Whether they are scratch golfers, duffers, or families looking for some fun, fans will have the opportunity to see the famed Ryder Cup Trophy as it makes a month-long, 5,000 mile tour across the nation this summer in the first U.S. Ryder Cup Trophy Tour.
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And while Darren Clarke hailed his Hazeltine top-nine automatic qualifiers as a “fantastic blend of youth and experience”, McIlroy agreed. And he’s really been helpful on how to prepare for a major championship.
McIlroy, while he’ll be leading his squad on the course, has apparently taken it upon himself to get his Ryder Cup newbies – Masters victor Danny Willett, Chris Wood, Danny Sullivan, Matt Fitzpatrick and Rafa Cabrera-Bello – ready for the “rude awakening” they’ll face as the visiting squad.
“I am absolutely delighted with the nine players who have qualified”, said Clarke.
He said: “I would be looking maybe towards experience to balance the team up but that doesn’t mean I won’t pick a rookie”.
The Northern Irishman is set to name his three wildcard picks on Monday. “I know what Lee Westwood brings to the table, and I know what he brings to the back room, and there’s not many guys you’d prefer to go shoulder to shoulder with”.
Woods, a seven-time Ryder Cupper who is 13-17-3 in 33 Ryder Cup matches, will serve as a vice captain alongside Tom Lehman, Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk at Hazeltine in September, and in the latest installment of The American Captain, Davis Love III said Woods has been a key element of the new strategy for wresting the Ryder Cup from the Europeans.
While McIlroy will be making his fourth straight appearance, he revealed it wasn’t until the 2014 Gleneagles Ryder Cup he felt comfortable in the European Team colours. But he has always been renowned as a great thinker of the game, and Love hopes Woods will bring that attribute to the American squad, in much need of a win on home soil.
“Tiger was on the Task Force, he’ll be a future Captain, so he’s got to be a part of the decision-making process of this whole new Ryder Cup committee”, Love told golf.com.
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Davis Love III will add four players as captain’s picks.
