Ryder Cup 2010: Lee Westwood fired up for Europe's opening shot

n HeSome have responsibility thrust on them and others go hunting for it. There were times in Lee Westwood's career when he was suspected of drifting along with the rest of the lads. Not any more. He was granted the right to tee-off for Europe in this Ryder Cup because he applied to be the statesman.

Next week the Englishman will be anointed world No2, with only Tiger Woods above him. First he wants to confirm his role as the Ryder Cup's No1: the senior player on Europe's side and a blend of Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie. Watch this space to see whether big Lee is built to lead. He shines in Ryder Cups but can he also be the captain in the field? He thinks so, which is why he promised to go out with Martin Kaymer "chest out, chin up", against Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson in the first fourball pairing.

The boldness of his declaration conceals the reality that Westwood has just overcome a calf injury and has not played competitively since the Bridgestone Invitational in early August. There is another small hole in his bravado. He is not sure he can manage all those Welsh hills. "It's very heavy underfoot, and it's quite hilly in places, and there's quite a lot of slopes to walk up, 36 holes in a day," he says. "As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not as young as I used to be, when I could play five matches, easily."

Great warriors mustn't run out of puff. But this is the only sign of weakness Westwood displayed. In all other aspects he paraded the authority that comes with 31 worldwide wins and six Ryder Cups prior to this one.

Westwood's record is played 29, won 14, lost 10, halved five, with 16½ points, and he has hooked up successfully down the years with Faldo, Darren Clarke and Sergio García. He is Europe's eighth most successful golfer on points scored. Two years ago he matched Arnold Palmer's record of 12 matches undefeated.

"I feel the honour should be given to Lee Westwood to hit the first shot for Europe," Montgomerie said after an opening ceremony speech so short on verbal flourishes that it might have served a Masonic temple's AGM.

"I know Phil and Dustin hit the first two shots, but the first for Europe is an important shot. I've done it twice, hitting the very first shot, but it's been in America. You can't hit the first shot in Europe because America have the honour. But I've been in the first group a few times and it's daunting, there's no question, and it's not for everybody.

"And I think Lee Westwoood asking for that position gave me no option but to give him that honour."

A calf injury and Welsh topography might have planted some late doubt, but Westwood is otherwise in his prime. Without the setback, he might have gathered enough points to topple Woods in the latest rankings list. "Yeah, very frustrating, but at the same time nobody's stepped up to the plate and grasped the bat," he said, meaning his No2 spot is safe.

Now 37, Westwood remains in danger of succeeding Montgomerie in a darker sense. Second-place finishes at this year's Masters and Open Championship are the closest he has been to breaking his duck in majors. The expectation still is that he will cross the Rubicon before he hits 40. Otherwise, he will have to pull up a chair alongside Montgomerie as a great Ryder Cup competitor for whom the four major titles were elusive.

He says his fine record stems from the "intensity" the event stirs in him.

But emotion is an add-on. "You have to know when to attack and when to defend. You learn how to do that and read the game," he says. "Sometimes pars are great and they are going to win you holes. I always try to play matchplay and not give too much away, not make too many bogeys where you give the opposition an easy advantage. There's a time to go across and put your arm round your partner and say – middle of the green is not going to be bad here. There's a time to attack."

His confidence in the European line-up is infectious: "What's impressed me about the rookies is that one is a major champion. Another is 21 years old and has already won in Europe and America and is top-10 in the world. Two of them have won the last two qualifying events going into the Ryder Cup, so they can play under pressure. One is about as steady as it gets, tee-to-green — Francesco [Molinari], he's unbelievably impressive and qualified quite easily, really.

"Ross [Fisher] is a World Match Play champion. So what I'm trying to get at is that they're fairly handy at it, and they've travelled the world, played majors and proved they can cope with the ultimate pressure, which is this week."

Against the old odds, Westwood has insisted on a paternal role: "I want to see 11 people stood there right behind me, following me. I know everybody can't play [every time], but when push comes to shove, if I get out there with chest out, chin up, I've got the most experience and I'll try to show them how it's done."

Lean on me, says Lee, daringly.

The Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup (officially the Ryder Cup Matches) is a golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is also the name of the trophy, after the person who donated it, Samuel Ryder.
The competition began following an exhibition match in 1926 between a team comprising American professionals against a similar one drawn from the British PGA on the East Course, Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, UK. The first competition took place in 1927.
Early matches between the two sides were fairly even, but after the Second World War, repeated US dominance[1] led to a decision to extend the representation of the British & Irish[2] team to include continental Europe in 1979. This change was partly prompted by the success of a new generation of Spanish golfers of the time, including Seve Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido, who, in 1979, became the first Spaniards to play in the event. Since then, Team Europe has included players from Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden.
Following this change, the event has enjoyed more competitive matches, with Europe winning seven times and retaining the Cup once, and with seven American wins over this period.
With the exception of Spain in 1997 and Ireland in 2006, all tournaments have been held either in the US or UK.

Format:

The Ryder Cup Matches involve various match play competitions between players selected from two teams of twelve. Currently, the matches consist of eight foursomes matches, eight fourball matches and 12 singles matches. The winner of each match scores a point for their team, with ½ a point each for any match that is tied after 18 holes.
A foursomes match is a competition between two teams of two golfers. The golfers on the same team take alternate shots throughout the match, with the same ball. Each hole is won by the team that completes the hole in the fewest shots. A fourball match is also a competition between two teams of two golfers, but all four golfers play their own ball throughout the round rather than alternating shots, and each hole is won by the team whose individual golfer has the lowest score. A singles match is a standard match play competition between two golfers.
The matches take place over three days, Friday through Sunday, a total of 28 matches. On Friday, there are four fourball matches in the morning (or afternoon) and four foursomes matches in the morning (or afternoon). On Saturday, the same schedule repeats. On Sunday, there are 12 singles matches, when all team members play. Not all players must play on Friday and Saturday; the captain can select any eight players for each of the four rounds of play over these two days. The winning team is determined by cumulative total points. Under Ryder Cup rules, the defending champion team from the previous matches only needs to halve the cumulative point totals (14) to retain the Cup, while the opposing team must win it outright (14½ or more).
The format has changed over the years. From the inaugural event through 1959, the Ryder Cup was a two-day competition, with four 36-hole foursomes matches on the first day and eight 36-hole singles matches on the second day, for a total of 12 points. In 1961, the matches were changed to 18 holes each, but the number of matches was doubled, resulting in a total of 24 points. In 1963, the event was expanded to three days, with eight fourball matches being added on the middle day to make a total of 32 points. This format remained until 1977, when the number of matches was reduced to 20: five foursomes matches on the first day, five fourball matches on the second day, and ten singles matches on the final day. In 1979, the first year continental European players participated, the format was changed to the 28-match version in use today, with eight foursomes/four-ball matches on the first two days and 12 singles matches on the last day.[3]
In 2008, the format for the event changed versus the previous two Ryder Cup Matches. For the first time since 1999, the opening matches of a Ryder Cup featured the foursome (alternate-shot) format. U.S. captain Paul Azinger, hoping to give his team an early advantage in Kentucky, announced the change on January 30, 2008 at the PGA Tour's FBR Open in Phoenix.
Alternate shot, or foursomes, had been used in the first sessions every year since 1981 until European captain Seve Ballesteros opened with better ball (fourballs) in 1997 at Valderrama. U.S. captain Ben Crenshaw switched back to alternate shot in 1999 at Brookline, but the next three Ryder Cup matches started with better ball.[4] The latest competition of 2008 however returned to the foursomes format.


Team Europe:


There are two qualifying sections used for the European selection: The European Tour list and the Official World Golf Rankings points list.

Team USA:


The way in which the United States team is selected was revamped for the 2008 competition.
Qualification for the United States team began with the four major championships contested in 2007, and continued from January 1, 2008 until August 11, 2008. The top eight players automatically qualifed for the 2008 United States Ryder Cup Team and the remaining four places were reserved as captain’s picks. The captain made those picks on September 2, 2008.
The selection process is determined by the following criteria:[5]
Prize money earned in the 2007 Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship – one point for every US$1,000 earned.
Prize money earned in official events in 2008 from January 1 until August 11 – one point for every $1,000 earned, excluding major championships and events played in the same weeks as major championships and World Golf Championships.
Prize money earned in the 2008 major championships – two points for every $1,000 earned.
Prize money earned in 2008 events played in the same weeks as major championships and opposite World Golf Championships between January 1 until August 11 - one-half point for every $1,000 earned.