The Miracle of Medinah is now well and truly in the history books of golf and will be remembered as one of the great Ryder Cups for many years to come.

What we will also never forget is the amazing city of Chicago. This is definitely ‘my kind of town’!

As all avid golf followers will be more than acutely aware of the final denoument that took place on Sunday 30 October 2012 in Medinah, we thought you may wish to enjoy some of the images we were able to capture during an unforgettable visit to the ‘Windy City’. With so many sights to see it is hard to know where to start but you should certainly include a trip out to Navy Pier where you can enjoy a great view of the Chicago skyline and if you want another view from above take yourself up to the 96th floor of the John Hancock Building…

The Chicago skyline from below…

…and from above!

Chicago is undoubtedly the Home of the Blues and there are a number of great venues to visit such as House of Blues, Blue Chicago and probably the most famous is Buddy Guy’s Legends where I managed to perform one night. Here is the legendary Buddy Guy himself with yet another ‘legend’!

Two great legends!

Oh yes, and then there was the matter of some kind of golf event on as well!

There was the small matter of a beautiful little golf trophy, courtesy of Mr Samuel Ryder, the former seed merchant from St. Albans…

The Holy Grail!

There were some people who were not too happy with the outcome…

They only sing when they’re winning…

…while we had plenty to cheer about!

…and I was there!!! For everything else, there’s Mastercard!

…and I was there!

I hope to bring you more but hope this will give you a bit of a flavour of the occasion…next stop, GLENEAGLES 2014.

GMacSpain

Day 2 finished and thanks to a superb comeback by the European team, and particularly Ian Poulter, we have at least a slim chance of retaining the trophy despite a 10-6 deficit.

As with all team events, but with the Ryder Cup especially, there will always be winners and losers. With the combination of two teams of twelve; two sessions of foursomes; two sessions of four-balls and all participants playing at least once up until now, it is impossible to cover all the bases but here are a few observations…

Tiger Woods – played 3 won none…flashes of brilliance but nothing to show for it…all fur coat and no…In the singles against Molinari who knows? I fancy Francesco to take him a la Rocca but fear it could be a bit of a car crash.

Nicolas Colsaerts – most successful Ryder Cup rookie ever; robbed by lip-outs on day 2 for another epic performance; paired against US big hitter Dustin Johnson in singles; could be a cracker. Fancy the Belgian to take him 3 and 2.

Martin Kaymer – should have handed in a sick note and not even gone to Chicago; future lame dogs take note. Stricker has struggled but should win.

Lee Westwood – Colsaerts’ performance on Friday afternoon’s four-balls gave him a win and saved his blushes…he has been poor to say the least. A win against Kuchar will be a surprise but he has been so bad this week so far he may just come good.

Looking for inspiration!

Rory – obviously love the guy but I suspect a bit jaded after his recent efforts. Will rise and shine in the singles although Keegan Bradley is on a high this week and will be very hard to beat.

GMac – has played better but I am hoping for a big performance on Sunday against Zach Johnson who really gets on my wick for some reason.

Poulter – what more is there to be said? Webb Simpson watch out.

Sergio – hard to call. Up against Furyk in the singles and could go either way. May need the spirit of Seve to carry him through as Furyk is a tough nut to crack.

Justin Rose – gone up in my estimation for a number of reasons this week. Up against a revived Mickleson on Sunday and could be a cracker of a match. I’ve gone for Rosie.

Paul Lawrie – vastly under-rated; solid guy with a big heart and I hope for a good performance against Snedeker who can be shaky at times.

Luke Donald – a Chicago home-town boy. I have never seen Luke miss so many putts as he has this week and hope he has saved them for Sunday. Out first against Bubba Watson who will have the crowd wound up to the nines but I suspect he could crash and burn and Cool Hand Luke will produce the goods for Europe with a 5 and 4 win.

Peter Hanson – impossible to call but don’t expect any stand-up comedy acts from these two. Take a half because nobody will really notice or care – unless it becomes the match that matters!

