Great Day on the European Tour

This latest tournament, the Andalucia Valderrama Masters, was spectacular. Great golf, great players, and top 10 successes for two great competitors. Graeme McDowell won the hard-fought event. Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal each earned a top 10 finish in their second event of their comebacks. For Olazabal, this was only his third golf tournament of the year and he scored a top 10. Proof that he is one of the all-time best golfers with some of the greatest inherent talent of any player ever.

And, the biggest news for the Tour is that Lee Westwood is claiming the World #1 ranking this week. It's about time we have a #1 player whose game actually reflects that ranking. I've said often enough the rankings system needs revamped and this time I have to question whether or not Martin Kaymer should actually be the World's #1 player, given that he's won four times this year, including a major and he's participated in the Ryder Cup. Graeme McDowell should also be considered in the discussion of World's #1.

Oh-No!!!

According to this article, Matteo Manassero has actually told the whole world that he doesn't have a girlfriend. He doesn't realize what he's just done to himself. Here's some advice he should take:
1. Don't date tennis players.
2. Don't date celebrities or the daughters of celebrities.
3. Don't buy presents for the girlfriend. Pick wildflowers for her or write a poem.
4. Don't get married until you're 30.

An Exciting Castello Masters

Matteo Manassero won the Castello Masters today in convincing fashion. He was great to watch and the golf was very good. There will be plenty of folks who will write volumes about what his win will mean for Italian golf, for the European Tour and for him, as he's the youngest winner on the European Tour. So, I won't go there. Instead, I'll just say it was a great tournament to watch and it leaves me with great anticipation for next week's event at Valderrama.

A so-so event for Jose Maria Olazabal this week. He met his goal of playing four rounds. But, he signed an incorrect score card and was disqualified. I haven't seen any quotes from him regarding his health today, but hopefully, he's well. The announcers said he would be playing next week. Another great reason to watch the tournament.

They're Back!!!

Yiippeee!!! Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal are back in competition this week at the Castello Masters. I really hope they both do well as I want to see both of them a lot this weekend during the tv coverage. From what I've read on various news websites, it sounds like Sergio has a new vision for himself and hopefully it will all work out for him. As for Olazabal, it sounds like he's downplaying his potential and exercising caution regarding the prospect of a successful return to golf.

Second Verse the Same as the First

Once again, congratulations to Martin Kaymer who won the Dunhill Links today. This is his third consecutive stroke pay tournament win this year, four wins in a row if you count the Ryder Cup. This has been a stellar year for European Tour golf. Simply fantastic. I can't imagine what the rest of the year will be like.

Huh???

I was listening to the PGA Tour Network this afternoon and they were complaining that Lee Westwood could become the #1 player in the world by not playing a tournament. They just didn't think that was fair to Tiger that he could lose his #1 ranking that way.

How about looking at the other side of that coin - exactly how fair is it to have a #1 player who has played as poorly as Tiger Woods this year? How fair is it to other players who've won two and three times this year and are higher up on the money list?

Bottom line, you people love the world rankings system when Tiger's at the top, you all need to suck it up and love it just as much when someone else is.

Interesting Comparison

I'm watching Mythbusters and I just realized that Tory reminds me of Bubba Watson.

Westwood Says No to Fed Ex Cup

Out today is this article which reports that Lee Westwood is not going to join the US PGA tour in 2011. Saying that he's happier to play in Europe, he cites another reason to avoid the Fed Ex Cup is wanting to spend time with his family.

Good for Lee. I think the European Tour needs its star players to play more in Europe.

I'm Not Always This Slow

I thought of something earlier this morning...... If Jose Maria Olazabal was a last minute add to the European Team because of the weather's effect on the schedule, then how was it that they had a closing ceremony suit that fit him???

I'm thinking Colin Montgomerie is even more sneaky than anyone has given him credit for and there's more to this story....

A Great Win for Europe

I didn't get to watch much of the singles matches today since I had to go to work, but I snuck a peek at the BBC news website and kept up on the results. I can't believe this turned into such a nailbiter with Europe winning by the skin of their teeth.

So, here are a few things that thrilled me this week:
Sergio, Miguel and Jose Maria together on the team. I am a big Spanish golf fan and I don't think I could have gotten over the absence of Jose Maria Olazabal if he hadn't agreed to help out this weekend. I'm thrilled that Miguel Angel Jimenez won his match today. He may not get very many more chances to play for the Ryder Cup and I know the win was a special one for him. And I hope being a part of the team helps Sergio Garcia regain his passion for golf and sets him back on the path to great competitive golf in the future. He's a top ten player and should always be there competing with the best in the sport.

Ross Fisher, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy. The pairing of McDowell and McIlroy was spectacular and Fisher and Poulter have the competitive fire that stirs up the crowds. It was great watching them.

