Inside Golf

Senior golfers bring spirit in Chicago return

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:47:00 -0600

Most sports these days are as serious as a major knee injury.

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau tends to be as forthcoming as a POW when asked certain questions. The Blackhawks have ``lower body injuries.'' Even college teams conduct practices behind closed doors in these internet-wary times.

And then there is the Champions tour.

It features accomplished golfers over 50 who can still play. What they've lost in prodigious length, they make up for with graciousness and a sense of entertainment.

``These guys get it,'' Champions tour president Mike Stevens said Monday at media for the Encompass Championship. ``They've all had great careers on the PGA tour. Now is the opportunity for them to give back. And that's what they do. They're very engaging, with autographs, pictures, even lessons.''

While they have perspective, they remain very competitive. Senior golfers have remarkable skill and nerve, and fans can see it on display in a way that's virtually impossible in other sports. When Michael Jordan, Denis Savard and Frank Thomas are past their prime, they're finished. Unlike golfers, there's no senior tour for them.

The Champions tour is coming to the Chicago area for first time since 2002 next month. The Encompass Championship, a 54-hole event, will be played at North Shore Country Club in Glenview June 21-23.

Tickets start at $20 and are available at EncompassChampionship.com.

The field is loaded with players who have won majors and been major factors on the golf scene for decades. The commitments include Chip Beck, Mark Calcavecchia, Ben Crenshaw, Fred Funk, Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Bernhard Langer, Rocco Mediate, Corey Pavin, Kenny Perry, Nick Price, Jeff Sluman, Crag Stadler, Hal Sutton and Fuzzy Zoeller. There is also speculation that Fred Couples also may be a late entry.

``The competition is ridiculous, and it's fast,'' said Champions rookie Mediate, who won his first event in February. ``If you shoot around par on Friday, you're going to get your [butt] kicked.''

There's a chance Bill Murray, who has delighted galleries at the Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, will play in the Pro-Am portion of the Encompass

``Bill's doing a movie,'' said Jeff Sluman, longtime friend of Murray's. ``If the movie gets wrapped, which he hopes it does, he'll be on a plane and he'll be playing. And that will be spectacular.''

Other celebrities committed to the event include Brian Urlacher, Robbie Gould, Joe Theismann and actor Dennis Haysbert. More celebrity players are yet to be announced as the Encompass tries to create a senior version of the Pebble Beach pro-am.

Rich Harvest to host new Ryder Cup-like LPGA event

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 15:38:26 -0600

Rich Harvest Farms has been chosen to host the 2016 International Crown, a new LPGA event that will pit teams from eight nations against one another, LPGA officials said Thursday at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla.

Clearly designed with the popularity of the Ryder Cup in mind, the International Crown will debut on July 21-27, 2014, at Owings Mills, near Baltimore. The second event will be played in 2016 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, where the 2009 Solheim Cup was held.

The International Crown will feature three days of four-ball competition, plus singles matches on Sunday and will have a total purse of $1.6 million. It will be played in even years, when the Solheim Cup is not contested. Each team will have four players.

``The International Crown will take women's golf to the next level and allow fans to rally behind their homelands,'' LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan said. ``In sports, there's nothing greater than wearing your nation's flag, fans singing your national anthem, and bringing the crown home.''

The Rolex rankings will be used to select the countries and players who will participate. Under the current rankings, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Sweden, Australia, Spain, Taiwan and England would be competing.

``We need this type of event,'' said Stacy Lewis, the top-ranked American. ``People always want to know why golfers from Asia are so good. Now we can see how all the countries stack up. Representing your country is the ultimate thing. Getting announced on the first tee when you are representing the USA, it doesn't get any better than that. It's a goal of mine to be in the event.''

It's also another opportunity for Rich Harvest Farms, ranked 58^th in Golf Digest's list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses, to showcase itself.

``We're honored to have the International Crown at Rich Harvest Farms,'' owner Jerry Rich said. ``We look forward to welcoming the wonderful spectators and fans of women's golf, including the youth in our community, to witness this global tournament.''

BMW is PGA's tourney of the year

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 17:07:25 -0600

The BMW Championship, which is operated by the Western Golf Association, was named Tournament of the Year for 2012 by the PGA Tour on Friday.

