2004 Ryder Cup: Can the U.S. get it back?

By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 9/15/2004

 So far, this has been a year that Americans who follow the PGA Tour would much rather forget. And since it's the year of the Ryder Cup, emotions will be sky high for this Super Bowl of golf. It dates back to 1927, when the United States beat Great Britain. In 1979, the opponents became all of Europe, helping the rivalry develop even more.

 Since 1979, the United States is only 3-5-1 in Ryder Cup competition, including a loss in 2002 to the Europeans at the Belfry. This is the first time that the Ryder Cup returns to United States soil since 1999, when the U.S. won dramatically on the 17th hole at the Country Club at Brookline, Massachusetts.

 Justin Leonard made a dramatic 45-foot putt that clinched the Cup for the United States. It also fueled the rivalry even more, because it touched off an overzealous celebration on the green that is out of order for the quiet game of golf.

 Hal Sutton is the 2004 U.S. captain, and Bernhard Langer is the European captain. So far, this has been a year in which Tiger Woods has lost his number-one world ranking to V.J Singh and the Europeans have established that they can come across the ocean and win on American soil.

 This year's event should be great. America is the favorite again; with Woods and Phil Mickelson, they have two of the top four players in the world on their team. This may be a team competition with a lot on the line, like world bragging rights, but the heat will be on Woods again. Tiger has a poor record of only 5-8-1 in Ryder Cup play, but when you're competing as a team, sometimes you have to carry your teammate.

 The Ryder Cup competition starts Friday, September 17, and runs through Sunday the 19th at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The Europeans are the defending champions. The Americans need to earn 14 and a half points to take the cup back. The players will play for $4.5 million.

Daunte Culpepper on fire!

Daunte Culpepper threw a career-high five touchdown passes in leading the Vikings to a 35-17 season-opening rout of the Dallas Cowboys at the Metrodome Sunday. Culpepper joined the elite company of three other quarterbacks in league history as the only players ever to throw five TD passes in a season opener. His TD passes were distributed to four receivers; Randy Moss had two touchdown receptions.

Next for the Vikings will be their first appearance on Monday Night Football in four years, when they match up in Philadelphia against the Eagles and quarterback Donovan McNabb, Terrell Owens and Jevon Kearse. In 2001, the last time the Vikings played at Philadelphia, they were embarrassed 48-17.

Since the Vikings missed the playoffs last season, they have something to prove. The Eagles have established themselves as a Super Bowl contender after having lost the last three NFC Championship games.