Sam Torrance: Lucas Bjerregaard becomes the latest Dane on the podium as Ryder Cup heroics catch up with Tyrrell Hatton October 8, 2018 I seem to recall a couple of Danes celebrating at the end of the Ryder Cup last month and on Sunday it was the turn of Thomas Bjorn and Thorbjorn Olesen’s compatriot Lucas Bjerregaard to uncork the champagne. The 27-year-old was fantastic in winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews, where he saw [...]
Sam Torrance: Magnificent Europe proved Thomas Bjorn right and the critics wrong October 1, 2018 The American team that touched down in France as hot favourites to retain the Ryder Cup was reckoned to be the best in the competition’s history. They got hammered. And the highest accolade has to go to Thomas Bjorn. Europe’s ice-cool captain got everything right: his wild card picks all justified their inclusion and his [...]
Ryder Cup: Europe thwart American comeback as Francesco Molinari and Sergio Garcia make history September 30, 2018 The talk had been of the United States needing their own Miracle of Medinah to retain the Ryder Cup. In the end it was more a case of Frazzled in France, Vanquished in Versailles, Pulverised in Paris. For a spell on Sunday the holders threatened to mount a comeback to rival Europe’s heroics of 2012, [...]
The Ryder Cup rookie factor: Does it matter how many debutants are on your team? September 27, 2018 If the number of rookies in his team has caused Thomas Bjorn any sleepless nights in the lead-up to Friday's first day of the Ryder Cup then Europe’s captain did his best to hide it earlier this week. The hosts will have five debutants in their ranks at Le Golf National – Tommy Fleetwood, [...]
How the Ryder Cup became one of sport’s biggest events – and why it might be about to become even bigger September 26, 2018 The Ryder Cup has come an awful long way since British garden seed entrepreneur and golf enthusiast Samuel Ryder spawned the competition as we now know it during the mid-1920s. More than 50,000 spectators per day are expected to pay an average of £115 to attend the contest at Le Golf National, near Paris, [...]
Sam Torrance: USA are rightful Ryder Cup favourites but Europe thrive on underdog role September 26, 2018 On paper, the 12 men wearing the striped shirts at Le Golf National this week might comprise the strongest line-up that the United States has ever sent to a Ryder Cup. But then I can’t remember the last time that Europe started out as favourites. We love being the underdog. We don’t realise that [...]
Ryder Cup 2018: Why Le Golf National course could be just as influential for Europe as any player this week September 26, 2018 When Colin Montgomerie captained Europe at Celtic Manor eight years ago, hoping to reclaim the Ryder Cup after a crushing defeat at Valhalla two years before, he instructed the groundsmen to make the course as fair as possible. "I don't think it is right to set the course up in any other way than [...]
Sam Torrance: Tiger Woods’s second coming is here and he is capable of anything now September 24, 2018 I think we can safely say that Tiger Woods is back. Five years and several rounds of surgery on from his previous win, he stood up and batted off all of his rivals at the Tour Championship on Sunday – just as he always used to. He was magnificent, it is huge for golf [...]
Sam Torrance: Captains’ decisions, team spirit and home advantage – the factors which could shape the Ryder Cup September 17, 2018 European captain Thomas Bjorn may have selected his four wildcard picks for next weekend’s Ryder Cup, but there is still a lot to be decided between now and the first tee. The team will arrive at Le Golf National, outside Paris, on Sunday night in order to familiarise themselves with the course ahead of the [...]
Sam Torrance: Captains’ decisions, team spirit and home advantage – the factors which could shape the Ryder Cup September 17, 2018 European captain Thomas Bjorn may have selected his four wildcard picks for next weekend’s Ryder Cup, but there is still a lot to be decided between now and the first tee. The team will arrive at Le Golf National, outside Paris, on Sunday night in order to familiarise themselves with the course ahead of the [...]