The 2012 BMW, which was held at Crooked Stick, near Indianapolis, was attended by more 143,000 spectators, who saw Rory McIlroy, the top-ranked player in the world, capture the next-to-last tournament on the PGA Tour this season.

The WGA, headquartered in north suburban Golf, was able to raise $3.1 million for its Evans Scholars Foundation, which has been helping caddies go to college since 1930, through the BMW Championship.

``[The PGA Tour is] pleased to acknowledge and congratulate the BMW Championship and the Western Golf Association on an outstanding event,'' said Andy Pazder, the tour's chief of operations. ``The Western Golf Association and title sponsor BMW should be extremely proud of being recognized as the best among their peers on the TOUR.''

The BMW Championship will return to the Chicago area in 2013. It will be played at at Conway Farms in Lake Forest September 9-15.

The BMW Championship also was the tour's Tournament of the Year in 2008, when it was held at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis.

Noting that there are more than 40 events on the PGA Tour, Western Golf Association vice president of tournaments Vince Pellegrino said, ``To be singled out from among this esteemed group is truly humbling. Much of the credit for this honor should go to BMW. Its unparalleled commitment to excellence sets high standards for the event at every level.''

Veteran Americans fail in the biggest moments

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:37:19 -0600

The Americans will have plenty of moments to stew on in the days, weeks and months following Europe's historic 14.5-13.5 comeback victory here at Medinah. In the biggets moments, on holes 17 and 18, some of the Americans' most experienced players just couldn't come through.

Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose came to No. 18 all square after Rose made a big birdie putt on 17. Off the 18th tee, Mickelson found the fairway while Rose found the rough. Yet Mickelson missed the green and Rose stuck his approach out of the sand to about 12 feet. Rose made the putt to pull out a point he appeared to have no business winning just 20 minutes earlier.

Jim Furyk suffered a similar fate. He came to the 17th tee 1-up on Sergio Garcia, only to give it away with bogeys on 17 and 18. On the par-3 17th, his tee shot landed in the bunker, his second shot was well past the hole, and -- after a very lengthy session trying to read the putt, nearly falling into the water in the process -- he missed the comebacker. On 18, Furyk missed an utterly crucial 5-footer that would have halved the match, instead giving a point away to Garcia.

Then there was Steve Stricker -- who went 0-for-4 in his four matches at this Ryder Cup. After Martin Kaymer bogeyed 15 to square the match, Stricker made a big, gutsy 8-footer at 16 to halve the hole and keep the match tied. On 17, Stricker's tee shot landed just off the edge of the green, about 35 feet away. After Kaymer putted past the hole, Stricker putted even farther past the hole. Kaymer made the comebacker, and Stricker -- one of the purest putters in the world -- missed it and made bogey, falling 1-down heading into the 18th. That meant Kaymer only had to halve the 18th to win the Ryder Cup. Stricker found the back of the green from the fairway, but Stricker was closer from a fairway bunker. Stricker, after a lengthy read, missed the putt well to the left, and Kaymer two-putted to retain the Cup. Stricker didn't make a single birdie over the final eight holes, making three bogeys instead.

In the end, Europe simply made the big shots -- think of Ian Poulter's incredible approach from the edge of the gallery on 18, Rose's putts on 17 and 18, and Kaymer on 18 -- and the United States simply couldn't seal the deal.

Luke Donald records the first point of the day

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 13:58:51 -0600

Luke Donald -- the hometown boy playing for the road team -- did exactly what European captain Jose Maria Olazabal needed him to do: Put a point on the board early.

"It was a big honor for me, that (Olazabal) had that trust in me," Donald said. "It means a lot to go out and lead the team."

Donald knocked off Bubba Watson in the first singles match of Ryder Cup Sunday, winning 2&1. It looked like it would be easy, but it wound up being anything but. Donald was pin-hunting all day, making six birdies, and had a chance to close out Watson 5&4, but he missed a short eagle putt on No. 14. He then missed a short birdie putt on No. 15 -- which, again, would have won the match -- to give Watson hope. Then, Watson chipped in on No. 16, sending the crowd into a tizzy and giving him a realistic chance of stealing half a point from Donald.

