Will ‘Love’ Be in the Air at Hazeltine?

Will ‘Love’ Be in the Air at Hazeltine?
USA Team captain Davis Love III waits on the first tee during day two of the Morning Foursome Matches for The 39th Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club on September 29, 2012 in Medinah, Illinois. David Cannon/Getty Images
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When a sporting event has a recent history of one team winning six of the last seven and eight of the last ten matches, you realize that turning the tide in your favor is no small task. That’s what faces the USA squad as the 41st Ryder Cup Matches will be played at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, starting on Sept. 30.

The American side faces enormous pressure with the matches being played on home soil. Four years ago—when the matches were last played in the States at Medinah just outside of Chicago—the American side led going into the final day’s play by a 10–6 margin. The resulting collapse during the 12 singles matches was even more startling than what Team USA had done in 1999 in overcoming a similar margin against Team Europe at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Davis Love III, US Ryder Cup captain, poses with the trophy during the 2016 Ryder Cup Captains' Photoshoot at Hazeltine National Golf Club on Sept. 28, 2015, in Chaska, Minn. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Davis Love III, US Ryder Cup captain, poses with the trophy during the 2016 Ryder Cup Captains' Photoshoot at Hazeltine National Golf Club on Sept. 28, 2015, in Chaska, Minn. Andrew Redington/Getty Images
M. James Ward
M. James Ward
Author
Ward is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America and Met Golf Writers Association. He has covered over 100 major championships and 12 Ryder Cup Matches. His golf acumen extends to architecture/travel, equipment, apparel, and general interest stories as well as in-depth interviews with the leading participants and influencers in the sport.