Ryder Cup 2012: 6 Reasons It's The World's Greatest Sporting Spectacle

3. Fourballs, foursomes, and singles

Imagine combining Twenty20, One Day and test cricket in one tournament. Or 11-a-side, 5-a-side and beach football. That is what the Ryder cup is like. Fourballs (two pairs playing against each other, each golfer with his own ball, lowest score wins the hole), Foursomes (two pairs, one ball per pair, each golfer takes alternate shots in his pair), and Singles (1 vs 1) present dilemmas for both Jose Maria Olazabal and Davis Love III, the captains of the European and US teams respectively. Pairs have to complement each other, not just in style but particularly in terms of personality. Lee Westwood is one of the finest players from Tee to Green, but his putting goes astray. In the foursomes Olazabal may want to pair him with a good putter; in the fourballs, he may want a positive influence to help Westwood avoid letting a missed putt destroy his game. The US team features four debutants and three players making only their second Ryder Cup appearance. Does Love put the rookies together, or does he try to pair them with the experience of Jum Furyk and Phil Mickelson? Then there is the order, a problem especially apparent in the singles. Do you put the big guns out first to get points on the board and ease pressure on those following, or do you keep them in reserve, making any points won early on a bonus? And what will the opposite side do? This concoction of differing games requires different tactics from players and captains. It is very much foreign to the golfer€™s normal routine of self interest and commitment, and the team who comes together best and adapts to the circumstances will come out the victor. The captain will have a vital role play in this. They say captains can€™t win a Ryder cup, but they can lose one.