Features Editor Jenny is going for 6 European wins in Colsaerts, Donald, Lawrie, McIlroy, Molinari and Rose with halves for Garcia, Poulter and Kaymer giving the US the trophy with the required 14 1/2 points.

Despite how bad he has been I hope Kaymer redeems himself and I am going for him to win along with Colsaerts, Donald, Garcia, Hanson, Lawrie, McIlroy and Rose with halves for Molinari and Poulter giving us 15 points, although 14 will be enough for us to retain the trophy.

The bookies would laugh at my predictions as it should be a US whitewash but allow me to dream…for now.

GMacSpain

You can and probably have read plenty already so here are a few pictures of the wonderful city of Chicago and some personal views of the build-up to the 2012 Ryder Cup.

GMacSpain

Forget about the FedEx Cup and its multi-million dollar payouts – it is time for the real action to begin at Medinah on the outskirts of the wonderful city of Chicago.

We arrived a couple of days ago to try and get ourselves acclimatised and with the preliminaries beginning tomorrow (Tuesday) GOLF LINKS SPAIN will be there to report our unique view of the action. As Team Captain Jose Maria Olazabal arrived with his Vice Captains, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Darren Clarke and the remainder of his squad, you can rest assured that Team Europe are fit and ready for action with nothing more on their minds than retaining the Ryder Cup and returning it back to where it belongs. But Europe beware – not only do the Americans want it back really badly, they are on home soil in one of the most sports oriented cities in the country.

The Windy City

In our few days here we have already experienced the passion that these Chicagoans have following a home win for their beloved Bears on Sunday. We have also experienced the warmth of the people of the Windy City but you can rest assured, this is going to be loud, extremely loud and US Team Captain, Davis Love III has warned that the atmosphere will be hostile. Europe’s last captain at Celtic Manor, Colin Montgomerie, has been quoted as saying, ‘I have a slight fear that it is going to be very difficult for us Europeans to perform to our potential in a very difficult place to be.’

For my own part, I am going to find it extremely difficult to keep my mouth shut when some eejit hollers, ‘get in the hole’, on a tee shot at a 600 yard par 5. However, I just know that the atmosphere is going to be electric and I only hope that all supporters give the players the respect they deserve.

Here’s to a great week and may the best team be allowed to win, whoever it may be.

GMacSpain

Main photo courtesy of Getty Images

Such are the vagaries of the OWGR – the Official World Golf Ranking system – that Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy has returned to the World Number One position once again – without having to hit a ball!

The OWGR has many critics due to the rather complicated method it uses to arrive at a player’s ranking. Here is a very simplified explanation of how it works. The system awards points at all golfing events on the various tours around the world, with higher points awarded depending on the strength of the field; majors etc. The player’s ranking is taken over a 2 year period with points dropping off the tail while new points are added at the top, with a greater emphasis being given to the player’s more recent results.

Therefore, while Rory took a week off, Luke Donald needed a top 8 finish at the RBC Heritage to retain his No.1 position. Finishing 37th at Harbour Town, the points he gained, versus the points he lost meant that Rory was able to move back to that coveted No.1 slot…simple!

The next few weeks will be interesting to see how their finishing positions will alter so we could be in for a bit of a ding-dong switch over 2012.

And what of Tiger? Sorry, but who cares anymore!

GMacSpain

Jose Maria Olazabal, the Captain of the European Team for the 2012 Ryder Cup, due to be held at Medinah Country Club in Chicago, has exercised his prerogative to amend the selection criteria for Europe’s attempt to retain the trophy once again.

I feel that he has been quite cute in reversing the main criteria from the World Points list to the European Points list and reducing his number of Captain’s picks from three to two. Many observers were of the opinion that the Captain should have more picks, rather than less and that, had this been the case, then England’s Paul Casey would  have been present at Celtic Manor in 2010. However, ‘Chema’ has looked back over the years and feels that his decision will help, rather than hinder his selection of the strongest team possible.

