It’s up in the air

THE predicted biblical rainstorm duly materialised at Celtic Manor yesterday, forcing the organising committee to implement emergency measures in the faint hope of getting the 38th Ryder Cup completed on schedule tomorrow evening.

The greater likelihood is that the contest will still go into Monday for the first time. After a delay of seven hours and 18 minutes yesterday, the torrents finally relented and allowed the quartet of fourball matches to get at least to the turn before bad light intervened.

The issue at this stage is balanced on a knife edge; if anything, the visitors are marginally better off, given that Stewart Cink, fully earning his wild card pick by captain Corey Pavin, and Matt Kuchar, have hit back from one down when play was stopped at 9.45am to lead Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy, who has failed to find anything like his best form so far, by two holes after 11.

Furthermore, Luke Donald faces a five foot putt on the 9th green when play resumes this morning at 7.45am to avoid seeing himself and Pádraig Harrington also fall two behind the impressive American newcomers Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton. The good news from a European perspective is that Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer are one up on Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson after 12 in what has developed into an epic Ryder Cup confrontation.

Ian Poulter has again demonstrated his passion for the event, proving one of the inspirational figures in the European side as he and Ross Fisher finished level with Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods after 11. A two by Poulter at the 3rd helped the home partnership into a one-shot lead before the suspension and he struck again for another great birdie at the short 11th just as darkness intervened. Woods was slowly into his stride but he did contribute birdies at the long 2nd and 9th and looked as keyed up for battle as any other player.

Sadly, the opening day was blighted by the weather and it is to the enduring credit of the fans that the majority of the 45,000 who turned up even before the crack of dawn to watch the first Ryder Cup on Welsh soil were still there and cheering wildly after the more than seven-hour cessation. In spite of the incessant downpour, they created an amazing atmosphere as the matches got under way and somehow never lost their sense of good humour throughout a very trying day.

Now the plan is to finish the fourballs this morning if the weather permits. Then there will be six foursomes matches – obviously involving all 24 players – while the third session will comprise two foursomes and four fourball matches. This in turn will be followed by the 12 singles.

European captain Colin Montgomerie claimed: “It is a brilliant option that will enable us to get the planned 28 matches completed on Sunday if the weather allows. It would be an amazing feat that we all want to achieve, for Monday finishes are no good in any sport.”

So far, it has been a disappointing Ryder Cup for McIlroy and Harrington. Neither man has yet managed a birdie in 19 holes of golf and in both cases their partners were shooting the numbers that kept them in the respective matches. McDowell played the bunker shot of the day, a remarkable recovery to a couple of inches from the sodden sand at the 4th, but the Ulstermen still struggled to cope with Cink who holed monster putts for birdies at the 5th and 7th and picked up a further three further birdies to build up the two-shot lead. The only home team birdie came from McDowell at the 9th.

Harrington was in desperate need of a good start to his sixth Ryder Cup but instead found himself in the centre of a very embarrassing incident at the opening hole. He pulled his drive behind a mound to the left of the fairway and apparently unaware that the match ahead was still on the green, played his second shot with a rescue club. He connected so well that the ball actually ran through the putting surface – and, of course, through the surprised quartet of Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods and Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher.

Harrington seemed to be nervous and a little ill at ease as he tried and failed to rediscover the outstanding form of his practice rounds. He wasn’t helped by the fact that Jeff Overton stitched his approach to the 1st and Bubba Watson did likewise at the next. Harrington used the weather delay to fall fast asleep on the floor of the European team’s locker room but it didn’t do him a whole lot of good when play resumed. And when it came to reducing that early two hole deficit, the job fell to Donald, who rolled in an eight footer for the side’s first and only birdie of the day at the 8th. He will need to hole from about a yard less at the 9th this morning if he and Harrington aren’t to fall two behind again.

“Obviously, I am very pleased and very proud of the way the guys came out again and got off to a hot start,” said US captain Corey Pavin. “I like the new format. Some very smart people got together to figure this out and Colin and I thought it was a very good idea. The one part of this job that no captain likes is having to sit four players and so it’s nice to have everybody go out and play although I’ll probably have to stay up a little later than I expected putting all the combinations together.”

Picture: Europe’s Luke Donald on the 5th green at Celtic Manor yesterday.