Tag: Brian Harman

How Brian Harman is approaching sixth Masters after winning first major at The Open

“You definitely feel different when you walk onto this property as opposed to any others.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Brian Harman has always been known for playing golf with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

A three-time All-American during his stellar career at the University of Georgia, the Savannah native gained national prominence when he won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2003 as a rising junior at Savannah Christian.

His professional career was by all means successful entering last summer, as the 5-foot-7, 155-pound left hander had wins in the 2014 John Deere Classic and the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship. He has won more than $30 million in prize money, but was looking for his Major breakthrough after a second place finish in the 2017 U.S. Open.

Everything came together at Royal Liverpool last July as Harman blew away the field by six strokes to win the Open Championship with a dominant display of his shot making skills combined with a stellar short game and cerebral mental approach. He is ready for his sixth appearance at Augusta National, looking to improve on his best Masters finish — a tie for 12th in 2021.

On Monday, Harman was in Augusta National’s interview room for the first press conference of the 88th Masters Tournament with his confidence level at an all-time high.

“I don’t like thinking of it as like an arrival because I’ve always felt that way,” Harman said of his win at the Open Championship. “I don’t really like thinking of it that it’s like a justification of all the hard work that I’ve done. It’s just like this long process of a career, and that’s obviously a highlight.

“But it happened. I’m really proud of it. But I live to feel those moments, that’s like the drug for me. I want to get in contention in big golf tournaments. So my goal is to try and get to those uncomfortable places as many times as I can.”

More: Peter Malnati Masters Rookie Diary: ‘Wanna go on a date with me?’ and getting over the awe factor at Augusta National

Harman, an avid outdoorsman, said he got to play Augusta National for the first time as a 14-year old as a guest of a friend who introduced him to duck hunting. He’s in the middle of turkey hunting season right now and said he had a proud dad moment when he was with his seven-year-old daughter when she took her first bird a couple weeks back.

“When you’ve got three kids at home, it’s hard to prepare as well as you would want to. For me the preparation came last week at Valero. It’s a hard golf course, really good preparation for this week,” Harman said. “It’s just hard for me to get into that same sort of competitive space. I need the pressure to know so I can test my game against that pressure. That’s how I figure out what I need to work on going into a bigger golf tournament.”

Harman said the experience at The Open could pay off as he plays in his next major.

“I feel as though I’m more prepared to handle whatever comes my way,” Harman said. “Winning The Open and then the Ryder Cup, just these pressure-packed situations, and I’ve seen myself perform pretty well under that pressure. I may not execute under certain situations, I might just miss a golf shot, but I would like to think that the pressure wouldn’t get to me quite as bad as it may have at some point.”

Harman, who lives in St. Simons, Georgia, said he hopes to get back to Savannah soon to see old friends and fans. He is looking to make his mark this week at a course that is special to him after breaking through to win The Open.

“It’s something I’ll remember forever. My game was really trending…I got to play the week before at the Scottish Open, had some really good feelings and getting used to the weather and it just all timed up at the right time, which is really fortunate.

“I wanted to play last week, knock the rust off, and be as ready as I can to try and contend this week,” he said. “You definitely feel different when you walk onto this property as opposed to any others. Just the aura and the history and the beauty of this place makes you want to come back every year, and certainly makes you want to play well.”

Scottie Scheffler makes PGA Tour history with 2024 Players Championship win, title defense

“He found a way, which is what the great players do.”

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Scottie Scheffler refused to relinquish the Players Championship trophy.

It didn’t matter if he suffered from neck pain, or if he fell as many as nine strokes off the pace in the third round, Scheffler made no excuses. He persevered until his neck improved on Sunday and fired a final-round 8-under 64 at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass to edge Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman and Xander Schauffele, three of the top-10 players in the world, and become the first player to repeat as champion in the 50-year history of the Players.

“It’s tough enough to win one Players,” said Scheffler, whose final-round 64 tied for the lowest for a Players champion, joining Fred Couples in 1996 and Davis Love III in 2003, and he tied Justin Leonard in 1998 with his five-shot comeback. “So to have it back-to-back is extremely special.”