Lee Westwood and Luke Donald. How much do I love this pair who brought down the Woods-Stricker pairing? It's unquantifiable. That's how much.

The Molinaris were a great story this week and the half point they earned on Sunday made all the difference. As Colin Montgomerie said, it's that much more difficult to win that extra half a point.

The image of that huge crowd all focused on McDowell and Mahan was just stupendous. I can't imagine the pressure they were feeling. Mahan's of course wasn't as great as McDowell's, after all, McDowell was on home soil. His critics were a lot closer than Mahan's so a failure for him would be much more painful.

I really liked how the teams had to play everyone on Saturday/Sunday. It's a shame the Ryder Cup format isn't like that each time but I guess it would take away from some of the strategic element of the Cup competition.

Not as thrilling but just as interesting:

Corey Pavin didn't seem to have a problem playing all of his players. In 2006 I had a problem with how Lehman didn't play his players, including his picks. But Pavin either didn't have an issue with it or couldn't afford one due to the weather. At least he didn't project a lack of interest or confidence in any of his players and that was great.

I'm a little tired of the US captains always saying "these guys know what they need to do. I don't need to give speeches." They've lost 6 of the last 8 Ryder Cups, I suspect the players might not know what to do. But keep on believing that US captains, I would like to see Europe continue to be successful.

Johnny Miller is fantastic. I don't care what the players think about him. He makes golf watching fun and he says what other people are too afraid to say. I think Phil Mickelson would have been a very successful car salesman. He has the gift of gab and that million dollar smile that would send you away in a way too expensive SUV that you can't possibly afford. And bless Johnny's heart, he said that Lee Westwood is probably the #1 player in the world right now, never mind what the rankings say.

I always question why the Ryder Cup golfers don't play the same way when they aren't playing for the Ryder Cup. These guys this week made huge putts and hit great approach shots. You don't see that any other time on Tour (Bubba Watson might be the exception. He goes for broke every round). I wish they would take a little bit of the Ryder Cup with them back to their respective tours.

.......... So now it's on to the next European Tour event and my patient waiting for the next event that Sergio and Jose Maria play.

Another Great Day at the Ryder Cup

Today's matches were exciting and tense. The fans who bought tickets got their money's worth and those of us watching on TV were thoroughly entertained. The European team whooped up on the USA team and only need 5 points to win the Cup tomorrow. I'm having to record the coverage tomorrow since I'll be at work but hopefully it will be a total European team highlight film. I may have to go out to my car a couple of times tomorrow to listen to Sirius/XM and get updates.

I love Johnny Miller's analysis and commentary. So many times when I'm watching golf on tv I ask the people on tv what tournament they are watching because what they are saying is completely contradictory to what I'm seeing (most usually it's a Tiger Love-fest). But with Johnny Miller, I don't have to ask that question.

I got to see Jose Maria Olazabal again today on tv which thrilled me to no end. And Sergio was having a lot of fun, especially following Westwood and Donald in their win over Stricker and Woods. Miguel Angel Jimenez and Peter Hanson won a point for the team and the Molinari brothers refused to be beaten, eaking out a half point for the team.

Someone in the last few days referred to Westwood as "Westy". Please don't. When you do that, I think of the little dogs.

As for the pairings for tomorrow's singles, I think Colin Montgomerie has done a great job. He's steered away from the 'sucker matches' (those that fans may want to see but strategically would be a huge negative for the team) and it looks like the line-up should hopefully earn the 5 points needed for a European team win.

I hope they do win and I hope my dvd will run long enough to record the celebration. I want to see how much a win means to Monty.

An Interview with Miguel Angel Jimenez

Here's a pre-Ryder Cup interview with Miguel Angel Jimenez.

An Interview with Jose Maria Olazabal

Here's an interview conducted with Jose Maria Olazabal this week before the Ryder Cup began. It's an interesting read.

I'm in heaven with Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia serving as vice captains for Monty and Miguel Angel Jimenez playing on the team.

A Few Ryder Cup Thoughts

Colin Montgomerie must feel like he's gone to Disneyland. His team is leading in all 6 uncompleted matches overnight. He now has Jose Maria Olazabal as a vice captain along with Sergio Garcia. He had Seve Ballesteros call in to talk to the team before the matches began. Montgomerie has done everything possible to realize his dream of captaining a winning Ryder Cup team, including uniting all of the European team heroes in this one endeavor this week. Now all the players have to do is win. I hope they do.

Steve Stricker must be a tired fellow after having to lug around a 200+ pound albatross for these first couple of days of matches.

Tom Lehman is an assistant captain? Yeah, I'd want someone who lost when he was captain to work for me. You'd think he could have at least helped out on the raingear debacle.

I'm glad they had the 6 match catch-up session today with all 24 golfers playing. It was a great gift to the fans who've had to deal with all of the bad weather. And of course, I think every team member should play before Sunday singles.