Donald's tee shot on the par-3 16th sailed over the green and into the bunker, but the Northwestern grad showed why he's regarded as the best bunker player in the world, knocking it to within two feet to clinch the match and cut the Americans' lead to 10-7.

"I don't know what I would have done going down 18, the nerves were starting to build and Bubba was putting serious pressure on me," Donald said. "You expect that at this level. ... It's nice to get the first point for Europe."

Those mood swings have been typical of a wild Sunday at Medinah. Flags have been going up and coming down on the leaderboard all day, as the massive crowd has been alternately silent and raucous. At 1 p.m. (that's Central time, Rory McIlroy), the U.S. led in just one of the 10 matches on the course. At 1:15 p.m., there were four U.S. flags on the board against just three European ones. At 1:25, Europe led four of the first five matches. At 2:05, the second, third and fourth matches were all square. At 2:15, as Watson made his charge on Donald, Europe led just three of 12 matches.

Rory McIlroy almost misses his Ryder Cup tee time

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 11:15:31 -0600

Maybe Rory McIlroy needs to invest in a better alarm clock. Or just hire a personal time assistant.

The world's top-ranked golfer arrived at Medinah barely 10 minutes before his scheduled tee time against Keegan Bradley, the third match of the day at the Ryder Cup. NBC reported that McIlroy got his time zones mixed up, and thought he was teeing off an hour later than he actually was. McIlroy got a police escort to the course -- a necessity given the traffic around Medinah this morning -- and was in the parking lot with hardly any time to spare before his 11:25 a.m. tee time.

McIlroy got to the tee just in time -- to the cheers of a crowd that was clued in to the situation -- took several practice swings (no time for the range), and missed the fairway, off to the right. His approach out of the rough came up short, but he almost holed out his chip, settling for a tap-in par and a halve with Bradley.

"We didn't have that in mind," European captain Jose Maria Olazabal said. "All of a sudden we realized that Rory was not here. We started to look for him and nobody knew."

McIlroy famously overslept during a nap before the final round of the PGA Championship this year, arriving at Kiawah Island a mere 30 minutes before his tee time. That worked out pretty well for the Northern Irishman, as he shot a 6-under 66 to win his second major by eight strokes.

Europe sending its best out early in Ryder Cup singles

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 10:28:04 -0600

Jose Maria Olazabal isn't messing around in today's singles matches at the Ryder Cup.

Facing a 10-6 deficit going into today's final 12 matches, the European captain is sending out some of his biggest guns early in an effort to get back in the game. It's a page out of Ben Crenshaw's playbook in 1999 at Brookline, when he sent out his hottest players early. That year, the Americans -- needing 8.5 out of a possible 12 points -- won the first seven matches of the day, as Tom Lehman, Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson, Hal Sutton, David Duval, Tiger Woods, and Steve Pate immediately seized the momentum for the Americans.

Olazabal remembers that well, as he was playing Justin Leonard, who secured the Cup-clinching half-point.

When asked what his lasting memories of 1999 were, Olazabal said: "All the players after the matches were over in the locker room, and seeing I would say more than half of the players crying all together there, me included."

So Olazabal is sending out world No. 3 Luke Donald first (vs. Bubba Watson), red-hot Ian Poulter second (vs. Webb Simpson), and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy third (vs. Keegan Bradley).

"Regarding the pairings, obviously we couldn't hide anything," Olazabal said. "We are trailing four points. We have to put the players that are playing well out there. We knew that they would know that."

Of course, Love, the American captain, is trying to close out the Cup early. Watson, Simpson, Bradley and Phil Mickelson (fourth, vs. Justin Rose) are a combined 5-1 over the first two days of play.

"At the end of the day, if we want to win this match, we have take their big guns down," Olazabal said.

Love has Steve Stricker (vs. Martin Kaymer) and Tiger Woods (vs. Francesco Molinari) in the final two matches.

"It's hard to decide who the best six or the best eight players on your team are, and it doesn't really matter which ones you put in which order because everybody is playing so well," Love said. "Individually, I wouldn't want to play anybody on our side, so we didn't really try to match up."

Love said one reason he put Woods at the end is he's "used to teeing off at 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon; that's kind of his usual time on weekend." He also wanted a strong anchor at the end, just in case.