The final round played out under glorious sunshine at the Pete Dye-designed masterpiece and turned into great theater on Sunday. Schauffele, the reigning Olympics champion, entered the final round with a one-stroke lead and remained in front with six holes to go thanks to a splendid short game. But he made back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 14 and 15 to drop two back. He bounced back with a birdie at 16 but missed a golden opportunity from 7 feet at 17. When his second shot at 18 flew 62 feet past the hole to the back ridge of the green, he placed his hands on his knees in disappointment as if he knew he’d let the title get away. Schauffele, who closed in 70, is winless the last six times he’s been in the final pairing.

“When I went to bed last night, it’s not exactly how I envisioned walking off the 18th green,” Schauffele said.

Harman, the reigning British Open champion, rallied from an opening-round 72, and made four birdies in a five-hole stretch starting at No. 7 to join the fray. He closed to within one with a birdie at 15 but managed just pars on the closing three holes. His 17-foot birdie putt to force a playoff at 18 never had a chance and he closed in 68.

“I had my chances,” he said, “just didn’t cash in.”

Clark, the reigning U.S. Open champion, made bogey at 14 and fell to 17 under, but he added a birdie at 16 and stuffed his approach to 4 feet at 17 for another one. His 17-foot birdie putt at 18 was the last-ditch effort to force overtime and it caught the left lip and cruelly spun out the right side. Clark covered his mouth with his right hand in disbelief.

“I don’t know how that putt doesn’t go in,” said Clark, who shot 69. “It was kind of right center with like a foot to go, and I knew it was going to keep breaking, but it had speed and I thought it was going to go inside left, and even when it kind of lipped, I thought it would lip in. I’m pretty gutted it didn’t go in.”

Scheffler, who was warming up on the range in case of a playoff, heard a collective groan from the gallery that said it all. He won for the second straight week but this one was a pain in the neck – literally. On his second hole of his second round, he strained his neck while hitting a long iron that required two separate mid-round sessions with his personal physical therapist to continue and shot 69.

“I told my wife Friday night, I don’t see him playing this weekend,” said Scheffler’s caddie, Ted Scott. “His mobility was maybe 10 degrees.”

The 27-year-old Scheffler received treatment on his injury after the round, which also radiated pain to his right shoulder, and woke up the next day feeling a touch better. It hurt to finish his swing and he took one more club on most shots. As he put it, he “slapped it around,” somehow closing with four birdies in his final five holes on Saturday to stay in the trophy hunt.

“He found a way, which is what the great players do,” Scott said.

Scheffler said he felt “close to normal” on Sunday, though Scott isn’t buying it. On the range before the final round, Scheffler, who wore two strips of KP tape on the left side of his neck, asked Scott to check his alignment.

“When he opened up to hit the shot and looked at the shot, his hips opened up 20 degrees. He couldn’t turn his head (left),” Scott said. “I didn’t know how today would go. Adrenaline is a crazy thing.”

The juices were flowing when Scheffler holed out from 92 yards for eagle at the fourth hole. Scheffler clenched his fist, then slapped hands with Scott who flashed six fingers to Scheffler, noting it’s his sixth hole out of the season. Scheffler followed with an 18-foot birdie putt on 5. He caught fire around the turn making four birdies in a five-hole span beginning at No. 8.

“Maybe this could be our day,” Scott recalled thinking.

It didn’t hurt that Scheffler played bogey-free over his last 31 holes. At No. 11, Clark eyed the leaderboard for the first time all day and there was confirmation that Scheffler, who’d beaten him the week before too at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, had made his move. He chuckled and said, “Of course.”

Schauffele noticed the charge in front of him, too. “Just another week,” he said.

“He’s the best player in the world, and this is a championship golf course,” Harman said.

Indeed, Scheffler is going to be a pain in the neck to beat for some time. Scheffler splashed out of a pot bunker to a foot at 16 to set up his final birdie and reach 20 under, the lowest winning score at the Players since Greg Norman’s record 24 under aggregate in the 1994 Players.