The full text of the Press Release is as follows;

TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES CHANGE TO RYDER CUP QUALIFICATION PROCESS

After consultation with European Team Ryder Cup Captain José Maria Olazábal, The European Tour Tournament Committee is pleased to announce a modified qualification procedure for The 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club, Chicago, Illinois, from September 28-30, 2012.

The qualification criteria, beginning at the Omega European Masters at Crans-Sur-Sierre from September 1-4, 2011, and ending at the conclusion of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in 2012, will now see the leading five players from the European Points List joined by the leading five players from the World Points List as automatic qualifiers to the European Team. This represents a reversal of the two lists with the European Points List counting before the World Points List.

Olazábal will then add two Captain’s Picks to complete the 12-man team that will defend The Ryder Cup against the United States at Medinah Country Club.

Chema and a resurgent Sergio

Olazábal said: “I am very pleased that the Tournament Committee has agreed to my request. The only reason that I asked for a change in the criteria is because I believe that it will give me the strongest team possible to defend The Ryder Cup.

“I looked over the last few qualification processes, going back to 2004, and was satisfied that my proposal would give me the strongest team on paper. We are going to have a very strong team but I just felt that this would give the team the best chance to keep The Ryder Cup and that is what we all want.

“At the end of the day, it is the players who are the stars and it is the players who hit the shots and win the points to win The Ryder Cup.  I would like to thank the committee for their support and I hope that this is the first step to us retaining The Ryder Cup in 2012.”

Qualification Criteria for The 2012 European Ryder Cup Team

Qualification for The 2012 European Ryder Cup Team will be selected employing the following criteria:-

(a) The leading five players on The Ryder Cup European Points List (1) at the conclusion of the 2012 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. In the event of a tie (equal number of points accumulated), placings will be decided by the player with the higher ranking on The 2012 Race to Dubai at the conclusion of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

(b) The leading five players, not otherwise qualified (having selected the five players from The Ryder Cup European Points List) from The Ryder Cup World Points List (2) at the conclusion of the 2012 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.  In the event of a tie (equal number of points accumulated), placings will be decided by the player with the higher ranking on the Official World Golf Ranking.

(c) The Captain, José Maria Olazábal, will choose the remaining two players following the conclusion of the 2012 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

(1) The Ryder Cup European Points List will comprise points (1 point = 1 Euro) earned by a European Tour Member from all officially sanctioned European Tour tournaments on The European Tour Race to Dubai from September 1, 2011 until the conclusion of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in 2012.

(2) The Ryder Cup World Points List will comprise World Ranking Points won by a European Tour Member from each tournament in which he participates from September 1, 2011 until the conclusion of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in 2012. World Ranking Points are allocated to all officially sanctioned tournaments (on any Federated Tour) by the Official World Golf Ranking and are allocated according to the Event Rating of the tournament.

End of Press Release

For more on this and all the latest news from the European Tour log on to www.europeantour.com

GMacSpain

NOTE: Main photograph is provided courtesy of Getty Images and credited ©Getty Images.

There are two remaining tournaments being held this week and next on the Spanish mainland before the European Tour heads to the Far East and then to Dubai for the finale of the 2010 season. The first of these is the Castello Masters being held at Sergio Garcia’s home course in Castellon, followed by the Andalucia Valderrama Masters at the end of the month.

Jose Maria Olazabal

Many eyes will be on two of the leading, or should I say say, former leading players of the world’s golfing stage. One of these is Jose Maria Olazabal who will be embarking on his latest attempt to recover from his ongoing battle with rheumatism and tendonitis, which has severely hampered him in recent years. ‘Chema’ is one of the most popular and talented golfers ever to come out of Spain and his Ryder Cup partnership with Seve is the stuff of legends. It was wonderful to see him drafted in as another of Monty’s deputies at the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales when Europe managed to bring the Ryder Cup back to these shores. Whilst nothing too much should be expected of him this week, they said exactly the same thing before his miraculous return from his earlier serious illness to secure his second Green Jacket at the 1999 US Masters in Augusta. However, at the age of 44, as he says, It gets tougher as you get older…but I have always been a positive person and I am already looking forward to getting myself fitter for next year.”

