When Tom Kite played in his first Ryder Cup in 1979, the event was an afterthought. On the significance scale, it ranked somewhere around the Monsanto Open.
Kite recalled the competition as more like a cocktail party held after the U.S. whipped the Brits on the course. The U.S. never lost.
“Nobody really cared,” Kite said.
But that all changed in 1983 when the Ryder Cup went from being U.S. vs. Britain to U.S. vs. all of Europe. Then it changed forever when Europe won in 1985. As if to prove it was no fluke, the Europeans have won two more times since.
Then it became Us vs. Them, with the good guys (Couples and Love) against the villains (Ballesteros and Faldo). Then it became gut-wrenching drama.
Then it became big–big enough to enter the world of hyperbole.
“Next to the Olympics, it might be the biggest sporting event,” Kite said.
Let’s not go that far, although if they added a figure-skating segment to the Ryder Cup, who knows? Wonder if Tiger Woods can do a double toe loop . . .
Hyperbole aside, there’s little question that the Ryder Cup now is the biggest event in golf. Bigger than the majors, and yes, even the Masters.
When Ryder Cup competition begins Friday at Valderrama off Spain’s southern coast, it will cap two years of unprecedented hype and anticipation . . . not to mention finger-pointing, bravado, intimidation and controversy.
Kite, this year’s U.S. captain, was listening to an interview with James Worthy on a radio talk show Friday when the ex-Lakers star was asked what had interested him of late.
“He said, `You know, I’m really anxious to watch the Ryder Cup,’ ” Kite said. “If somebody like that is interested, you have the attention of a lot of folks.”
No word on Shaquille O’Neal’s anticipation level, but you know a certain Chicago basketball player will have more than a passing interest.
Now given the choice, every pro would rather win the Masters than the Ryder Cup. Golf still is an individual sport, and the majors are where the players make their names.
But it is the unique format of the Ryder Cup that transcends the other tournaments. Only at the Ryder Cup does a Davis Love III talk of feeling ill before his first tee shot. The nerves are so jangled that the Ryder Cup should be sponsored by Maalox.
And only at the Ryder Cup do you see scenes of uncontrolled elation, like the Europeans’ victory celebration after they won at Rochester, N.Y., in 1995. Contrast that with the dejection and tears streaming down the face of Curtis Strange, the goat of that year’s competition.
The unrelenting pressure comes from placing elite golfers, who are used to thinking only about themselves, into a team situation. Being on a team means responsibility, holding up your end. It involves fear of failure and guilt.
If a golfer shoots 78 to blow the final round of the Masters, the only person he hurts is himself. But if he goes 0-3 in his Cup matches, the other 11 players also lose with him, not to mention an entire country or continent.
Pressure? What pressure?
“There’s nothing more nervous than being at the Ryder Cup,” NBC’s Johnny Miller said. “Now every point is super, super pressure. You don’t want to lose a point.”
The pressure spills out on every fairway and green. Much of the appeal of the Ryder Cup is watching these great players squirm and churn. We can see their pain and anguish, and we love it.
Even better, the only thing at stake is reputation and honor. No $425,000 paydays, no corporate-logo mania. The Ryder Cup might be the first time the world sees what Tiger Woods looks like without his swooshes.
The players will be wearing their team uniforms, and the only money that changes hands will be for expenses.
Several of the players, including Mark O’Meara, are lobbying to get paid for their efforts. The Ryder Cup has become big business, generating as much as $30 million.
It would be a huge mistake if the players got one dime. What do they need with $200,000, which is tip money for most of these guys?
There’s something refreshing about playing for the thrill of victory, instead of the thrill of dividends. It should stay pure.
“I don’t think the players should be paid,” Kite said. “Paying the players could detract from the popularity of the Ryder Cup.”
The Ryder Cup is a chance to showcase golf in a different way, and the public can’t get enough. It also doesn’t hurt that the Ryder Cup, unlike the Super Bowl, always delivers.
The last seven Cups have been split 3-3-1. They’ve been closer than a gimme putt, with the Europeans holding a 100-96 edge in overall matches.
“The advantage is that we have great finishes,” Miller said. “Most Super Bowls are anticlimactic. In football, they talk about `the Catch’ (Joe Montana to Dwight Clark in the 1981 NFC title game). We’ve been blessed with `the Catch’ every time. Some of the stuff is right out of Hollywood.”
The Ryder Cup is one up on Hollywood. It’s real and the story lines keep getting better.
So pass the Maalox and let the show begin.
