeing these big oak trees. Something about going down a drive with just big old oak trees canopying a place puts me at peace. And then having the ocean; something about the natural ebb and flow of an ocean adds an unreal, peaceful rhythm to the place.”

Well, now I get it!

Snedeker's 64 Is His Best Ryder Cup Practice Round Yet!

I tried to watch some of the Tour Championship today but with playoff chases in baseball, some decent college football games and those Web.com Tour-sized galleries splattered amidst that distance-diffusing East Lake setup (a 16-yard wide landing area?), the ResetCup was relegated to a distant third on my priority viewing list.

Even then, I tended to land on a commercial break whenever I flipped over.

The Ryder Cup can't come soon enough.

Because as Mark Lamport-Stokes reports, Captain Davis Love's selection Brandt Snedeker is playing super heading into the Ryder Cup and even has a chance to win $10 million Sunday.

Snedeker described his third-round 64 in breezy conditions on a fast-running layout as one of his best displays this year and he has targeted something similar for Sunday.

"I actually won't look at the leaderboard all day," he said with a smile.

Don't worry Brandt, all you'd miss are a lot of ads and recognitions of the host pro, The First Tee and high fructose-laden corn syrup soda pop.

"My goal tomorrow is to shoot as low as I possibly can. If that's 63, it's 63. If it's 72, it's 72.

"Whatever it is, it's going to be everything I've got on that golf course tomorrow. The biggest thing tomorrow is going to be how patient you can stay because this golf course eats guys up that don't stay patient."

Or find those under-20 yard wide strips called fairways!

The PGA Tour's highlights:

For fans of Gary Van Sickle's proposed aggregate stroke play for the playoffs, I've updated the scores of the only remaining contenders based on Jim McCabe's item from after the BMW Championship. So here are the scores heading in, with this week's scores in parentheses and the overall total. As it should be, Rory McIlroy has opened a commanding lead. It wouldn't make for exciting viewing but it would also be a win free of resets and based on a playoff consistency.

Rory McIlroy, 41 under (-5) -46    

Tiger Woods, 34 under (-4) -38

Dustin Johnson, 36 under (-1) -37 
  
Louis Oosthuizen, 34 under (E) -34 

Brandt Snedeker, 25 under (-8) -33

Ryan Moore, 24 under (-6) -30

Phil Mickelson, 31 under (+2) -29

Oh and Luke Donald hit a super second shot at 14 Saturday, thankfully posted on YouTube so we can see it: