Tuesday, August 31, 1999
Ryder course a nice fit for Duval, Woods
By Paul Kenyon
The Providence Journal
BROOKLINE, Mass. — Tiger Woods and David Duval might not
be happy with the way Ryder Cup revenue is distributed, but neither
is likely to have any complaints with the course setup for next
month's event at The Country Club.
Eight of the 12 members of this year's United States Ryder
Cup team, including Duval, Monday held their first and only pretournament
practice on the course. Everyone involved spoke about how the
day will help both with course knowledge and team camaraderie.
The day's most significant revelation, though, involved how
the course has been manicured. It was news which makes it clear
team captain Ben Crenshaw has Woods and Duval in mind as the foundation
for his squad.
Instead of deep, U.S. Open-style rough and narrow fairways,
the course will be less demanding, a fact which should allow Woods
and Duval to swing from the heels.
“The U.S. has two of the longest hitters in the world,”
pointed out Bruce Lietzke, one of Crenshaw's assistant captains,
in an obvious reference to his team's two young stars. “It
would be wonderful to pair those guys together and let them do
what they do best, that is launch the tee ball. There are some
holes that will surrender, possibly, to those super long tee shots.”
Crenshaw, for his part, insisted he will not decide on pairings
until the week of tournament. But he did acknowledge his directions
for setting up the course.
That decision was visible. The rough, or lack of it, was very
different than when The Country Club hosted the 1988 U.S. Open.
In fact, the rough is not as deep as it is at many private country
clubs in this area.
“It's not set up like a U.S. Open layout,” noted
reigning Open champion Payne Stewart. “You don't have the
rough that would normally be at a U.S. Open. The fairways aren't
as narrow as they would be at a U.S. Open.
“I think they're going to keep the green speed about what
it is ,” Stewart said. “I think what Ben wanted to do
was test everyone's ability and have the best players win.”
As someone who has been at his best with the Open conditions,
that might not help Stewart. But it definitely does help the long
hitters like Woods and Duval.
The European team has some big hitters of its own, most notably
Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia. But they are not as long as Woods
and Duval. And, overall, the American team has more long hitters
than the European squad.
“In growing the rough the height where it is right now,
it's going to complement the U.S. team's length,” said Bill
Rogers, the other assistant captain on the American team.
Controlling the length of the rough to allow the big bombers
to flail away, could be about the only home-course advantage.
Since The Country Club is not a regular part of the PGA Tour,
more than half the American squad needed the practice day Crenshaw
arranged.
The team members flew by chartered plane from Akron, Ohio,
where they participated last week in the NEC World Tour event.
However, four members could not make it. Davis Love III had a
doctor's appointment in Georgia to examine a problem with a nerve
in his neck. Woods, Mark O'Meara and Tom Lehman all had commitments
made before Crenshaw set the practice day.
The other eight, along with Crenshaw and his two assistants,
had the course to themselves as security workers stopped anyone
attempting to get on the course.
It was the first trip to the course for Duval, Jeff Maggert,
Jim Furyk and Justin Leonard. Phil Mickelson had seen the place
only once before, while Stewart, Steve Pate and Hal Sutton are
veterans of the 1988 U.S. Open held at Brookline. The players
were impressed.
“The golf course is playing spectacular. The course is
in unbelievable shape,” said Mickelson. “I think it's
going to be a very netural site. It favors those who play well
and who can hit all the shots. This is of my favorite golf courses.
It's one of the most natural courses I've ever seen.”
“I think this place is dripping with history,” Sutton
said. “I'm just glad to be part of this next little history.
Being on this Ryder Cup team is exciting for me because it's been
12 years since I made one.”
The controversy which has swirled for the past several weeks,
with Duval, Woods, Mickelson and O'Meara questioning the compensation
players receive, was nowhere to be found. The focus was on camaraderie
and teamwork.
“I thought this day was so important to us,” Crenshaw
said. “We could go out and have some fun . . . understand
what a special a place this is.
“It was a day of reconnaissance for us, a day of learning
and a day to be together, too, which is important. It is important
for us to be together. That's what this is about. It's a team
effort.”
The players also spoke about the need for teamwork, but some
downplayed that part of it.
“Making putts is better than chemistry,” said Pate.
“I don't know what you can do. It seems to me (team chemistry)
is either there, or it's not. We'll find out in three weeks. It's
a pretty good group of personalities and everybody gets along.
It should be a positive thing as far as chemistry.”
Crenshaw “thanked us for being here. He thought it was
an important day for us to spend together as a team, which I thoroughly
believe it was also,” said Sutton. “As a member of the
team, I thanked him back for having us here and trying to get
us all together. Ben is a perfect gentleman. He's going to make
a great captain. I just hope we can win the Ryder Cup for him.”
(c) 1999, The Providence Journal.
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