The 2014 Ryder Cup golf schedule starts up on Thursday and the tournament match format will play out through the weekend on the Golf Channel and NBC on the TV coverage as the USA team and European golfers battle in Scotland at the PGA Centenary Course at the Gleneagles Hotel near Auchterarder in Perthshire and names like Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed as well as Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia will be in action.
McIlroy comes in playing the best golf of his life and after the European team won the Cup last time back in 2012 with an amazing comeback, they will be looking to keep it on their home turf. The Euro team always does a good job at home and this gives McIlroy and company a chance to start fast and he comes in after winning two majors on tour this year. Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell will still be paired at the tournament despite the legal issues going on between the two and they have met ahead of the tournament to take out any awkwardness coming into the competition.
Tom Watson said the US will be looking for some redemption and maybe some revenge after the crazy comeback for the Euros at Medinah that won them the tournament in 2012. The USA had a considerable lead and eventually gave it up on the final day with the Europeans down four points to lose 14½ to 13½ and that clinched the seventh loss for the Americans in nine Ryder Cups. Tiger Woods will not be on the team and there was a chance he would have if he was healthy, but he was injured all year and did not play well at all.
Watson comes in as the oldest captain in Ryder Cup history and he has a pedigree after winning eight majors and he will be looking for his team to start off well. The team has some young players coming in and some rookies as well, with Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan as young guns and Jordan Spieth, Jimmy Walker and Patrick Reed all making their first appearances. The team from the last tournament had a 10-6 lead on the final day and the group of Keegan Bradley, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk, Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson and Webb Simpson couldn't get it done. There are now seven current players from that team with the US and they are looking to being their experience to the new players.
The first day of the tournament is on Friday and has foursomes and fourballs and that will be on bright and early on the Golf Channel from 2:30 am ET to 1 pm ET. The next day has the same matchups on NBC and that will be from 3 am ET until 1 pm ET before the singles matches on NBC on Sunday.
