Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - PGA TOUR - RYDER CUP, Medinah Country
Club, Medinah, Illinois - After months of hype, the Ryder Cup is finally upon
us this week at Medinah's No. 3 course.
Medinah has three courses, and No. 3 has hosted three U.S. Opens, a U.S.
Senior Open and a pair of PGA Championships. Rees Jones did the most recent
work on the course prior to the 2006 PGA Championship.
The course will play to over 7,600 yards for this biennial event.
Tiger Woods, who headlines the United States team, was the winner of the 1999
and 2006 PGA Championships at Medinah, so he'll obviously have a good feeling
about this course. His win in 1999 was the start of the "Tiger Slam."
Sergio Garcia will have those same good feeling as he finished second to Woods
in 1999. The Spaniard had a memorable shot that week from against a tree,
which he hit a spectacular shot, then ran up the fairway to see where the shot
landed.
Woods and Luke Donald shared the lead after three rounds in 2006, but Woods
closed with a 68 to win by five over Shaun Micheel. Donald struggled to a 74
to fall into a share of third with, you guessed it, Garcia.
Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk will be the old guard on the U.S. team
this week. Mickelson is making his U.S. record ninth Ryder Cup start, and
those three combined have played in 24 Ryder Cups. That squad also boasts four
rookies and two reigning major champions - Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson.
Brandt Snedeker, who won the Tour Championship and FedExCup, and Dustin
Johnson are among the hottest American players entering the Ryder Cup.
2011 PGA Champion Keegan Bradley, 2-time winner this year Jason Dufner, 2007
Masters winner Zach Johnson, reigning Players Champion Matt Kuchar and Hyundai
Tournament of Champions titlist Steve Stricker round out the U.S. team.
The U.S. won at Valhalla in 2008, but the Europeans have won four of the last
five Cups overall.
The Euros will be led by world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, who won the PGA
Championship, then two of the four FedExCup playoff events.
While he is the clear leader of the team, Paul Lawrie, Peter Hanson and Garcia
have all won in the last six weeks. The Euros clearly have the hotter team
entering the week.
Former world No. 1 Martin Kaymer might be struggling the most of any of the 24
players competing this week, but he tied for 21st and shared fifth in his last
two starts, so he seems to be rounding back into form.
The European team is rounded out by Volvo World Match Play winner Nicolas
Colsaerts, former world No. 1 Donald, 2010 U.S. Open victor Graeme McDowell,
Spanish Open champ Francesco Molinari, Ryder Cup stalwart Ian Poulter, WGC-
Cadillac Championship winner Justin Rose and Lee Westwood, who is making his
eighth Ryder Cup appearance. McDowell drained the winning putt in 2010 at
Celtic Manor.
Golf Channel will air the opening ceremony on Thursday, then ESPN will have
all day coverage on Friday, while NBC has coverage of all the action on
Saturday and Sunday.
The PGA Tour will be in Las Vegas next week for the Justin Timberlake Shriners
Hospitals for Children Open, where Kevin Na won in 2010. The European Tour
will be in Scotland next week for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where
Michael Hoey won by 2 over McIlroy last year.
WEB.COM TOUR
CHIQUITA CLASSIC, The Club at Longview, Weddington, North Carolina - The
Chiquita Classic moved from July to September this year and also shifted from
Ohio to North Carolina.
The tournament is being played opposite the Ryder Cup. Former Ryder Cuppers
Robert Karlsson and Chris Riley will be at The Club at Longview this week as
will former Presidents Cup players Woody Austin and Chris Riley.
For the third straight week, the Web.com Tour will have its defending champion
in the field. Russell Knox fired four rounds in the 60s and cruised to a 3-
shot win last year at TPC River's Bend in Ohio.
Last week, Danny Lee took the lead into the final round of his title defense
at the WNB Golf Classic, but he ended one shot behind Luke Guthrie, who won
for the second straight week.
Lee became the fourth player in tour history to finish second in his title
defense, the closest anyone has come to repeating as champion in Web.com Tour
history.
Golf Channel has coverage all four days this week.
The tour heads to Maryland next week for a new event, the Neediest Kids
Championship.
The Sports Network