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

Well there is an Ulsterman at the top of the leaderboard of the 104th Open Championship, it just doesn’t happen to be the one we all wished for and expected. 42 year old Darren Clarke, who hails from Dungannon but who now lives close by the magnificent links of Royal Portrush, goes into the final round tomorrow with a one-shot lead over the likeable big hitting American, Dustin Johnston with a magnificent display of shot-making over the tricky St. Georges links course and yet, it should have been so much better if only he had brought a putter with him!

Magic Johnston!

Don’t get me wrong, he did have the requisite 14 clubs in the bag, but if he had managed to wield the flat stick as well as he did on the first green, he would be going into tomorrow with a virtually unassailable lead. Out of the 71 players who made the cut into the weekend, Big D was the only player to manage a birdie on the extremely difficult first hole. His ball-striking was of the highest calibre and it wielded him numerous opportunities for birdies throughout his round.

Clarke said: “From tee to green I can’t really play any better. I had one of those days where I had full control of my ball flight, but I didn’t have the speed with my putting at all. If somebody had said before the start I could have 69, though, I would have bitten their hand off. I think most of the crowd identify with a guy who’s not quite an athlete and likes a pint. I have a chance to realise a dream now and that would be fantastic. I’ve done just about everything else. I’ve been fortunate to win Ryder Cups and World Championships, but a Major has so far eluded me. I’ve a pretty decent chance. A major is always tough to win, but I’ve put myself in position.”

What an understatement! Whilst Darren did go on to make two more birdies to go along with a couple of bogies, it was the putts that he missed that really stuck out whilst he, along with his fellow competitors, struggled with the extremely difficult weather conditions that a typical English ‘summer’ threw at the players.

Beware the Orangeman!

Dustin Johnston’s best-of-the-day 2-under 68 was matched only by his fellow compatriot, Ricky Fowler, who now lies joint third with a rejuvenated Thomas Bjorn who battled bravely for a 1-over 71 and these two players will make up the penultimate pairing tomorrow. Fowler will inevitably appear in his trademark orange outfit on Sunday which represents his old college and he looks to be truly relishing the prospect. He is a magnificent shot-maker and has shown tremendous inventiveness with a variety of strokes of which his older competitors would be proud. Ricky was paired with pre-tournament favourite Rory McIlroy but, sadly, things went a bit pear-shaped for Rory today, in particular at the tricky par-5 14th when he managed to hit his tee-shot out of bounds. This led to a 4-over par 74 and put him nine shots off the pace. Whilst not totally out of it – remember Paul Lawrie coming from 10 shots back to win The Open at the infamous ‘Jean van de Velde’ incident at Carnoustie back in 1999 – Rory has a mountain to climb tomorrow.

So all eyes will be on Big D and whether or not he can manage to hold it together and bring yet a fourth major title to Northern Ireland – don’t forget Fred Daly! However, this is far from over as the weather threatens to be a major influence once again on the Kent coast. Anyone within nine or ten shots could still come out of the pack and spring a surprise tomorrow, and there is a strong presence from the US.However, I still have to plump for a European Tour player to come good tomorrow evening and no-one would be a more popular winner than Clarke or Thomas Bjorn, who is owed one from St. George’s in 2003. Also in the mix is Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez, Denmark’s Anders Hansen, Germany’s Martin Kaymer, along with my outside pick, South Africa’s George Coetzee.

Oh, and by the way, it would be totally inappropriate to leave out 5-time former winner, the evergreen Tom Watson. His 72 today in the worst of the weather was the stuff of legends!

I think tomorrow is going to be an absolute cracker and I shall be glued to every shot.

GMacSpain

Just back from the pub so a little bit the worse for wear! As it turned out, those at 4-over par didn’t make it so bye-bye Padraig and Lee and several others to boot!

This leaves just 70 players all within seven shots of the lead vying for the coveted Claret Jug come Sunday. They talk about Saturday being ‘moving day’ but, for me, tomorrow, with the weather that is forecast, Saturday is all about ‘caddies day’. Each player knows what they have to do; each player can play every shot required; but, for me, the man on the bag who can keep the equipment dry and the player calm may make all the difference.

Yes, I want Rory to do the biz, and JP can help him do it, but Darren is no dozer and there are a load of guys capable of making it happen. Northern Ireland besides, watch out for George Coetzee – he may implode, but I just have a niggling feeling about him.

GMacSpain

PS; Features Editor JMac has her money on Sergio!

ROUND-UP

Tom Lewis 2009 Amateur Champion

Despite the benign conditions for the afternoon starters that should have produced a real charge from some of the big names, few of them were able to make a significant dent in Thomas Bjorn’s early lead. However, there were a couple of notable exceptions.  2009 Us Open Champion, Lucas Glover equalled MAJ’s 66. Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke joined Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal, Germany’s Martin Kaymer and England’s Simon Dyson with commendable 68s, particularly for GMac who was three over par after his first three holes.

But the star of the show was England’s 2009 Amateur Champion, Tom Lewis. Named after the legendary Tom Watson, with whom he has been drawn for the first two rounds, Young Tom joined Bjorn in the lead following an exceptional round of 65, which included 4 birdies in his final five holes. Old Tom seems to make a habit of bringing round great young amateurs, having partnered Italy’s Matteo Manassero during his magnificent first two rounds at Turnberry a couple of years ago

On top of all this, according to the weathermen, the late starters today, are going to benefit from the best of the weather tomorrow morning. With tee-times from 6.30am until 4.11pm this is always going to be a factor but let us hope that Rory doesn’t have to suffer the conditions he faced last year at St. Andrews. We shall see…

LIKE A GOOD RIOJA!

Camarero, please bring me my wine!

Good old MAJ continues to mature like a good bottle of the Rioja he enjoys so well. An excellent bogey-free round comprising four birdies saw the Malagueño get home in 4-under par 66 to hold second position on his own as the lead groups of the afternoon begin their opening rounds.These include home favourite Lee Westwood, upon whose shoulders rests so much; Graeme McDowell, Ulster’s other US Open winner of 2010 at Pebble Beach; Masters Green Jacket winner, Charl Schwartzel; current Open Champion, Louis Oosthuizen, who is out with ‘Lefty’ Mickleson and Germany’s Martin Kaymer. World No.1 Luke Donald had a mixed bag one-over 71 but at least none of the big names have had a disastrous start to their Championship but there is a long way to go yet…

BJORN AGAIN!

Bjorn again Thomas!

Thomas Bjorn wasn’t even in the 140th Open Championship on Monday morning but, thanks to the late withdrawal of Vijay Singh he made up for all of his woes of 2003 when, whilst leading the Championship with just three holes to go, he came to grief at the par 3 16th, taking three shots to get out of the bunker. He managed to make amends with his seventh birdie of the day at that hole to go along with a couple of bogies to take the early clubhouse lead at 5 under par on a day when most players will be happy to make par.

It was at the ungodly hour of 6.30 when America’s Jerry Kelly had the honour of the first shot of the Championship. It was at 9.09 when pre-Championship favourite, Rory McIlroy teed it up only to make bogey at his opening hole. He followed this with another at the third but got one back at the eighth, only to give it back again at the 13th, which is where he stands at the moment.

America’s big-hitting Dustin Johnson, standing at four over par on the 14th tee has just gone birdie, birdie and a hole-in-one eagle at the 16th to get it back to level par!

Further reports will follow over the remaining days of the Championship so stay tuned.