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Britain and Ireland Lead Vivendi Trophy

SAINT-NOM-LA-BRETECHE, France (AP) -- Britain and Ireland led 3-2 over Europe after Thursday's opening fourballs of the Vivendi Trophy, a matchplay event on the European Tour.

Captained by three-time Ryder Cup winner Paul McGinley, Britain and Ireland had leads of 2-0 and 3-1 but Continental Europe hit back each time at the Saint-Nom-la-Breteche Golf Club on the outskirts of Paris.

The Vivendi Trophy, formerly known as the Seve Trophy after Seve Ballesteros, was created in 2000. Europe won the inaugural event before Britain and Ireland won it four consecutive times.

Handicapping Hazeltine: The Sleepers


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Just like we did with Augusta, Bethpage Black, and Turnberry, we present your Sleepers for the PGA Championship. Hazeltine National is hosting its first major since the 2002 PGA Championship, and has been extended to a ghastly 7,678 yards of pure major championship nastiness. What players do we like to jump out of the bottom of the pack and contend over the weekend? Read on to see your Sleepers for Glory's Last Shot.

Play Suspended at US Open Until Sunday, Barnes Remains in Lead


When NBC came on the air at 10AM ET in the morning to begin its Saturday U.S. Open coverage, Al Roker told us that the rain would start around 1-2 PM, and the thunderstorms would follow a couple hours later. It never materialized, and not only did the field complete the second round (Thursday had been a wash, too), 36 of the 60 golfers to make the cut got a few holes into their third rounds.

Sergio Garcia Wins HSBC, Now Second Only to Tiger Woods in World Rankings


I still contend that Anthony Kim should've won the just-concluded HSBC Champions but those pesky, arcane, imbecilic rules of golf conspired against him. I suspect falling off a horse didn't help, either.

In any case, Sergio Garcia somehow outlasted Oliver Wilson for the victory, and not only did the Spaniard earn a shiny, new trophy, he also moved into the second place in the World Rankings, displacing Phil Mickelson, who tied for eighth at the event.

Garcia, now 28, is probably still best known for his inspiring effort at the 1999 PGA Championship, followed closely by his his stellar Ryder Cup record. Despite currently being the planet's second-best golfer, Garcia has loftier goals. Chief among them: getting out of the "Best Player Never..." club currently chaired by Colin Montgomerie:

Golf's Winners and Losers of 2008


Golf is resting from a long, grueling season and rest it shall; it was a doozie of a 2008. We had some of the same old names winning consistently, some of the same old names losing consistently and a list of new golfers sure to find their way in golf conversation for years to come. Without further ado, here are your winners and losers of the 2008 PGA Tour Season.

Winners

Padraig Harrington -- With all respect to Tiger Woods and what he accomplished early this season, Harrington is our player of the year and for good reason. Padraig won two major championship in a row, making it three of the last six, and trying his best to accomplish what Sergio Garcia once said his goal was, to top both the PGA Tour money list and the Order of Merit in Europe. Harrington's second shot on the 17th hole at Royal Birkdale was one of the better executed shots of the year considering the pressure, setting up a Claret clinching eagle and repeating at the Open.

Americans Head Into Sunday's Singles Matches Leading Europeans 9-7


We're two-thirds through the 37th Ryder Cup and the Americans are holding onto a 9-7 lead heading into the Sunday singles matches. The Europeans trailed 5 1/2 - 2 1/2 after Day 1, and 7-5 after the Saturday morning foursomes, and despite cutting into the lead, nobody had the U.S. a) being competitive, and b) two full points up on a European team that won the last two events without much effort.

But this is different -- so far, at least -- and maybe it's because the Americans have rallied around not having Tiger, or perhaps a revitalized Justin Leonard, outta-nowhere performances from Steve Stricker or Hunter Mahan, or clutch ball-striking from Boo Weekley have all been the catalyst. Whatever, captain Paul Azinger has to be ecstatic about the team's predicament, and, if nothing else, the U.S. will be spared a Saturday night Ben Crenshaw "I have a good feeling about this" pep talk.

Now, though, the Americans have to play with the lead, which puts the pressure squarely on their shoulders, a position they are not familiar with in the Ryder Cup.

Americans Stumble a Bit In Morning Matches, Still Lead 7 to 5

For the first time in these Ryder Cup matches, the American team looked like the inferior group, but still managed to maintain the lead over the Europeans.

In the morning foursomes, where the Americans won 3 to 1 yesterday, the Europeans gained some ground, winning 2.5 points to the U.S. 1.5. The biggest blow came to the solid group of Anthony Kim and Phil Mickelson, who choked their way to their first lost point of the week. The victors over the Lefty and Belt Buckle were none other than Ryan's cousin Oliver Wilson and Henrik Stensen, who were four down to the Americans after six holes but scratched their way back hole by hole until 17, where Wilson cashed a 20-footer for birdie to take the full point (awkward fist pump accompanying picture).

Justin Leonard and Hunter Mahan also didn't dominate, splitting the point with that guy with a ponytail and Graeme McDowell on the pivotal 18th hole. After Leonard made another clutch putt on the 17th to go one up, Mahan hit a bit of a pull off the tee on 18 and put their team in a tough position.

