Ryder Cup Update: Pigs Are Flying

As I write this, two unimaginable things have happened out at Valhalla in the Ryder Cup competition. ↵↵First of all, the Americans emerged from the Friday morning session with a lead, 3-1, the first time we’ve had the lead after the opening session since the ’91 Cup on Kiawah Island. Second of all, the once unbeatable Euro stud Paul Casey, teamed with Henrik Stenson, lost 3&2 to the Yank pairing of Justin Leonard and (I’m a Birdie) Hunter Mahan.↵

↵↵In the other morning matches, Stewart Cink and Chad Campbell defeated Justin Rose and Ian Poulter (The Young Lions) 1 up, Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim (The Prince and the Pauper) halved with Paddy Harrington and Robert Karlsson, and Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry blew a two-hole lead coming down the stretch but held on to halve with Europe’s Terminator Team of Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood. ↵

↵↵For the afternoon fourball matches, the pairings are set as follows:↵

↵↵-- Paddy Harrington/Graeme McDowell vs. Phil Mickelson/Anthony Kim ↵

↵↵-- Ian Poulter/Justin Rose vs. Steve Stricker/Ben Curtis ↵

↵↵-- Sergio Garcia/Miguel Angel Jimenez vs. Justin Leonard/Hunter Mahan ↵

↵↵-- Lee Westwood/Soren Hanson vs. J.B. Holmes/Boo Weekley↵

↵↵As far as the pairings go, it’s interesting that Euro captain Nick Faldo decided to split up the long-running and ever successful duo of Garcia and Westwood for the afternoon session. Also interesting to see the confidence that American captain Paul Azinger is putting in his leadoff team-up of Mickelson and Kim. And one final thing -- J.B. Holmes and Boo Weekley? Have we ever put such a ragtag pairing on the Ryder Cup course? Then again, we have the morning lead, so maybe this isn’t the time to ask questions. Because this thing is shaping up to be the most unpredictable defeat of a European superpower since Saratoga, which would make Paul Azinger a highly unlikely golfing John Burgoyne.↵

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