Earlier today we launched a video where people (like you) can trick your friends in to thinking they’ve been chosen for the Ryder Cup Team.

Go to http://www.europeansportsnews.com/, fill in your friend’s details and they’ll be sent a link to the video (you’ll get to see it too).

Don’t send it to Darren Clarke if you are friends with him. We don’t want him to get his hopes up again, it wouldn’t be fair.

Oh and sorry to be boring but we are STILL best price 21/20 for Europe to win this weekend. Which they will.

We used all our ‘witty’ observations for our Ryder Cup Drinking Game, so in the absence of a humourous fanfare, let’s get straight to the point. It’s the Ryder Cup Drinking Game – download it, print it off and keep it close at hand for the three days of what can only be described as transatlantic golf.

Fal-Dope?

Transatlantic-sniggering like two schoolboys who have just gotten away with letting off stink-bombs at assembly, Nick Faldo and Ian Poulter put on a façade that did little to convince the golfing public that Poulter’s wildcard was anything other than a long-standing arrangement they agreed upon several weeks, if not months, ago when Poulter finished strongly at the Open in Royal Birkdale.

Faldo was always likely to do this. Being popular seems to occupy rather a low rank on his list of priorities; certainly below massaging his very large ego. Given that Monty has had a frosty relationship with Faldo for several years and if the Scot was to play, he would almost certainly claim the 2 points he needs to break Faldo’s record for most points won in the Ryder Cup, it’s no surprise that the stalwart of the European team would miss out. For all the experience, cohesion and amiable wry grumpiness Monty brings to the team, his form has been poor enough to justify exclusion on playing grounds rather than the personal grounds that may have had a significant influence on his chances. Faldo’s self-interest may have been at work in this case, but there are enough questions for the decision to be passed off as logical.

Logic seems to have little to do with the inclusion of Poulter. Rightly or wrongly, Faldo rates the majors extremely highly. It’s a point he has made many times in the past - most recently questioning the European players’ desire to win them - and tour titles don’t hold anywhere near the same value. The fact that he won six of them makes it easy for him to cherish the majors and in doing so boost his own ego. To an extent that’s understandable, but it’s also important to remember that some very ordinary players have managed to put four rounds of golf together during a major week and claim that accolade. Faldo’s assessment has come at the expense of Martin Kaymer and more controversially, Darren Clarke. Both players won twice on the European Tour this season, but that, in Faldo’s mind, pales into comparison to a distant second place in a major. Surely that’s not right.

Form doesn’t explain Poulter’s inclusion, experience doesn’t justify it and most definitely some top rate ass-kissing does. Clearly Poulter is a friend of Faldo’s and the captain was willing to ignore some unspectacular results and a terrible one - missing the cut by five shots in the US at the weekend - for that friendship. The cosy arrangement has compromised the strength of the team, if not the famed team spirit that has characterised recent successes. Poulter’s delusional comments about being second in the world behind Tiger Woods will have won him few friends in the Ryder Cup team and his decision to play in the US last week wasn’t exactly a crowd-pleaser either.

The only positive is that the Americans look dreadfully weak this time around. Even if Paul Azinger could use his four wildcards to pick Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson in their prime, they’d be hard-pressed to turn the tide that has swept the US away in recent Ryder Cups. The inclusion of Ben Curtis was seen as a big plus - for the Europeans - and it goes to show the perils of rating performances in majors too highly.

Hopefully, Faldo’s ego won’t get in the way of the team winning the fourth Ryder Cup in a row, but with some big decisions to come closer to the event, the early evidence doesn’t bode well.

Ryder Cup Betting Page

Winning one Major is great. Winning two proves the first one was more than just luck. Winning three and you’re in a very exclusive club indeed. Add to this the fact that Harrington is the first European player to win the USPGA since Tommy Armour back in 1930 and is the first European to win back to back Majors EVER.

Last year’s Open win may have been somewhat on the jammy side but what it did is give Harrington the one thing he’d been lacking in his career up until now. The unwavering self-belief that separates the great from the good. By his own admissions POD isn’t the most talented golfer on tour, indeed on the raw talent stakes Sergio Garcia is probably way ahead. Being the most talented doesn’t make you the best though. Genius being 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration according to Thomas Edison. The reason Tiger has been so phenomenally successful is because of the insane amount of hard work he puts in to the game. Granted he has the raw talent too but without the work he has put in throughout his career we would only see flashes of greatness. It seems impossible to talk golf and not to mention Tiger but what the hell, he is the yard stick for the game.

