{"id":3071,"date":"2008-09-11T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-09-11T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesandtrap.com\/?p=3071"},"modified":"2008-09-11T09:41:47","modified_gmt":"2008-09-11T13:41:47","slug":"2008_ryder_cup_keys_to_victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesandtrap.com\/b\/thrash_talk\/2008_ryder_cup_keys_to_victory","title":{"rendered":"2008 Ryder Cup Keys to Victory"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ThrashThe 2008 Ryder Cup<\/a> is only one week away, and the media hype is increasing by the day. On paper, this is one of the most intriguing competitions in the event’s history. The two captains aren’t afraid to take friendly jabs at each other, and they aren’t afraid to speak their minds either. That’s just one of the key storylines heading into Valhalla Golf Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The absence of a few select golfers is also garnering plenty of attention. Tiger Woods won’t be playing competitively until 2009, and the United States will attempt to win without the world’s greatest golfer. On the other side, the absence of Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke have European fans wondering how well the team will perform. Both are past Ryder Cup stalwarts, and it will be weird seeing the two missing in action.<\/p>\n

All that aside, this year’s Ryder Cup will come down to the play of the 24 golfers who made their respective teams. What does the United States have to do to win for the first time since 1999? Also, what does Europe have to do to continue their recent dominance? I’ve put together a few keys to victory for each team, so sit back and enjoy.
\n
\nEurope<\/strong>
\nThe Europeans have won five of the last six Ryder Cup playings, so I’ll start with them first. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the team from across the pond is leadership. It’s no secret Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke were both leaders in the locker room and on the golf course. Both will be watching this year’s event from home, and Europe needs to find a couple guys to step up and become leaders. And no, Nick Faldo doesn’t count.<\/p>\n

Padraig Harrington, who has won three of the last six majors, needs to take control of the team in the locker room. His recent play has moved him up in the top five in the world rankings, and that has gained him a ton of respect from around the globe. Harrington needs to lead Europe into battle next week if they wish to continue their recent dominance.<\/p>\n

Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia are two others that can assume the role of leader on this team. Westwood has played in the event since 1997, and while he won’t be able to team with his long-term partner Darren Clarke, this clearly won’t be his first rodeo. Sergio Garcia is still under the age of 30, but he has played in the Ryder Cup since 1999. His fiery personality and excellent game will make him one of on-course leaders.<\/p>\n

\"Sergio<\/p>\n

Europe always seems to be the underdog heading into the event, but that clearly won’t be the case this year. For the first time in recent memory, they will be expected to win and win big. While they seem to be embracing the role as favorites, how will they truly respond once play starts next Friday? <\/p>\n

Being the underdog time after time has enabled them to be extremely loose on and off the golf course. If they let the favorites<\/em> role affect them any, the competition could shift the other way. In the end, I doubt it will affect them any, but you never know until the first ball is teed up.<\/p>\n

The last thing is obvious, yet very important nonetheless. Quite simply, the Europeans need to keep doing what they have done since the 1997 Ryder Cup. They need to jump out to an early lead in the four-ball and foursomes, and they need to keep the accelerator down the entire weekend. That has enabled them to be loose and have fun on and off the golf course. It’s a lot easier to have fun when winning. <\/p>\n

The media can talk about the strategy for team Europe all they want, but it’s obvious the team already has the recipe for success in this event. Now it’s just a matter of executing the game plan once again. If they do, it will very tough for the United States to win back the Ryder Cup.<\/p>\n

United States<\/strong>
\nThe game plan for the United States isn’t very clear because they haven’t been successful since the miracle comeback at Brookline in 1999. That being said, it’s important to start with a little common sense. The U.S. can’t win this year’s Ryder Cup if they never have the lead. Like I mentioned above, that’s something Europe has become accustomed to quite a bit in the past decade or so.<\/p>\n

It’s almost necessary for the Americans to jump out to an early lead in the four-ball and foursomes matches. It doesn’t matter if they only lead by half a point after Friday or Saturday’s play. As long as they see a few more American flags on the board, it will help the confidence greatly. The team play has been the team’s achilles heel in recent years, and it’s something they must figure out this time around. They can’t rely on dominating the singles play anymore because the Europeans are just as good or better in that area.<\/p>\n

The second key for the United States is to put the focus on the rookies. First off, the six rookies on the team haven’t tasted any nasty Ryder Cup defeat in recent years, and they should have a fresh perspective on the event. Second, most of the rookies are playing very well right now. Anthony Kim, Ben Curtis, Steve Stricker, and Hunter Mahan all come in playing some of their best golf of the season. Captain Azinger needs to ride these guys all the way to victory next week.<\/p>\n

\"Ben<\/p>\n

Some of the Americans with past Ryder Cup experience aren’t playing their best golf right now. Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, and Kenny Perry all had more success two or three months ago. Fans will probably want to see Lefty play all five matches, but it wouldn’t hurt him to sit out once or twice. If any of these three are played in all five matches, it will be a mistake. Let the younger guys carry a majority of the load, and let veterans like Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard, and Chad Campbell continue their recent hot play.<\/p>\n

The last key to victory for the U.S. centers around fun, but it may not be what you are thinking. The Americans need to quit faking<\/em> the fun and go out and play to win. There is no reason these guys should have to act like they are having a good time. The Ryder Cup is a very serious competition, and the fun part of it comes with success.<\/p>\n

I didn’t see the Europeans having much fun when the U.S. was coming from behind to win the 1999 Ryder Cup. The reason they have had so much fun recently stems from them being in the lead so much. The Americans need to forget about having fun, and they need to start playing golf. They need to put their heads down, play to win instead of not to lose, and the results will come. Then, maybe the media will see them having a little fun.<\/p>\n

The Final Say<\/strong>
\nIt would be tough for the United States to win this year’s Ryder Cup with Tiger Woods, and it will be even harder to win without him. That being said, the two teams are a lot closer than they may first appear. I’ve seen a lot of people predicting a European blowout, and I couldn’t disagree anymore. The American team comes in playing better as a whole than they have in recent Ryder Cup playings, and the atmosphere at Valhalla will be extremely pro-American. It’s been an advantage in the past, but it will be even crazier this time around.<\/p>\n

As solid as things look for the United States, the Europeans are still a well-oiled machine. Things became a little interesting when Darren Clarke was left off the team, but the 12 golfers that made the team are all very deserving as well. They are the favorites for a reason, and it will be at least a small surprise if they don’t continue their recent success and retain. As for predictions, you will have to stay tuned for next week’s Sand Trap<\/em> staff predictions.<\/p>\n

It’s your turn to tell me what you think about this week’s article. What are the keys to victory for Europe? Also, what are the keys to victory for the U.S.? If you have anything to add, please comment below or discuss it in the forum<\/a>. Thanks for reading this week’s Thrash Talk!<\/p>\n

Photo Credits: © The Sand Trap .com.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Find out what each team needs to do to be successful next week at Valhalla.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-thrash_talk"],"yoast_head":"\n2008 Ryder Cup Keys to Victory (Thrash Talk) - The Sand Trap .com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thesandtrap.com\/b\/thrash_talk\/2008_ryder_cup_keys_to_victory\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"2008 Ryder Cup Keys to Victory (Thrash Talk) - 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