Ready, Set, Oh, No!

Another opening day, another hole for the Americans, who for the fifth consecutive Ryder Cup found themselves playing from behind after the first two sessions--and it could have been worse, considering that the U.S. won only one of the eight matches. The first sign that the Americans might once again be headed for the ( Oakland) hills occurred during the first match on the 1st tee, when the world's best player, Tiger Woods, yanked his drive--with a three-wood!--into a water hazard.

Here We Go Again
Right off the bat, the U.S. finds itself playing catch-up

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

Slights & Grievances

? After Donald holed a monster 35-footer for birdie to give his team a 2-up lead in its foursomes match against Furyk and Woods, partner Garc�a walked in behind the putt with his tongue hanging out--a not-too-subtle slam at Tiger's inside-the-ropes fan, Michael Jordan (above).

? Vaughn Taylor and captain's pick Scott Verplank were the only players who didn't tee it up on Friday.

? Henry played better than any American in the morning, but before completing the 32 on the back nine that allowed him and Cink to pull out a halve, Lehman had already submitted his afternoon lineup and Henry wasn't in it.

? Three Europeans ranked among the top 15 in the world-- Donald (ninth), Stenson (11th) and Howell (13th)--sat out the morning four-balls.

HOLE STORY

With seven of the matches going the distance, the 18th, a reachable 537-yard par-5, saw plenty of drama. The hole should have been an advantage for the Americans, but they won it only once--when Campbell and Johnson swiped a half-point from Harrington and McGinley--lost it twice and halved it four times.