Padraig On Cup Cutline?

Would you kindly ask him to step aside in light of his mediocre play in France?

Harrington, the only player from the world's top 50 in the field, is also the only member of the European team in action this week, after Peter Hanson withdrew before the first round because of a chest infection.
The Dubliner, with four top-10 finishes in nine European events this season, birdied all four par-five holes on Friday.

But it was at the par-fours where he encountered problems, going out of bounds with a hook at the 12th, and dropping seven shots in four holes.

But in the pro-am style event that reverts to the top 65 professionals for the final two rounds at the Marly course, Harrington was inspired by his brother Fergal, who chipped in from off the green at the 17th, after which his younger sibling holed from around 15ft for a birdie.

A par at the last left him in a share for 58th place which would be good enough to qualify, but Harrington will have to see what scores are recorded by the players in the afternoon groups.

Ryder Cuppers Rounding Into Dismal Form As Cup Nears

With four of the five contenders for the $10 million FedExCup prize and the format leaving the points chase up to a riveting algorithm race, attention is already turning to how the Ryder Cuppers are faring.

Luke Donald has the round one lead while Paul Casey is right there so…oh well, one bit of good news for Monty. I was, however, surprised by Donald's quotes about the omission of Casey in this Lawrence Donegan story.

"I was certainly – what's the right word? – surprised he wasn't one of the three picks," he says. "I thought his name would have been before mine. He's a great match player, with a great matchplay record. He hits the ball long and straight off the tee, which is not a bad thing to have around Celtic Manor, and he is a decent putter. I'm not sure if we should blame Monty or the selection process for what happened."

Meanwhile as Casey eyes a possible $13 million payday, Padraig Harrington fired a 68 at the Vivendi Pro-Am and trails by seven. But he offered some Yogi Berraesque thoughts on his beleaguered game.

“If I had putted well it would have been a tremendous score,” Harrington said. “You have to hole putts to shoot a low number. I could see the two weeks of practice I’ve just done and I got stalled over the ball a bit, but another three rounds will do me no end of good.”

On the American side, Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton are stinking it up, but at least Bubba knows why, according to Jason Sobel.

"The golf course doesn't set up good for me," Watson said. "I've never played good here -- never played close to good here -- and that's the difference. Just not a fan of the golf course. It just doesn't set up good for me."

As for Overton, his round was doomed from the beginning.

"I missed a 2-footer on the first hole, then hit a bad 8-iron on the second hole," he explained. "It's just one of those things where I really didn't get into the round right away, for some reason."

Expect A Visit From The Captainness: Poulter, Azinger Heckling U.S. Uniforms

He sent these Tweets out with images of the lavendar cardigan and the sweater with the 14 inch Ryder Cup.

And former Captain Azinger, responding to a Poulter tweet about both teams wearing lavender:

"The lineup assembled by Lisa Pavin and company is by all accounts, including this one, the best team golf event uniform effort of all time."

PGATour.com's "Man in the black hat" (formerly known as Chapeau Noir) loves the Captainness' uniforms.

The lineup assembled by Lisa Pavin and company is by all accounts, including this one, the best team golf event uniform effort of all time. Hyperbole? Perhaps, but keep in mind that there have been some pretty weak efforts over the years - the best, or worst of which (it all depends on how you look at it) will be reviewed for posterity in this space next week.

In the meantime, for team USA, the 2010 Ryder Cup sweaters are sumptuous, the trousers are terrific, and the accessories are amazing.

Even better, is a gallery with the article revealing a wives outfit that screams Singapore Airlines flight attendant. Or is it Death Star chic? Sort of Princess Leia goes geisha?

And there's these subtle team jackets...

"We were behind budget and then they picked Tiger and it sold out overnight."

There was an interesting assertion made by Celtic Manor Director of Golf Jim McKenzie in Bill Dwyre's LA Times Ryder Cup preview.

"We will have 45,000 people a day, for the three practice days starting Tuesday and the three competition days," McKenzie says, by phone from Wales.

He says that sellout is a recent happening.

"We were behind budget," McKenzie says, "and then they picked Tiger and it sold out overnight."

Tiger, of course, is Tiger Woods, and if any question remains as to who still drives the bus in golf, McKenzie's testimonial should end that. Ticket prices are $880 (with clubhouse access) and $660, giving access to all six days. For discussion, if all tickets sold at $880, that would generate $39.6 million. That's a nice payday for PGA and European golf charities, especially since the players don't get paid.

Corey Pavin, U.S. team captain, who made Woods one of his four captain's picks, was surprised that ticket sales didn't boom until after he tabbed Tiger.

"That's not why I picked him," Pavin said.

Bookies Change Ryder Cup Win Odds On Concerns Over Americans' Ability To Overcome Oversized Embroidery

More photos are surfacing of the U.S. team uniforms and while I still can't wait to see Tiger in a purple cardigan, the red-white-and-blue belts figure to make white belts look fabulously masculine.

Padraig Sure He Would Have Picked Padraig, Too

But he's light on the justification for why he would pick himself. Well, he's got a few years before he's a Captain and a spin master, so we'll cut him some slack.

Lawrence Donegan reports:

"Absolutely, 100%," he says when asked if he would have picked himself. Asked to explain his certitude, and to measure his worth against that of the two players controversially overlooked by Montgomerie – Casey and Justin Rose – he demurs. "I'm comfortable with my opinion but I'm not going to say why."

Harrington, golf's most loquacious man, in "no comment" shock! Still, it is easy for others to make the calculations. In a team containing six rookies, the Irishman brings the extra ballast that comes with winning three majors. He has the experience of playing on five Ryder Cup teams, and winning three times. There may be better pure golfers on both teams, but it is doubtful whether anyone is more mentally equipped to cope with the pressure of the 1st tee in Wales.

“You really don’t have a decision to make on the Twenty Ten golf course until you get to the 14th tee."

Mark Lamport-Stokes talks to Celtic Manor director of golf Jim McKenzie about the par-71 masterwork hosting the Ryder Cup and talks to him about the seven risk-reward holes. Thanks to reader Don for catching the quote that probably won't make some of us get up at 3 a.m. to watch the early holes of play.

In McKenzie’s view, the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup effectively boils down to the final five holes in matchplay terms.

“You really don’t have a decision to make on the Twenty Ten golf course until you get to the 14th tee,” the Scot said during a telephone interview.

Show Me The Golf.com's Johnny Bryan takes us through the stretch where the decision making begins. Look past the kitchen sink of special effects and the 2 minute long intro,  because there are several interesting things to see here with the course, the setup and the grandstands going up.