Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
Americans ponder major title drought after McIlroy win
While the European Tour celebrated its fifth successive major champion after Rory McIlroy’s astonishing eight-shot victory at the U.S. Open, American golf grappled with an unprecedented title drought.
For the first time since the Masters was launched in 1934, U.S. players have failed to triumph in five consecutive majors. Not since 1994 has a year gone by without an American holding at least one of the four grand slam crowns.
Northern Irishman McIlroy coasted to victory in record-breaking style at Congressional Country Club on Sunday to follow in the footsteps of his compatriot Graeme McDowell, who clinched last year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
Following McDowell’s major breakthrough, South African Louis Oosthuizen won the 2010 British Open, Germany’s Martin Kaymer landed the 2010 PGA Championship and South African Charl Schwartzel claimed his first major at the Masters in April.
European players also rule the roost at the top of the world rankings where they occupy the leading four spots for the first time in nearly 20 years.
With former world number one Tiger Woods a shadow of the dominant player he once was due to assorted injuries, loss of form and the break-up of his marriage, things appear to look bleak for Americans at the pinnacle of the game.
However, as 1997 PGA champion and next year’s U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III pointed out after tying for 11th at Congressional, success in golf often comes and goes in cycles.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
FIFA’s World Cup decision day — live
We'll be following all the presentations and the vote itself as FIFA's executive committee decides on the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Spain/Portugal, Russia, England and Netherlands/Belgium are the four rival bids for 2018, while Australia, South Korea, Qatar, United States and Japan battle it out for 2022, with the vote to come on Thursday.
Follow it all here live...
Ryder Cup — LIVE
Join us at Celtic Manor for shot-by-shot coverage of Europe v the U.S. as the final extra session on Monday decides who wins the Ryder Cup.
Why the Ryder Cup is so special
My love affair with the Ryder Cup began in 1969 when my first golfing hero, Tony Jacklin, was involved in a memorable halved match with Jack Nicklaus that saw the American great sportingly concede a three-foot putt at the last hole.
The passion grew stronger and stronger until the relationship was consumated when I covered my first Ryder Cup as a journalist at the Belfry in 1985.
That experience coincided with Europe inflicting the first defeat on the Americans since Dai Rees led the old Britain and Ireland side to glory in 1957.
By 1985, Jacklin’s playing career was coming towards an end and it was his captaincy that galvanised the match and suddenly made the Europeans feel they were no longer the ‘second division’ paupers compared to the rich ‘Premier League’ Americans.
Ever since that Seve Ballesteros-inspired triumph at the Belfry, the Ryder Cup has been completely unmissable as a golfing spectacle.
Fortunes have ebbed and flowed for both teams in the last 25 years but one thing has been constant — it produces raw, head-to-head sporting combat, heart-stopping excitement and gripping drama.
The only downside is we have to wait two years for every edition.
Rest for Woods should be a worry for Europe
Tiger Woods’s failure to qualify for the Tour Championship finale in Atlanta next week could spell bad news for Europe’s Ryder Cup team.
The world number one will now have two clear weeks before the biennial team event at Celtic Manor in Wales to polish up his swing with new coach Sean Foley and reinvigorate his mind after a year of turmoil both on and off the course.
“It will be good because I can practice at home with Sean in peace and away from everybody and put some work in,” Woods told reporters after failing to make the elite 30-man field for the fourth and final event of the lucrative FedExCup series.
“I can also work on my short game and putting, things I have not been able to do of late. I was looking forward to a one-week break, I’ve got two (now) but it will be nice to concentrate on my game.”
Woods has plenty of incentive to perform at Celtic Manor where a strong performance against Colin Montgomerie’s European team will help to erase the memories of a rare trophy-less season for the 14-times major winner.
It also represents an excellent opportunity for the 34-year-old American to improve on a Ryder Cup record for which he has often received criticism.
Woods goes into the Oct. 1-3 showdown at Celtic Manor having won only 10 of his 25 previous matches in the team event.
Woods gets nod for Ryder Cup
Tiger Woods was named as one of four wildcard picks for next month’s Ryder Cup by United States captain Corey Pavin on Tuesday.
The American world number one, who failed to gain automatic selection for the biennial team competition after struggling for form for much of this year, was selected by Pavin to compete in his sixth Ryder Cup.
Holders the U.S. take on Colin Montgomerie’s European team at the Celtic Manor resort in Wales from Oct 1-3.
A bold move by Pavin or one that could easily backfire? Woods has never looked entirely comfortable at Ryder Cups but it could just be the tournament to inspire him all over again.
Here are the full teams:
Europe – Luke Donald (Britain), Ross Fisher (Britain), Peter Hanson (Sweden), Padraig Harrington (Ireland), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain), Martin Kaymer (Germany), Graeme McDowell (Britain), Rory McIlroy (Britain), Edoardo Molinari (Italy), Francesco Molinari (Italy), Ian Poulter (Britain), Lee Westwood (Britain)
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
World Cup podcast – day 14
Kevin Fylan, Paul Radford, Andy Cawthorne and Felix Bate discuss a few of the forthcoming second round matches at the World Cup, including the classic Germany v England.
from Olympics Notebook: Vancouver 2010:
Olympic ice hockey final, closing ceremony — live
We're at rinkside in Vancouver to bring you live coverage of the Winter Olympics ice hockey final between Canada and the United States. And join us later for the closing ceremony of these Games.
from Olympics Notebook: Vancouver 2010:
Winter Games, day 14 — live
The men's ice hockey semi-finals pitting the United States against Finland and Canada against Slovakia are the highlights of the day ... but with the mayhem of short track speed skating and the women's curling final there's plenty of other action to shout about... Join us here today and every day of the Games.
from Olympics Notebook: Vancouver 2010:
Olympics Hockey Super Sunday — live
We're running a live blog on the mouth-watering line up of hockey on Sunday, featuring Russia v Czech Republic in Group B, Canada v United States in Group A and Sweden v Finland in Group C.
We'll be talking hockey all day so please feel free to dip in. The fun starts Sunday. Early.
