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NOTES AND QUOTES – THE UNITED STATES WINS THE 43RD RYDER CUP ON NBC

September 26, 2021 By admin

“Brooks and Bryson wanted to play together, that’s how much it came together.” – U.S captain Steve Stricker on Koepka, DeChambeau and team unity

“What a glorious day and glorious weekend for American golf. This is a new generation and a new time.” – Paul Azinger on the U.S. winning the Ryder Cup

“The more and more I play in this event, the more I realize that this is the best event in golf.” – Rory McIlroy to Jimmy Roberts on significance of the Ryder Cup

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 26, 2021 – NBC Sports concluded its exclusive coverage of the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits Golf Club in Kohler, Wis., on NBC, as the United States defeated Europe by a score of 19-9 to win the Ryder Cup and set the record for the most points in the 28-point format. Live From The Ryder Cup provided post-round coverage on GOLF Channel. Following are notes and quotes from today’s coverage.

On U.S. Team

U.S. captain Steve Stricker to Steve Sands after the U.S. clinched the Ryder Cup: “These guys all came together….it says a lot about this group of guys…they had a mission this week, you could tell. Brooks and Bryson wanted to play together, that’s how much it came together. That shows a lot about this whole team…this is a new era for U.S.A golf. They’re young, they come with a lot of passion, a lot of energy, and a lot of game.”

Paul Azinger on the U.S. winning the Ryder Cup: “What a glorious day and glorious weekend for American golf. Down and out for so long in this competition. All the pressure was on them this week, the strongest American team ever on-paper. This is a new generation and a new time…full and total domination…there’s no shortcuts to success. You can’t hope for it, you can’t wish for it. You have to prepare, you have to outprepare, that’s what Stricker wanted to do.”

Azinger on Stricker: “If the PGA of America is serious about winning Ryder Cups, they might want to consider giving Steve Stricker another shot at this.”

Azinger on Dustin Johnson, who went 5-0-0: “He didn’t come in here playing red hot by any means, but he leaves here the most confident guy. He handled everything that they threw at him.”

Azinger on Bryson DeChambeau: “That guy is as American as apple pie. He has brought such an energy to this sport. He got the crowd amped up the second he came through that tunnel and walked onto that tee and he hasn’t let up since. Drove the green 350 yards away on that first hole and made eagle. Unreal.”

Brandel Chamblee: “Golf is an individual sport, but what defines pretty much every human being that’s ever walked this planet is how you work with others. This team was animated from the get-go by a deep sense of purpose. Perhaps it was to prove that this era of players could excel at this event. They hung together and finally played to their prodigious talents.”

Justin Leonard: “The skill and talent of this American team could spell trouble for the Europeans for years to come.”

Dan Hicks on Collin Morikawa: “So many feel that he is the future of American golf. In fact, he’s here now. But at 24 years old, the ceiling is so high.”

On European Team

Rory McIlroy’s emotional post-round interview with Jimmy Roberts following his 3-and-2 singles match win: “I’m extremely disappointed that I haven’t contributed more for the team. I’m glad I got a point on the board…the more and more I play in this event, the more I realize that this is the best event in golf.”

Dan Hicks on Rory McIlroy’s interview with Jimmy Roberts: “If you ever had any idea that these guys don’t care, or that Rory McIlroy with all of his talent just kind of turns it on and off when he wants to,  you hear what this Ryder Cup means to Europe and means to the United States.”

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: Golf, NBC, Ryder Cup, Uncategorized

NOTES AND QUOTES – THE 43RD RYDER CUP ON NBC (DAY 2)

September 25, 2021 By admin

“They’re in a great spot and they’ve earned it.” – Paul Azinger on 11-5 lead for the U.S. heading into singles play

“We may well be talking about one of the greatest – if not the greatest – Ryder Cup teams ever assembled.” – Brandel Chamblee on the U.S. team

“If that doesn’t go in, Europe’s got no shot tomorrow. Moment of a lifetime for Shane Lowry.” – Paul Azinger on Lowry’s match-winning putt on 18

“Very rarely do you see golfers deal with what we have to deal with – yells from the stands…It gets your juices up. As a competitor, I absolutely love it.” – Michael Jordan on the Ryder Cup

Day 1 Delivers Golf Channel’s Most-Watched Weekday Telecast On Record; Viewership Up 16% vs. 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 25, 2021 – NBC Sports presented exclusive coverage of Day 2 of the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits Golf Club in Kohler, Wis., on NBC, as well as Live From The Ryder Cup post-round coverage on GOLF Channel. The United States leads Europe 11-5 after Day 2 foursomes and four-ball matches.

Day 1 of the 43rd Ryder Cup delivered GOLF Channel’s most-watched weekday telecast on record, averaging a Total Audience Delivery of approximately 1.5 million viewers (8:30 a.m. – 6:56 p.m. ET), up 16% vs. the last domestic Ryder Cup Day 1 in 2016.

Tomorrow’s coverage begins at 9 a.m. ET on GOLF Channel with Live From The Ryder Cup, leading into Sunday singles matches coverage at noon ET on NBC. Sunday’s coverage will also feature the debut of the commercial-free “Marquee Hour in Partnership with Rolex,” beginning at approximately 2 p.m. ET following the start of the final singles match.

On Day 2

Paul Azinger on the U.S. lead: “This is a huge lead for the American team. They’re in a great spot and they’ve earned it. All of the pressure was on the U.S. squad coming in with the advantage in the World Golf Rankings and they’ve come through.”

Brandel Chamblee: “We may well be talking about this as one of the greatest – if not the greatest – Ryder Cup teams ever assembled.”

Justin Leonard: “American dominance…the only chance they had at the beginning of the week was for Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy to show up. Jon Rahm has, but Rory McIlroy has struggled.”

Rich Lerner: “The U.S. rookies have run roughshod over the Europeans and on a football Saturday, the Americans have a touchdown lead heading into Sunday.”

Day 2 coverage on NBC also included a live interview with Michael Jordan. Click here to watch the interview.

On the afternoon four-ball matches: American Team

Mike Tirico on Dustin Johnson who has gone 4-0-0: “A free-flowing DJ is dangerous DJ.”

Azinger on Jordan Spieth’s lip-out on 12: “That is one of the worst lip-outs you will ever see.”

Azinger on Tony Finau: “I ran into him last night and he was so excited to be here and so excited to get through that first match yesterday. He said the anxiety leading into it was pretty tough, but once the bell rang he was good to go.”

Azinger on Scheffler’s tying putt on the 15th hole: “I’ve never seen Scottie Scheffler react like this, ever. Only in the Ryder Cup.”

On the afternoon four-ball matches: European Team

Azinger on Shane Lowry after his match-winning putt on 18: “What a guttural reaction. That is just pouring his heart out…Padraig Harrington put his faith in Shane Lowry for this moment. He had to have it. If that doesn’t go in, Europe’s got no shot tomorrow. Moment of a lifetime for Shane Lowry.”

Azinger on Jon Rahm: “He has been a hero for the European side.”

Leonard on Rory McIlroy: “It’s hard to imagine a European comeback without Rory McIlroy involved in it. Obviously, (the morning foursomes) was the first session he’s ever sat out in a Ryder Cup. Hopefully it perturbs him a little bit, whether it was his choice or not.”

Dan Hicks following Jon Rahm’s long birdie putt on the 16th hole: “It just continues this great Spanish tradition in the Ryder Cup.”

Gary Koch: “Look at Sergio Garcia’s reaction! He’s going, ‘Are you kidding me? How lucky am I to have Jon Rahm as my partner?’”

John Wood on Shane Lowry taking an unplayable and opting to not hit his 2nd shot on the 17th hole: “I think Shane’s got a better shot of hitting that in Lake Michigan than he does of hitting it on the green.”

On the morning foursomes matches: American Team

Jim “Bones” Mackay on Sergio Garcia standing over Brooks Koepka’s disputed lie on 15th hole: “That’s the first time I’ve seen a player from another team stand over the other team’s golf ball.”

Michael Jordan with Steve Sands

Michael Jordan’s advice to the U.S. team: “I’m a little nervous…The letdown is what you really have to focus on. Keep focusing on each and every match…Hole by hole, shot by shot, and if we skip any shots…next thing you know, the script is flipped…The momentum is on our side, let’s keep it that way.”

Jordan on what makes the Ryder Cup unique: “It’s not about money, it’s about pride and representing your country. Very rarely do you see golfers deal with what we (basketball players) have to deal with – yells from the stands…It gets your juices up. As a competitor, I absolutely love it.”

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: Golf, NBC, Ryder Cup, Uncategorized

NOTES AND QUOTES – THE 43RD RYDER CUP ON GOLF CHANNEL (DAY 1)

September 24, 2021 By admin

“So far, the Americans have done everything they possibly could have hoped for.” – Paul Azinger

“This is a hungry bunch of first-timers at the Ryder Cup here for the Americans. They are on a mission.” – Azinger

“No question – he is the emotional leader of this team.” – Gary Koch on Justin Thomas

“I don’t even know where it is – but it’s perfect wherever it is.” – Hunter Mahan on Bryson DeChambeau’s 417-Yard Drive on 5th Hole

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 24, 2021 – NBC Sports presented exclusive coverage of Day 1 of the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits Golf Club in Kohler, Wis., on GOLF Channel, as well as Live From The Ryder Cup post-round coverage on GOLF Channel.

Tomorrow’s coverage begins at 8 a.m. ET on GOLF Channel and continues at 9 a.m. ET on NBC. Peacock Premium and RyderCup.com simulstreams all coverage on GOLF Channel and NBC.

The United States leads Europe 6 to 2 after Day 1 foursomes and four-ball matches.

On Day 1

Paul Azinger: “U.S. hasn’t been in this position in a while…It’s been a real rough run for the U.S. team. They are a powerful squad, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th (ranked players in the world)…The Europeans have the best player in the world and he wriggled the hook today, but he needed to…So far, the Americans have done everything they possibly could have hoped for.”

Justin Leonard on European Team: “They’ve got some issues…I don’t see a comeback coming without the help and play of Rory McIlroy.”

Rich Lerner: “We talk about the United States turning the page on the Tiger and Phil Ryder Cup era. They ripped the page out of the book and threw it away.”

On the afternoon four-ball matches: American Team

Azinger: “This is a hungry bunch of first-timers at the Ryder Cup here for the Americans. They are on a mission.”

Gary Koch on Justin Thomas after his eagle on the 16th hole: “No question – he is the emotional leader of this team.”

Azinger on pressure of being the final group on the course at the Ryder Cup: “You’ve got to position players in spots where you think they can handle that kind of heat. It’s possible that every player on both teams could be on the course watching this group finish.”

Azinger on the danger of trailing by multiple points early in the Ryder Cup: “It’s very difficult to come back from being two points down after the first day…It’s only been done a couple of times.”

Dan Hicks on Bryson DeChambeau’s drives: “He’s turning Whistling Straits into Mesquite, Nevada.”

Azinger on Dustin Johnson’s birdie on 11th hole with Michael Jordan greenside: “DJ and MJ play a lot of golf together. No surprise that (Jordan) is out there hanging with his man.”

Notah Begay III on Scottie Scheffler being paired with Bryson DeChambeau: “He’s been the setup man today, done a great job in that role. Hitting a lot of greens, fairways, giving Bryson a chance to be more aggressive, which plays right into his mindset.”

On the afternoon four-ball matches: European Team

Azinger on Tyrrell Hatton’s putt on the 18th hole to halve the match: “That is going to be a huge emotional lift for the European team…What a big putt. If he misses this putt, Europe is in huge trouble.”

Azinger after Tommy Fleetwood’s shot into the water on the 16th hole: “The par 5s continue to be the Achilles Heel of the European team.”

Kay Cockerill on the European pairing of Shane Lowry/Rory McIlroy: “This team just seems deflated, particularly Lowry. His youthful rookie exuberance has left him.”

On Bryson DeChambeau’s 417-yard drive on the 5th hole

Hunter Mahan: “I don’t even know where it is – but it’s perfect wherever it is.”

Begay III: “He certainly isn’t afraid to put the gas down and play aggressively, which is why he’s a great fit in this four-ball format.”

Leonard: “(Scottie Scheffler’s caddie Scotty McGuinness) was telling me about this line Bryson might take at the fifth. It’s just amazing how much he’s cut off this hole.”

On Jordan Spieth’s hill-side chip shot on the 17th hole

Mike Tirico: “One of the shots of this or any Ryder Cup. 24 steps backwards, Jordan Spieth takes, he never sees it. He’s staring at Ludington, Michigan, and we’re staring at one of the great shots we’ve ever seen.”

Tirico: “Nobody made the step back in basketball cooler than Steph (Curry). But Jordan Spieth gave you an all-time golf step-back, even though Europe got the win in their one point.”

On the morning foursome matches: American Team

John Wood on Johnson/Morikawa pairing that defeated Casey/Hovland 3&2 in morning foursome match: “I love this pairing for the rest of the week. Dustin Johnson used to love to play with Matt Kuchar because he was so steady. DJ knew that he could be aggressive. Collin is in that same mold. When you put Johnson with another really aggressive guy, DJ said he can struggle, but when he’s got a partner who’s super steady, he feels really comfortable and he can go for everything.”

Curt Byrum on Collin Morikawa: “Collin Morikawa has started out putting really well today. He’s a rookie on this team…”

Nick Faldo: “A ‘Major’ rookie.”

On Whistling Straits

Azinger on the course design: “It felt like the eighth wonder of the world the first time I walked on the property…What a piece of architecture this is.”

Stephen Curry speaking with Steve Sands

Curry on his first time at the Ryder Cup: “This is amazing. I’ve heard so many people who’ve been here talk about the atmosphere and the team energy, and the part of golf you can’t recreate anywhere. It’s lived up to the expectations for sure.”

Curry on noise in NBA arenas compared to noise at the Ryder Cup: “It’s tough because if I’m at the free throw line, and it’s deathly quiet after 19,000 fans have been going crazy and then it goes to a hush, that would mess with me a little bit. For these guys, the atmosphere at the first tee, and you’re hearing all these fans going crazy, and the sounds as you’re doing your practice swings, and then it goes down. I can’t imagine what that adrenaline rush is like.”

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: Golf, NBC, Ryder Cup, Uncategorized

NBC SPORTS’ 43RD RYDER CUP COVERAGE TO FEATURE COMMERCIAL-FREE “MARQUEE HOUR IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ROLEX” ON SUNDAY AND NEW CONSTANT LEADERBOARD GRAPHICS

September 23, 2021 By admin

Commercial-Free “Marquee Hour in Partnership with Rolex” Sunday on NBC After Final Singles Match Tees Off

New Constant Leaderboard Integrations to Feature Overall Points, Matches Led by Each Side, and Points Remaining to Win/Retain Ryder Cup

STAMFORD, Conn. – September 23, 2021 – NBC Sports’ presentation of the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits Golf Club in Kohler, Wis., will feature the debut of the commercial-free “Marquee Hour in Partnership with Rolex” this Sunday on NBC, as well as new constant leaderboard graphics that will be integrated into coverage throughout the weekend on NBC and GOLF Channel.

After the final singles match tees off Sunday on NBC – approximately 2 p.m. ET – the “Marquee Hour in Partnership with Rolex” will begin, providing commercial-free coverage of the hour which typically features the most action throughout the Ryder Cup, with all 12 singles matches on the course at that time. Rolex is a Worldwide Partner of the Ryder Cup.

This week’s coverage on NBC and GOLF Channel will also premiere new constant Ryder Cup leaderboard graphics – from a simple display of flags and scores, to current match scores and how many points the American and European teams need to win or retain the Cup as singles matches progress on Sunday.

“We’re constantly examining how to enhance our golf coverage,” said Molly Solomon, Executive Producer, GOLF Channel. “The ‘Marquee Hour in Partnership with Rolex’ will deliver commercial-free coverage on Sunday at a time when all 24 American and European players are on the course and the outcome of the Ryder Cup is in the balance. Additionally, our new constant leaderboard graphics represent our commitment to storytelling and delivering the best viewing experience to golf fans.”

NBC Sports will present the first tee shot of the Ryder Cup to the final putt from Friday-Sunday, totaling 100-plus hours of live coverage during the week from Whistling Straits including on-site studio coverage and featured groups. Live coverage of the Opening Ceremony will also air live on GOLF Channel on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET.

Over the course of the week, more than 35 on-air talent provide live commentary throughout live event and studio coverage across NBC, GOLF Channel, and Peacock. Click here for more information on NBC Sports’ live event and studio on-air teams for the 43rd Ryder Cup.

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: Golf, NBC, Ryder Cup, Uncategorized

43RD RYDER CUP HIGHLIGHTS NBC SPORTS’ COMPREHENSIVE GOLF COVERAGE THIS WEEK

September 22, 2021 By admin

43rd Ryder Cup Begins this Friday at 8 a.m. ET on Golf Channel, Peacock And RyderCup.Com; NBC Sports to Present More Than 100 Hours of Live Tournament and Studio Coverage Throughout Week

GOLF Channel Presents Coverage of LPGA Tour’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and PGA TOUR Champions’ Pure Insurance Championship This Week

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 22, 2021 – NBC Sports presents comprehensive live coverage of the 43rd Ryder Cup across NBC, GOLF Channel, Peacock, and RyderCup.com, beginning Friday, September 24 through Sunday, September 26 from Whistling Straits Golf Club in Kohler, Wis., highlighting NBC Sports’ comprehensive golf coverage this week.