Come back Sergio!

Another Spanish golfing great, Sergio Garcia, also made it into Monty’s support team at the Ryder Cup as one of his Vice-Captains and it was fantastic to see him running around the course like some demented gazelle with his old enthusiasm shining through once again. Let’s face it, Sergio’s game has been in the toilet for about the last two years and his position in the OWGR – Official World Golf Rankings – has slumped to 68, which is a sad reflection on the player he once was. This week may see a return to the Sergio of old as I believe his inclusion in Monty’s team will have been a great spur to his struggling form of late. Let’s hope so as he is too talented a player to be languishing in the position he now finds himself. I shall be giving Castellon a miss this week but hope to see him the following week when I shall be in Valderrama.

So if you are lucky enough to live in Spain you really should try and make it to at least one of these events as you are certain to see some golf of the highest calibre.

Gordon McCadden

Editor’s Note: This article was written and published a few months ago and is reproduced again following his recent passing.

I have just finished reading ‘SEVE’ – The Official Autobiography, in his own words. From the ‘Master’ who was probably the main inspiration for many of us in pursuing the ‘ludus ludorum’, we must first be thankful that Seve decided to pursue his career with a set of golf clubs rather than a pen and paper! The actual writing is never going to win the Booker Prize for literature, but I sense that a lot of this is down to what can only be described as a fairly appalling translation by someone by the name of Peter Bush. Apart from the odd factual error, I am certain that Seve’s written words and feelings in his native tongue could not possibly have been interpreted in the way our hero meant them to be.

That having been said, for any of you golfers out there who revere the man, there is a load of great stuff about his upbringing, his rise to fame, his transformation of European golf and, whilst not wanting to overshadow the efforts of many others, his possible destiny in life to transform the Ryder Cup to the phenomenon that it is today. There is tremendous insight into his ongoing fights with both the US PGA’s Tour chief at the time, Deane Beman, and his then European Tour counterpart, Ken Schofield, his rows with the latter even leading to his disgraceful omission from the Ryder Cup team in 1981.

At home in his beloved Pedrena

As is true for many Spaniards, his love of family has been paramount throughout his life, in particular that of his parents and his three older brothers, Baldomero, Manuel and Vicente. His marriage in 1988 to Carmen Botin was not without controversy. Seen as the’ Princess and the Pauper’ in many of Spain’s elitist eyes, as Carmen came from a wealthy, important family, they nevertheless went on to produce three children, Javier, Miguel and Carmen. The ‘red-top’ press played their part in making up stories of Seve’s supposed infiledities, all of which he vehemently refutes, but sadly, they finally agreed to a divorce in 2004, although still remaining close in their role as parents to their children.

With over 90 victories worldwide throughout his playing career, including his five Majors, it is probably more his record in matchplay where he really outshone everyone in his wake. There is a great section on his love-hate relationship with America’s Paul Azinger, but this is only one example of his desire to win ‘cara a cara’ or face to face. It is said that Seve was always one or two holes up before the first tee-shot was struck due to his intimidating reputation!

I also loved the section in the book where Seve takes a massive ‘pop’ at the upper echelons of Spanish society and the complete disregard he held for the Spanish Golf Federation, although he is high in his praise for King Juan Carlos and other members of the Spanish Royal family. I believe times have changed now and Spain’s elite band of ‘golfistas’ are looked on with pride as embassadors in their own country and around the world.

The photographs shown here are courtesy of MD Golf in Northern Ireland who had just signed an agreement with Seve to promote his own ‘ICON’ brand with them prior to him taking ill on his way to Munich to launch the product range in October 2008. Despite this, Seve continues to fight the most difficult ’round’ of his career and has even been involved heavily in Spain’s latest bid to host the Ryder Cup again in 2018. We all wish him well.

As I have said earlier, this is not the world’s greatest example of literature but, like me and millions of Seve fans throughout the world, I feel that this is an essential read for anyone who admires and respects this icon of our age.

SEVE – EL CAMPEON!

Gordon McCadden