The afternoon matches are already underway, and on the first hole J.B. Holmes hit a 373 yard drive. Also, Boo Weekley has already made a birdie and annoyed Lee Westwood, so make sure you tune in.

Handicapping the European Ryder Cup Team


The Ryder Cup starts Friday, which is another way of saying the Europeans are just three days from Operation Beatdown '08. It's hardly surprising that our friends across the pond are favored -- they've won the last three events, and the only reason it's not six straight is because Justin Leonard holed a "no way that goes in" 40-footer in 1999.

But, hey, there's a reason they play these things: anything can happen. As a companion piece to Shane Bacon's look at the American side, here's my ill-informed take on the European team, their past record, and who I think they will be best paired with this week.

Sergio Garcia (14-4-2) and Oliver Wilson (rookie) -- America hates Ryder Cup Garcia for a reason: because he never loses (or at least it seems that way). He's played with Jesper Parnevik, Jose Maria Olazabal and Lee Westwood during the last four events and he's won 70% of the time. Not too shabby. I'll be honest: I have no idea who Oliver Wilson is. For all I know, we're related. Whatever, he'll just have to stay out of Garcia's way on Friday and Saturday and hope the Euros are far enough ahead on Sunday that it won't matter if he goes down 9 and 8.

FanHouse U.S. Open Media Guide, Page 15

We've come to the end, so enjoy your last (extended) installment of the FanHouse Media Guide.

  • D.J. Trahan -- CUT -- At 27, he's one of the better golfers on tour nobody's heard of, winning the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic earlier in the season. His dad recorded 13 career aces, which makes me hate Poppa Trahan 13 times more than I hate a normal person.
  • Jonathan Turcott -- DNP -- A terrible start to the year, Turcott didn't cash a check in his first five Nationwide tournaments. A little better of late, Turcott has made six of his last eight cuts.
  • Kevin Tway (a) -- DNP -- Son of 1986 PGA Championship winner Bob Tway, Kevin can hold his own, winning the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2005. A freshman at Oklahoma State, Kevin will have dad on the bag to help out around Torrey Pines.
  • Scott Verplank -- t-7 -- A trivia question to stump your buddies, Verplank is the only American golfer to record a hole-in-one in Ryder Cup competition. Also, in a fit of lunacy, said the Bryon Nelson Championship is a "fifth major" after he won in 2007. In unrelated news, the Augusta National golf committee still won't allow me a spot in the Masters because they don't consider the "Lakeside Fourth of July Scramble" a professional golf victory.
  • Camilo Villegas -- t-26 -- The Sand Trap has a pretty good outline on why people love Villegas, I just haven't landed on board yet. He has never won a PGA Tour event but continues to finish high enough at the end of the year to retain his card. Oh, and he's really strong looking.
  • Nick Watney -- CUT -- A win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last season was his first on tour, but he's having more trouble in '08. He's only missed two cuts, but he isn't finishing his rounds, breaking 71 just once all year in the final round.
  • Bubba Watson -- t-5 -- Maybe my favorite golfer on tour, Bubba hit a drive in 2006 398 yards. Watson's wife Angie played in the WNBA and is an inch taller than him. He's struggled some this season, carding only one top-10 in 16 starts.
  • Boo Weekley -- t-26 -- His two wins on tour came at the same event, the Verizon Heritage. Was asked once what season it was, and answered "deer." I haven't found online evidence that Boo is a member of Mensa, though I have a hunch.
  • Mike Weir -- t-3 -- Weir has made seven of nine cuts at the U.S. Open and five top-10s, a stat that is pretty definitive of the caliber of player he is. A tie for second at the Memorial two weeks ago has Weir in top form heading to a tournament some feel he could win despite his length.
  • Lee Westwood -- t-5 -- Westwood hasn't had a top-10 finish in a major since 2004, but he did make the cut in all four last year and in the Masters earlier this season. According to Wikipedia, he supports a soccer team named the "Nottingham Forest" which even my weird brain can't believe is true.
  • Brett Wetterich -- CUT -- The 2006 Byron Nelson champion hasn't had a great year, with his best finish a tie for 36. His dad started teaching him golf at age 2, the same time my parents were finally figuring out what to call me.
  • Dean Wilson -- t-30 -- Wilson is one of those guys that without checking, you know was born in Hawaii. A winner of the now deceased International in 2006, Wilson has made six cuts heading into the U.S. Open.
  • Jeff Wilson (a) -- 59 -- Wilson, 44, won the Southern California Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship with rounds of 67-66-73 and finished third in the Santa Barbara City Championship before heading to U.S. Open qualifying.
  • Oliver Wilson -- CUT -- I've never heard of this guy, but he's got an awesome homepage and he drinks Sugar Free Red Bull. Nobody believes me that Red Bull is good for you, but Wilson drinks it and is third on the European Tour Order of Merit so it must do some good.
  • Casey Wittenberg -- t-36 -- Pretty interesting, Wittenberg shot a four day total of 296 at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, the second best score ever by an amateur. Playing well on the Nationwide Tour, he's currently 13th on the money list.
  • Tiger Woods -- WON -- Honestly, what else can you say? The U.S. Open starts tomorrow people and we get to see Tiger play for the first time in ages.


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