Beginning this Friday, GOLF Channel also presents coverage of the LPGA Tour’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship from Pinnacle CC in Rogers, Ark., and the PGA TOUR Champions’ Pure Insurance Championship from Pebble Beach Golf Links in Calif.

43RD RYDER CUP

NBC Sports presents comprehensive live coverage of the 43rd Ryder Cup across NBC, GOLF Channel, Peacock, and RyderCup.com, beginning Friday, September 24 through Sunday, September 26 from Whistling Straits Golf Club in Kohler, Wis.

NBC Sports will present coverage from the first tee shot of the Ryder Cup to the final putt from Friday-Sunday, totaling 100-plus hours of live coverage during Ryder Cup week from Whistling Straits including on-site studio coverage and featured groups.

GOLF Central Live From the Ryder Cup from Whistling Straits Golf Club, which began earlier this week, will provide approximately 50 hours of live studio coverage through Sunday. Click here for more information.

Last week, NBC Sports play-by-play commentator Dan Hicks, analysts Paul Azinger and Justin Leonard, on-course reporter John Wood, and producer Tommy Roy, previewed the 43rd Ryder Cup on a media conference call. Click here for the transcript.

Click here for more information on NBC Sports’ live event and studio on-air teams for the 43rd Ryder Cup.

Broadcast Team

    • Play by Play: Dan Hicks / Mike Tirico / Terry Gannon
    • Analyst: Paul Azinger / Justin Leonard / Nick Faldo / Roger Maltbie
    • Tower: David Feherty / Gary Koch / Tom Abbott / Curt Byrum
    • On-Course: Roger Maltbie / Jim “Bones” Mackay / John Wood / Notah Begay III / Kay Cockerill
    • Essays: Jimmy Roberts
    • Interview/Reports: Steve Sands / Jimmy Roberts

 

How To Watch – Friday, September 24 – Sunday, September 26 (all times ET)

  • TV – NBC, GOLF Channel
    • Streaming – Peacock, RyderCup.com and the Ryder Cup app, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app

 

Date GOLF Channel NBC Peacock/RyderCup.com
Friday 8 a.m.-7 p.m.   8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Saturday 8-9 a.m. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sunday   Noon-6 p.m. Noon-6 p.m.
Note: All live coverage on NBC and GOLF Channel will simul-stream on Peacock Premium and RyderCup.com

 

Featured Groups will be shown live on Peacock, RyderCup.com and the Ryder Cup app. Friday and Saturday Featured Groups coverage will follow a match from the morning and afternoon waves, and will follow and early singles match on Sunday to conclusion before featuring another premier group.

George Savaricas will handle play-by-play duties for Featured Groups coverage alongside Mark Rolfing (analyst), three-time Ryder Cup member Hunter Mahan (analyst), and Gary Christian serving as on-course reporter.

LPGA TOUR: WALMART NW ARKANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP

GOLF Channel presents coverage of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, the LPGA Tour’s only event in the state of Arkansas, this week from Pinnacle CC in Rogers, Ark.

Coverage gets underway Friday at 9 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel.

GOLF Channel Broadcast Team

    • Play by Play: Grant Boone
    • Analyst: Judy Rankin
    • Tower: Jim Gallagher Jr.
    • On-Course: Jerry Foltz / Karen Stupples

 

How To Watch – Friday, September 24 – Sunday, September 26 (all times ET)

    • TV – GOLF Channel
    • Streaming – NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app

 

Date GOLF Channel
Friday 9-11 p.m.*
Saturday 1-4 p.m.
Sunday Noon-3 p.m.
*Delayed coverage

 

Notable Players This Week

    • Brooke Henderson
    • Lexi Thompson
    • Austin Ernst
    • Jin Young Ko
    • Ariya Jutanugarn

 

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS: PURE INSURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

Coverage of the PGA TOUR Champions’ Pure Insurance Championship from Pebble Beach Golf Links in Calif. begins Friday at 11 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel.

This week marks the return of the Pro-Junior portion of the tournament as the top pros on the PGA TOUR Champions circuit not only compete for their own title, but also for the Pro-Junior team crown with First Tee members.

GOLF Channel Broadcast Team

    • Play by Play: Whit Watson
    • Analyst: Lanny Wadkins
    • Tower: Phil Blackmar
    • On-Course: Billy Ray Brown

 

How To Watch – Friday, September 24 – Sunday, September 26 (all times ET)

    • TV – GOLF Channel
    • Streaming – NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app

 

Date GOLF Channel
Friday 11 p.m.-1 a.m.*
Saturday 4-7 p.m.
Sunday 3-6 p.m.
*Delayed coverage

 

Notable Players This Week

    • Ernie Els
    • Retief Goosen
    • Bernhard Langer
    • Mark O’Meara
    • Vijay Singh

 

BROADCAST NOTES

GOLF CENTRAL LIVE FROM THE RYDER CUP

NBC Sports surrounds the 43rd Ryder Cup with approximately 50 hours of live studio coverage this week on GOLF Central Live From the Ryder Cup on GOLF Channel.

Broadcast Team

    • Host: Rich Lerner / Shane Bacon / Cara Banks
    • Analyst: Brandel Chamblee / Justin Leonard / Mark Rolfing / Trevor Immelman / David Duval / Paige Mackenzie / Notah Begay III
    • Reporter: Todd Lewis / Jamie Diaz / Damon Hack / Steve Burkowski / Ryan Lavner / Rex Hoggard / Eamon Lynch

 

Date Golf Central – Live From the Ryder Cup*
Wednesday, Sept. 22 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. / 7-9 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 23 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. / 5-8 p.m. (Opening Ceremony)
Friday, Sept. 24 6-8 a.m. / 7-9 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 25 6-8 a.m. / 7-9 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 26 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. – 6-9 p.m.
*all times ET, post-round coverage begins following conclusion of play

Week-long Live From the Ryder Cup coverage from Whistling Straits will also include interviews with former European Ryder Cup captain and player Paul McGinley and World Golf Hall of Famer Laura Davies, who will be covering the Ryder Cup for Sky Sports.

All GOLF Channel coverage also streams on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: Golf, Golf Channel, NBC, Ryder Cup, Uncategorized

DAN HICKS, PAUL AZINGER, JUSTIN LEONARD, JOHN WOOD AND TOMMY ROY PREVIEW 43RD RYDER CUP ACROSS NBC SPORTS

September 21, 2021 By admin

“(The) Ryder Cup is an absolute different animal than any other golf event we do and really any other sporting event we do.” – Dan Hicks

“Those are the weeks I’ll remember when I’m all done doing whatever I’m doing.” – John Wood on his Ryder Cup Experience as a Caddie

“The worst part about being a captain is having no control whether or not you’re going to win or lose beyond creating the environment.” – Paul Azinger on Being a Ryder Cup Captain

Live Coverage of 43rd Ryder Cup Begins Friday at 8 a.m. ET on GOLF Channel; On-Site Live From The Ryder Cup Continues Tonight in Primetime at 7 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 21, 2021 – NBC Sports play-by-play commentator Dan Hicks, analysts Paul Azinger and Justin Leonard, on-course reporter John Wood, and producer Tommy Roy, previewed the 43rd Ryder Cup on a media conference call last week.

NBC Sports presents comprehensive live coverage of the 43rd Ryder Cup across NBC, GOLF Channel, Peacock, and RyderCup.com, beginning this Friday, September 24 through Sunday, September 26 from Whistling Straits Golf Club in Kohler, Wis. On-site studio coverage from Whistling Straits continues with GOLF Central Live From the Ryder Cup tonight in primetime at 7 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel.

Following are excerpts from the call. Click here for a full transcript.

Dan Hicks: “(The) Ryder Cup is an absolute different animal than any other golf event we do and really any other sporting event we do…I kind of compare it to an Olympics. It’s one of those events that brings in more than just the golf fan. It brings in somebody who maybe even never watches a golf tournament.”

John Wood: “It’s a different week. You’ve just got a lot more to prepare for. At the same time, it’s such a meaningful week. Those are the weeks I’ll remember when I’m all done doing whatever I’m doing.”

Paul Azinger: “Getting those right players together, like I did (with) personality types, and I felt that trumped analyzing their golf games…that was my philosophy…but it was up to them once the bell rings. The worst part about being a captain is having no control whether or not you’re going to win or lose beyond creating the environment.”

Justin Leonard on his experience playing in the 1999 Ryder Cup: “When you’ve got that bag with your country or your continent on it, you’ve got your flag or symbol on your sleeve, on your hat, you’re coming together as a group to try to accomplish something. There’s no words that can really do it justice.”

Azinger: “The Europeans are bonded by blood. They’re bonded naturally…they’re bonded by something that really gives them a full blown 1 percent advantage no matter where they are…so you have to as a captain figure out how to get yourself back in there where it’s evened up.”

Tommy Roy: “We have a love affair for this event. It’s right in our wheelhouse…every session will have the same intensity and even more energy than the back nine of a major.”

Leonard on U.S. Team captain Steve Stricker: “I think Strick is prepared for everybody on that team and knows what to do and how to handle it and knows that you don’t necessarily handle everybody the same way.”

***

NBC Sports will present coverage from the first tee shot of the Ryder Cup to the final putt on Friday-Sunday, totaling 100-plus hours of live coverage during Ryder Cup week from Whistling Straits including on-site studio coverage and featured groups.

Over the course of the week, more than 35 on-air talent will provide live commentary throughout live event and studio coverage across NBC, GOLF Channel, and Peacock. Click here for more information on NBC Sports’ live event and studio on-air teams for the 43rd Ryder Cup.

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: NBC, Ryder Cup, Uncategorized

“GOLF CENTRAL LIVE FROM THE RYDER CUP” ON GOLF CHANNEL KICKS OFF NBC SPORTS’ WEEK-LONG COVERAGE OF 43RD RYDER CUP

September 20, 2021 By admin

More Than 100 Hours of Live Tournament and Studio Coverage Begins With Live From The Ryder Cup Today at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel

Cracking The Code – New Documentary on 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup Team Captained by Paul Azinger – Debuts Tonight at 9 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel Following Live From the Ryder Cup

“These will be the weeks you remember more than any others, because these weeks are bigger than yourself.” – On-Course Reporter and Six-Time U.S. Ryder Cup Caddie John Wood on Memories of The Ryder Cup

Transcript – NBC Sports Golf Commentators Preview the 43rd Ryder Cup

STAMFORD, Conn. – September 20, 2021 – NBC Sports begins its comprehensive week-long coverage of the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits Golf Club in Kohler, Wis., with GOLF Central Live From the Ryder Cup today at 4 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel.

Following tonight’s 7 p.m. ET edition of Live From The Ryder Cup, GOLF Channel will premiere its new documentary, Cracking The Code – the inside story of captain Paul Azinger’s groundbreaking strategy inspired by the Navy Seals to reinvent the idea of the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2008 – tonight at 9 p.m. ET. Click here to watch a preview of Cracking The Code.

NBC Sports will present coverage from the first tee shot of the Ryder Cup to the final putt from Friday-Sunday, totaling 100-plus hours of live coverage during Ryder Cup week from Whistling Straits including on-site studio coverage and featured groups.

Over the course of the week, more than 35 on-air talent provide live commentary throughout live event and studio coverage across NBC, GOLF Channel, and Peacock. Click here for more information on NBC Sports’ live event and studio on-air teams for the 43rd Ryder Cup.

CRACKING THE CODE – NEW DOCUMENTARY ON 2008 U.S. RYDER CUP TEAM CAPTAINED BY PAUL AZINGER – DEBUTS TONIGHT AT 9 P.M. ET ON GOLF CHANNEL

Debuting on GOLF Channel tonight at 9 p.m. ET following Live From the Ryder Cup, Cracking the Code details how Paul Azinger enlisted the help of clinical therapist Dr. Ron Braund, using personality tests and the now-famed “pod system,” to structure the American team that ultimately went on to upset the European team at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.

Cracking The Code was filmed extensively at Valhalla Golf Club and includes interviews with 2008 Ryder Cup captains Paul Azinger and Nick Faldo; U.S. Ryder Cup assistant captain Olin Browne; 2008 Ryder Cup team members Jim Furyk, Kenny Perry, Stewart Cink, Boo Weekley, and J.B. Holmes; 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup caddies and current NBC Sports on-course reporters Jim “Bones” Mackay and John Wood; and NBC Sports’ Dan Hicks and Gary Koch.


INSIDE ‘THE ROOM’ AND 20 YEARS’ WORTH OF RYDER CUP MEMORIES
FROM JOHN WOOD

NBC Sports on-course reporter and six-time U.S. Ryder Cup caddie John Wood shared 20 years of Ryder Cup memories in an article for GOLFChannel.com earlier today. In the piece, Wood discusses his passion and love for the Ryder Cup, what it meant to him to be a caddie for six Ryder Cup teams and an assistant for a seventh, and shares some unique insights that only someone inside “The Room” can truly speak to. Following are excerpts from the article:

Wood about the uniqueness of the Ryder Cup: “Jordan Spieth will play in the Masters for the next 25-30 years. Justin Thomas will be in the PGA for a long, long time… But you know how many Ryder Cups they’re guaranteed to play in going forward? One. Just this one, just this week…treat it like it’s your last one and give everything you have to the team for the entire week because two years from now, you have no idea if you’ll be back. And when you’re all done, playing these will be the weeks you remember more than any others, because these weeks are bigger than yourself.

Wood on “The Room”: “The Room is something you cannot possibly understand unless you’ve been in one. When I hear criticisms and critiques from those who have never been lucky enough to be in a Team Room, I always have to say to myself, ‘You have no idea’… It is in The Room where I have seen players win matches they weren’t even playing in because of a word they said the night before to a teammate, because of a little needle or a word of praise during a practice round on Tuesday, in a phone call when they were picked for the team.”


NBC SPORTS GOLF COMMENTATORS PREVIEW 43RD RYDER CUP

Last week, NBC Sports play-by-play commentator Dan Hicks, analysts Paul Azinger and Justin Leonard, on-course reporter John Wood, and producer Tommy Roy previewed the upcoming 43rd Ryder Cup on a media conference call. Click here for a full transcript.

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: Golf, Golf Central, Golf Central Live, Golf Channel, NBC, Ryder Cup, Uncategorized

CRACKING THE CODE, NEW DOCUMENTARY DETAILING 2008 U.S. RYDER CUP TEAM CAPTAINED BY PAUL AZINGER, DEBUTS MONDAY, SEPT. 20 AT 9 P.M. ET ON GOLF CHANNEL

September 17, 2021 By admin

Cracking the Code Outlines Azinger’s Strategy to Select & Structure U.S. Team Which Went on to Historic Upset of the European Team at Valhalla Golf Club in 2008

Interviews with 2008 Ryder Cup Captains Azinger and Nick Faldo, Team Members Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, and More

Actor Josh Duhamel Narrates Cracking the Code

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 17, 2021  – Cracking the Code, a new documentary detailing the inside story of Paul Azinger embarking upon a groundbreaking strategy inspired by the Navy Seals to reinvent the idea of the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2008, debuts Monday, Sept. 20 at 9 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel following Live From the Ryder Cup.

The new GOLF Channel documentary details how Azinger enlisted the help of sports psychologist Dr. Ron Braund using personality tests and the now-famed “pod system” to structure the American team that ultimately went on to upset the European team at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky.

Cracking The Code was filmed extensively at Valhalla Golf Club and includes interviews with 2008 Ryder Cup captains Paul Azinger and Nick Faldo; U.S. Ryder Cup assistant captain Olin Browne; 2008 Ryder Cup team members Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker (current U.S. Ryder Cup captain), Jim Furyk, Kenny Perry, Stewart Cink, Boo Weekley, and J.B. Holmes; 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup caddies and current NBC Sports on-course reporters Jim “Bones” Mackay and John Wood; and NBC Sports’ Dan Hicks and Gary Koch.

Actor Josh Duhamel will serve as the narrator of Cracking the Code.

NBC SPORTS RYDER CUP COVERAGE

NBC Sports presents comprehensive live coverage of the 43rd Ryder Cup across NBC, GOLF Channel, Peacock, and RyderCup.com, beginning Friday, September 24 through Sunday, September 26 from Whistling Straits Golf Club in Kohler, Wis. Studio coverage on-site from Whistling Straits begins Monday, September 20, with GOLF Central Live From the Ryder Cup on GOLF Channel.

NBC Sports will present coverage from the first tee shot of the Ryder Cup to the final putt from Friday-Sunday, totaling 100-plus hours of live coverage during Ryder Cup week from Whistling Straits including on-site studio coverage and featured groups.

Earlier this week, NBC Sports held a media conference call previewing the 43rd Ryder Cup with play-by-play commentator Dan Hicks, analysts Paul Azinger and Justin Leonard, on-course reporter John Wood, and producer Tommy Roy. Click here for the full transcript.

For more information on NBC Sports’ Ryder Cup coverage, click here.

-NBC SPORTS-

Filed Under: NBC, Ryder Cup, Uncategorized

TRANSCRIPT – NBC SPORTS 43RD RYDER CUP CONFERENCE CALL

September 15, 2021 By admin

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Dan Hicks

Paul Azinger

Justin Leonard

John Wood

Tommy Roy

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon or good morning, depending on where you are throughout the contiguous 48 states or perhaps abroad. Thank you for joining our NBC Sports Ryder Cup media conference call today.

We’re going to be joined in a minute by NBC Sports lead golf producer Tommy Roy, lead play by play commentator Dan Hicks, analyst Paul Azinger and Justin Leonard, and our on-course reporter John Wood.

