Routine Is Anything But at Ryder Cup

By THOMAS BONK

Sept. 16, 2004 12 AM PT

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. —

There are so many gambles going on, hunches being played and cards held close to the vest that maybe the Ryder Cup should be moved out of Oakland Hills to a casino. This is especially true on the side that keeps trotting out those red, white and blue colors on their shirts, caps and slacks.

To begin with, there’s the captain, Hal Sutton, who isn’t telling any of the players what the pairings will be until today. Sutton wanted his players to prepare just as they would for a major championship. Normally, they know early in Ryder Cup week so they can get used to each other.

Of course, that hasn’t worked out so well in recent years, which is how losing six of the last nine Ryder Cups tends to change the way you do business.

Anyway, the players have endorsed the silent approach, and besides, we’re all going to find out whether it was the right move by Friday afternoon anyway.

Sutton also guaranteed himself a permanent guest chair in the second-guessing hall of fame if his captain’s picks turn out to be lemons. He chose Jay Haas, 50, who hasn’t won a tournament in 11 years, and Stewart Cink, whose claim to fame in important tournaments is his three-putt at the 72nd hole of the 2001 U.S. Open.

But captain’s picks are always fair game, so that goes with the territory.

So as far as significant gambles, major hunches and cards tucked up sleeves, the undisputed, hands-down champion has to be Phil Mickelson.

First, two weeks before the Ryder Cup, he ditched his Titleist driver, ball and two fairway woods and replaced them with equipment from Callaway. Maybe it will all turn out fine, but this is sort of like a chef switching ovens before the big cook-off.

Mickelson said Wednesday that he didn’t know what the fuss was all about. He still has the same irons, so he knows his distances, and he really thinks the new ball goes farther than his old one.

Soon after Mickelson finished his interview, he headed for the range to hit some balls, and then left the course. That’s right, he split. Mickelson did not play a practice round Wednesday, which might be a gamble, or it might be much ado about nothing, but one thing it certainly is not is an unexcused absence.

Sutton said Mickelson told him he never plays on Wednesdays before majors and that he considers the Ryder Cup a major, so see you later.

Fair enough, although this brings up a couple of talking points.

In a major tournament, if you take Wednesday off, the tournament begins Thursday.

In the Ryder Cup, if you take Wednesday off, the tournament doesn’t begin until Friday.

And there is also the issue of togetherness, bonding, or whatever backslapping in the team room contributes to the success of a team.

Does Mickelson’s taking the day off while his teammates were out there knocking the ball around Oakland Hills and doing their work affect the chemistry of the U.S. team?

Sutton said it would be wrong to make too much out of the Mickelson deal and that’s entirely in keeping with what Sutton has been saying all along: Prepare for the Ryder Cup as if it’s a major, worry about your own game and don’t worry about the other guy.

Maybe it’ll all turn out for the best, with nobody worrying about anything, but it’s probably going to be interesting to see how Take the Afternoon Off With Phil shakes out. Imagine what the reaction might have been had Tiger Woods chosen to do the same thing.

Let’s just say that chances are quite good that Woods would be roasted like a rotisserie chicken.

Mickelson is not bigger than the team; he simply followed his captain’s orders and maintained his normal pre-major ritual of preparation.

But the Ryder Cup is a team sport and chemistry is delicate, as the U.S. side has learned so many times on the recent occasions that the Europeans have hoisted the trophy and declared that their victory was due in a large part to their superior togetherness skills.

In the end, it’s probably a good idea not to get too worked up over all this.

Whatever the ultimate effect of Phil’s Afternoon Off, it’s probably not going to wind up meaning nearly as much as Phil’s weekend, because that’s when the real work is getting done, when the bell rings for that tricky course called chemistry class.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX

Ryder Cup

Site: Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course (7,077 yards, par 70), Bloomfield Township, Mich.

* Schedule: Friday-Sunday. Friday and Saturday, four morning best-ball matches and four afternoon alternate-shot matches; Sunday, 12 singles matches.

* Television: USA (Friday, 5 a.m.-3 p.m.) and Ch. 4 (Saturday, 5 a.m.-3 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.)

* Series: United States leads, 24-8-2.

* Last match: Wales’ Phillip Price beat Phil Mickelson 3 and 2 in the key singles match in Europe’s 15 1/2 -12 1/2 victory in 2002 at the Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England.

*--* UNITED STATES Golfer WR Ryder rec. Chad Campbell 14 -- Stewart Cink 10 1-2-0 Chris DiMarco 17 -- Fred Funk 59 -- Jim Furyk 11 3-6-2 Jay Haas 23 3-4-1 Davis Love III 6 8-9-4 Phil Mickelson 4 8-5-3 Kenny Perry 16 -- Chris Riley 40 -- David Toms 22 3-1-1 Tiger Woods 2 5-8-2 Captain: Hal Sutton.

*--*

*--* EUROPE Golfer WR Ryder rec. Paul Casey 27 -- Darren Clarke 15 4-6-2 Luke Donald 36 -- Sergio Garcia 12 6-3-1 Padraig Harrington 8 3-3-1 David Howell 68 -- Miguel Angel Jimenez 20 1-2-2 Thomas Levet 43 -- Paul McGinley 67 0-1-2 Colin Montgomerie 63 16-7-5 Ian Poulter 60 -- Lee Westwood 41 7-8-0 Captain: Bernhard Langer WR: World ranking

*--*

This Week

*--* PGA TOUR Texas Open

*--*

* When: Today-Sunday.

* Where: LaCantera Golf Club, (7,001 yards, par 70); San Antonio.

* Purse: $3.5 million. Winner’s share: $630,000.

* TV: ESPN (today-Saturday, 1-3 p.m.; Sunday, 1-4 p.m.).

* 2003 winner: Tommy Armour III.

* Next week: 84 Lumber Classic in Farmington, Pa.

*--* LPGA TOUR Safeway Classic

*--*