Knowing we have to make it through these last arduous hours, let’s revisit the highlights, such as they are, from the week when we over-analyse every small nugget of information in order to satisfy our craving for real golf.
The outcome will be decided by the players on the course, but it will be influenced – significantly, if you believe the words of the last two victorious captains – by the data wars being waged behind the scenes.
By Sunday evening at Ryder Cups, as champagne is being sprayed all over the place, no one remembers what happened on the Friday morning. That’s the beauty of the Ryder Cup. The team is what matters.
American and European players were greeted with a friendly reminder prior to arriving in Haven, Wisconsin, that the bunkers – all 1,012 of them – at Whistling Straits will, indeed, be played as bunkers:
It’s the Ryder Cup’s dirty little secret. Apart from his picks and choosing the pairings and lineup order, course setup is a home captain’s most potent lever to influence the matches.
Team chemistry feels like an abstract concept, and defining what it is at the Ryder Cup is a bit of a paradox, for there’s not a universal explanation for what it is and how it’s achieved.
Australian Golf Digest
