This Ryder Cup is on the verge of getting real ugly

	They love him now, but will the Irish crowds turn on Tiger when the competition starts? AP

STRAFFAN, Ireland -- You wouldn't know it from all the heartfelt hugs and well-rehearsed press conference sound bytes, but things are getting a little edgy at this Ryder Cup.

The players and captains have taken great pains to be diplomatic, and there is no question that the outpouring of affection and empathy for Darren Clarke is genuine. But all the long run-up to Friday's start of play has been defined by the ugliness of the press coverage. Factor in the specter of a repeat of the deplorable fan behavior at the British Open along with the bad mojo in the European team room, which may yet go public, and suddenly this Ryder Cup is looking like it might be the juiciest since the War by the Shore in 1991.

In the last couple of days, one theme has emerged in the Ryder Cup coverage: the character of the U.S. players and their wives.

The Irish Times kicked off the Ugly American campaign early in the week with a provocative story -- written, interestingly, by an American, Bruce Selcraig -- that said, among other things, "many Euros and other international players are put off by the overwhelming number of American PGA Tour players who identify themselves as George Bush-loving Republicans who support the U.S. occupation of Iraq."

The story went on to add,"... the American pro golf world, which has been heavily influenced by corporate America and Republican politics for at least 30 years, now has such a strong element of Christian fundamentalists that the entire Ryder Cup leadership -- Tom Lehman, Corey Pavin and Loren Roberts -- are all self-professed born-again Christians."

So there it is: If worldwide golf fans didn't already have reasons to root against the U.S., now we're all a bunch of intolerant, war-mongering Jesus freaks. This idea has seeped into other aspects of the British press coverage, which seems of a piece with Tony Blair's ouster and this week's nastiness at the United Nations.