U.S. Takes 1st Day Lead at 37th Ryder Cup - Must Be a Misprint.

If the 37th Ryder Cup ended after just one day the Cup would be miraculously returning to American terra firma. The end of day 1 gave the Americans a 5-2 advantage in formats that typically aren't their strong suit. Morning foursomes gave the US a 3-1 advantage and they'll finish the afternoon fourballs with no less than a 2-2 point split. For individual match scores from both sessions, here's a link to PGA.com to fill in the details.

The US squad has an obvious spring in their step. Raucous home town throngs yelling USA!, USA!, will do that for you. Six rookies, without the stain of Ryder Cup defeat may be just what the doctor ordered. If what you've been doin' ain't workin', do something else. Led by head cheerleader Boo Weekly, the injection of youth may have just resurrected the American phoenix. Conversely, the European with the most to lose, Ian Poulter, seemed to show obvious signs of pressure to justify his existence. It's too early to pop champagne, but a trend is a trend. Don't expect the Euros to lie down, but expect some wonderment in their camp about how they lost day #1. The Brit press must be chomping at their respective bits analyzing captain Faldo's strategy, or lack thereof. He's surely glad he's on this side of the pond after a day 1 thumping.

Day 2 will reveal a lot. Will the Euros rally? Was day 1 for the US a cosmic aberration to settle a score that has been lopsided at best? Tune in and find out.

Til' next,


*Average Golfer late scoring note. The final match of the day, Holmes/Weekly vs Westwood/Hansen was halved leaving the sore at the end of day 1, US 5 1/2 - Europe 2 1/2.