Suddenly, Playing in Ryder Cup a Big Deal

PONTE VEDRA, Fla. — American professional golf has reached the big-money era, with almost half the tournaments on the PGA schedule offering $1 million or more in prize money.

But the one tournament most of the pros want to get into this year is a no-pay event in the English midlands.

The 12 Americans who will qualify for the Ryder Cup team will receive a small honorarium and expenses for the matches at Sutton-Coldfield Sept. 22-24.

No money is at stake.

They’ll be playing for nothing more than an old silver cup.

And pride.

A huge amount of pride.

Listen to Mark Calcavecchia, who has all but clinched a spot on the team that will play Europe’s best:

“I’m tired of hearing all this stuff about the Europeans and how they’re better than we are.

“They’re great players. But I don’t think they’re any better than we are.

“I was on that last team that lost. I want to be on the team that wins it back.

“I want that as badly as anything.

“I’d rather win the Ryder Cup than a major (tournament title, the U.S. or British Opens, Masters of PGA).

“I could win four tournaments and if we don’t win the Ryder Cup, it won’t be a great year.

“It doesn’t matter what I do. If we go over there and lose, it won’t be a good year.

“It’ll be a bummer,” Calcavecchia said.

He isn’t alone.

Penni Wadkins carefully has calculated the performance needed by husband Lanny to secure a place on the points list from which the majority of the team will be named.

“A win and a second ought to do it,” Penni said.

Tom Watson needs more than that.

“I’ll probably have to win two or three tournaments to make the team.

“And I am going to make that team,” Watson said. “It’s going to be very exciting. And I want to be part of it.”

An indication of the unusual interest generated by this old biennial event is the fact that USA network has contracted to provide the first Ryder Cup live television coverage to originate in Europe.

The biennial matches originated in 1927 when Samuel Ryder, a British seed merchant, put up a cup for play between professionals of the United States and Great Britain.

The United States dominated. Through the matches of 1983, the Americans won 23 times against 3 losses and a single tie. The United States was unbeaten from 1959 through ‘83, even though the British side was expanded to include all of Europe.

But in 1985, European captain Tony Jacklin’s team -- led by Seve Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam -- broke that long string at The Belfry, touching off an international celebration.

And, more than any other factor, it gave rise to the perception that the Europeans had replaced the Americans as the leading performers in the game.

That perception was reinforced by a repeat victory by the Europeans -- with Ballesteros, Lyle, Langer, Faldo and Woosnam again playing leading roles -- over captain Jack Nicklaus’ team at Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio in 1987.

It marked the first time the Europeans had won on American soil.

And that got everyone’s attention.

“When we were winning all the time, a lot of the fellows didn’t pay that much attention to the Ryder Cup.

“The attitude was that if you made the team, fine, you’d go over and beat the British. No big deal,” said Ray Floyd, who will captain the American team this year.

“But the losses in the last two matches has changed all that. I’m here to tell you it has changed.”

Ten members of team will be chosen from a points list, with points awarded for top-10 finishes in PGA Tour events from 1988 through the 1989 PGA championship.

The American PGA champion is an automatic selection. The American captain can select one man. If the PGA champion is among the first 10 on the points list or is ineligible, the captain can select two.

The 10 leaders early this year were Calcavecchia, Chip Beck, Curtis Strange, Tom Kite, Steve Pate, Ken Green, Paul Azinger, Fred Couples, Joey Sindelar and Mark O’Meara.

Wadkins, Bruce Lietzke, Ben Crenshaw, Payne Stewart and Dan Pohl held the next five positions.