Scheffler became the seventh man to win the Players multiple times, joining Jack Nicklaus, Hal Sutton, Davis Love III, Fred Couples, Steve Elkington and Tiger Woods. It marked Scheffler’s eighth wins in 26 months, and he’s got an iron-clad hold on world No. 1. But Scheffler isn’t the type to let any of it go to his head. He recalled that just last month he hit a tee shot at the Genesis Invitational and a fan yelled out, “Congrats on being No. 1 Scottie. Eleven more years to go.”

That’s all it will take to match Woods’s reign at the top of the mountain of men’s professional golf. He did note that he already matched Woods with two wins at the Players. After the trophy ceremony, Scheffler was prepping to take photos with his family and gripped the golden trophy loosely with one hand. His sister, Callie, offered to help him, but Scottie would hear none of it. “I’ve got it, I’ve got it,” he said.

He most definitely does – and for a second straight year.

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10 of the best players at the WM Phoenix Open over the last 5 seasons

Is the winner this week on this list?

The world’s best players are in Arizona this week for the PGA Tour’s annual party in the desert, the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.

World No. 1 and back-to-back defending champion Scottie Scheffler returns hoping to make it a three-peat, while a loaded field including Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Max Homa and Wyndham Clark will try to stop him.

Thomas, thanks to his recent form and course history at TPC Scottsdale, is one of the popular picks to win this week at 10/1.

Listed below are 10 players with some of the best course history at the WM Phoenix Open over the last five seasons.

WM Phoenix Open: Picks to win, odds

Augusta National, tractor rides and 90,000 Bulldog fans: Brian Harman is giving the Claret Jug a ride

Kisner told Golfweek that the Augusta National staff notified them this is believed to be a first.

As the Champion Golfer of the Year and with possession of the Claret Jug for one year, Brian Harman has been checking off some potential firsts with the famed silver trophy awarded annually to the winner of the British Open.

Harman took the Claret Jug to Augusta National Golf Club in late October during the weekend of the annual Florida/Georgia football game. Fellow Bulldog Kevin Kisner and a couple other friends joined him on the trip.

“Just bro-ing out up there,” Harman said.

Kisner told Golfweek that the Augusta National staff told them it is believed to be the first time that a winner has ever brought the Claret Jug to the home of the Masters.

“I can’t verify if it’s the only time it’s been there and so I feel bad saying that,” Harman tells Golfweek. “If they want to say that, that’s great.”

But he was more confident of another potential first with the Jug.

“It’s been inside my tractor,” Harman tells Golfweek. “I don’t know if it’s ever been inside a tractor. We took it down there and rode around for a minute just so we could say we did it.”

2023 British Open
Brian Harman looks on on the 18th hole on Day Two of The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on July 21, 2023 in Hoylake, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Harman may need to check with Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 Open champ and avid farmer, about being first.

But the highlight of hanging with the Jug so far for Harman, he said, was being honored on the field during Georgia’s home game against Ole Miss in early November, a night game at Sanford Field.

“That was cool because my wife and kid were with me,” he said to Golfweek.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Czj7KoBOCB5/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=9af42ead-6e16-48d8-9c2d-ce2232d1349c

“That was probably the highlight of the partying with it so far,” he said Thursday after his opening round at The Sentry. “It’s quite the party trick. It’s been a lot of fun to possess for a year.”

And enjoy it, he has.

“It’s an antique, it’s a relic,” Harman said Thursday. “It’s like a golfing past.” 

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2023 Ryder Cup Sunday singles matches, tee times feature must-watch showdowns

Set your alarms because you won’t want to miss these final matches.

Set your alarms, folks. You don’t want to miss these final 12 matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup.

European captain Luke Donald and American captain Zach Johnson announced their picks for the 12 Sunday singles matches and a handful are appointment television, no matter the time.

Team Europe holds a 10½-5½ lead after the first four sessions, but the momentum appears to have swung back toward the U.S. after the Americans claimed Saturday fourballs, 3-1. The Europeans need four points to win the Cup, while the U.S. needs at least 8½ to retain.

Check out who’s playing who in the final 12 singles matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

Ryder Cup: Tournament hub | Photos

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Europe inches closer to winning 2023 Ryder Cup, but U.S. wins Saturday fourballs session to maintain glimmer of hope

The Americans have some work to do Sunday to retain the Cup.

