Stuck in 2001 Mode

Have we missed it? The last time we saw the Ryder Cup was in 1999, an eternity in the timeline of golf, which is more accurately measured in other ways, like yards to the green or inches to the hole or minutes to a tee time, certainly not years between shots.

Maybe the reason those moments seem so long ago is very simple, our memories of the last Ryder Cup, of Justin Leonard’s improbable 45-foot uphill putt on the last day at Brookline Country Club and the wild celebration by the U.S. team even before Jose Maria Olazabal had a chance to answer with his putt. It really was a long time ago.

And the problem with that? It’s simple too. Three years between matches, already postponed for a year, no important buildup by the media, a maze of security issues, a whopping two-thirds of the 24 golfers playing worse than when they were named to the team 13 months go and no real, let’s face it, no real ill will between the players, and what is shaping up as the 34th Ryder Cup matches might turn out to be a huge dud in the coming weekend.

Normally, the Ryder Cup is all about the U.S. versus Europe, about flags, about patriotism and jingoism, about feeling free to step on the other guys’ neck and feel good about it. Someone is going to have to work up a large case of intensity real soon to rescue this thing.

Said Lee Westwood: “I’ll be glad when the Ryder Cup is over.”

He may not be the only one. Because the matches were postponed a year at the Belfry because of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the Ryder Cup may have lost some of its cachet. The players have learned to live without them in what has become a very long playing season. At the same time, players on both sides are probably closer as a result of the terrorist attacks, a situation that dilutes the measured antagonism that never fails to liven up the proceedings.

Curtis Strange, the U.S. Ryder Cup captain, senses a lack of interest, but says it’s because of the media.

“It has been a little quiet,” Strange said. “We haven’t had the tension building of guys trying to make the team, of who the captain’s picks would be. That was exciting. And that hasn’t happened.

“But if you were out there in my shoes, the [players] know what’s going on. I think they are fired up.”

We will see if Strange is right once the four ball, or better ball, matches begin Friday morning on the parkland course, about a two-hour train ride from London, just outside of Birmingham.

Tiger Woods predicts a different type of Ryder Cup experience as a result of the unpleasantness at Brookline, where crowd behavior also was a problem.

“I think the matches will be conducted in the fashion they were designed, and that is a competitive atmosphere,” Woods said. “We are going out there to compete, we are going to enjoy it, but it’s not going to be more of the same.

“We all understand it’s not life or death.”

The scene was not always pretty three years ago in Massachusetts. The worst episodes involved fans heckling Colin Montgomerie and the unruly charge at the 17th green on the last day during Leonard’s singles match against Olazabal. The Europeans claim some of the U.S. players and their wives ran across the green while Olazabal waited to see if he could match Leonard’s putt. The U.S. players, who apologized afterward for their breach of conduct, say they ran behind the green and not on top of it.

As far as controversy goes, that’s about it, with no one sure whether European fans have long memories about the 14 1/2-13 1/2 U.S. win and will retaliate accordingly.

Said Woods: “In 1999, I think the fans went over the top, the players went over the top and the media went over the top.”

Strange doesn’t want anybody to go over the top this time. He says that the logos on all the players’ apparel and bags read “2001,” left over from the postponement.

“We don’t want to forget why we are moving it to 2002,” he said.

Neither does Ryder Cup Ltd., which is running the event. No one will comment on security except to state, “security measures are in place.”

However, for the first time at a Ryder Cup match in Europe, there are extraordinary security measures planned, including banning such items as cellular phones, cameras, pagers, ladders, picnic baskets, briefcases, portable televisions, lawn chairs and bicycles. No bags, backpacks or carryalls larger than eight inches square will be allowed beyond the ticket and security checkpoints. In addition, all spectators will pass through metal detectors and X-ray machines.

“These might at first view appear draconian measures, but they are being implemented not only as part of our security program ... but also to further enhance the enjoyment for all spectators.

“We believe that all spectators will understand [why] this is being done.”

Many security measures are new, but there is another aspect of the matches that is exactly the same as it was when the matches were postponed last September. The players are the same, even though they earned places on their teams with performances that haven’t been measured in 13 months.

If the players were playing well then, they aren’t necessarily now. In fact, 18 of the 24 players have lost ground in the World Golf Ranking since making their 2001 Ryder Cup teams. The only ones who haven’t been backsliding are Woods, Phil Mickelson, David Toms, Jim Furyk, Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington.

The biggest dropoffs have been by Hal Sutton, down 100 places to 121st, and Westwood, down 124 places to 141st.

What’s more, only six of the 24 players have won a tournament in 2002, three players on the U.S. (Woods, Mickelson, Furyk) and three on the European team (Garcia, Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn).

Strange says a player’s form won’t matter once the matches start because of the nature of the Ryder Cup.

“We’ve seen it in the past, anything can happen,” he said. “It’s such a different animal, 72 holes of stroke play compared to match play. When you go into an 18-hole match-play format like the Ryder Cup, the game is on. If anybody thinks the matches won’t be competitive because we do have guys who aren’t playing as well, I think they’d be wrong.”

The Ryder Cup could not have been any more competitive since the 1987 matches--the point total since then is 98-98. Once again, the U.S. enters the matches as a favorite to retain the cup. Even though the U.S. holds a 24-7-2 margin in the competition, Europe has a 5-3 record in the last eight matchups, beginning with its victory in 1985 at the Belfry.

Toms, Stewart Cink and captain’s pick Scott Verplank are playing in their first Ryder Cup while four European players are Ryder Cup rookies: Niclas Fasth, Pierre Fulke, Paul McGinley and Phillip Price.

But maybe that’s the wrong way to look at it. After all, how can anybody be a rookie when you’ve been on the team for 13 months?

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Ryder Cup at a Glance

Event: 34th Ryder Cup matches run Friday through Sunday at The Belfry (Brabazon course)

Length: 7,118. Par: 36-36-72.

Defending champion: United States.

Series: United States leads, 24-7-2.

U.S. team: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, David Duval, Mark Calcavecchia, David Toms, Davis Love III, Scott Hoch, Jim Furyk, Hal Sutton, Stewart Cink, Scott Verplank, Paul Azinger.

European team: Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn, Padraig Harrington, Colin Montgomerie, Pierre Fulke, Lee Westwood, Niclas Fasth, Paul McGinley, Bernhard Langer, Phillip Price, Sergio Garcia, Jesper Parnevik.

Captains: Curtis Strange (U.S.), Sam Torrance (Europe).

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Those Were The Days

What goes up must come down? Since they made their Ryder Cup teams in 2001, 18 of the 24 players have dropped in the world golf rankings.

*--* U.S 2001 2002 Tiger Woods 1 1 Phil Mickelson 2 2 David Duval 3 12 Davis Love III 6 7 David Toms 9 6 Scott Hoch 12 25 Jim Furyk 13 10 Scott Verplank 15 27 Paul Azinger 16 50 Mark Calcavecchia 19 43 Hal Sutton 21 121 Stewart Cink 24 55

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*--* EUROPE 2001 2002 Sergio Garcia 7 4 Darren Clarke 8 18 Colin Montgomerie 10 17 Padraig Harrington 15 8 Lee Westwood 17 141 Thomas Bjorn 20 34 Bernhard Langer 22 26 Jesper Parnevik 26 59 Niclas Fasth 33 35 Paul McGinley 42 70 Pierre Fulke 43 91 Philip Price 55 118

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