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The pressure may have had something to do with it, or there again it might have been that the players were unnerved by the sight of America 's redneck captain Hal Sutton wearing a hat from the Roy Rogers cowboy selection. And had he not been at least partially restrained by protocol, there's not much doubt that Sutton would have sent his players on their way with a cry of "yee haa!" However, the most likely explanation for the 24 handicap start was the result of the players having to sit through a two-hour opening ceremony that, even by American...

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - The United States sent out its Dream Team for the first match of the Ryder Cup, and it was all downhill from there. Staring down Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and the rest of the Americans, Europe got off to a stunning start Friday at Oakland Hills, winning three better-ball matches and tying in the other to take 3 1/2 of the first 4 points. Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington took care of Woods and Mickelson, the top two American players and paired together for the first time in the opening match. Montgomerie got the Europeans rolling...

The Cup has now been out of America's possession for 12 of the last 19 years, and for three of the last four events. The Americans really can't understand it, although there is not much about the Ryder Cup that they do comprehend. The concept of matchplay is so alien here that almost all the newspaper supplements are carrying a "Special spectator guide to following the Ryder Cup". A couple of short extracts should give you the general idea "Matchplay: a game played by holes and not cumulative score." "Winning: a team wins the match when one side is up...

The tenth hole at the Belfry in England, where the postponed 2001 Ryder Cup matches are being played this weekend, is a short yard par four. It consists of a short fairway, with a green tucked at the end in a grove of tree, to the right, over a creek. The hole plays from 240-280 yards, depending on the tee used. The hole has been a crowd pleaser in the past, due to the fact the professional golfers can reach the hole in one shot...a driveable par four with a long iron, but the shot must be near perfect to...

Security at this year's Ryder Cup at The Belfry will be the strictest ever seen at the event, BBC Sport Online has learned. Spectators will be banned from bringing mobile phones and cameras to the contest, which takes place from 27 to 29 September.   Banned from The Belfry Spectators will not be allowed to have: Mobile phones Cameras Audible pagers Ladders Picnic baskets Briefcases Portable televisions Push chairs Bicycles Lawn chairs Bags, rucksacks, backpacks or carryalls larger than 8ins (20cm) sq Ugly crowd scenes at the 1999 event at Brookline and anxiety following the 11 September attacks have led...