Who’s the favorite at the Ryder Cup? Depends who you ask

“It’s almost impossible to think we’re the favorite just considering we haven’t won (on European soil) in 30 years.”

ROME — Who is the favorite at the 44th Ryder Cup between Europe and USA? It depends who you ask.

During Team USA Captain Zach Johnson’s press conference on Tuesday, an Italian journalist asked him why the media has tabbed the Americans the favorite to retain the Cup and win on European soil for the first time in 30 years.

“The media is saying we are the favorites? Well, the media knows everything, so that makes sense,” he said with a wry smile.

Despite the U.S. having won the biennial bash two years ago at home at Whistling Straits by the largest margin in the modern era, Johnson has been adamant his team is the underdog. He argued playing on the road places the U.S. at a disadvantage and singled out the role of the 13th man for Team Europe.

“It’s hard to win outside of your comfort zone,” Johnson said. “The way I see it when it comes to favorites or this, that or the other, we are not the favorites when we step onto the first tee because of the crowd. We are not the favorites because of what’s happened and transpired over the last so-many-odd years, and they have got a really, really good team playing well. So, hey, I love that. Our backs are against the wall, and that’s the way we are going to approach it.”

NBC lead analyst Paul Azinger, who was the winning U.S. captain at home in 2008, said he couldn’t believe the U.S. is being judged as the favorite.

“The Euros are the favorite by a mile,” Azinger said. “They have the home course advantage, and that’s becoming a huge thing.

“This is an emotional event for the players,” he continued. “It means the world to them. I think for Europe it’s immeasurable what it means for them to win the Ryder Cup. I think it’s more measurable for the Americans. I always feel that Europe should be the favorite in these events.”

Max Homa is a Ryder Cup rookie, but he didn’t hesitate in naming the Euros the favorite based on history alone.

“It’s almost impossible to think we’re the favorite just considering we haven’t won (on European soil) in 30 years,” Homa said. “I would imagine it is very even. It would be impossible to say we are some glaring favorites considering how great their team is and our lack of success over there.”

But European Team Captain Luke Donald has staked claim to being the underdog too and pushed back that the U.S. are the favorites. Donald cited the bookies as naming the Americans the favorites.

“If you look at betting forecasts, we would be the underdogs, and we’re fine with that. Americans are very strong,” he said. “Obviously they are coming off an amazing win two years ago, but I have full faith in our team.”

Speaking with Golfweek recently in Napa, Johnson compared the talk of who is the favorite to mattering about as much as college football’s preseason polls.

“This is one tournament, this is like one game, the first game of the year and in preseason polls who gets all the love? Well, it’s Alabama, Georgia, USCs and Texas, the big schools because they win. And Europe has won a lot over there,” Johnson said. “Plus their best players are playing really good. The guys that qualified for the team are playing great. So I think there’s a lot of truth in the matter that it’s hard to win over there. They usually rise to the occasion and on paper, they’re really good.”

Perhaps the most interesting part of this debate over who is the favorite is how each captain is seeking that mental edge. Has traditionally being labeled the favorite been a burden to Team USA that Johnson is attempting to minimize. Homa mused, “I guess both sides are doing it (touting themselves as the underdog) to take some pressure off.”

Padraig Harrington, who was captain at Whistling Straits, has his own theory that touches on the mental aspect of the competition and the pressure of expectations.

“We go to try to win the Ryder Cup, whereas the U.S. tries not to lose it,” he said. “Because they’re favorites, because they should win, they’re afraid, whereas we’re the country cousins. We have a point to prove. Even if we did find oil in our backyard, we’d still have a point to prove.”

And to Azinger it all adds up to a 1 percent advantage to the Europeans.

“I always looked at the Ryder Cup, in my generation, my era, as being razor thin. I would compare it to being in Vegas. There’s only a 1 percent advantage in blackjack, but they’re building some pretty nice hotels on it.”

American, International teams announced for 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup at Laurel Valley Golf Club

The United States leads the all-time series, 13-12-1.

The American and International rosters were announced Tuesday ahead of the 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup.

The teams are comprised of six automatic qualifiers, five committee picks and one coach’s selection. The event, which is a Ryder Cup-style competition featuring the top men’s and women’s college golfers, will be played June 8-10 at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.

