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Thank goodness it has started!

By: Golf Shake | Fri 26 Sep 2014


Post from Golf Writer Derek Clements


Thank goodness the action is finally under way!

Has anybody else reached saturation point with all the previews and the endless reruns on Sky of past Ryder Cups? I love golf, I really do, but sometimes the talking heads driving me mad - especially if one of them happens to be called Colin Montgomerie.

The big man's heart is in the right place, bless him, but he doesn't half talk some utter tosh.

And yes, we have done rather well in the Ryder Cup in recent years. But you can have too much of a good thing. Every time I have switched on Sky Sports recently, past Ryder Cup highlights have been replayed. Endlessly. For those of you who don't subscribe, let me explain that Sky has a channel that is more or less entirely dedicated to golf - it is called Sky Sports 4. But last week they gave it a new name - Sky Ryder Cup. Bet you can't guess what they've been showing?

They also shipped in a panel comprising former European captains Colin Montgomerie, Tony Jacklin and Sam Torrance, along with a token American. That token American just happens to be Butch Harmon, who coaches three members of the US team, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker. Throw in a studio audience and you have the perfect ingredients for a countdown to Gleneagles. Or at least you should have.

We knew it was the countdown to Gleneagles because it said so in the corner of the screen, with a clock helpfully telling us precisely how long we had to wait for the first shot to be struck in anger.

The whole thing was chaired by a gentleman called David Livingstone, who hosts Sky's golf coverage.

Livingstone is an affable Scotsman who knows his stuff but no matter how hard he has tried, he was unable to get any of his esteemed panellists to climb off the fence.

Monty goes on and on and on and on, as usual. But he does so without saying anything of consequence and often leaves the poor viewer thinking: "What?"

"So Colin, who do you think will win?" asked Livingstone.

"That's a good question David. Yes. I think it is going to be very close. Very, very close. It wouldn't surprise me if there is just one point in it at the end, and it could go either way." You don't say!

Jacklin was one of the men behind the rebirth of the Ryder Cup, but these days he looks more like a ripe plum than a former golfing great. And he has this knack of sounding permanently drunk when he quite clearly is no such thing.

The choice of Torrance seemed to be something of an inspiration. He is, after all, one of Paul McGinley's many vice-captains. But if he had any insider knowledge, he was keeping it to himself. "Sorry, I can't tell you that." "If I knew that I still couldn't tell you." "Yes, we have discussed that, but I can't tell you what we decided." What a waste of time!

Harmon found himself in something of a quandary. He is normally a co-commentator on Sky and, as such, is expected to be pro-European. Hence, we often hear him say: "Come on Rosey!" Erm, nobody calls Justin Rose "Rosey", other than our Butch. Or "Poults, you beauty!"  "Oh, go on Roars!" I just find it really strange to hear an American pulling for "our guys". And it clearly rankles with him that the good old US of A has such a dismal recent record in the event.

But finally, they have some actual golf to discuss.

The BBC fare little better in my view. Yes, that victory at Medinah was fantastic. But whose idea was it to broadcast the Symphony of Medinah with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra on Five Live?

In case you missed it, on Sunday the Beeb decided it was time to put the Miracle at Medinah to music. I kid you not.  It was an opportunity to relive the events of two years, but with a twist. In front of a live audience, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra belted out various dramatic pieces of music against the background of Five Live's commentary from Medinah. It was a totally surreal experience, to put it mildly.

And it was finished off with an opera singer belting out a version of The Impossible Dream. Oh dear!


The Ryder Cup is unlike any other tournament in golf and the atmosphere is something that every golf fan should experience. The experts at Golfbreaks.com can help with all aspects of your Ryder Cup experience, from accommodation and ticket packages to hospitality and travel and playing some of the fantastic nearby courses.


More Ryder Cup Coverage


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