ROME – For the first time at the 44th Ryder Cup, the U.S. won a session at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.

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After winning the Saturday afternoon fourballs 3-1, the U.S. trails 10 ½ to 5 ½ and will need to erase the largest deficit in Ryder Cup history if it is going to retain the Cup.

But we’re saying there’s a chance, especially after Patrick Cantlay birdied the final two holes, including a 30-foot birdie putt at 18, to flip his match.

“Hopefully have a ray of light and we can build on this session and try and pull off a big victory tomorrow,” Cantlay said.

Two years ago, the U.S. led 11-5 at Whistling Straits before cruising to a 19-9 victory. No team has rallied from more than a 10-6 deficit, but the U.S. only needs to reach 14 points to retain the Cup. In both 1999 and 2012, the winning side earned 8 ½ points in Sunday singles.

The U.S. showed some life winning the first two matches, but the Euros bounced back to win the third match and inch closer to extending the U.S. losing streak on European soil, which dates to 1993. It looked as if it would be a split of the session. That is until Cantlay’s heroics.

“Feels like we have momentum and we go kind of into the locker room laughing a little bit which just feels good,” Max Homa said.

Here’s a recap of all four matches.

Ryder Cup: Tournament hub | Photos | Fans

Europe expands Ryder Cup lead over United States after Saturday foursomes thanks to historic match win

The Europeans are cruising through the Ryder Cup.

ROME – There was more blue on the board on Saturday morning.

Team Europe extended its lead in the 44th Ryder Cup to 9½- 2½ after Saturday morning’s foursomes session, winning three of the four matches. That included Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg trouncing the American team of Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka, 9 and 7, the worst loss in Ryder Cup history in any 18-hole match, regardless of format.

There was no let up in the European side after opening a five-point lead after the first day. They won three of four matches and seven of eight in the foursomes format. It ties the largest lead after three sessions since the Ryder Cup switched to the five-session format in 1963. (The U.S. led by seven in both 1967 and 1975.)

“Last night we talked about enjoying what we did yesterday but coming out and showing no mercy today,” McIlroy said. “Obviously the way Ludvig and Viktor started off and the way we started off, you know, that set the tone for the day again.”

It was a bloodbath for the Americans and for those fans who woke up early in hopes of seeing a valiant comeback, they were better off hitting the snooze as the Americans were thrown to the lions in Rome.

Marco Simone serves up a drivable par 4 where Ryder Cup dreams might go to die

No. 16 is one of a trio of short par 4s that will test strategy, skill and nerves in the Ryder Cup.

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Drivable par 4s are the most interesting holes in the pro game. Measuring somewhere south of 350 yards, the best of them entice the game’s top players to grab driver –  or sometimes 3-wood, and in a few cases with the longest hitters, even a driving iron – and smash the ball onto the green in pursuit of an eagle, birdie at worst.

There is, of course, a flip side: bogeys, double bogeys, humiliation and a tumble down the scoreboard when things don’t work out as planned.

These short par 4s are sometimes called half-par holes, but even pros who only halfway commit or halfway execute are prone to full-blown scorecard disasters. And with so many options and strategies available – especially when factoring in match play – the short par 4s are where the fun will begin at this week’s Ryder Cup in Rome.

It’s a whole different galaxy of distance and options than encountered by most amateur players, who are far more likely to experience the thrill or despair of a somewhat drivable par 3 than a reachable par 4. Tour players are a different kind of animal, with the advantage typically tilted to the biggest guns in what used to be a knife fight.

Each year we see several drivable par 4s send PGA Tour pros into fits. Always in the spotlight is No. 10 at Riviera and its almost unhittable green. It’s the same story at No. 17 at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course, with water in play left and a tucked Sunday pin location – undoubtably a better strategic hole than the amphitheater par-3 16th that has gained so much fame in recent decades. These holes and dozens of others have oversized effects on eventual prize payouts.

In recent years, even the major championships have embraced their drivable par 4s. No. 6 at Los Angeles Country Club thrilled and confused in this year’s U.S. Open – Wyndham Clark just missed the green with a driving iron in the final round but produced a brilliant up-and-down from the gunch for birdie en route to victory. Likewise, Justin Thomas grabbed control of the playoff at the 2022 PGA Championship with a 3-wood blast that carried a creek to bound onto the putting surface of No. 17 at Southern Hills. Glory beckons on these short holes.