"I needed some stability, I think, in different spots," Love said. "You needed guys like Tiger and Strick down towards the end."

Here are the full pairings:
11:03 a.m.: Bubba Watson vs. Luke Donald
11:14 a.m.: Webb Simpson vs. Ian Poulter
11:25 a.m.: Keegan Bradley vs. Rory McIlroy
11:36 a.m.: Phil Mickelson vs. Justin Rose
11:47 a.m.: Brandt Snedeker vs. Paul Lawrie
11:58 a.m.: Dustin Johnson vs. Nicolas Colsaerts
12:09 p.m.: Zach Johnson vs. Graeme McDowell
12:20 p.m.: Jim Furyk vs. Sergio Garcia
12:31 p.m.: Jason Dufner vs. Peter Hanson
12:42 p.m.: Matt Kuchar vs. Lee Westwood
12:53 p.m.: Steve Stricker vs. Martin Kaymer
1:04 p.m.: Tiger Woods vs. Francesco Molinari

GoVision makes its presence felt at Ryder Cup

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 10:16:45 -0600

Chris Curtis, CEO of GoVision, provides mobile LED technology for major events around the country.

But Curtis is thrilled to be at the Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club.

"It's been awesome. Being in the event business, we've done everything," said Curtis, who is based in Texas. "But, the Ryder Cup probably is my favorite so to be a part of it is very exciting."

The 40,000 fans at the Ryder Cup each day certainly have appreciated GoVision's impact at the event. The massive screens -- there are over 5 million pixels on the course -- are sprinkled throughout the course and many congregate around them for updates and highlights.

GoVision screens were also a key part of the opening ceremonies Thursday evening.

The coolest location is the screen in the water, on the 15th hole.

Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson win first match Saturday afternoon

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 16:33:14 -0600

The U.S. domination continues, as Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson won 5 & 4 over Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari in the first completed match of the Saturday afternoon session.

The victory gave the U.S. Ryder Cup team a 9-4 advantage.

Watson and Simpson rebounded after narrowly losing to Rose and Ian Poulter in the morning match, one up.

After a miserable morning, Simpson caught fire in the afternoon with seven birdies. Watson did his part as well, with birdies on two par 5s.

"I'm the coach," Watson told NBC Sports immediately after the afternoon match. "Webb was a little anxious [in the morning]. We had great opportunities. There were chances we had, and we didn't make them."

Rahm Emanuel: "We are now the sporting capital" with Ryder Cup

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 14:06:52 -0600

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was all smiles upon arriving at Medinah Country Club Saturday afternoon.

"This is a great event. First of all, I just came from the Gourmet Cuisine; Chicago is the culinary capital. We are now this weekend the sporting capital with this event," Emanuel said. "And everyone that I've run into, from out of town, is raving about the city - how beautiful it looks, they had no idea.

"Obviously, the executive order on the weather worked. 74, slight breeze. It's amazing how those executive orders work."

Emanuel isn't much of a golfer, unlike his younger brother, Ari, a powerful Hollywood agent who is a member at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. But, Rahm Emanuel was thankful to the PGA of America and other organizations affiliated with the Ryder Cup for engaging Chicago's youth in the event.

"They have been great with the kids from the city of Chicago," he said. "Obviously kids from all over, but particularly working with us... making sure kids have access to this event and beyond it.

"I can't thank them enough for making sure everyone from the city of Chicago gets to participate, not just those at the hotels and restaurants."

U.S. Ryder Cup team takes commanding 8-4 lead

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 12:46:38 -0600

If not for one of the best European teams in recent memory, Saturday morning would have been a complete disaster for the visitors.

Justin Rose and Ian Poulter eked out a one-up winning, struggling throughout their match to put away Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson. In fact, Simpson played as poorly as I've witnessed, up close, in quite some time, missing putts, yanking drives and shanking shots around the green.

All told, it wasn't a pretty round for either side.

On the back nine, only one hole even featured a birdie, and both teams did that on the 11th. Otherwise, there were bogeys and pars galore.

"It was a very intense match right from that first tee shot," Poulter said. "It was really important to come out on top of that match.

"A win is a win."

Added Rose, "We won ugly today."

That's more than their teammates can say.

