Ryder Cup Tees Off At Medinah
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Sep 26, 2012 2:30PM
One of golf's greatest competitions, the Ryder Cup, tees off at Medinah Country Club in suburban Medinah from Sept. 28 to 30. The Ryder Cup pits two teams of the world's top golfers against each other — one representing the USA and one representing Europe.
The American team is captained by Davis Love III, and includes 12 of the top golfers like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk. Team Europe includes the likes of Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald and is captained by José María Olazábal.
A biannual event, Ryder Cup involves various match-play competitions. Under the current format, play includes 18-hole rounds with eight foursome matches, eight fourball matches and 12 singles matches. The winner of each match scores a point for their team, while a tie results in a half point for each.
The 2010 Ryder Cup was played at Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales. The Europeans won by the slimmest of margins, 14½ to 13½, to claim the Cup from the Americans. At Medinah this week, the Americans will try and win the Ryder Cup back from their compeitors from across the pond.
While the Americans are hoping for the home field advantage this year, The Europeans are concerned about the crowds. Colin Montgomerie fears that the raucous American crowds could again mar the event.
While the actual competition tees off on Friday, the hoopla kicked off yesterday with Celebrity Day at Medinah. Stars like Justin Timberlake, Michael Phelps, Scottie Pippen, Bill Murray and Michael Jordan took to the links alongside some of golf's biggest stars. Phelps and comic George Lopez, along with their golf pro partners, won the event, beating out Murray's and Timberlake's team.
For those hoping to catch the action in person, good luck if you don't already have tickets. The Ryder Cup is sold out, with over 40,000 expected in the galleries each day. However, Time Out Chicago lists some related events taking place to get you in the spirit, including a Ryder Cup exhibit at Oakbrook Shopping Center and the Ryder Cup Gala tomorrow night.