We’re incredibly excited to produce the 43rd Ryder Cup, and it’s an event that NBC Sports has showcased for 30 years now since it came to NBC in 1991 at the memorable War By the Shore at Kiawah.

Since that tiny amount of coverage has skyrocketed, and this year we’re going to present about 100 hours of Ryder Cup coverage next week across NBC, GOLF Channel, Peacock, and rydercup.com, when you factor in live coverage, the featured groups, and studio coverage. The studio coverage is going to begin Monday, September 20th, on GOLF Channel. And that evening, 9:00 p.m. Eastern on Golf Channel, we’re also going to premiere a new Golf Films documentary, Cracking the Code, which details our own Paul Azinger’s captaincy of the 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup team. All of these folks on the call could certainly talk about that.

We’ll begin with a few words from each of our speakers. We’ll start with the man who has been a part of every NBC Sports Ryder Cup production since 1991, our producer Tommy Roy. Go ahead, Tommy.

TOMMY ROY: Thank you, Jamie. I am amazed at how big and all-encompassing this event has become. As Jamie can attest, we have these weekly meetings with the PGA of America, and we go over things like promotion and marketing and social and digital, sales, press and media, ops and fantasy. That’s all above and beyond the operations and the TV shows themselves.

So we have a love affair for this event. It’s right in our wheelhouse, where after all these years of dealing with the nuances of team match play, we’re scheduled to be on the air for 28 hours over the course of three days, and I’ll sit in the producer’s chair for every single second of it. I will not be tired at all at the end because every session, all five many them, will have the same intensity and even more energy than the back nine of a major.

Every match is like its own golf tournament. Every point is so valuable and so important. So we’re pumped and can’t wait to get it going.

DAN HICKS: Thank you, Jamie. Echo, obviously, everything that Tommy said. Ryder Cup is an absolute different animal than any other golf event we do and really any other sporting event we do. For obvious reasons. I think our appetites are whetted for this one even more because we’ve waited an extra year. I think Steve Stricker’s been the captain for like 31 months. He’s got to be jumping out of his skin to get this thing going, like we all are.

But I kind of compare it to an Olympics. It’s one of those events that I think brings in the non — it brings in more than just the golf fan. It brings in somebody who maybe even never watches a golf tournament. You’ve got grandparents and parents and kids watching the Olympics, and I think it pretty much mirrors the same kind of reaction you get from a Ryder Cup.

For instance, my wife Hannah Storm is a big sports fan, doesn’t watch a ton of golf tournaments. Probably watches more than her usual share because I do a lot of them, but she absolutely loves the Ryder Cup and is actually going to her first Ryder Cup in several years because it’s an event that she just connects with.

I’m also looking forward to it because the guy I’m sitting next to, Paul Azinger. I think this event, you’re going to hear things from Zinger that are going to really, really turn you on to the event even more. We’ve been waiting a long time to do it, didn’t happen last year.

Sitting next to Zing is something that I’ve been looking forward to and we’ve been talking about for a long, long time. With that, I’ll turn it back to you, Jamie.

PAUL AZINGER: He’s right. Dan and I have talked about it an awful lot, and we’ve been real excited about it. I think Tommy summed up exactly how every captain feels and how he wants to approach every single match with the same urgency, intensity, whatever it is, that that point provides to the captain because Tommy’s going to try to capture that.

It is so critical to get off to a good start for this American team. I look forward to being the analyst and to see how they react if they don’t get off to a good start or if they do, but in the end, this is going to be, I think, one of the most watched Ryder Cups because of the intensity level.

The fact that the Americans have only won five times in 38 years has us all wondering can this juggernaut of an American team with the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh ranked players in the world on their team, can those best players beat that team?

Because they’re going to show up as a bonded team, and our guys are going to show up — I don’t know how they’re going to show up. They’re going to show up as the best players.

But the fun part for us is we get to document this clash and record it for history. We’ve got a good team here because Justin’s played in the Ryder Cup, Bones has been on the ground there, and same with Woody. Tommy’s produced it. Hicks has covered it. Koch and those guys know what they’re doing. Roger’s been there a million times. I can’t wait. We’re all jazzed up for it.

JUSTIN LEONARD: Thank you, Jamie. I was so disappointed, as so many people were last fall, when the last Ryder Cup was cancelled. It would be great to have it be played with or without fans, just for another escape from what was going on in the world.

Looking back on it, that would have been a huge mistake. The fans are such a part of what the Ryder Cup is, to the people watching at home, to us as broadcasters, and to the players maybe most importantly. Having home crowd fans is the Americans’ will. It’s a huge boost to what they’re trying to do and trying to accomplish and to be able to show off their skills to people in person.

I know in my own Ryder Cup experience, people ask how nervous is it, or was I. I was more nervous in my Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Ryder Cup practice rounds than I ever was in a major championship. When you’ve got that bag with your country or your continent on it, you’ve got your flag or symbol on your sleeve, on your hat, you’re coming together as a group to try to accomplish something. There’s no words that can really do it justice.

Then on top of all that, in those practice days, you feel like you’re auditioning a little bit because you want the captains and the vice captains to see that you’re ready to go because you want to get in there and play early. Those matches, as Tommy has pointed out, from the 1st tee on, it feels like you’re trying to win a major championship, but even more so because you’ve got other people relying on you.

It’s a great atmosphere. I’m so excited to be there. The fans in Wisconsin, I know, are going to be amazing, and the venue will be incredible, both on TV and in person. So really looking forward to it.

JOHN WOOD: Thank you, Jamie. I think anybody will tell you, if you know me, this is by far my favorite event. It pains me not to be working it as a caddie, to be honest with you, but I’m thrilled to be doing it as a commentator this time.

Hopefully I can bring some of the stuff that really isn’t talked about in terms of nerves and emotions out there because there’s so much more of that than in a regular event. You’re worried about your partners and your partners’ caddies, and the captains and assistants who are watching. So there’s a lot more emotions, a lot more nerves, and hopefully, I can bring some of that into the telecast.

There’s so many story lines coming in, who knows which one is going to raise its head the highest? Obviously, a very determined European team who is amazing at bonding. They get together, and somehow in this week they raise their games to a different level. Zinger mentioned the talent on the U.S. side, and it’s just going to be a matter of that talent bonding together, and if both teams play well, I expect the U.S. to win.

You look at it, and every Sunday at a Ryder Cup, I don’t care what the score is, you can have a four or five-point lead, every Sunday there’s a point where you look at the board and go, uh-oh, and you think the other team’s got a path to victory. So that’s fun to watch.

Tommy mentioned we have 28 hours of coverage. I’ve already petitioned him to work 29 of those 28 if possible. Justin touched on the nervous aspect of it. I’ve never as a caddie been standing in a fairway trying to add 140 and 10 and gotten confused except at the Ryder Cup. 150, does that sound right? Is that right to you? It’s just as nervous for the caddies as the players and the captains.

It’s by far my favorite event, and I just cannot wait to get on the grounds.

Paul, I’m curious about, obviously, you have some experience as a Ryder Cup captain, and I’m wondering what your advice would be to Steve Stricker and the U.S. team leadership as far as sort of creating a bond with the current team as it’s in its current form.

PAUL AZINGER: That’s always the challenge for the captain. I think it should happen naturally when you get there. It doesn’t always work that way. But Stricker, every captain is going to create an environment for these guys to be successful the best they know how.

I talked to Steve a little bit. He told me that the things that made him nervous, he was going to eliminate, the inspirational videos and stuff like that. And he was just going to sell the message of preparation really hard and try to get his guys to have an advantage on that course.

If the wind blows, I think they’re going to lose any advantage, really mainly on the greens. Everybody can handle the wind tee to green, but on the green somehow Europe makes all those putts in the wind.

I just feel like Stricker has just got to make sure our guys know the course the best. That’s really — in the end, that’s it in a nutshell. If those guys, as far as bonding is concerned, that’s a six-month mission, I think in his case. So we’ll see what happens.

If you were in the position of being the U.S. captain, what would you say to Brooks and Bryson and some of the guys who have had, I guess, prickly relationships in the last few months?

PAUL AZINGER: I would say, can you guys put your issues aside and then get a yes or a no and then deal with whatever their answer was. I personally feel like Brooks and Bryson can put the globe on their shoulder. Not the globe, but the United States on their shoulder and — shoulders and carry this Ryder Cup team, and they can also be a royal pain in the neck.

I personally think they can put this team on their shoulders and they will do it and put their differences aside. Brooks, when I just read that article, I’m not sure he loves the Ryder Cup that much. If he doesn’t love it, he should relinquish his spot and get people there who do love the Ryder Cup. Not everybody embraces it, but if you don’t love it and you’re not sold out, then I think Brooks should — especially being hurt, should consider whether or not he really wants to be there.