Harrington may not have Tiger’s talent, that’s not to say POD isn’t a talented player, but he certainly shares his work-rate and no one ever questioned his application to the game. What was in question was his ability to perform in the big ones. When the pressure was really on the doubt in his own abilities invariably surfaced and he crumbled. His number of 2nd place finishes was becoming a running joke and it was beginning to look as though he would be another Colin Montgomerie. Always the bridesmaid (now there’s a mental picture for you).

There can be no questions on that score now though. Harrington has proved in this last month that he is more than just a good golfer, he is a great one. He now believes he has what it takes and it is this self-belief which made the difference on the last four holes at Royal Birkdale and the last three at Oakland Hills.

The bile-filled out there may claim that Woods not playing somehow devalued Harrington’s wins but the great man has played in over fifty Major tournaments winning, dare I say, just fourteen. He’s arguably the best player of all time but even he can’t win them all. To think that Ben Curtis’ or Todd Hamilton’s single Open wins were more significant than Harrington’s recent double just because Woods was in the field is complete nonsense. Harrington has achieved something truly great and regardless of what else he does in his career he is a legend.

Congratulations Padraig, you deserve it, even if it did cost us over €3 million but what the hell, who can put a price on history?

Now does anyone fancy the Dubliner to go on and make it four in a row?

It’s no flash in the pan. It’s no once-off. Padraig Harrington took the step that elevates him above any accusations of fluke. Winning one major is an excellent achievement, but the fact that a second takes him beyond the likes of Ben Curtis, Todd Hamilton and Paul Lawrie reinforces the significance. It’s doubtful as to whether Tiger would have got the better of him, considering something as innocuous as an early tee time on Thursday destroyed many of the leading players’challenges before they got started.

Where does it put Harrington in terms of Great Irish Sportspeople? With hopefully several years of a successful career remaining, it is difficult to truly assess his place, but already, he must rank very highly.

In compiling a list of possible contenders, we’ve had to bear in mind their impact on the global sporting world. That means a lot of excellent GAA footballers and hurlers are unfortunately excluded. Also there needs to be success at such a level, which means Brian O’Driscoll, who was widely regarded as the best player in the world for a couple of years, and a whole host of other Irish rugby players are excluded (Triple Crowns do not count), but Paul O’Connell with his two Heineken Cups is in. Likewise Brady and Giles’ lack of a European Cup means they’re out. Aidan O’Brien makes it in, but there are a whole host of other racing figures that could have made the list, most notably the former Ballydoyle master, Dr. Vincent O’Brien.

Vote for your favourite, or if you think there are inexcusable omissions, have your say below.

The field for the British Open has finally been decided – it’s that field over there – Royal Birkdale. Boom, boom! As has been the norm at most majors in recent years, we usually expect Tiger Woods to run away with it like Ronnie Wood with a Russian teenager, but without the world number one, the picture looks vastly different. Luke Donald, Darren Clarke, teenage sensation [calm down Ronnie] Rory McIlroy and Jose Maria Olazabal are amongst the high profile and difficult to spell names that won’t be there, but for some reason Jean Van Der Welde will be. Presumably organisers invited him along for a laugh in the hope he’ll do something crazy - the addition of a new obstacle made up of a strippers’ pole, feather boa and Shirley Bassey back catalogue on the 18th fairway being a particularly strong clue.

We’re running the rule over some of the contenders so that a new audience can build familiarity, which must be marketing speak for slagging them off, because that’s what we’re really going to do.

Sergio Garcia: Favourite for the event. Can’t understand why. Must have friends in the Paddy Power golf trading department. Lost in a playoff last year, but he’s about as robust as a candy floss helmet.

Ernie Els: Possibly named after a character on Sesame Street, Els hasn’t done a huge amount of winning in recent times. Won this event in 2002 and he looks reliable, if unspectacular. A bit like an accountant.

Phil Mickelson: Barely likes getting up off his sofa, let alone travelling across the Atlantic to play golf. He’ll probably miss the cut just so he can be back in the good ol U S of A by Friday evening.

Lee Westwood:A crash diet has led to an upturn in form. His decrease in bulk has increased his chances of winning a Major.

