The Ryder cup is in Ireland this year between Friday 22nd and Sunday 24th September 2006. The event is held in the beautiful county of Kildare at the prestigious Kildare Golf and Country Club. The Ryder Cup has been competed for since 1927 when it was held in the USA. The tournament began as a tournament between Britain and the US, and became the US against Britain and Ireland in 1953. In 1979 it became a major contest between Europe and the US, and is now one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the golfing calendar.
Although this competition has included Ireland for more than half a century this is the first time the event has been held in Ireland. The Irish nation has paid much respect to the event: the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) has re-scheduled the all-Ireland football final (the biggest Irish sports event) to avoid a clash of dates.
The Ryder Cup is undoubtedly giant stage; but that is where the likes of Tiger Woods thrive. With Tiger's father dying this year Tiger is determined to make this year the year of the Tiger, to commemorate his father. Tiger has already this year won the British Open and PGA Championship to prove that he is the king of golf. Now Tiger will be aiming, along with his strong team to get their hands on the famous Ryder Cup, which was won by Europe the last time the Ryder Cup was played for, in 2004.
So, what are the chances of Tiger Woods and the US team winning the Ryder Cup? In my opinion Tiger Woods could win any golf tournament by himself, but in this case it isn't just Tiger - he also has to rely on his team of mortals. The fact is that although the US team have the God of golf on their side, their team of mortals isn't quite as good as the European team of mortals. Saying that, I would actually call this one an even contest, and so one to watch. If we look online for the official odds we see that
Unibet gives the European team the edge and has given Team USA a 6/5 chance of winning.
Whether you're looking forward to seeing Tiger Woods play, or you think you know enough to be able to bet on your prediction of the outcome, there's one thing for sure - we are guaranteed a great tournament of golf.
