Notes and quotes from the Ryder Cup:
No kiddin': Azinger pairs Mick, Kim again – Ryder Cup
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It falls under the category of “No kiddin'.”U.S. captain Paul Azinger has paired Phil Mickelson and rookie Anthony Kim, who won one match and halved one in Friday's opener, for Saturday morning's alternate shot match. They play Henrik Stenson and Oliver Wilson in the third match.
The day leads off with Stewart Cink and Chad Campbell against Ian Poulter and Justin Rose. Justin Leonard and Hunter Mahan, who won both of their matches, meet Miguel Angel Jimenez and Graeme McDowell. The morning closes with Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry, who halved in the morning, against Padraig Harrington and Robert Karlsson.
The big puzzle coming out of this European lineup: Why would captain Nick Faldo bench Sergio Garcia, Europe's biggest point-winner. Garcia had been 8-0-0 in alternate shot until he and Lee Westwood halved with Perry and Furyk, and he and Jimenez then lost to Leonard and Mahan, 4 and 3, in the better ball.
Pairings for the Saturday afternoon better-ball matches will be announced after the morning round, and the Ryder Cup ends with 12 singles matches Sunday.
THE TIGER QUESTION -- The big question nagging Paul Azinger and all the Americans was how badly would they miss Tiger Woods, idle from golf since knee surgery after winning the U.S. Open ion June. The past is no predictor of the future, of course, but it is interesting to note how Woods did against the Europeans playing on this team. In a word, not very well.
In his five Ryder Cups, Woods has a 7-9 record against Europeans playing in this one, and it took a 3-2 surge in 2006 to get him that close. His losses in team play were to Lee Westwood, Garcia and Harrington, and his wins were against them in addition to Ian Poulter and Robert Karlsson.
* The Americans won both sessions Friday, something they had not done on the same day since 1981.
* The team of Justin Leonard and Hunter Mahan are the first American tandem to win both matches in the same day of Ryder Cup competition since Tiger Woods and Davis Love III captured both on Day Two in 2002.
* Mickelson's 1 1⁄2 tied his career high for a single day. He did it in 2002, teamed with David Toms to gain 1 1⁄2 points on Day One at The Belfry in England.
* This was the first time Sergio Garcia went winless in team matches.
* Until Day One, Justin Leonard had never won a match in the Ryder Cup. Friday, he won twice.
* Rookie sensations: U.S. rookies fared well on Day One, with Hunter Mahan earning two points, Anthony Kim gaining 1 1⁄2 points, and both J.B. Holmes and Boo Weekley notching a 1⁄2 point each. Ryder Cup rookie Justin Rose earned a point for Europe.
* Oliver Wilson (Europe) was the only Ryder Cup Team member not to play Friday.
* There were a total of 31 birdies made Friday by the U.S. Team over the two sessions. The Europeans made 28 birdies and one eagle.
* Fist-pumping shot of the day: Boo Weekley's 35-foot birdie putt from the fringe at No. 12, to give Weekley/Holmes a 1-up lead over Westwood/Hansen. The match eventually was halved.
* Drive of the day: J.B. Holmes, 371 yards on No. 17, with a 76-yard shot to 2 feet. His birdie kept the U.S. 1-up with one hole to play.
* Chip of the afternoon: Using a 54-degree sand wedge, Leonard holed out from 30 feet to close out Garcia-Jimenez at the 15th.
Return to Tournament Notebook archives