Liguori: Make No Mistake, U.S. Wants Ryder Cup Just As Much As Europeans

By Ann Liguori
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Ever since I first started covering the Ryder Cup, starting with a U.S. win over the Europeans in 1999 at The Country Club of Brookline -- (yes, let's start with the Americans winning!) -- there has been an underlying tone that the Europeans care more about the tournament than Team USA.

I was watching Sky Sports on Tuesday and saw a clip from Scotsman Colin Montgomerie, who captained the European team to victory in 2010 and played on eight previous winning Ryder Cup teams, in which he said, "Americans play for their country and themselves. We play for each other."

In another feature, I heard Paul Azinger, who captained America's win over the European team in 2008 at Valhalla, say "the Ryder Cup is in the blood of the Europeans."

Yes, the Europeans -- both the players and fans -- hold the Ryder Cup on a higher pedestal than most Americans in the overall sports landscape, but that doesn't mean the Americans don't want to win just as badly.

The American team may be considered the underdogs in this Ryder Cup, and the European team has won seven of the last nine, but let's not forget that the U.S. leads in the overall record, 25-12-2.

And based on the European's Miracle at Medinah comeback two years ago outside of Chicago, the American team is more than hungry to avenge that loss.

Tom Watson, captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team -- who captained the U.S. in 1993, the last time it won on foreign soil -- said: "Well, I can assure you that our team cares; they are all in for this Ryder Cup. I've been around them, been around them for the last year. Every time I see them, they are talking about Ryder Cup. They know of our position. They know we have been defeated, and they want to get that Cup back. That's the attitude that I wanted, and that's very clear to me that this team is 100 percent in for the run here."

"It's an unusual scenario for the Europeans to be favorites coming into the Ryder Cup," said Graeme McDowell, playing on his fourth straight European Ryder Cup team. "We're proud of that label. We certainly feel that they will be coming at us 100 percent this weekend and we have to be ready for that. We're not taking them lightly."

Bubba Watson, playing in his third Ryder Cup, said in typical Bubba fashion: "I'm not worried about two years ago. I've lost many a golf tournament in my day. I've only won a few in my life. Every time I get to the golf course, I want to beat whoever it is I'm playing, if it's my buddies at home or if it's the members or if it's at a professional golf tournament. That's really what it is about, me, just trying to win that little trophy, that's our goal. I'm not worried about what happened a few years ago. If I did that, I'd be a terrible golfer because I've lost a lot."

The U.S. team has nine Ryder Cup veterans in Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Watson, Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson, Keegan Bradley, Hunter Mahan, Webb Simpson and Rickie Fowler, and three rookies -- Jimmy Walker, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed -- going up against the European team of Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer, Thomas Bjorn, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Ryder Cup rookies Victor Dubuisson, Jamie Donaldson and Stephen Gallacher.

We can debate all day long about why (and if) the European team should be considered the favorites and how important the Ryder Cup competition is for both teams. But come Friday, both squads start from scratch, tee it up in four matches of four ball (better ball) and foursomes (alternate shot), and it all comes down to which player can bring their A-game to the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles Resort.

And it bears watching how many players can shine on the ironically U.S. Open-like conditions, with narrow fairways and high rough. And most importantly, which players can thrive under the intense pressure in front of thousands of loud, mostly European fans under an international spotlight.

Be assured that each player on both teams will be playing their hearts out for themselves, their country and for each other.

That's what makes the Ryder Cup the most exciting international competition on the planet.

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