Win at Valhalla brings back Ryder Cup (sad) memories from Oakland Hills

As exciting as it was to watch the Americans win the Ryder Cup Matches at Valhalla Golf Club, it also conjured up a sad memory in one regard. It reminded us Michigan golf fans just how bad our Ryder Cup experience was.

There were few good memories from the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills. The only one I can recall was the day before The Matches when Captain Hal Sutton announced Tiger and Phil would play together. It was all downhill after that. There were few roars, like the ones the Kentucky crowd did every 10 minutes. There was no flag-waving, like Anthony Kim did in the middle of the fairway. The Euros got up from day one and beat down the Americans.

Bad timing doomed that Michigan event. Remember it was the first Ryder Cup Matches on American soil since the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline, which left the Euros feeling sour about bad sportsmanship and bad blood. The Michigan crowds were implored to “behave.” What a bad move that was. It silenced them prematurely.

It also was the first Ryder Cup on U.S. soil since the Sept. 11 attacks. That also tempered the patriotic fervor. Too bad Michigan didn’t have captain Paul Azinger on its side. He practically begged the American crowd to cheer when the Euros missed putts at Valhalla Golf Club. That might have made a difference at Oakland Hills.