Lee Westwood and Luke Donald were beaten 7 & 6 by Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson, only the third time any Ryder Cup team has won by such a massive margin.

Meanwhile, Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson continued their strong play, cooling off Nicolas Colsaerts, who partnered with Sergio Garcia, with a 2 & 1 win.

The most surprising result, though, was Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker winning one up over the fearsome Irish duo of Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. Furkyk, a captain's pick, carried the American team down the stretch with some clutch shots.

The afternoon pairings are just going off but here's the list:

* Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar vs. Nicolas Colsaerts and Paul Lawrie

* Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson vs. Francesco Molinari and Justin Rose

* Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker vs. Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald

* Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson vs. Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter

Falcons owner takes in Ryder Cup, plants two PGA Tour Superstores in Chicago area

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 06:00:36 -0600

On Friday, during a break at Medinah Country Club, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank explained all the reasons why golf is such a great outlet.

"I love playing. I love getting out. I love being out. I love the camaraderie, the social aspect of it," Blank told the Sun-Times. "You want to remove yourself from everything else, and walk around on beautiful golf course like this. It's a game you never conquer; I don't care if you're Phil or Tiger, or anybody.

"You're just never going to conquer it, which I like, by nature."

Blank is probably most recognizable as the co-founder of Home Depot and the owner of the Falcons, a franchise that's currently 3-0 and boasts an envious core that includes president Rich McKay, general manager Thomas Dimitroff, coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan.

But, Blank applied the same rationale for taking over the PGA Tour Superstores as he did in buying the Falcons back in 2002.

"I was a season ticket holder of the Falcons when I retired in 2001. I'd go to the game and watch the up and down seasons. I said, 'I actually can sit here for the next 20 years of my life and complain about this team or actually try to buy it and fix it," Blank said. "With this business, it was the same mentality. I invested a lot and wasn't involved. I said there were so many things that could be done to fix it."

Blank is proud of the Superstores now, two of which opened in the Chicago area, one in Lombard and another Downers Grove. His golf stores are distinctive in that they're massive, usually at least 50,000 square feet, with a wide selection of apparel, equipment as well as services.

"I think we built a unique model in golf retailing today in America," Blank said. "The stores are doing extraordinary well."

Tiger Woods will sit for a session for first time at Ryder Cup

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 20:28:21 -0600

Davis Love III insisted he never intended to have any of his players compete in every Ryder Cup match.

"It's a big, long golf course. It's tough," Love said of Medinah Country Club. "We don't want guys to be worn out."

For the first time in his Ryder Cup career, Tiger Woods will not play in a session, shelved for the Saturday morning matches.

That isn't wholly surprising since he and Steve Stricker lost both matches on Friday, although the afternoon one was more understandable. Nicolas Colsaerts, making his Ryder Cup debut, made eight birdies and an eagle to single-handedly edge Stricker and Woods.

"We need Tiger and Steve in the afternoon," Davis said, referring to Saturday. "We need Tiger and Steve on Sunday."

With a 5-3 advantage after the opening day, Love's decision to play Woods Friday afternoon may pay dividends later. He was terrible in the morning, spraying shots everywhere. But, after a short visit with his swing coach Sean Foley, Woods made adjustments for the afternoon. He straightened out his drive, he sunk some putts, and, despite Colsaerts' hot hand, nearly stole 1/2 a point on the 18th.

"Yeah, Nicolas probably had one of the greatest putting rounds I've ever seen," Woods said. "We had a chance to all square on the last hole, and I missed it."

The hot pairing for the U.S. was Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley. They won both matches, taking out a couple of Euro's top teams, Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia in the morning (4 & 3) and Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell (2 & 1) in the afternoon.

"We had a lot of fun," Mickelson said. "We had a good time and we played well, and it was really fun for me to play with Keegan. He's just got a lot of great energy. He hits a lot of great shots and he drives the ball as well as I've ever seen a person drive it.

"Alternate shot was my favorite format because I got to hit the next shot. Best ball, I had to play my own drive, which wasn't as fun. We made some putts and we were able to walk away with two wins over two really tough teams."