Then if you add the Bryson dynamic to that, that would be an easier decision for him. Brooks is one of the most candid, most honest guys there is, and if he’s blatantly honest with himself and doesn’t want to be there, he should come out and say it. I don’t know, I’m a fan of both players. I just feel like it’s going to be one or the other. They’re going to put the weight of the team on their shoulders, or they’re going to be a pain in the neck.

Paul, this U.S. team having the most rookies since your team in 2008, I’d be curious your opinion on the value of experience, and is experience that valuable when a team keeps getting beat all the time?

PAUL AZINGER: No, it’s not really that valuable if it’s always a bad experience. That’s the way I look at it. I love the idea of fresh blood. I think all of our guys on our team were real — I don’t know, they were energized and I think got them engaged.

For the most part, giving them ownership a little bit — Justin can attest to this. These guys had ownership in who they picked, and I thought that was real important. So I don’t know.

Shortest answer ever. Appreciate it. Justin, as we look — and I forgot who brought it up. I think Paul did — in terms of the amount of talent through the world rankings or victories or whatever you want to say, but Europe keeps winning. As a player, this whole argument of this team is better on paper, you want to ignore it. Is that really hard to do when you’re playing and you look at who you’re lined up with?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Well, I don’t think once they’re matched up that players are thinking, well, I’m higher in the world rankings and I won 12 times and he’s won 3. It’s about going out to get your point. But I do think that it plays a part in the attitude of the two teams going into it.

The European side seems to take this underdog role and mentality and use it to their advantage, whether they’re playing at home or in the U.S. With that comes a sense of freedom, of well we’re not really expected to win, so let’s go out and play freely. And I think you see that time and again at every Ryder Cup.

With the U.S. side, if I’m Steve Stricker, I’m trying to talk my players into, you know what, we haven’t won this in a long time and they should be the favorite and trying to embrace more of that underdog mentality where the U.S. team can play more freely.

Because it’s hard to play as a favorite. You see it a lot in regular TOUR events. The player that’s leading through 36 or 54 holes doesn’t go on to win because it’s hard to play out front when you’re the favorite, when it’s kind of yours to lose. I feel like that’s unfortunately been kind of the circumstances that the U.S. team has been under, and they just haven’t been able to perform as well.

So I think for Steve Stricker and his side, the key is to try and convince your players that, look, we’re not the favorite in this. Yes, maybe so on paper. We’ve got plenty of talent, but all that stuff on paper, you can take a match to it because it means nothing in the Ryder Cup. The European side’s won it consistently throughout the last 15 to 20 years, and try and get the U.S. to play with a bit more freedom.

Paul, what would you say is the single hardest part about making the player pairing, making those decisions?

PAUL AZINGER: It really shouldn’t be hard. The way I looked at it, I just felt like just about everybody could play with anybody. It just isn’t that hard.

But I think now you have to deal with these guys wanting to play with each other, which actually is liberating as well. That’s pretty nice. Making the pairings for day one, the first day or whatever, I wanted all 12 of my guys to play on day one. It was real easy to do. If you’re getting waxed, then I think the second day it becomes something different.

But all in all, I just felt like the pairings were so easy and obvious. Then I felt like the ones that you didn’t want were pretty easy and obvious, especially the way we did it with the three four-man teams. But even if you just had 12 individual guys, it always looks so clear-cut to me who should and shouldn’t be paired.

But at the same time, you did invest a lot of time into weighing personality types and all those things that are in Cracking the Code.

PAUL AZINGER: Well, here’s what I did. Because I had six guys coming back to the Ryder Cup who really hadn’t had a lot of great experiences. Justin Leonard had in ’99. But I felt like in my mind I wanted to get these guys engaged in something different, and that’s what happened.

They got really interested in what we were doing rather than dreading the event. It’s quite possible, when you get beaten every time, that you go into that event dreading it. What if Brooks Koepka deep down, if he’s thinking my reward is I have to go play the Ryder Cup because I played so well? It’s possible. I know there’s players in the past who have felt that way.

I’m not saying Brooks feels that way, but the Ryder Cup, it’s a different animal. Getting those right players together, like I said, like I did personality types, and I felt that trumped like games. So that was my philosophy. The players fell in love with it. I gave them ownership of it. They made the decision. So it worked out great.

But it was up to them once the bell rings. The worst part about being a captain is having no control whether or not you’re going to win or lose beyond creating the environment. But if that environment, if on 15 of the Ryder Cup one guy misses and the other guy makes, whatever you did in the team room, I don’t know how much that really mattered.

This is for Justin. Before you made the big putt in 1999, before, Johnny Miller criticized the American team and you in particular. I’m just wondering 22 years later how you look at that and how you look now at your role of what you should or shouldn’t say in the Ryder Cup.

JUSTIN LEONARD: Look, it was motivating for myself. I know it was for Jim Furyk as well. At that point in a Ryder Cup, you don’t necessarily need outside things for motivation. Johnny had the biggest voice in the game of golf. I wouldn’t say that it stung. I would say we just wanted to try and prove him wrong, and he wasn’t wrong at the time that he said it.

It was one of those things where it served as motivation, and Johnny was so gracious. I’ll tell you a story. About a month later there was a charter flight going over to Spain to play in a WGC event in Valderrama. Johnny was on the flight. NBC was broadcasting. He leaped over three rows of chairs and knocked over two small children to get over to me as quickly as he could to apologize for it, which was not necessary.

He apologized. I said, Johnny, there’s no need to. I said, you were doing your job, and you do it so beautifully. I may not have personally liked what you said, but you said the right thing, and I said just thank you for the motivation.

So hopefully, we won’t give either team motivation, but there will be times, I’m sure, where whoever is sitting at 18 needs to be critical in the moment, and Johnny set the bar for that. He spoke his mind. I think it’s all something that we all strive to do each and every day with broadcasting.

Again, no bad blood whatsoever. We had a funny moment when he was doing his last telecast a couple years ago at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and we kind of relived that moment a little bit. So we’ve had a lot of fun with it over the years.

It was hard not to notice in Steve Stricker’s captain’s press conference that he name dropped both you and the pod system. I’m curious. You’ve seen a lot of captains since ’08. From whatever glimpses you’ve had behind the curtain, is he the most Azinger-like captain since you?

PAUL AZINGER: I have no idea. I have purposely not gotten too deep into what he’s doing. I actually called him the other day and left him a voicemail. I’m calling as an American. I should apologize up front if I ever say we or us or them or they. Tommy already two weeks in advance has let all of us know that we’re not to do that.

But I did call him as an American and just felt like I wanted him to know what I was thinking, just basic things, making sure he didn’t miss anything. But that’s about it. I really don’t know what he’s doing. He’s not told me if he’s going to do the full blown pod system or not. Nobody has delved into it the way we did with the personality types and using my Myers Briggs green light, caution light, red light stuff.

It’s so different now with social media anyway with the way these guys are. The way I did it wouldn’t even work today to be honest, even though the concept was good. Look, I’ll believe this forever — the Europeans are bonded by blood. They’re bonded naturally. This means everything to them. The Spaniards play together. The Englishmen, the Irishmen, the Swedes — that’s how they do it, and they’re bonded by something that really gives them a full blown 1 percent advantage no matter where they are.

Vegas can build hotels on a 1 percent advantage. So you have to as a captain figure out how to get yourself back in there where it’s evened up. But something happened, we’ve only won five times in 38 years. It’s sad really that this American side has gotten beaten like that, but they bring an intangible with them. It’s a fact.

John, there’s so much glory in the Ryder Cup, but you had a front row seat to the opposite of that, how much pain it can bring in 2010. I was just curious, I don’t know if I’ve ever heard you talk about that. I kind of want to hear what you remember from that and sort of how devastating an event this big can be if it goes the wrong way.

JOHN WOOD: Sure. Hunter (Mahan) was put out last, and it’s a huge position to be in. I was pretty happy for him, to be honest with you, that the captain trusted him, that Corey (Pavin) trusted him that much.

It’s weird being the last group out, though. Unless you’re Tiger or Phil or Rory, you play most of the day with not that big of a crowd, to be honest with you. Everybody is watching those opening matches. So we were playing Graeme (McDowell), and for the first 9, 10, 12 holes, it really wasn’t that big of a crowd. Hunter was playing beautifully, just couldn’t make a putt, and Graeme was making those Graeme putts.

I think we birdied to get within one and then we came to that par-3 and obviously hit a little fat off the tee. Hunter had struggled with his short game whether it was Tuesday in a practice round or the biggest moment in the Ryder Cup. That’s no secret, and he would admit to that.

So when we got up there, I was a little surprised that he reached for the sand wedge right away, because at that point, I was expecting him to putt it, but when he didn’t, I wasn’t going to get in his grill because he was very decisive about it.

When it happened, obviously, my heart sunk for Hunter. Obviously, it meant that we were going to lose as a team, but Hunter was my guy, and it hurt a lot for him.

