Yanks now bubbling with confidence

ASKED to compare the atmosphere between the Ryder Cup and the President’s Cup over the weekend, at least two Americans made no secret of their views.

"There's no hatred in the President's Cup," said Chris DiMarco. "There's no animosity," claimed Justin Leonard. So now we know. The Europeans hate the Americans. There's animosity between the two sides. What a load of nonsense.

It was a great pity that another memorable President's Cup had to be marred by such inconsiderate if not volatile language, especially as DiMarco would emerge as the American hero and saviour a few hours after he opened his big mouth.

Let's face it, the Yanks are coming and they don't care who knows it. The way the players and their fans celebrated the triumph and the fist-pumping antics of DiMarco and others left one in no doubt this was just the appetiser. The main course will be consumed in Co. Kildare in 12 months.

Adding further spice to next September's confrontation was the assertion by Jack Nicklaus that "the potential for the President's Cup is greater than the Ryder Cup simply because the scope is larger."

Somebody needed to remind the Golden Bear that Europe have won four of the last five matches between them and the strength in depth in this part of the globe has never been greater. But Jack who at last became a winning captain having previously flopped in both Ryder and President's Cups and his fellow Yanks weren't listening. They and their jingoistic players and fans (we saw much of the same in the recent Solheim Cup) are on a high and it is already clear that winning back the Ryder Cup is their all-consuming passion.

They are bubbling with confidence after holding off the fast-finishing Internationals in the singles on Sunday evening and only a fool would belittle their chances at The K Club.

However, before they totally lose the run of themselves, the great old US of A might do well to accept a number of salient points. Chief among them is the venue.

The K Club is frequently regarded as an American-style layout yet European captain Ian Woosnam will be in a position to offset that by having the right to set it up in a way best suited to his players. If the Europeans are the longer hitters, then the fairways will widen where their tee shots are likeliest to land. If they are giving distance off the tee, then the rough will be at its least difficult where their balls come to rest. The pace of the greens will suit the Euros, not the Americans. And so on and so on.

Then there's the massive support from the Irish galleries, already preparing to roar on a side for which one of their most favoured sons, Des Smyth, is a vice captain and with the likelihood of three or four of their own players in the Euro side.

Amidst all the euphoria occasioned by the President's Cup and the marvellous golf produced by both sides, the composition of the American side was too similar to that humiliated by Europe at Oakland Hills a year earlier to fill one with a sense of dread. Justin Leonard, Fred Couples and Scott Verplank replaced Chris Riley, Chad Campbell and Jay Haas.

Verplank and Couples are well into their 40s. There isn't the sign of a 20-something coming through and Tiger Woods, 30 in December, is likely to be the youngest team member.

Which is not to suggest there aren't positives for Tom Lehman to take from the weekend's triumph. Team spirit, or rather the lack of it, was one of the handicaps under which Hal Sutton's side operated but there was clearly a big improvement in that respect with Nicklaus avoiding some of the howlers with which Sutton hamstrung himself in Detroit.

Jack appears to have produced a ready-made fourballs/foursomes pairing in Phil Mickelson and DiMarco even if the great left-hander at times looked a tad embarrassed by his partner's gung-ho attitude.

Furthermore, Tiger looked happy alongside Jim Furyk. Although DiMarco deserves credit for his final green birdie win over Stuart Appleby and Couples was fully entitled to show off his satisfaction at beating Vijay Singh, the defeat of Woods by Retief Goosen underlined yet again how vulnerable the world No 1 can be in team situations.

There was none of the whooping and hollering of the President's Cup in the Seve Trophy up in Northumberland. It was calmer and more low-key affair and there will be those who belittle the contest as little more than a cosmetic exercise designed to further line the pockets of our golfing millionaires.

True or otherwise, the event is still worthwhile if it provides the potential European Ryder Cuppers with renewed experience of team and match-play golf and the occasion confirmed Woosnam also has likely looking pairings at his disposal. Provided they both make the side, then the Welshman will hardly look beyond Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley while very much the same applies to England's David Howell and Paul Casey. Furthermore, unlike the Americans, Europe is producing genuine young team candidates in Englishman Nick Dougherty, 23, our own Graeme McDowell, 26, and 29-year-old Swede Henrik Stenson.