A Wale(s) of a Finish

My man CJ (aka Kid Philly) has commented that when your team wins, you can watch the highlights over and over, but when your team loses, not so much. Today was the exception that proves the rule in that even though Team Europe thwarted the furious U.S rally in the Ryder Cup, I want to see how the finish of this year's went down. (OK, I'm not sure how this exception proves the rule.) As I write this, I'm waiting on Golf Channel to dispense with friggin' Big Break Lame Destination Resort and the hyper Michael Breed's Golf Fix (I actually think he's OK, just not when he's standing between me and the Ryder Cup highlights) to get to Golf Central.

Even though business travel and the Monday finish conspired to keep from watching it live or on DVR, I wasn't completely oblivious to the proceedings. I glanced at the blackberry periodically as I was heading West to New York to see how the matches were progressing. After the first five matches ended in an even split 2.5 to 2.5, making it 12-9, almost all the remaining matches had large leads, and it looked like the U.S. would end up a full point short in their comeback, assuming its players (Woods, Overton, Mickelson and Johnson) held on to their leads, which they did, and barring big comebacks from the U.S. players who were behind (Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan).

But a funny thing started to happen as I drove past Albany. After Bubba Watson was closed out by Jimenez, Rickie Fowler, who was 4 down after 12 to Eduardo Molinari, won the 13th. Then even though he was dormie after 15 (three down with three to play), he started winning holes. Around the same time, Mahan who was 3 down after 11, won 12 to cut the lead to 2. All of sudden a comeback didn't seem impossible and I started looking for an exit to catch the finish. Then I remembered that the Thruway rest stops have Wi - Fi. I got in just in time to see that Fowler had improbably won the last three holes to halve his match, but by the time I logged on, Mahan was two down with two to play, playing the 17th, and by now you know what happened from there. Still, I'm glad I got to see the end and will look forward to seeing how it all played out.

Notes: The passionate rookie Jeff Overton provided some fireworks especially his ridiculous hole out (and subsequent "boom baby" reaction) in the Sunday four-ball. Plus he also has a little Davis Love thing going on.

Speaking of resemblances, I though Eduardo Molinari looked like a swarthy Matthew McConaughey -- when he was celebrating good shots I kept expecting him to rip off his shirt to show off his abs.

Great course when it didn't have rivers of water in the fairway or water hazards in the bunker. I especially liked the risk reward, driveable par-4 15th, though the U.S. team found about 30 different ways to mess up that hole. You can't point to one shot, hole or match that cost the U.S. team the matches (which is kind of a preamble to doing just that), but if you had to point to one, it's not Hunter Mahan's chunked chip at the 17th (let's face it, from where he was he would have been hard pressed to beat McDowell on that hole, and even if he did he would have had to have won 18 as well). No you'd have to go back to the 15th (which, ironically Mahan won to cut McDowell's lead to one up), and Rory McIlroy stealing the hole from Stewart Cink, getting up and down for birdie, while Cink three putting for par after hitting a great tee shot to 15 feet. He also missed a chance to win the 17th and settled for halving the match at the 18th.

But in fairness, Cink played solid and provided some highlights and excellent play during the matches. Probably every U.S. player can point to a hole or a match where they could have eked out another half point to retain the cup, which is why neither Cink nor Mahan should be singled out in the loss. Though not to the extent of Bernard Langer's miss at the end of the U.S. victory in 1991, it is likely Mahan will likely have to bear the burden of history, but I hereby predict Mahan will win the clinching point in the 2012 Cup.

A shout out to Bog (Go Heels) and AD (Sorry about the Rox), expectant fathers on opposite coasts. Congrats!