The one thing I would say, and I think Hunter would say this as well, if I could change the outcome I would, but I wouldn’t have traded that experience to be last out in a Ryder Cup with everything on the line, with every single player on both teams and every single fan with your group. Not many people get to experience that. So, yeah, I would change the outcome, but in terms of the experience itself, I wouldn’t change a thing and wouldn’t want to trade it for anything.

It was one of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I think Hunter got over it fairly quickly. He had a great year the next year. It’s just one of those things. I keep harping back to it wasn’t so much that I don’t think he blew it, it just was a shot he’s not good at, bottom line. Like I said, it could have happened Tuesday in a practice round just as easily, but, yeah, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

My question is for Paul or Justin. How big a deal is the course preparation? The captains are so secretive about it. But home crowd aside, are there certain things that can be done to Whistling Straits to give the Americans an advantage?

PAUL AZINGER: There should be something they can do, but you have to think to do it. Apparently, according to Kerry Haigh, I was the first captain on home soil to ever ask to control the course and how it was mowed and that sort of thing. Europe had been doing that ever since I was playing Ryder Cup. I was surprised by that.

I think (Steve) Stricker does have things he can do. He’s just got to set up the course, I feel like in some ways never to disadvantage your guy, if you can. If you can find an advantage, go for it. Yeah, I think Stricker can probably figure out with the makeup of his team how to mow that place.

JUSTIN LEONARD: I don’t know that there’s a particular advantage at the golf course. There’s no regular event that’s played there. So many of their players on the European side play in the U.S. They’ve played PGA Championship there.

I think the fact that the U.S. team was there this past week spending a couple days to really get to know the golf course is very helpful. I don’t know how many European players have been able to do that here recently.

Over the course of two or three days, it’s pretty easy to figure out a golf course, but to be able to go ahead of time and see it in tournament conditions but without all the galleries, without the distractions, where you can really take your time and do the things you need to do, I think that is an advantage.

But the golf course itself, I don’t see it being much of an advantage. I think the biggest advantage will be all the people there to support the U.S. I feel like that’s worth maybe a point in the overall outcome. It’s just the support for the home team, and I would expect, as I’ve seen there in Wisconsin, some pretty rabid fans.

PAUL AZINGER: Can I just add to that? The captain, I think, can control the length of the holes. There’s not a lot of trees out there, maybe zero. There are zero trees. You have bunker carries and distances and that sort of thing.

At Valhalla I was real specific about what my longest hitter’s carry distance was, and I just wanted all the holes to play at length and allowed them to carry the trouble. Then my shorter hitters were so accurate. That’s just kind of how we did it. That’s really about the only thing, and maybe you just don’t have any rough over some of those bunkers. That’s about it.

Obviously, golf is an individual sport for almost every single week of the year except this one, when players are asked to work as a team. What role do you think team chemistry plays in a team’s success or failure?

JUSTIN LEONARD: I think it plays to it in some part. I haven’t been in those team rooms since 2008, but I can tell you in the three Ryder Cups that I did play, we had very good chemistry. You come together really quickly.

As we talked about a lot on this call, in 2008 we were broken up into players of four. I was in a pod with Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim, and then we picked Hunter Mahan basically to be my partner because Phil and Anthony wanted to play together.

We ate breakfast together. We ate dinner together. Now, we’re all in the same room with the whole team, but we sat at a table together. We played our practice rounds together. So we went in knowing, okay, this is who we’re going to play with, and if something changes up, I’m either going to be playing with Phil or Anthony.

That adds a level of comfort to it, but it’s also we talk about, as we have already, Bryson and Brooks. Ben Curtis was on that 2018, Kenny Perry was on that team, Jim Furyk was on that team. I hardly saw those guys other than at the big dinners where we’re getting dressed up and all those things. I don’t think they even do that anymore.

So you can break up into groups, and I think it’s real easy to avoid players that may not quite get along. You can keep them kind of separate for the week. Like Paul said, I don’t know exactly what’s going on there in the team locker room, but I know that Phil Mickelson was a big proponent of the pods. He loved that system. Him being a vice captain, I feel fairly confident that we’ll see something similar to that next week.

JOHN WOOD: I just want to jump in on Zinger’s strategy, one other thing that it did. We got there on Monday, and we immediately knew everything that was going to happen during the week. Who we can play with, what balls we might need to prepare with, what personalities we needed to know.

To have that taken away right early in the week — that week takes so much energy to play, to caddie, to captain, to do anything. What that did was take away that energy that’s wasted sometimes thinking, I might play with this guy, I don’t know. I’d better hit his ball a few times just to see or talk to him a little bit and see what he’s like. To know that immediately, right when you get there, your preparation is yours and yours alone and you don’t have to do A, B, C, D, and E, you prepare because you know what’s going to happen, that takes an incredible amount of energy waste off the plate that week.

PAUL AZINGER: That’s awesome to hear.

John, from being around the team for the 2017 Presidents Cup, what do you think some of Steve Stricker’s strengths as a captain are?

JOHN WOOD: I think Stricker will stick to his plan, and I don’t think he’s going to be one who, oh, boy, we’re behind on the first day, we need to change everything up.

That was huge in Melbourne with Tiger as captain because there was a point where it looked like we might be down 9-1 or 8-2. At that point, you kind of mail it in. You’re not coming back from that. But Tiger never seemed to waver in these are my partnerships. This is my team. We’re not changing anything. By the end of all these matches, we’re going to be ahead.

I think Stricker is going to be very much like that. This is my plan. I’ve been working on it for three years now. Just because maybe we had one bad session or two bad sessions, to throw all that out the window, which is the worst thing a captain can do. All of a sudden he’s panicking, and the team starts to panic. Oh, boy, we’re changing everything. We’re in trouble.

Whereas I think Stricker will be very — he’s an emotional guy, but I think he’s going to be very matter of fact in his decision-making, and I think that’s huge knowing that this is what we’re going to do, period. Behind, ahead, it doesn’t matter. It just gives you some confidence going in knowing that the captain believes in his theory.

Justin, a lot of talk about length at Whistling Straits, but we’ve seen a variety of players and styles have success there. Is it a place where a variety of players can fare well? Maybe there’s too much reliance on the length talk.

JUSTIN LEONARD: When playing major championships there, the two PGAs, I didn’t feel like length was a huge advantage because the golf course played firm. At least I remember that it did back in 2004. So precision was rewarded there as well.

It’s a different game that these guys are playing now. I would think that the golf course, it won’t be as firm or as fast as maybe it would be in a major championship because you’re not trying to — not that the PGA of America does for a certain score, but they’re trying to test the golfers as much and as thoroughly as they can.

The Ryder Cup is more match play. It’s a different animal. So I don’t feel that the golf course will play quite as fast, at least in the fairways. And I think a lot of that does come down to Steve Stricker, and if he feels like his team has an advantage in length, maybe it’s better to have the golf course playing a little bit slower so that his players will be coming into the green with a little less club, but kind of a softer golf course I feel like length is a bigger advantage. When it’s firm and fast, I always felt like I could get it out there and compete just fine.

But this is a different game. These players, they’re so good from tee to green. I think it will be interesting to see how it’s set up, and Kerry Haigh, who’s one of the best in the business — my guess is that Steve Stricker would have some control over that, and then I think once the week begins, it’s completely up to Kerry Haigh and the PGA of America how they want to set it up.

But, yeah, if you look back at the playoff in 2004, Vijay (Singh), one of the longest players in the game, and Chris DiMarco and myself in the playoff, Chris Riley played well there. In the past when it was firm and fast, didn’t think length was much of an advantage, but with a little bit softer, I think it certainly could be.

Not to belabor the pod discussion and this year’s team, but I’m curious, if you looked at the group, just from what you know of them and thought of possible pods that you would put them in or if you’d ever consider a pod of one looking at some of the issues going into this year?

PAUL AZINGER: Well, I’m not going to speculate on what his pods are. Looking at teams in four-man squads, it’s so easy to do, knowing some of them and using the generalization of their personality types. Are they influencing relaters? Are they steady supportive? Are they dominant controlling? When you look at them and you know what guys you should avoid putting together, it’s pretty easy to see the pods if they want to do it.

Look, it’s going to be an incredible event, whether they do pods or they don’t. I just think the pods — they don’t work all the time. We keep getting beat. If everybody’s still using the pods, pods isn’t the answer. It’s something bigger than that.

We have the best players this year, and obviously they roll in with the most confidence and maybe the best team. It’s going to be an intriguing matchup.

But the pods, obviously, it’s not the answer. There was something different there. The way we messaged that team was just to really take the heat off, to play great, play aggressive, show off for the crowd. We tried to embrace the crowd, and that’s about as big of an advantage as you can get on the Europeans really. That’s about it.

And just a quick question for Tommy. Just watching the Solheim Cup, it’s kind of a reminder that it looks like from the production side that Sunday singles is the hardest day to do because it seems like not a lot happens and then suddenly everything’s happening, and then there’s only a few matches left. I’m curious if that’s something you’ve ever tried to address and deal with, either asking for tee time spread more or situating commercial breaks so that you have kind of more of a window there in the middle, and it seems like basically everybody’s on the course and it’s just going crazy.