On the women’s side, Rachel Kuehn (Wake Forest), Crystal Wang (Illinois), Zoe Campos (UCLA), Megan Schofill (Auburn), Antonia Malate (San Jose State) and Ashleigh Park (Oregon) earned automatic selections. For the men, it was Gordon Sargent (Vanderbilt), Michael Thorbjornsen (Stanford), David Ford (North Carolina), Preston Summerhays (Arizona State), Ben James (Virginia) and Nick Gabrelcik (North Florida).

The U.S. team committee selections were Austin Greaser (North Carolina), Tommy Kuhl (Illinois), Ashley Menne (Arizona State), Emilia Migliaccio (Wake Forest), Maxwell Moldovan (Ohio State), Jennie Park (Texas A&M), Amanda Sambach (Virginia), and Caleb Surratt (Tennessee). Olivia Mitchell (Dallas Baptist) and Alex Price (Christopher Newport) were the non-Division I selections. Team USA head coach Michael Beard selected Derek Hitchner (Pepperdine) and Derek Radley selected Amari Avery (Southern California) as their coach’s picks.  

On the international side, the automatic qualifiers included Julia Lopez Ramirez (Mississippi State; Spain), Charlotte Heath (Florida State; England), Mirabel Ting (Augusta; Malaysia), Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (Oklahoma State; Australia), Karisa Chul-Ak-Sorn (Iowa State; Thailand),and Carla Bernat (Tulane; Spain) for the women. On the men’s side, it was Christo Lamprecht (Georgia Tech; South Africa), Christiaan Maas (Texas; South Africa), Herman Sekne (Purdue; Norway), Tyran Snyders (Texas Tech; South Africa), Sampson Zheng (California; China) and Karl Vilips (Stanford; Australia).

The International team committee selections were Santiago de la Fuente (Houston; Mexico), Mateo Fernández de Oliveira (Arkansas; Argentina), Max Kennedy (Louisville; Ireland), Frederik Kjettrup (Florida State; Denmark), Andrea Lignell (Ole Miss; Sweden), Caley McGinty (Ohio State; England), Lauren Walsh (Wake Forest; Ireland), and Lottie Woad (Florida State; England). Ryan Griffin (Maynooth; Ireland) and Lorna McClymont (Stirling; Scotland) were the representatives from The R&A Student Tour Series. Coaches John Handrigan and Golda Borst selected Mats Ege (East Tennessee State; Norway) and Chiara Tamburlini (Ole Miss; Switzerland) as their coach’s picks.

The United States leads the all-time series, 13-12-1.

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Quandre Diggs: COVID-19 spread made worse by ‘cockiness’ of America

Seattle Seahawks free safety Quandre Diggs told Sports Illustrated that COVID-19 has been exacerbated by the “cockiness” of America.

The United States continues to see COVID-19 cases rise throughout various states, with some having it worse than others.

Seattle Seahawks free safety Quandre Diggs told Sports Illustrated that his home state of Texas has been hit particularly hard primarily because governor Greg Abbott reopened businesses too soon and resisted mask requirements.

Diggs stated that the nationwide spread of COVID-19 has been exacerbated by many Americans refusing to wear a mask and their beliefs that doing so is a restriction on their freedom.

“It’s cockiness,” Diggs said. “It’s the absolute cockiness of America, of Americans, to think, ‘I don’t need a mask.’ I don’t understand it, there’s nobody taking away your freedom, you’re still able to go walk a street, you’re still able to go into the store – just put a freaking mask on, it’s not that serious.”

“If you were sick in the first place, wouldn’t you want to keep a mask on so you don’t get anybody else sick?” Diggs continued. “If you have the flu or you had a fever or you had something else, you would want to wear it or you wouldn’t be out in public, you know what I mean?”

Diggs also voiced his concerns with social injustice and racial inequality that this lack of care among Americans is prevalent in as well.

“My thing is, it’s about protecting others, and as a nation, we’re so self-[concerned]. We’re so cocky, and we’re so worried about ourselves and not worried about others and that’s kind of what got us in this predicament that we’re in now, with corona, with social justice, with the police brutality. We have one race worried about themselves instead of everybody just caring about each other. We do our own thing, and that’s kind of what got us into this predicament now.”

With COVID-19 still rampant in America, the chances for a 2020 NFL season are looking increasingly precarious.

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