Now that I've calmed down from the rant about the asshole gallery members...
Just some idol thoughts.
I didn't want to see Lee Westwood miss that putt on the 18th hole, no matter how much I wanted Holmes and Moore to win that match. That was heart wrenching to watch play out. This is probably his last Ryder Cup as a player, and now he has the most humbling moment overshadowing an otherwise solid Ryder Cup career. I mean, that putt couldn't have been much further away than 2 feet, maybe? And he didn't even scare the hole.
A great ball-striker who is a good putter will more often than not lose to a good ball-striker who is a great putter. That pretty much describes Jordan Spieth's remarkable run last season, and also describes the past couple of months for Rory this season. The difference however is that Rory has always been a great ball-striker. The FedEx and Ryder Cup have definitely put him back on track to be the top-ranked player in the game again.
Speaking of Jordan Spieth - not sure what happened to him today. I don't think we can discount the possibility that he got so caught up in watching his partner play the round of his life that he kinda lost his focus, maybe just wanted to stay out of his way, but Jordan's had a two-way miss going for much of the season that he desperately needs to figure out. It'll be interesting to see how he responds tomorrow when he has the luxury of just focusing on himself and one opponent, whoever that one opponent might be. He needs to deliver a point tomorrow, it's on him and nobody else can bail him out of trouble.
Thomas Pieters - it has been enjoyable watching this young fella play golf the past couple of days. I'd honestly never heard of him before Ryder Cup, but based on how well he's played in such a stressful event - I get the feeling that we've not heard the last of him. He seems like a genuinely good kid too.
Mickelson - I thought it was a huge mistake putting him and Fowler out again in the morning foursomes. But to his credit, and also with some help of Kuchar - at least Lefty played reasonably well in the afternoon session to earn the team a point. This is probably the last Ryder Cup he'll play in too, so it would be nice to see him win a point tomorrow in the singles and go out on a positive note.
Patrick Reed - undoubtedly the leading player for MVP honors. Although he looks absolutely nothing like him, he's got a little Seve in him, very emotional, very determined in a team atmosphere. Some guys struggle in a team environment, but you can tell that he just absolutely relishes it. He's been the one guy this week who has stepped up to the plate and delivered, shot after shot, hole after hole.
Hazeltine - what a beautiful golf course. I can see shades of Augusta from the fairways on some of the holes, one of the greens is very similar to the 18th at Bay Hill. The layout just seems to flow naturally and offer a nice variety of challenge, and it looks like it would be a very fun course to play.
So... 9-1/2 to 6-1/2. I'm not going out on anymore limbs after 2012. I just hope the American players come out tomorrow expecting to have to play well, because that's about the only given to speak of.