Rising stars ready to grab Ryder Cup reins

US skipper proud of team despite Europe’s triumphant campaign.

CHICAGO: A strong contingent of US young guns appear ready to take the torch from a group of American veterans whose Ryder Cup careers could be coming to a close.

A trio of recent major championship winners Bubba Watson (2012 Masters), Webb Simpson (2012 US Open) and Keegan Bradley (2011 PGA Championship) all had solid Ryder Cups at the Medinah Country Club. Bradley looked unbeatable in the team events and flamboyant Watson gladly took on the lead-hitter role which helped set the tone off the first tee for the US team in the first two days of competition.

“I can’t be more proud of this team,” said US skipper Davis Love. “They conducted themselves with class all week. They inspired the fans to get behind them. This is one of the most powerful teams ever put together but it’s also one of the classiest teams.”

Watson and Bradley provided the youthful energy that inspired veterans like Phil Mickelson, who was appearing in his ninth Ryder Cup. Mickelson went 3-0 in team events while being paired with Bradley but failed to win his Sunday singles match, losing 1-up to Justin Rose.

Even though the Americans self-destructed on a bloody Sunday, losing 14 1/2 to 13 1/2 to the hard-charging Europeans, Bradley was finding it hard to come down off the high of playing in the Ryder Cup.

“I never felt more on a team in my life,” Bradley said. “I am going to be disappointed that we are not going to get together tomorrow to all get ready to play.”

Snory Rory in Ryder Cup times mixup

Rory McIlroy came within a handful of minutes of committing one of the biggest Ryder Cup blunders of all time on the final day of the Ryder Cup on Sunday.

He mistook which time zone he was in and was quietly getting ready to leave his hotel when he was informed that his tee-off time in his closing singles match against Keegan Bradley was in 25 minutes time. There followed a high-speed dash in police car to get to the Medinah Country Club, where he arrived with just several minutes to spare.

McIlroy quickly pulled on his shoes, grabbed a banana, hit some putts and ambled on to a packed first tee to play the third singles match out.

“I looked at the tee times last night, and I must have saw them in eastern time and I thought it was 12:25 instead of 11:25,” said McIlroy. “Walking out my hotel room door this morning at 11:00, and I get a phone call saying, ‘You’re on the tee in 25 minutes. I’ve never been so worried going to the golf course.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2012.