This week’s Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome promises such fireworks with several drivable par 4s. The fifth measures just 302 yards, but a pond guards the approach. No. 11 clocks in at 329 yards with a deep depression to the right of the green to gobble up wayward aggression. Both of these holes are within range for these Ryder Cuppers, but at what risk?

But 5 and 11 are mere warmups for No. 16, where plenty of high-pressure matches are likely to end and some Ryder Cup dreams are apt to crater. Just 303 yards long, the 16th has a small pond guarding the right side of the green. The hole is within reach, but so is the water. It’s do or die with the world watching.

Ryder Cup: Check out Nos. 5 and 11 in the yardage book

A bunker plopped into the center of the fairway some 235 yards off the tee only complicates things, as does the water crossing 60 yards short of the putting green. Wary or wise players can lay up short of the center bunker and still hit a wedge into the green, or they can try the more unlikely path of carrying the bunker yet remaining short of the creek to set up an even shorter wedge approach – don’t count on too many players attempting that route.

Or … they can fire away at the green. It’s just right there, within reach, tucked between three bunkers and the acqua. Coming so late in the matches, it could be the one decision and one swing that decides who is the GOAT and who is the scapegoat.

Marco Simone
The StrackaLine yardage map for No. 16 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, site of the 2023 Ryder Cup (Courtesy of StrackaLine)

No. 16 has seen its share of splashdowns in the Italian Open since the course was redesigned by Dave Sampson and European Golf Design, with American architect Tom Fazio involved as a consultant hired by the club. Most notably, Rory McIlroy pushed his tee ball into the drink while in contention at last year’s Italian and eventually finished fourth. Will that memory provide motivation or scar tissue for Europe’s highest-ranked player and arguably the best driver of the golf ball of his generation?

Of course, not all tee shots that miss the 16th green will find the water. Some might land in a bunker, or tall rough on a downhill slope with the pond beyond, or even the closely cropped fairway approach. The players and their stats masters have to factor if playing a shorter second shot from any of those areas is more advantageous than playing a full wedge from 120 yards back in the fairway. Yes, the goal is to drive the green, but most players who try won’t find the putting surface, instead relying on a spot of luck and their elite short games.

Ryder Cup format matters, too. In the fourball matches – two-man teams with each man playing his own ball, and the lowest score for each team counts – plan to see at least one player on each side swinging for the green on the short par 4s, perhaps after his partner lays up safely. Things are more interesting in foursomes, in which the alternate-shot format often focuses on not leaving your partner in a bad spot. Then the gloves come off in singles, each man (and his team of advisors) having to choose the best route to birdie or better by considering his strengths versus those of his opponent as well as his own bravado versus his own demons.

There are so many options, so many possible outcomes. The realistic scores range from 2 to 6. Expectations are high, as are demands on length plus precision multiplied by some unknown confidence factor.

Ryder Cup Marco Simone
Brian Harman plays from a greenside bunker on No. 16 during a practice round at Marco Simone before the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. Players who try to drive the green but miss might find themselves in such a spot, with a long sand shot to a green backed by water. (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

Both team captains were titans of the precision and confidence parts. European captain Luke Donald was never known for his distance off the tee but he climbed to No. 1 in the world, and American captain Zach Johnson proved to be the master of the layup by never going for a par-5 green in two en route to his 2007 green jacket. What will be their marching orders? Bet that reams of data will be analyzed figuring out go versus no-go.

There’s no doubt today’s professionals can reach the green of any of the short par 4s at Marco Simone, even guys such as American Brian Harman, who dominated this year’s British Open with a mix of precision iron play and gutsy putting. Short in comparison to Ryder Cup bombers such as McIlroy or European rookie Ludvig Aberg, Harman is still more than capable of driving the ball 300 yards downhill. But will he try? Better question: Should he?