Here is the Saturday match ups:

7:20 a.m. -- Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson vs. Justin Rose and Ian Poulter

7:35 a.m. -- Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson vs. Lee Westwood and Luke Donald

7:50 a.m. -- Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson vs. Nicolas Colsaerts and Sergio Garcia

8:05 a.m. -- Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker vs. Rory McIlroy

Poulter shines, then sits for European team

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 15:33:05 -0600

Ian Poulter joined Justin Rose to knock off the Americans' anchor squad of Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker in the final morning foursomes match. Poulter made a couple of big putts -- including ones at 14 and 16 -- to help put away the Americans 2 & 1. But when European captain Jose Maria Olazabal's afternoon pairings were revealed, Poulter -- a fiery competitor who is now 9-3 in his Ryder Cup career -- wasn't on the list.

Poulter was asked if he was surprised that he was sitting out, yet Woods -- who struggled all morning -- was being sent out again by American captain Davis Love III.

"Yeah, but he's Tiger Woods," Poulter said.

But Poulter couldn't complain about his day. Not after beating Woods.

"Delighted to finish that match off," he said. "I saw it yesterday when -- well, listening to it on stage yetserday, announcing Tiger and Stricker, kind of a little bit of a wry smile. Tiger has been two of my three defeats in this Ryder Cup format, and Justin and I were pretty pumped to get out there and kind of get that point on the board."

Every player on both teams played at least one match on Friday. For the Americans, Jim Furyk, Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson sat out the afternoon, while Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson, and Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar played. For the Europeans, Ryder Cup stalwarts Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia and Poulter, along with Francesco Molinari, sat out the afternoon to make room for Paul Lawrie, Peter Hanson, Martin Kaymer and Nicolas Colsaerts.

USA's 2-2 morning tie in Ryder Cup encouraging

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:19:09 -0600

``Here we go, Baby! Here we go!'' Michael Jordan said as he stood behind the 16^th green, wearing a six-championship grin.

A huge Ryder Cup fan, the Bulls legend was pumped up for good reason.

Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley had just closed out Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald, who had been 4-0 together, to give Team USA first blood at Medinah.

And Jim Furyk had just struck a terrific shot to set up a birdie putt that would pull Furyk and Brad Snedeker into a tie with Rory McIlroy and Graem McDowell, Europe's premier tandem.

The normally placid Furyk, who had nearly driven the 15^th green while the Euros landed in the water, gave a big fist-pump from the fairway after his bigshot on No. 16. The birdie putt became moot. McDowell's 16^th hole had come up short, and even a good sand shot from McIlroy, McDowell couldn't convert the par putt.

After blowing a three-up lead, the two Northern Irishmen prevailed, winning the match one-up when the U.S. pair bogeyed No. 18 off an errant drive by Snedeker.

``That match to me just personifies the Ryder Cup,'' McDowell said. ``Myself and Rory played some great golf to go 3 up, and then you're playing against two very gutsy players who clawed their way back to all square coming down the last two holes.''

But Team USA made its point in the four morning alternate shot matches, which had looked favorable for Team Europe.

A 2-2 push in the morning was a good showing for Team USA for several reasons.

Not only did the Americans not lose ground. The pairing of Mickelson and Bradley looks like it's going to be a strong one this weekend. Team USA captain Davis Love III showed his faith by sending them out as his second best-ball tandem Friday afternoon.

``[Bradley] was really fired up,'' Mickelson said. ``He played some of the best golf. To be his partner was an awesome experience. I love, love playing with this man. He's just so fun, loves the game and plays with such excitement--and man, can he roll the rock.''

Another plus: While enigmatic American star Tiger Woods was all over the course in losing his morning round 2 and 1 with partner Steve Stricker to Ian Poulter and Justin Rose, Furyk and Snedeker served notice that the Americans aren't going to be intimidated by Euro star Rory McIlroy, the world's No. 1 ranked player.

McIlroy lived up to his billing, chipping in from behind the fourth green and striking a variety of shots well, especially around the greens, in his first Ryder Cup before a hostile crowd.

Things got off on a testy note when Furyk didn't want McDowell to get relief from a sprinkler head on the fringe of the first green. Rules officials sided with Furyk.

But the spirit of competition generally remained a friendely rivalry. While waiting for Furyk's second shot on No. 18, a delicate punch out of the woods, Michael Jordan chatted amiably with Luke Donald in the fairway.