The 41st Ryder Cup had all the drama, the quality and the excitement we have come to expect from one of the worlds foremost sporting occasions, and Ewen Murray has been reflecting on the best and worst of the week in Minnesota.
[b]Jadon Sancho Jersey[/b] . The 41st edition of the Ryder Cup had it all. Just when you think Medinah in 2012 and Gleneagles in 2014 raised the bar, alongside comes Hazeltine National which, over the course of three frenetic days, provided the good, the bad and the ugly. The vast majority of the Hazeltine crowd were well behaved, but there were a few who spoiled the party The ugly was a tiny minority, and I emphasise the word tiny, of 50,000 fans who overstepped the line in golfing etiquette. When you have that amount out of people watching a spectacular sporting event along with a fully charged atmosphere, there is always going to a few who will spoil the party. American fans, whether it be NFL or baseball, basketball or golf, are noisy. They shout and roar. They have huge passion and they support their respected teams and individuals vigorously. Take that away from sport and you lose a lot of enjoyment, and 95 per cent of the fans in Minnesota were genuinely, good golfing fans. Ian Poulter points out a troublemaker on the second day In modern society, its expected and sadly acceptable for fans to cheer when a putt is missed or a tee shot is errant. One must move with the times or be classed a dinosaur. The thing that is not acceptable is when the antics of the small circle of fools interrupt the golf.That did happen a couple of times throughout the event and it was dealt with by the 95 per cent who were there to watch two teams go head to head. They singled the idiots out and the security officers escorted them off the property. Danny Willetts brother hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons Pete Willett, brother of Danny ... oh dear! Why a magazine would interview Pete would be my first question. Secondly, his brother is the Masters champion and will play a fair amount of golf in the United States. What was there to gain in slating Americans and their lifestyle?Now he knows how much there was to lose. Willetts golf was far from what hes capable of and the next few events in America for him will not be a breeze, but he has a strong mind and a good work ethic. Hell bounce back. Lee Westwood was short of form heading into the Ryder Cup, and struggled from the off at Hazeltine The bad? The performance of some of the experienced players in the European side. With six rookies in the team, the onus was on the experienced players to produce and in Westwood, Kaymer and Rose, they failed. I would say at this point, golf is not a tap and you cant turn it off and on. Westwood had struggled in the run up to the event and some will say this was one Ryder Cup too many.For Matthew Fitzpatrick and Andy Sullivan, it was perhaps one too early. However, they along with Chris Wood, will be older and wiser in the run up to the 2018 edition in France. The experienced gained in Minnesota will be most valuable to them next time round. Darren Clarke brought back Westwood for Saturdays fourballs and left out Rafa Cabrera Bello When a captain loses, hes classed as poor. In victory, hes a genius. Darren Clarkes use of Lee Westwood and his resting of an in-form Rafa Cabrera Bello will no doubt be criticised. So, too, will be the omission of Russell Knox, and the fact that five Europeans played in all five sessions will also scrutinised. These may have been his only mistakes and they are easy to point out in hindsight.Personally, I think Paul Casey would have made a difference, but Darren couldnt pick him as he is not a European Tour member. Russell Knox would have qualified for the side had he played in and performed well at the Wyndham. If Kaymer and Westwood, two of his three wildcards, had excelled, it would have been a different tale. Sadly, they didnt. A lot of ifs and buts, there always is when theres an inquisition. Thomas Pieters was a revelation in his first Ryder Cup The good? The big problem here is, where do we start? For Europe, lets begin with Thomas Pieters. The Belgian star was exceptional alongside McIlroy and looked equally comfortable on his own in the Sunday singles. He already is one of Europes finest players. He will challenge for majors and he will be a Ryder Cup player for many years to come. Give Captain Clarke some credit there, Thomas was his other wild card.The quality of golf on show over the three days was, at times, outstanding. A week during which the game of golf had lost Arnold Palmer, it seemed the players wanted to play Palmer style. Shots they are wary of week in week out, they threw caution to the wind rising to the challenge. Rory McIlroys clash with Patrick Reed was pure theatre The first eight holes of the opening singles match was like one of Spielbergs finest scripts. McIlroy and Patrick Reed going hell for leather, trading blow for blow, putt for putt while trying to outdo one another with their celebrations. Reed copied Rorys bow, Mcllroy copied Patricks quietening tactics made famous at Gleneagles. Their golf and sportsmanship was brilliant.Yet it wasnt the match of the tournament. The clash of Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia will be remembered for years to come. Trading birdies from the off, they were both round in an approximate 63. You got the feeling they could have played another round and still they would be all square. Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson blitzed Hazeltine on Sunday in a match of outstanding quality With Phil rolling in a 20 footer at the last, Sergio followed him from a third of that distance to record half a point each. The number 63 features a lot in Mickelsons year. The lip out at Royal Troon for a first 62 in a major and Stenson shooting 63 the final round of the Open to stop Phil winning his second Claret Jug. At Hazeltine, Phil and Sergio served up a Ryder Cup treat.It was victory for Davis Love III, heaven knows how he felt four years ago at the closing ceremony in Chicago. His team had blown a four-point lead in front of Americas loyal fans. The son of one of the most respected PGA professionals in the USA is one of the good guys. His players raised their games and played their hearts out for him. The score flattered the US a touch, but best team won by the Twin Cities. Atonement for Davis Love III after his heartbreak of Medinah This win for the United States is good for the Ryder Cup as its their first win since 08, and only their third since 1993. When the European bruises and egos heal, the hype will begin all over again. France has a tough act to follow, but Le Golf National is one of the best courses in Europe. Its just over 700 days to the Friday morning foursomes.I close with Sundays final words: The US stars earned their stripes. And yes, it was a glittering show in Minnesota. 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[b]Marco Reus Dortmund Jersey[/b] . The Oilers jumped into the free agent market early by signing defencemen Keith Aulie (six-foot-six, 228 pounds) and Mark Fayne (6-3, 210 pounds) and left-winger Benoit Pouliot (6-3, 197-pounds). Two days earlier MacTavish traded lightweight forward Sam Gagner to Tampa Bay for 6-3, 203-pound right winger Ted Purcell.
