Ryder Cup shake up....

[Acropo]

I like it the way it is. It seems to be about the best golfers in the world competing in formats that we normally don't see. I can't explain why Europe does so well in modern times as the formats are not often played there either. But Europe seems to do very well in the foresomes and fourball formats and Americans in the head to head match play. A cultural thing maybe? In any case the Ryder Cup is one of my favorite events to watch.

A lot of junior golf, in the UK at least, is mixed matchplay, rather than strokeplay. Same in pretty much all the clubs in the country. You will have two 'champions' - the winner of the scratch strokeplay trophy and the winner of the matchplay knockout. We also have foursomes and pairs, all over the place. So British and Irish golfers, at least, are brought up on matchplay rather than strokeply.

Disagree with your comment about head-to head: that's old hat. The last several Rydre Cups, the Europeans have tended to more than hold their own against the US. The recors European margins of victory in 2004 and 2006 came mostly from the singles on the final day - I remember Butch Harmon falling silent as the line 'playing their own balls, in their own way' bit the dust. By contrast, in 2008 the USA built its win on the pairs and foursomes, which it won handsomely.

[Chas]

Guys (i.e. ValleyGolfer and groovezilla) ..... it's Australia/Australians , not Austrailia/Austrailians.

sheesh .....





...... ah never mind, just call them "Oz" like most people do.

p.s. Valley: don't lose that avatar, please, or I won't know how to imagine you.

[sean_miller]

Guys (i.e. ValleyGolfer and groovezilla) ..... it's

We call then Aussies, so as not to confuse them with the prison series from HBO, The Wizard of Oz, or St Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith, or that terrible option package Mitsubishi came out with for the Lancer.