Ryder Cup importance is above par

THE RYDER Cup. There's really nothing quite like it. Forget its distant cousin, the President's Cup. That's more like golf's version of a soccer friendly. It's still a competition, but much less contentious. Over the years, the Europeans and Americans usually have left the impression that they really want to beat the snot out of each other. At least for this one weekend every 2 years.

Guys who've won majors contend the Ryder Cup is more pressurized. Because you're not playing for yourself.

The reality is, everyone probably makes a little more of this than is genuinely warranted. But that's what happens, when emotions get involved. And things tend to definitely get, well, spirited.

It didn't necessarily used to be that way. Remember Jack Nicklaus conceding a short putt to Tony Jacklin in 1969 for the halve that left the matches tied (and the reigning champion United States team retaining the trophy)? The dynamics have changed, and maybe not for the better. The United States, of course, had dominated forever. That was when it was going up against Great Britain and Ireland. Then the entire European continent was included, which brought the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Bernhard Langer into the fray about the same time that Jacklin became the captain. Together they transformed the equation. Soon, it was impossible to tell who was the underdog.

In 1983 the Euros nearly got its first victory on U.S. soil. Two years later it won rather handily in England, ending an almost three-decade losing streak. Then it won again, this time over here, at Nicklaus' Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. And the Euros celebrated on the 18th green, which as you might suspect didn't go over too well in the colonies. In 1989 they tied, which was still like Europe winning. That set the stage for 1991, when this stuff really got out of hand in the infamous War by the Shore at Pete Dye's Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. It came down to a 6-foot putt, which Langer narrowly missed. It was so tense there were tears on both sides.

The United States also won the next time. But that remains its last success across the pond. Since then we've had the American Choke at Oak Hill in 1995, an unprecedented U.S. comeback at the Country Club in 1999 (when members of the home contingent, including significant others, stormed the 17th green prematurely after Justin Leonard rolled in what turned out to be the difference-making 50-footer), the record-setting Euro rout at Oakland Hills in 2004 (where Hal Sutton tried to pair Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson) and an American tidal wave at Valhalla 4 years ago.

The Euros have won four of the last five times. Two years ago in Wales it was by a point.

Which brings us to the 39th renewal, starting Friday morning at Medinah Country Club in suburban Chicago.

The format calls for morning and afternoon sessions of either four four-ball (two member teams in better ball) or foursomes (two member teams in alternate shot) the first two days followed by 12 singles on Sunday. Each of the 28 matches is worth a point. If any end in a tie each side gets a half. Europe needs 14 to keep the hardware, the United States 14 1/2 to reclaim it.

This is not medal play, so it's not about keeping score of every shot. It's about winning holes, which is different. For whatever reasons, the Euros have historically done better in the team portion, although from 2002-06 they also took the solo stuff.

The Euros have four of the top five players in the world rankings: Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Justin Rose. The U.S. has Tiger Woods (who's No. 2). But the Americans do have 10 guys who check in from 7 to 17, while the next Euro on that list is Graeme McDowell at 18. So make your deductions accordingly.

Each captain (Davis Love III and Olazabal) must use his whole squad on Sunday. Until then they can do whatever they choose. Some try to get everyone in the first 2 days, others don't. Sometimes it's predetermined, but it can be a matter of feel.

The Americans have four rookies: Keegan Bradley, Jason Duffner, Brandt Snedecker (who just won the $10 million FedEx Cup) and reigning U.S. Open champ Webb Simpson. Snedecker was one of Love's four at-large picks, along with Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk and Dustin Johnson. Love left Hunter Mahan and Ricky Fowler off. There's always somebody.

Mahan made the last two teams, once (2008) as a pick, and had two wins early this season (including the match-play event). But he hadn't done much lately. Ditto Fowler, who'd also won in May. Fowler, who had a 7-1 Walker Cup record (amateur version of this), was a pick 2 years ago. At 21, he was the youngest to ever play for the United States. And even though he went 0-2-1, what lingers is the putt he made to halve his match against Edoardo Molinaro to keep the U.S. hopes alive. So we'll see how it works out.

Four years ago, the United States had six rookies, three of them picks. They went 9-4-8, 4-1-1. Stricker is the only one who's on this squad.

Only one Euro is making his debut: Nicolas Colsaerts, who also becomes the first participant from Belgium. Olazabal's two picks were Sergio Garcia, who hard as it is to digest is still only 32, and Ian Poulter. Garcia has shown better form of late, as they say, and he has a 14-6-4 record (though just 1-4 in singles). Like Ballesteros and Olazabal, he has always treated this as pretty much Armageddon. Meanwhile, Poulter's 8-3, 3-0.

Euro's top players always seem to play like it. This will be McIlroy's second appearance, after going 1-1-2 (0-0-1) 2 years ago. He's won a pair of majors in the interim. Westwood is 16-11-2 (2-5), Donald 8-2-1 (2-1). And, in 2010 McDowell (4-2-2, 1-1) secured the clinching point. Donald, by the way, went to Northwestern, is a Cubs' fan and lives in Chicago with his American wife, a local girl. That doesn't mean very many folks will be cheering for him.

Woods won two of his four PGAs at Medinah (1999 and 2006). But even though he has won three times this year, he's not back to being that Tiger. And even if he was, he's 13-14-2 in this format, 4-1-1. The other two U.S. vets, Mickelson (11-17-6, 4-4) and Furyk (8-15-4, 4-2-1), have had their issues too.

You can analyze this a zillion ways and it still usually comes down to one constant: who makes the most putts. It's really almost that fundamental. Garcia can't sink a gimme when it counts in a major, yet he holes just about anything he looks at when he's wearing a Euro uniform. Maybe it doesn't have to compute.

If nothing else it makes for compelling theater, even if the hype occasionally gets overbearing. Chances are it will get as rowdy as Bears-Packers in Soldier Field. It certainly did in Valhalla. And by this point there's no going back. So embrace the excess. This won't return to our shores until 2016 (at Hazeltine National, near Minneapolis, where Tiger's been second in two PGAs).

For those who dabble in such details Vegas has made Team USA the favorite.

AGENDA

What: Ryder Cup

Where: Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Ill.

When: Friday through Sunday

TV: Friday, 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. (NBC)

Sunday: Noon-6 p.m. (NBC)

Format: Friday and Saturday, four quartets of foursomes and four matches of fourball. Sunday: 12 singles matches

Last meeting: Europe won, 14.5-13.5. Europe has won six of the last eight Ryder Cups

Team USA: Keegan Bradley, Jason Dufner, Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson, Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Steve Stricker, Bubba Watson, Tiger Woods

Team Europe: Nicolas Colsaerts, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Peter Hanson, Martin Kaymer, Paul Lawrie, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Francesco Molinari, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Lee Westwood

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Contact Mike Kern at kernm@phillynews.com