Military metaphors have been an inherent part of the sporting vernacular forever. It seems quite natural considering you have a battle pitting two teams of warriors against each other where one will emerge the victor, the other the vanquished. But we all know they are simply military metaphors and should never be in any way confused with the real thing. Even those with a marginal dose of perspective know that, except when it comes to the Ryder Cup golf tournament. It's more than slightly ironic because while they may swing clubs in golf, they don't swing them at each other. There is probably no major sport with less physical contact between combatants than golf. And yet various Ryder Cups over the years have had combative nicknames like 'War on the Shore' and 'The Battle of Brookline'.
When the best European golfers take on the best American players there has been no shortage of bad blood and rabid crowds, who often engage in very un-golf-like behaviour. Players pump their fists madly and strut and stomp when they win a hole. Fans clap and cheer when an opponent hits a wayward shot. The whole thing is intense and in your face. It's quite an uproarious spectacle and occasionally you have to remind yourself they are actually playing golf.
Few tournaments can match the drama of the 38th Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales. After three rain-soaked days it all came down to match number 28 of 28 played in glorious sunshine on Monday. The reigning US Open champion played like the reigning US Open champion when it really mattered and in so doing doomed the US and won the Cup back for the Europeans, the same European team who featured the 2005 US Amateur champ. Never mind that the US Open champ hails from Portrush, Northern Ireland, or that the one-time US Amateur champ is from Turin, Italy, because this is, uhm, war. And in case you forgot, the English tabloids were there to remind one and all. They were quick to pounce on American captain Corey Pavin bringing in US fighter pilot Major Dan Rooney to make a 'motivational speech' to the team. They also took great delight in reminding Pavin about maintaining perspective after he said he chose Rooney because 'I want the guys in the team to have each others' backs, because basically that's what happens in the military'.
Granted, Pavin brought a lot of this on himself after his antics at the 1991 Ryder Cup, the so-called 'War on the Shore' at Kiawah Island, South Carolina, by parading around with military might in a camouflage cap in homage to the first Gulf War. They never forgot that in Europe and they took particular relish in reminding him of it this past week.
Of course, these are the same tabloids that were so concerned about keeping war out of sport they ran headlines like 'Let's Blitz Fritz' and 'ACHTUNG! SURRENDER! For you Fritz, ze Euro 96 Championship is over', when England played Germany in the semi-finals of the 1996 European soccer championship. At the 2008 Ryder Cup, US captain Paul Azinger was said to be openly suspicious of any reporter who asked him a question with an English accent. Again, you kind of reap what you sow. It was Azinger the player, who after the Americans won the 1991 Ryder Cup, declared with a straight face: 'American pride is back. We went over and thumped the Iraqis and rallied to beat the Europeans. I am proud to be an American.'
The problem for the Americans is they have few secrets and most notably with their political leanings. It's a well-known and documented fact that the overwhelming number of Americans on the PGA Tour are tax-hating, right-wing Republicans. You might be as well if you made as much money as they do. But what about the politics of the European team? Do the Molinari brothers support Italy's flamboyant prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi? Is Sweden's Peter Hanson a big Green Party guy or is he a fan of the Christian Democrats? Does anybody on the American team even know that both Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland are under the rule of the British prime minister? And who is the British prime minister again?