ZealousGolfer.com

The Ryder Cup will take place in less than a month at the K Club in Ireland. The Americans came to the Arnold Palmer design on August 28th to play some practice rounds and get a feel for the course. The K Club, which is not in any way a links course, is a better venue for the American team as the course provides a very American feel with tree-lined fairways. Several American players who competed in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational arrived today via of charter, including U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman. Tiger Woods responded when asked about the American team's trip effecting the Europeans, ""Whether it sends a strong message or not, our whole deal is to come together, gain experience, gain some knowledge on the golf course and be ready to play come time for the cup, "Whether it sends a strong message or not, our whole deal is to come together, gain experience, gain some knowledge on the golf course and be ready to play come time for the cup," After decades of American domination, the European Ryder Cup team has won four out of the last five Ryder Cups. The American team has several of the world's best out front, but the team may have weaknesses among several unknown rookies who found their way onto the team. The American team's roster has been finalized as captain Tom Lehman made his captain's selections last week. The team includes:
*Tiger Woods
*Phil Mickelson
*Jim Furyk
*Chad Campbell
*David Toms
*Chris DiMarco
*Vaughn Taylor
*J.J. Henry
*Zach Johnson
*Brett Wetterich
*Stewart Cink (Captain's Pick)
*Scott Verplank (Captain's Pick)
Lehman's choice Stewart Cink put on a very strong showing at the WGC-Bridgestone finishing in second place. Cink lost in a four hole playoff to world number one Tiger Woods, while fellow captain's pick Scott Verplank struggled finishing in the bottom half of the field. The European Ryder Cup team, captained by Ian Woosnam, has not finalized their roster yet, but as of August 28th has 7 players locked onto the team. Those 7 players are:
*Luke Donald
*Sergio Garcia
*Henrik Stenson
*David Howell
*Colin Montgomerie
*Robert Karlsson
*Paul Casey
The 2006 Ryder Cup matches will take place between September 22nd and September 24th in Dublin, Ireland.