Not only does 2016 bring us an extra day in February and another Presidential Election, it provides Team USA with another opportunity to bring the Ryder Cup back home.
The 2016 Ryder Cup ceremonies begin on September 27th at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota with the first tee shots coming on Friday September 30th. The Sunday Singles will wrap up the tournament on October 2nd.
The Hazeltine National Golf was established in 1962 and designed by Robert Trent Jones. It is a private venue that is 7678 yards, plays to a par of 72 but has a course rating of 78.
Hazeltine has hosted many world-wide events that include two U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships and a Senior U.S. Open.
The last major was the 2009 PGA Championship which was won by Y.E Chang. Fans might remember that this was the first time Tiger Woods was beaten in a major where he held a 54-hole lead.
Payne Stewart won his first of two U.S. Opens in 1991, and Tony Jacklin won the first U.S. Open played here in 1970.
Between the loss at Medinah and the black eye Team USA took at Gleneagles two years ago, a committee was formed to hopefully improve our chances of winning these events in the future.
In fact, Team USA has not won the Ryder Cup since 2008 at Valhalla, and have only had the cup twice since winning back to back in 1991 and 1993. The teams played to a 14-14 tie at the Belfry in 1989.
The US dominated this event that began in 1927 as a competition between England and the USA that became Great Britain, which included Ireland.
With a lack of interest and very little exposure, Jack Nicklaus suggested changes in 1979 that for the first time, brought Continental Europe into the tournament. That decision, coupled with some format changes, has turned this event into must-watch TV.
After being tagged with the “Meltdown at Medinah” Davis Love III will get an opportunity in 2016 to erase the loss he took during the Sunday Singles in 2012. Team Europe will be captained by Darren Clarke.
