Ryder Cup Rain & Golf at the Commonwealth Games

Europe has been looking quite dominant at Celtic Manor since play resumed earlier today under a precarious double rainbow.

However, with the tournament set to spill into Monday, the outcome is far from decided.  The Monday finish... and controversy regarding tickets...  once again provided a Bethpage flashback.  It's inherently difficult to administrate weather issues at events this big.

But for now Westwood is trending and the dowdiness of "Captain CoMo" is dissipating, as the European team puts away foursomes and fourballs. ~ However on our side at the moment, Rickie Fowler is being brilliant... as he often will be... and he's giving US fans something to cheer tweet about. @nouses, "Rickie Fowler, you are ridiculous. Eagle on 11, fighting back."

Watching the #rydercup time-line flow past on Twitter is uniquely entertaining;  it's an unlikely juxtaposition of subtlty and vitriol,  as in:  @FannyIngabout, "I quite fancy Graham McDowell. #thereivesaidit" and @JojoDonovan, "Shut it blubber Watson!!!! See Westwood's celebration for tips to celebrate with dignity"

And so it goes.  It's a huge event and the international rivalry aspect is perfectly presented in the live global forum that is Twitter ~ But there's another massive sporting event trending right now.

The Commonwealth Games begin today, and what happens there... in Delhi, India... will have more impact on the future of international sports competitions... including golf tournaments... than many seem to realize. 

India's ability to pull off these games has been called into question repeatedly during the lead-up to today's opening ceremonies.  As recently a couple of weeks ago some were whispering that the country might just not be ready.  The allegations of corruption and the evidence of shoddy construction many wonder if the infrastructure improvements needed for something so massive this were too ambitious.  On the other hand most agree that if this does work well, it'll provide a huge boost for all sports and potential sporting events, in one of the world's largest and fastest growing economies.

Golf won't be part of the Commonwealth Games this year, although it might be in the future.  It seems the golf simulator in the athletes village has become hugely popular among sportsmen and women of all nationalities event those who've never played the game.  So much so that it's being written... and tweeted... about quite profusely. Which I think is kind of awesome.

Now, getting back to the Ryder Cup tweets, lets see...  @AbGatorade, "This is like watching a train wreck in slow motion" ... @Smithkyle4, "Europe will surrender at some point, as per tradition" 

Alrighty then,  I'm off to play nine at Richter Park.  Catch up with you later.

Photos: Getty Images

"Mashed Potato" and Other Acceptable Golf Shouts

Despite excessive sogginess,  the crowds on day one of the 2010 Ryder Cup held it together admirably.

As darkness fell on the saturated Celtic Manor course, fans filed out via muddy footpaths, dodging massive puddles.  Those with a flair for the dramatic called it a disaster. ~ However, watching the rain-delayed event from here on the east coast of the US, I was reminded... quite vividly... of the summer of 2009, when I spent a waterlogged week at the US Open at Bethpage Black.  The meteorological conditions seemed remarkably similar,  though I'd guess it's quite a bit colder in Wales right now than it was on Long Island that steamy week in June.

Yes it was a rather chaotic day, with play interrupted several times as fairways flooded over,  but in the end,  I'm quite sure the fans who were there will be rewarded for their patience with lasting memories. I know I have some great ones from that aqueous 2009 U.S. Open.

The action starts up again in about 15 minutes... at 3:00AM here... and there are myriad options for those who wish to watch live, receive updates or cheer on their respective teams and players via social networks and message boards.  I'll see how much I can stay awake for. (this being on the heels of four-and-a-half hours of poker in a smoke-filled salon)

One recounting I refuse to  miss,  is Ben Dirs' blog for BBC Sport, and I particularly enjoy his Match of the Day live blogs.  He's engaging and informative. And fun. The exchanges he has with his readers are often highly amusing.  Yesterday there was this whimsical  bit regarding American golf shouts.

“As if ‘get in the hole’ couldn’t get any worse… the best I’ve heard is also an American shout ‘mashed potato’ straight after a drive. Peculiar to say the least.”  

“Re acceptable shouts, ‘get in the puddle’ or ‘get in the casual water’ could maybe work after a US tee shot?” 

"... you don’t shout 'go in the hole', you drop the 'go' and scream the rest very, very loud.

“I once heard an American scream ’swallow the apple’ just after Faldo hit a drive. Never quite been able to work out what he meant.” 

Other than the requisite ‘Europe, Europe, Europe’ and ‘Go in the hole’ what else are acceptable golf shouts?” 

“As a Europe fan, please, please definitely do not shout 'go in the hole’.  Leave this to our American cousins at all costs!”

We yanks do get a bit obnoxious at times, don't we?

Of Princes & Ballgowns & Beautiful Ryder Cup Birdies

Team USA

Team Europe

They wore plumage of fine silk and frothy taffeta... in midnight black, icy white or one of several jewel tones.  

The inelegant acronym that's so often used to describe them was forgotten, at least for this one night. 

There were no WAGs at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium for the Ryder Cup's official function opening on Tuesday evening.  The wives and girlfriends were allowed, for this single enchanted soiree,  to simply be glamorous women... to be individuals and wear distinctive gowns of their won choosing.

Also present at the gala get-together was Prince Charles, heir apparent to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms, and an outspoken advocate for architecture (including... one might presume... golf course architecture) and for the conservation of historic buildings.

The golf action gets underway tomorrow, at which point the elegant European and American birdies will presumably fade into the background, dress in identical understatedly practical outfits and yield center stage to their talented husbands.   

However at the festive opening function the women were clearly the stars.

Photos: Getty Images 

Alstom Open de France & The French Ryder Cup Bid

No matter how old you are, repeatedly being told you're the oldest... anything... has got to get old pretty quickly.

By the time Miguel Angel Jimenez lifted the ornate silver trophy yesterday at Golf National, I'd guess he was already quite sick of hearing how he was the tournament's oldest winner. As you've probably heard, he won the Alstom Open de France... and as soon as he did everyone was talking about how at 46, he was the oldest ever to win this tournament. Not only that, he was the also the eighth oldest champion in European Tour history.

The colorful Spaniard isn't the type to take things to heart however, and quickly positioned his age as an asset... both for winning the French Open and for securing a place on Colin Montgomerie's Ryder Cup team. “Experience is always important,” said Jimenez post-playoff. “These two guys are playing very well. But, you know, the experience, also, is one of the keys. On 18, I hit my ball in the middle of the fairway and both of them missed the fairway. The win moved The Mechanic, who's had ten European Tour wins since he turned 40, into sixth place in the European Ryder Cup rankings.

Like MAJ, the Open de France ALSTOM has been around for a while. In fact, it's the oldest national open championship in continental Europe, dating back to 1906. In France's bid for the 2018 Ryder Cup, the country's golf history will be highlighted, along with the attributes of Le Golf National as a Ryder Cup venue. I attended the Open de France three years ago and was impressed with how quick and easy it was to get to the course from the center of Paris. I just hopped on a commuter train, and within 20 minutes I was in Versailles, from there it's just a 10 minute shuttle to Golf National. The course... as we saw yesterday... lends itself to the kind of dramatic finish that makes Ryder Cup competitions memorable.

The French will face stiff competition from Spain, Portugal, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. French golfer Thomas Levet, who played in the 2004 Ryder Cup and has five European Tour wins, was one of was one of those who worked on France's Ryder Cup bid and he feels it's very strong. He even indicated that the Chateau de Versailles might be the setting for some of the official functions. How romantic is that?

The winning bid will be announced next Spring, in the meantime, Follow the French bid on Facebook.

Photo: Getty Images by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images Europe