Golf: TIGER PUT THROUGH THE SPAIN BARRIER; THE RYDER CUP, DAY 1: Europe 5 USA 3 from the K Club Super Garcia is just too hot for slack Woods.Byline: Oliver Holt CHIEF SPORTS WRITER Noun 1. sports writer - a journalist who writes about sportssportswriter journalist - a writer for newspapers and magazines SOME bad things happened to Tiger Woods on the first day of the Ryder Cup Ryder Cup Biennial team golf event first held in 1927. It was originally played between teams of golfers from the U.S. and Britain; since 1979 players opposing the U.S. have been chosen from all of Europe. The trophy was donated by the British seed merchant Samuel Ryder. yesterday. Same as they always do. He hooked his opening shot of the competition so far left he nearly killed a duck sunbathing in the lake at the side of the 1st fairway. He said later he hadn't warmed up very well. Which is what he never says before the US Masters or The Open. Or any other tournament he likes playing in. Next, he lost a race for the Portaloo near the 2nd tee during the morning fourballs. He was second to his caddie, Steve Williams. He missed a five foot putt for par on the fifth that lost America the hole and brought Colin Montgomerie Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE (born June 23, 1963) is a Scottish professional golfer often referred to by his nickname 'Monty'. He has had one of the finest careers in European Tour history, having won a record eight Order of Merit titles including a streak of seven consecutively and Padraig Harrington level.He hit a horrible hook off the tee at the seventh and sliced a few minor limbs off a sapling attempting a recovery shot at the 10th. His Steady Eddie Steady Eddie is a balancing game for one or more players, manufactured by John Sands Pty. Ltd. under license to the Milton Bradley company and is part of the "Key to Fun and Learning" Product line. playing partner Jim Furyk James Michael Furyk (born May 12, 1970) is an American professional golfer, known for consistently playing at the top level and for a visibly unconventional, looping golf swing. In September 2006 he reached a career high of second in the Official World Golf Rankings. got stooped shoulders from carrying him for so long. Furyk looked like a world-beater next to Woods. Furyk looked like the guy with 12 Majors. Woods just looked nervous. That's what we get this time every two years. We get Ryder Cup Tiger, a Tiger that's a totally different animal. He has failed to live up to expectations so many times in this competition that it's almost stopped being a surprise when he screws up. He pulled his second shot at the 14th into another lake and lost another race for another Portaloo between the 16th and the 17th. This time, it was Harrington's caddy A plastic container that holds a CD or DVD disc for added protection. The bare disc is placed in the caddy, and the caddy is inserted into the drive. A caddy is not a jewel case. A jewel case protects the disc for transportation. A caddy protects the disc while reading and writing. who beat him inside. Woods waited forlornly outside. It seemed for most of the morning that normal service had been resumed: Ryder Cup hates Tiger, Tiger hates Ryder Cup. But Woods knew how much was resting on that fourballs match. He knew he had been sent out first to try to raise the morale of the US team. His scalp has acted as a spur to the Europeans when they have defeated him on the opening morning of the each of the previous three Ryder Cups. It was vital for the US that it didn't happen again. And so in between disasters, Woods gritted his teeth and actually started to help Furyk out a little. He made birdies on the eighth, the 11th and the 12th to put him and Furyk three up. And even though Woods wobbled again in the final three holes, Furyk did enough to make sure they hung on to their lead by one. It was the first time Woods had won his opening game in the competition since 1997 and even though he had played poorly, it seemed the result might signal a change in fortune. It didn't. It turned out it was just a postponement of the misery that sticks close to him on these occasions. Because in the afternoon foursomes, Furyk lost his touch, too, and he and Woods slipped to a bitter defeat to Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald Luke Campbell Donald (born December 7, 1977) is an English golfer who plays mainly on the U.S. based PGA Tour but is also a member of the European Tour. In 2006 he reached the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career. . That must have tasted particularly nasty for Woods because both Garcia and Donald have come as close as golfers get to taunting the world number one about his Ryder Cup record in recent weeks. Garcia even said he'd like to play Woods two or three times this weekend. Woods told him to bring it on and when Garcia took him up on it, Woods and Furyk folded. That's why Woods must find the Ryder Cup so galling. People who can never beat him in Majors suddenly spank him in this competition. After two years of being humiliated hu·mil·i·ate tr.v. hu·mil·i·at·ed, hu·mil·i·at·ing, hu·mil·i·ates To lower the pride, dignity, or self-respect of. See Synonyms at degrade. by him, the Ryder Cup lets them get their own back. Garcia in particular. Every putt the Europeans holed, every mistake Tiger made, Garcia pumped his fist and stuck his tongue out like a lizard. Garcia and Donald closed out the match to win by two holes. The other three American teams halved their matches. Woods was the only blot on the landscape. And so the song remains the same. The Ryder Cup turned Tiger into a pussycat yet again yesterday. He and Furyk looked like The Glums at their evening press conference. They looked like members of a beaten team already. Other players stepped up to the mark. Colin Montgomerie sank a crucial putt with the last shot of the day, Darren Clarke won a highly emotional fourballs match alongside Lee Westwood in the morning. Garcia was immense. For the Americans, the rookie JJ Henry played superbly on the back nine in the fourballs. Stewart Cink played solidly in his two halved matches. Some players have a habit of growing when the Ryder Cup comes around. Not Tiger. He shrinks. And because of that, America's prospects look bleak again. TODAY'S ACTION FOUR 4-BALL MATCHES (8am, 8.15, 8.30 & 8.45) (1.30pm, 1.45, 2.00 & 2.15) 4 FOURSOMES MATCHES (1.30pm, 1.45, 2.00 & 2.15) TOMORROW 12 SINGLES MATCHES (from11.15am-13.27pm) LIVE TV TODAY 7am - 7pm (Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports HD) TOMORROW 10am-7pm (Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports HD) HIGHLIGHTS: TODAY 7pm - 10pm (SS1, SSHD SSHD Secure Shell Daemon SSHD Ssh Daemon ) TOMORROW 7pm - 10pm (SS1, SSHD) Darren carried along on a wave of emotion PAGES 68 & 69 CAPTION(S): PUNCHING HIS WEIGHT: Sergio Garcia was at his fist-pumping best at the K Club yesterday Pictures: BRADLEY ORMESHER' PULL YOUSELF TOGETHER: Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk get a pep-talk from captain Tom Lehman |
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