[b]Sebastian Rode Jersey[/b] . Joakim Nordstrom and Garret Ross also scored for Chicago and Corey Crawford made 30 saves. Tomas Tatar scored twice for Red Wings (2-3-0), Jonathan Ericsson added a goal and Gustav Nyquist had three assists.BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil -- Waiting and waiting for an equalizer, the tension showed on the faces of the Belgium players as the second half wore on in the countrys first World Cup match in 12 years. Algeria was on the verge of a major upset in their Group H opener Tuesday, taking the lead through a penalty in the 25th minute. Try as they might, Belgiums attacking players just couldnt break down Algerias defence. In the end, it was the Belgian bench which found the way, with substitutes scoring twice for a 2-1 comeback win. "We tired them down. We just tired them down," Belgium coach Marc Wilmots said. "I told them, Dont worry, we will score." Algerias surprising lead stood for 45 minutes until Marouane Fellainis strong glancing header, with his back to goal, from a Kevin De Bruyne cross in the 70th. Fellaini, who many had considered would start the match, had only come onto the pitch five minutes earlier and was Wilmots final substitution. Dries Mertens right-foot strike beat Algerias goalkeeper in the 80th after Eden Hazard saw him free on the right and set him up for the decider. Mertens, who went on at the start of the second half, sent his shot high in the net outside of Rais Mbolhis reach. "We knew it would be tough, that there would be no space," Wilmots said. "We made one error and we paid for it. The bench made the difference. We showed mental strength and we came back." The error was an obvious one. Belgium left back Jan Vertonghen dragged down Sofiane Feghouli in the area, and the Algerian attacking midfielder got up and converted the resulting penalty. At that point, Algeria was on course to produce another upset of a major team as it did in 1982 when it beat West Germany in its first group match. "We played a very good game against one of the favourites," Feghouli said. "We have to build on this." Thhe Algerians started brightly but faded toward the end against Belgiums unrelenting attack.
[b]Dan-Axel Zagadou Dortmund Jersey[/b]. . "We saw their strength come through. They showed that Belgium has great players," captain Madjid Bougherra said. "We lacked freshness and energy. The heat cost us." Belgium, widely billed as the favourite in Group H, next plays Russia, while Algeria meets South Korea on June 22. Algeria dominated possession in the opening minutes, surging forward and moving the ball with flair. Belgium eventually settled down and regained control, ending the match with 65 per cent possession. Before Belgiums comeback, the Algeria defence held firm, setting up a bulwark in the final third of the pitch. When Belgium had the ball, Algeria defenders allowed them little room to manoeuvr -- defenders at times doubled up on Hazard, shutting down space for him to operate down the left. "We just missed a big upset, a victory," Algeria coach Vahid Halilhodzic said. "We were so close. "My players have no reason to blush. They may be disappointed, but there is no reason to cry." Defensive midfielder Axel Witsel had Belgiums best two opportunities in the first half -- powerful 25-yard shots parried by the Algeria goalkeeper in the 21st and 34th minutes -- and also snuffed out Algeria threats by protecting the back four and winning numerous aerial duels. Wilmots brought on Mertens for Nacer Chadli after halftime to give Belgium more of an attacking edge. He also took off lone striker Romelu Lukaku, who was left stranded and had a disappointing match, and replaced him with Divock Origi in the 58th. He made his final substitution in the 65th when he brought on Fellanini for Moussa Dembele to give the team more of a physical presence. "We had to be patient, and we had the weapons on the bench to make the difference," Wilmots said. ' ' '
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