Don’t put your Team U.S.A. shirt away from the Olympics quite yet. Golf’s Ryder Cup starts tomorrow and Team U.S.A. could use your support. Just make sure you wash your America shirt from August first.
For the birdie,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Five Things To Know About the Ryder Cup
- The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between 12-man teams from the U.S. and Europe. The location rotates every competition between a European and American course of the home team’s choice.
- Teams are made up of a captain, vice captains and players. The captains do not play in the competition, but act as coaches. Players collect an individual score each day but the overall team score is what matters.
- The U.S. players are chosen by points compiled by the PGA. European players are chosen in a similar fashion by the European Tour's World Points List. The team captains also have the honor of selecting four players (U.S.) or three players (European) of their choice to round out the roster.
- The competition started in 1927, but the first left-hander to play in the competition wasn’t until 1977 – Englishman Peter Danson.
- There have only been six holes-in-one in Ryder Cup history, and only one was by an American – Scott Verplank.
- Extra credit – The women of golf play in a similarly formatted competition, The Solheim Cup, in the off years of the Ryder Cup.
NFL (National Football League)
- Don’t rush it. Houston Texans’ J.J. Watt had back surgery in the off-season and miraculously came back to play in the season opener. After week three, Watt re-injured his back and will be placed on the IR (injured reserved). You know somewhere his mama is shaking her head and saying "I told you not to play. See what happens?"
MLB (Major League Baseball)
- Bigger than sports. Fallen teammate Jose Fernandez was scheduled to pitch Monday for the Miami Marlins but tragically lost his life Sunday morning in a boating accident. After canceling Sunday’s game to deal with the tragic loss, Marlins played the Mets in a highly emotional game on Monday. The Marlins held a touching tribute to Fernandez and all wore the #16 in honor of him. Leadoff hitter Dee Gordon hit his first home run of the season into the upper deck. In an interview Gordon said “I’ve never hit a ball that far....I don’t have kids, so that’s the best moment of my life to hit a home run for him.” Marlins won the game.
- Lovable losers no more. The Chicago Cubs continue to show their dominance, winning their 100th game of the season for the first time since 1935. (The season is 162 games). They also clinched home-field advantage for the National League playoffs.
UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
- New York state of mind. Now that MMA is legalized in New York State, UFC is looking to make a huge splash with UFC 205 on November 12th at Madison Square Garden. They announced that the fight card will feature three championship fights, including top draw Conor McGregor (he was one the fighters involved in the water bottle throwing press conference) vs Eddie Alvarez.
Overtime
- During the Red Sox-Yankees (MLB) game, a Yankees fan was set to propose to his girlfriend but when they appeared on the big screen for the proposal, he realized he lost the ring. Through a panicked group effort the ring was found and the proposal went on as planned. Don’t worry she said “yes!”
Sideline stat
- While the U.S. leads the overall win total (25-13) in the Ryder Cup, they haven’t won the competition since 2008.
Coaches’ corner
- What is the injured reserve list? The term injured reserve list or “IR” is an official designation used by the NFL for players with a major injury who temporarily cannot play. This allows a team to open up a spot on the active roster (guys who are eligible to play) to fill with a replacement player. Being on the “IR” means the player cannot return to the active roster for at least eight weeks.