On No. 16 in particular with the hopes of two continents on the line, it’s distance versus control, carpet bombing versus a sniper sneaking up on you. Expect to see eagle putts that knock opponents onto their heels, and also know there might be watery crashes. Hang on to your headcovers.

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At 36, Brian Harman’s long wait to play in the Ryder Cup is over

He has already proven that his career is nothing to be embarrassed about.

ROME — Brian Harman remembers all the phone calls from Team USA captains, breaking the news that he hadn’t made the team. There was one from Jim Furyk in 2018 ahead of the Ryder Cup in Paris. Harman was heartbroken but he also understood.

“I wouldn’t have picked me either,” he said.

Steve Stricker called in 2021 ahead of the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits and while Harman thought he had a more legitimate chance to make that team, he understood that he hadn’t done enough to make himself stand out. More disappointment last year when he failed to make the U.S. Presidents Cup team led by his good friend Davis Love III.

“I’ve never not gotten picked, and felt like I truly deserved a spot,” he said.

He removed any question of doubt this year when he won the British Open in resounding fashion, his first victory on the PGA Tour since 2017, and earned an automatic selection to Zach Johnson’s Ryder Cup team. At age 36, Harman is at once both the oldest player on Team USA and a Ryder Cup rookie. Johnson, for one, always has recognized something of himself in Harman, his St. Simons Island, Georgia, neighbor.

“He is a bulldog and he is feisty,” Johnson said. “Just tough, relentless, gritty and he wants his back against the wall. So I don’t know how he’s going to play in the Ryder Cup, but I’d be willing to bet that the best of Brian Harman probably will come out at some point during that week.”

Harman had a decorated junior and amateur career and proved his mettle beating Rickie Fowler in match play at the 2009 NCAA Championship.

2023 Ryder Cup
Team USA’s Brian Harman carries a flag across the fifth green during a practice day for the Ryder Cup golf competition at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club. (Photo: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports)

“We’ve never talked about that match,” Harman said during his Wednesday pre-Ryder Cup press conference. “We were college kids. I was trying to beat him; he was trying to beat me. I got the better of him that day. He’s had an incredible career. I’ve done OK.”

As an AT&T commercial put it, just OK is not OK. Harman had won just two times in more than 300 Tour starts before capturing the Claret Jug and earning the moniker of Champion Golfer of the Year. His failure to live up to his hype began to weigh on him.

“If I’m being honest, I was embarrassed,” Harman told The Athletic. “I was embarrassed by my career.”

But winning the British changes the way his career is looked at by fans, media, his peers and by himself. He was tabbed “Brian the Butcher” by the British tabloids, in part for his fondness for hunting and the way he skewered the field. He chuckled at the nickname so much so that his wife threw him a Brian the Butcher theme.

“We had T-shirts, golf balls, and one of the rotating cameras where you can hold a Brian the Butcher picture up and take pictures. It was fun,” he said.

But hunting has taken a back seat to prepping for the Ryder Cup. He’s waited a long time for this chance. He accepts the fact that he likely will be heckled again as he was at the British Open, where the local faithful were rooting a little too hard and openly for England’s Tommy Fleetwood to come out on top. Harman proved he can handle the big moments and said the naysayers only fueled his fire to win. But even he knows that being in the crucible of Ryder Cup competition is a new frontier for him.

“It’s kind of like if you’re trying to give someone advice if they’re about to have their first child,” he said. “There’s nothing you can tell them to get them ready for it. No, your life is going to change, it’s going to be really hard, but you’ll get through it. There’s lots of people that have done it, and it’s up to you how you handle it.”

Brooks Koepka is another one who admires the way Harman plays with a chip on his shoulder.

“I just love that. Never gives up. Always battling to the end and ready to prove people wrong,” Koepka said.

He has already proven that his career is nothing to be embarrassed about.

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5 burning questions heading into the 44th Ryder Cup in Rome

So many questions for both teams to answer in Rome.

The 44th Ryder Cup gets underway Friday morning at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, and there are plenty of questions surrounding both teams.

Rookies litter each roster, and some key stars on each squad are playing less than ideal coming into the week.

But the Ryder Cup is different.

Before the action, we take a look at five burning questions, starting with a player whose selection to represent the United States has been a hotly debated topic across the sport.