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Seve the traitor?

Ryder Cup

by Rob Hodgetts - BBC Sport (U1654754) 18 May 2008

Seve Ballesteros has been stirring up the Ryder Cup with claims that he wants the USA to win this year "for the good of the competition".

US win good for Cup - Ballesteros

The Spanish legend was Europe's fiercest Ryder Cup competitor and was instrumental in rejuvenating the GB&I/European challenge after donkeys' years of one-sided results.

The brooding Ballesteros loved nothing more than beating the Americans. Except, that is, for beating the Americans in their own back yard.

So, to hear him yearn for a USA win seems, at first glance, traitorous in the extreme.

But when you think about it, Seve's got a point. The record European win at Oakland Hills in 2004 was a magnificent achievement, as was repeating the feat in Ireland two years later.

And while the K Club victory was fantastic, the one ingredient it did slightly lack, and I say this from first-hand experience in Ireland, was a bit of drama, tension and the nail-biting "will-they, won't they" that makes eventual victory all the sweeter.

Of course, this doesn't mean in the slightest that European fans didn't enjoy spanking the Americans. It's just that a closer competition would make the journey, as opposed to just arriving at the final destination, all the more fun.

I'm guessing Seve doesn't really want the Americans to win, but his point is that they might start to lose interest, in which case his beloved event could wither and die.

To the Americans' credit, you could argue they kept the Ryder Cup alive by humouring the Europeans and continuing to turn up every two years despite winning every match between 1957 and 1985, barring a tie in 1969.

What we really want to see is the American stars really light up. There's always talk that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson et al don't care, but do we really know that's the case?

As competitors I reckon they want to win as much as anyone.

Every two years we also spout on about how the European's closer team spirit gets them through, and there probably is some of that, but no amount of team spirit will get the ball in the hole quicker if your game's off.

So, is Seve being deliberately mischievous, speaking from the heart, or merely talking twaddle?

I hear where he's coming from, but I'd say most fans would take victory first and then worry about the style later.

What do you reckon?

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comment by No1_Sports_Pundit (U11260901)

posted May 18, 2008

I agree to some degree with Seve, another uncompetitive ryder cup will do nothing to help American players motivation and, as Headfortman rightly pointed out, corporate interest. I'm not sure such drastic action as an American win is entirely necessary, just a close contest.

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comment by PositiveSteve (U10849794)

posted May 18, 2008

The Ryder cup is certainly being spiced up this year with Azinger and now Seve.

The cup is still a great sporting occasion and I am sure there will be no lack of interest on America's part when the tournament starts.

They are hungry to win the trophy back and on home soil will have a fair chance.

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comment by Parcel of Rogues (U10645392)

posted May 18, 2008

Do you not recognise a classic Seve wind up?

Another thought though is recent Ryder Cup results compared with World Rankings....perhaps the fading value of the dollar will help redress this

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comment by peteholly (U10412044)

posted May 18, 2008

A close match on US soil would be great. What about a re-run of Faldo and Walton squeaking the Europeans home - just like at Oak Hill in 95 (I think?). I can see the commercial arguement for a US win but for me Faldo has always been a hero and I'd hate to see him be a losing Captain.

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comment by lifenorthener (U11578527)

posted May 18, 2008

It is definitely 'tongue in cheek'. Patronising the Americans in this way is just another form of rubbing it in.

To misquote Churchill, "In victory be merciless: in defeat, seethe". We Europeans should enjoy our hegemony and hope it lasts for a long time.(because it won't)

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comment by northwalestaff (U1734886)

posted May 18, 2008

Probably Seve just goading the Yanks into making more of an effort at actually making at least a competition of it, as opposed to the one sided affair it's become of late.

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comment by Houthakker (U10118673)

posted May 19, 2008

Europe should first try to beat the Yanks' record of retaining the cup for 13 consecutive times. Then we'll see about how much the Americans have lost interest in the cup.

What moved the European side to finally give the cup a real challenge in 1983 and onward. You might say it was the enthusiasm of one Spanish player. Let's first see which American player can bring that same attitude to their side. Tiger sure hasn't done that so far.

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comment by Arabgrayser (U1730317)

posted May 19, 2008

Seve's talking a lot of rubbish. Our boys took a thrashing for years in the Ryder Cup and it's now the Americans turn to see what it's like on the other side. I'm all up for European dominance for years to come and it's up to Woods, Mickelson and co. to make a better fist of it than in recent years. I can't see anything other than another Euro win this year, the US don't have the big names to intimidate us anymore.

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comment by W7-Spurs (U5943551)

posted May 19, 2008

Utter blasphemy!!!

Refuse to read the article on the basis of the subject. I declare a holy war on you for this. You think Salman Rushdie got it bad - you just wait!!!!

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comment by Westhillmadgolfer (U12019970)

posted May 20, 2008

As X Europe Ryder Cup captain me must be mad to support the American, instead he should support
Nick Faldo. As a result, he may loose all his
Europe golfing friends.

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