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 Unified mission Americans ready to halt European run
Posted: Wednesday September 22, 1999 05:12 PM
BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) -- They eat dinner together, wear the same color shirts and play for the same goal: to break the Europeans' hold on the Ryder Cup. But do the Americans have the passion some said they lacked in 1997 in Spain, when they lost the glamour event for the second straight time? And does it matter? "I don't believe it's that we are less passionate than they are," said Tiger Woods, the world's top-ranked golfer. "We try just as hard as they do. I don't go to a tournament to lose." Desire and determination are important. So are driving the ball in the right spot and pitching it close to the hole. David Duval, ranked second, said when Americans lose, people go on an often misguided search for reasons -- perhaps they weren't as united or didn't care as much as the Europeans. The answer might be more obvious. "You play golf, and whoever plays the best wins," he said Tuesday. "A lot of stuff is made up in the case and I think it does a disservice to the European team of the past, past several teams that have won. "I think it's a bit disrespectful to their good play." With the 33rd Ryder Cup starting Friday at The Country Club, the favored and more experienced Americans are saying all the right things -- they've developed team chemistry in an individual sport and want to win for their country. On Monday night, they ate together at a downtown Boston restaurant. On Tuesday, they practiced and wore the same blue shirts. On Friday, they'll be rooting for players they compete against on a weekly basis. "We're just going to have to reach down inside, decide how bad we want it, and then go do whatever it takes," Hal Sutton said. The Americans have even put behind them the issue of greater compensation for their efforts, which flared briefly last month and is now in the hands of the PGA. "It's not about money, and it's not about anything else but 'Let's see if the American players can beat the European players,'" Jeff Maggert said. "There's a lot of pride in your country. It's a big motivation factor for me and for all the players." The 12-member European team is drawn from Spain, Scotland, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, France, Finland and Sweden. That doesn't mean they have any less desire to win. "We have a great team spirit, fantastic team spirit," said Colin Montgomerie, one of only two members of the European team who have played in more than one Ryder Cup. "We flew over [from Europe on Monday] and we had a lot of fun on the plane." With Finnish-born Jarmo Sandelin and Jesper Parnevik of Sweden, the Europeans seem more happy-go-lucky. And European captain Mark James brings a dry wit in contrast to the more businesslike public image presented by his American counterpart, Ben Crenshaw. "It's serious golf," James said, "but at the end of the week, I'll be able to shake Ben warmly by the throat and we'll sit down and have a beer." Considering their recent failures in the Ryder Cup, the Americans probably have more pressure to win. A loss on their home turf to an underdog team that includes seven Ryder Cup rookies would be tough to handle. "It's terribly important for us," Crenshaw said. "The players have asked themselves over a long while about what sort of effort they were going to put forth. It's wonderful seeing that come together, and it has for a pretty good while." Ultimately, the event will be determined by how each player performs as an individual. And, at this point, no one is performing better than Woods, who has won five of his last eight tournaments, including the PGA Championship at Medinah. That wasn't the case two years ago when he played in his first Ryder Cup. "You know when you're not playing well," Woods said. "You always hope you can find it on the range, but I didn't. I wasn't playing very well, and unfortunately it carried over into the Ryder Cup." He won his first match with Mark O'Meara, then lost three and tied one as the Americans lost the event 14 1/2-13 1/2. "This year I'm coming into the tournament with more of a positive attitude," Woods said. "Tiger at the moment is playing some of the best golf in his career," Crenshaw said. "He's a very, very smooth engine right now." But one hot golfer cannot win the event by himself. It takes a team. "All one player can do is win five points, and it takes 14 1/2 points to win," Montgomerie said. The last player to go 5-0 in the Ryder Cup was Larry Nelson in 1979. The outcome is likely to be determined more by how close to the pin a player hits the ball than by how close he is to his teammates. "The Europeans in '97, I believe, outplayed us," Woods said. "If we can make those putts at the crucial times, who knows, we could turn it around and get the Cup back."
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