TOMMY ROY: Yeah, it’s complicated, the match play, because you never really know when a match is going to end. You have matches that are very close or they’re so one-sided. So it’s hard to pick a time when you can ask for that.

We do happen this particular Ryder Cup, when the last Sunday singles match tees off, we have a one-hour window there that’s commercial free courtesy of Rolex, which is nice. I haven’t seen the commercial load for the rest of the time just yet, but that being said, it is complicated. The thing you try to do is be live with the matches that are furthest along in the course that have a chance to end, the ones that are close.

We used to get criticized because a lot of times Tiger’s matches would be one-sided and we wouldn’t follow his match much at all. That’s in a day when everybody wanted to see every single shot that he hit, but we were concentrating on the matches that were closest and furthest along, about to be decided.

It’s complicated, but it’s a blast, I can tell you, just the whole Ryder Cup. If you’re in contention at a major championship, it’s because you’re playing really well. And what you end up having happen at Ryder Cups is guys are out there playing with all this pressure and everything on the line, but they may not have their best game. They may have qualified for this team months ago when they were playing great and now they aren’t necessarily playing great.

With all that added pressure, you tend to get the good shots are even better, but the worst shots are even worse. Bad shots are even worse. So it just makes for a lot of fun. Capturing all that emotion, it’s not about dissecting swings and the design of the course. This is about capturing the emotion of this whole thing, which is refreshing to do.

John, in general, how is Ryder Cup week different from a normal week for a caddie in relationship with his player? Do you have any stories of something that you felt you did really well and maybe a story to something you felt you did poorly as a Ryder Cup caddie?

JOHN WOOD: We don’t have enough time for everything I’ve done poorly in Ryder Cups. It’s a different week, and you really need to — especially with the pod system and you know your potential playing partners — you’ve really got to learn his game. You’ve got to learn what shots he likes to play, what shots he likes to avoid. A lot of that is talking with the other caddie. Does he like a certain number on layup shots. Would he rather chip, or would he rather play from a bunker?

More than that, though, it’s learning their personalities. Sometimes in these team events, you’re out with somebody and you can kind of tell that, for one reason or another, they may have tuned out their caddie for a little bit, and it happens to everybody, where you hear the same thing over and over and over again. Sometimes it just comes on blank ears.

Sometimes — I’ve had an instance where in Melbourne at the Presidents Cup — not this last one, but the previous one — Hunter (Mahan) was paired with Bill Haas. Bill was playing fine. He just didn’t have a lot of confidence at the time. He had his brother working for him, and his brother said, ‘Boy, you’ve got to go say something to Bill. He’s not listening to me at all.’ So that was a case where it’s easy for me to do that because I’m not worried about keeping my job with Bill. I can tell him anything I want.

So we were walking from 9 to 10, and I said, ‘hey, Bill, Hunter is playing good enough to win this thing on his own right now honestly. You make us one or two birdies on this back nine, and there’s no way we won’t win this match.’ That kind of picked him up, and he made a couple birdies, and sure enough, we won the match on the 17th hole.

There’s a lot more prep and learning other people’s games. And the other thing I would say is I didn’t learn this until my third or fourth Ryder Cup, but sometimes it can be a little unnerving early in the week when your player seems to be listening to everybody but you. Week in, week out, you’re the only guy he takes advice from on the course, reading putts, clubs. You get in the Ryder Cup, and all of a sudden Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, they’re listening to the other players and the other caddies a lot more than normal.

That can be a little unnerving, but you’ve got to know that, once the tee goes in the ground on Friday, you’ll be back in the game. That’s something I used to tell rookie caddies in that thing because it can be a little unnerving.

It’s a different week. You’ve just got a lot more to prepare for. At the same time, it’s such a meaningful week. Those are the weeks I’ll remember when I’m all done doing whatever I’m doing.

With six rookies on the team this year, how does that dynamic work then with trying to maybe — how does the caddie ease the tension, ease the anxiety that those guys may feel?

JOHN WOOD: I have a theory that rookies on home Ryder Cups aren’t rookies. It’s certainly nerve-racking and pressure filled, but not nearly as it is on an away team. I think that’s why you saw Strick pick some rookies and Padraig stick with some very veteran players who have been through this before.

Yeah, there are times when, if I’m paired with Austin Johnson and D.J. We’ve been out with them when I was with Kuch a little bit, and if Kuch is struggling, sometimes the best thing for Kuch is just forget about golf. I’ll pull A.J. aside and say, Hey, talk to my guy about basketball coming up this fairway, talk to him about something else, because sometimes that’s what’s best for Kuch. If I do it, he almost knows I’m trying to get him out of that, but if A.J. does it, it’s something new. Okay, let’s talk some basketball.

Yeah, it’s a good question. Those are some of the things you think about as a caddie in this event.

We talked about Strick a lot, but obviously in ’17 that team dominated. It wasn’t put under the blow torch as such. We also know him as a nice and accommodating individual. Is there such a thing as being too nice for this role if things do get a little bit fiery?

PAUL AZINGER: I don’t know if that matters whether you’re nice or not. I think the captain is going to try to control the controllables. Stricker is pretty organized. Padraig is really one of those cross the Ts, dot the Is guys. So you’re going to have two pretty thorough captains. They had an extra year to get ready.

His emotions and all that might inspire the players. The main thing is all the players love Strick and they respect him. They’d probably run through a wall for the guy if they can. I feel like that’s going to be the environment that’s created for the American team.

JUSTIN LEONARD: Along those lines, I think any coach who knows his team knows there’s certain guys who will respond to a pat on the back and other guys who will respond to a kick in the ass. I think Stricker knows who those players are and knows how to go and approach them if he needs to.

I’ll tell you one great story about Strick that’s kind of unrelated. At the Presidents Cup at Muirfield Village, it was Jordan’s first team event and he was amped up. He’s always amped up and very animated anyway. Fred put Stricker out with him to kind of settle him down and talk to him out there and lead him through some matches.

I remember he came through the first match, and Strick came up to me and said, ‘Woody, somebody’s got to calm that guy down out there. He’s so animated and so amped up, I can’t take it.’ I looked at Strick and said, ‘yeah, I think that’s your job. I’m pretty sure that’s why you’re playing with him.’ He kind of flushed a little bit and said, ‘oh, yeah, you’re right.’

I think Strick is prepared for everybody on that team and knows what to do and how to handle it and knows that you don’t necessarily handle everybody the same way.

THE MODERATOR: Great. Appreciate everybody joining the call. A full transcript of this call is going to be available later this afternoon on NBCsportsgrouppressbox.com. Additionally, for members of the press interested in watching a screener of the new documentary Cracking the Code, as I mentioned, that’s going to premiere Monday evening at 9:00 p.m. eastern, but I do have screeners available that I can e-mail to you. If you’re interested, reach out.

Other than that, again, appreciate everybody’s time. Can’t wait for next week at Whistling Straits. Thanks again. Have a good day.

Filed Under: NBC, Ryder Cup, transcript, Uncategorized

NBC SPORTS 43RD RYDER CUP MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL – WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 AT NOON ET

September 13, 2021 By admin

Play-by-Play Commentator Dan Hicks, Analysts Paul Azinger and Justin Leonard, On-Course Reporter John Wood, and Producer Tommy Roy

Dial 800-367-2403 to Participate

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 13, 2021 – NBC Sports play-by-play commentator Dan Hicks, analysts Paul Azinger and Justin Leonard, on-course reporter John Wood, and producer Tommy Roy will preview the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits Golf Club in Kohler, Wis., on a media conference call this Wednesday, Sept. 15, at noon ET.

Media interested in participating should call 800-367-2403; Passcode: 1077131.

 

  • WHAT: 43rd Ryder Cup Media Conference Call
  • WHO: Dan Hicks, Paul Azinger, Justin Leonard, John Wood and Tommy Roy
  • WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 15, at noon ET
  • NUMBER: 800-367-2403
  • PASSCODE: 1077131

NBC Sports presents comprehensive live coverage of the 43rd Ryder Cup across NBC, GOLF Channel, Peacock, and RyderCup.com, beginning Friday, September 24 through Sunday, September 26 from Whistling Straits Golf Club in Kohler, Wis. Studio coverage on-site from Whistling Straits begins Monday, September 20, with GOLF Central Live From the Ryder Cup on GOLF Channel.

NBC Sports will present coverage from the first tee shot of the Ryder Cup to the final putt from Friday-Sunday, totaling 100-plus hours of live coverage during Ryder Cup week from Whistling Straits including on-site studio coverage and featured groups. Click here for more information.

—NBC SPORTS—

Filed Under: Golf, NBC, Ryder Cup, Uncategorized

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