Europe Athletics

One night in 1959, the British Ryder Cup team boarded a Convair turboprop in Los Angeles for the short hop to Palm Springs, where the biennial matches against the United States were scheduled to be played at Eldorado Country Club. Turbulence was expected near Mt. San Jacinto, so the pilot advised the passengers to keep their seat belts fastened.

1. Tiger Woods: 2,447.500 2. Phil Mickelson: 1,528.125 3. Davis Love III: 749.500 4. David Duval: 710.000 5. Mark Calcavecchia: 635.375 6. Hal Sutton: 613.000 7. Scott Hoch: 597.000 8. Stewart Cink: 586.625 9. Tom Lehman: 543.750 10. Joe Durant: 505.000 11. Jim Furyk: 502.875 12. David Toms: 455.000 13. Brad Faxon: 451.500 14. Rocco Mediate: 450.000 15. Frank Lickliter II: 449.910 EUROPE STANDINGS 1. Darren Clarke, N. Ireland: 1,728,303.70 2. Thomas Bjorn, Denmark: 1,582,029.36 3.

Americans may remember it as one of the great moments in golf, but the U.S. victory over Europe on Sunday in the Ryder Cup was portrayed Monday on this side of the Atlantic as an orgy of jingoism and poor sportsmanship. "Joy of Ugly Victory Brings Out the Ugly American," said the Guardian, one of Britain's most sober newspapers. The tabloid Daily Mirror declared the "United Slobs of America" the winners of the three-day competition in Brookline, Mass.

How much is a dream worth? In Cobi Jones' case, $5 million might just about do it, but even then there's no guarantee. Jones--the "other Cobi" in Kobe-rich Los Angeles--is nearing the end of his contract with Major League Soccer and the idea of another European adventure is tugging strongly on the trademark dreadlocks of the Galaxy's most recognizable and popular player. France is singing its siren song--or perhaps the tune is Spanish or Italian--and Jones is finding it difficult to resist.

After the professional basketball team in this southwestern French city lost its first nine games this season, the owners sent identical letters to the two American players on the squad. The letters instructed the players, veterans Donald Petties and Kevin McDuffie, to turn in their car keys, pay their phone bills and clear out of their apartments. It offered them $2,000 cash and a one-way ticket to the United States.

The Ryder Cup wasn't the most important thing at stake for the United States on Sunday. You get a chance to win those cups every couple of years. But the type of image the Americans were at risk of forging for themselves, well, those labels and reputations can last a lifetime. Their heart, intensity, cohesion and even their mental faculties had come into question after they fell behind Europe, 10-6, in the first two days of play. All of those accusations disappeared Sunday.

So just who is to blame for that impromptu Ryder Cup celebration by the U.S. players Sunday that made the European team hotter than afternoon tea? Is it Justin Leonard, who made the crucial putt? Is it Ben Crenshaw, who was the captain of the player who made the crucial putt? Is it the U.S. fans, who were heckling everybody who wasn't wearing the same colorful shirt as the captain and the player who made the crucial putt? Nice guesses, all, but let's go for something different. Former U.S.

It was all about placement at the Country Club. Not pin placement, point placement. Only one point separated the two teams in the Ryder Cup after the Friday morning matches, but because that point was on the European side of the board, it changed the entire tone of the competition. The Americans no longer looked like the heavily favored force they were projected to be.

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Ben Crenshaw defended his pairings for the opening day of competition by saying, "I'd do the same thing again." In his first opportunity, he didn't. The pairings for this morning's foursomes looked dramatically different. Most notable was the absence of David Duval, the world's second-ranked player. Duval lost when paired with Phil Mickelson in Friday's first match and with Tiger Woods in the last match of the day.

How much is a dream worth? In Cobi Jones' case, $5 million might just about do it, but even then there's no guarantee. Jones--the "other Cobi" in Kobe-rich Los Angeles--is nearing the end of his contract with Major League Soccer and the idea of another European adventure is tugging strongly on the trademark dreadlocks of the Galaxy's most recognizable and popular player. France is singing its siren song--or perhaps the tune is Spanish or Italian--and Jones is finding it difficult to resist.

So just who is to blame for that impromptu Ryder Cup celebration by the U.S. players Sunday that made the European team hotter than afternoon tea? Is it Justin Leonard, who made the crucial putt? Is it Ben Crenshaw, who was the captain of the player who made the crucial putt? Is it the U.S. fans, who were heckling everybody who wasn't wearing the same colorful shirt as the captain and the player who made the crucial putt? Nice guesses, all, but let's go for something different. Former U.S.

Americans may remember it as one of the great moments in golf, but the U.S. victory over Europe on Sunday in the Ryder Cup was portrayed Monday on this side of the Atlantic as an orgy of jingoism and poor sportsmanship. "Joy of Ugly Victory Brings Out the Ugly American," said the Guardian, one of Britain's most sober newspapers. The tabloid Daily Mirror declared the "United Slobs of America" the winners of the three-day competition in Brookline, Mass.

The Ryder Cup wasn't the most important thing at stake for the United States on Sunday. You get a chance to win those cups every couple of years. But the type of image the Americans were at risk of forging for themselves, well, those labels and reputations can last a lifetime. Their heart, intensity, cohesion and even their mental faculties had come into question after they fell behind Europe, 10-6, in the first two days of play. All of those accusations disappeared Sunday.

It was all about placement at the Country Club. Not pin placement, point placement. Only one point separated the two teams in the Ryder Cup after the Friday morning matches, but because that point was on the European side of the board, it changed the entire tone of the competition. The Americans no longer looked like the heavily favored force they were projected to be.

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Ben Crenshaw defended his pairings for the opening day of competition by saying, "I'd do the same thing again." In his first opportunity, he didn't. The pairings for this morning's foursomes looked dramatically different. Most notable was the absence of David Duval, the world's second-ranked player. Duval lost when paired with Phil Mickelson in Friday's first match and with Tiger Woods in the last match of the day.

What the European team had Friday afternoon in the Ryder Cup against the U.S. at the Country Club: More shots holed from off the green, 2-1. More happy captains, 1-0. More momentum (immeasurable). More hugs and smiles and backs slapped, 161-12 (unofficial). More points, 6-2 (official). After one day and eight matches, it's a darned good thing this Ryder Cup thing is only an exhibition, all right. The U.S.

1. Tiger Woods: 2,447.500 2. Phil Mickelson: 1,528.125 3. Davis Love III: 749.500 4. David Duval: 710.000 5. Mark Calcavecchia: 635.375 6. Hal Sutton: 613.000 7. Scott Hoch: 597.000 8. Stewart Cink: 586.625 9. Tom Lehman: 543.750 10. Joe Durant: 505.000 11. Jim Furyk: 502.875 12. David Toms: 455.000 13. Brad Faxon: 451.500 14. Rocco Mediate: 450.000 15. Frank Lickliter II: 449.910 EUROPE STANDINGS 1. Darren Clarke, N. Ireland: 1,728,303.70 2. Thomas Bjorn, Denmark: 1,582,029.36 3.

We know all about the U.S. team in the Ryder Cup--the greatest, wealthiest and most publicized collection of golfers in history. But what about the Europeans? What are they all about? They're led by a 36-year-old Scot (Colin Montgomerie) and a 19-year-old Spaniard (Sergio Garcia), they've got a Frenchman who is as dry as a bottle of vermouth and a Swede who seems to be auditioning as a stand-up comic.