To save time and e-trees, we’re going to condense our profiles into categories:

Will Lead After The 1st Round, Get Everyone’s Hopes Up And Then Choke
Justin Rose

B.P.W.H.W.A.M.Y.A.M.D.I.T.W.
(Best Players Who Haven’t Won A Major Yet And Might Do It This Week)
Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, Andres Romero, Paul Casey, Henrik Stenson, Martin Kaymer (who’s Mum died last week and given that the Open has a history of fairytale stories, we would love to see it happen again), Anthony Kim, who has been in great form on the US Tour so far this year.

B.P.W.H.W.A.M.Y.A.P.W.D.I.T.W.B.W.H.A.G.T.T
(Best Players Who Haven’t Won A Major Yet And Probably Won’t Do It This Week But Will Have A Good Time Trying)
Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jimenez – the world’s largest importer of Cuban cigars, Rocco Mediate, who probably missed his chance against a crippled Tiger Woods at the US Open. Camilio Villegas, who looks like he’s trying to hump the green every time he lines up a putt.

Just Watch Them Cause They’re A Bit Mad
John Daly, the winner of this event in 1995 who hasn’t earned the nickname Wild Thing from sitting in his hotel room reading Dan Brown novels.
Ian Poulter who’ll wear an outfit that will lead people to question his sexuality and will probably sign the lens of a BBC camera at some stage during the week.
Pat Perez who constantly seems on the verge of a mental breakdown.
Retief Goosen, who seems quiet but will try to get his sponsor’s logo in every camera shot and try to mention them about eight times in any interview.
Jean Van Der Welde if Carnoustie wasn’t enough, he was threatening to join the Ladies’ Tour in protest at women being allowed to play in certain men’s tournaments.
Boo Weekley not a great golfer, but he’s a couple of holes short of a back nine.
Brandt Snedeker – broke down in tears at the Masters. Liable to do it again.

Increasingly Desperate To Revive Former Glories
Ben Curtis, Todd Hamilton, David Duval, Greg Norman, Mark O’Meara, Phillip Walton, Paul Lawrie.

The Honourary Germans - You Just Can’t Write Them Off
Padraig Harrington – who tells us his cholesterol is going through the floor, Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh, Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman, Justin Leonard, Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Mike Weir

The Outside Bets
Richard Green who’s very much in form and is a good links golfer, Alexander Noren – a rising star on the European Tour, Nick Dougherty who’s record at the Majors is finally improving.

Enjoy A Magificent Seven At Royal Birkdale!!

Laugh in the face of any High Fives, forget the Joy of Six - Paddy Power is offering a Magnificent SEVEN places on this year’s Open Championship.

Despite the absence of Tiger Woods and golfers lining up at Royal Birkdale for one of the most open Opens in years Paddy Power will pay out on each way bets for the first seven golfers.

So now you can go to the first tee with one of Paddy Power’s most generous golf specials ever. We led the down the betting fairway with six places but seven places will once again leave the other bookies bunkered.

Sometimes I curse the fact I’m not allowed to bet on our own markets. Really, why would you want to go anywhere else when there’s an offer like this?

It’s tough being a golfer, especially if your coach, sponsors and wife have all dumped you. Although attention for most golf fans will be squarely focused on the prestigious Players Championship at Sawgrass, there’s some serious value to be had at the Italian Open. Below is a video of John Daly’s preparation for the event in Rome. It’s not surprising Butch Harmon has refused to coach him and claimed “The most important thing in his life is getting drunk.” No shoes, no shirt, just blue denim jeans and a cigarette in mouth at every hole; it’s clear Daly is in top form, well nearly, he wasn’t drunk, I think. He might be ranked 539th in the world, but as he says himself, “Don’t underestimate the Fat man.” A Fat price of 125/1 too.

Here’s the 1st Round scorecard of the second best golfer in the world … em … according to Ian Poulter. As the vast splashes of yellow combined with a couple of green bits would suggest, it is in fact the scorecard of a distinctly average golfer and accordingly was good enough only for a share of 38th place at the Dubai Desert Classic.

He may not be the best at golf, but he sure is funny:

“I haven’t played to my full potential. And when that happens it will just be me and Tiger.”

“I just don’t rate anyone else. Don’t get me wrong, I respect everyone who is a professional.” Which is ironic because anyone else doesn’t rate Poulter.

“Put Tiger down for the Masters. And you can put me down for the US Open.”
Well that’s just super. From now until Woods and Poulter retire, the majors are just going to be a carve-up between the pair of them. Thanks Ian, that saved us the hassle of watching.

Read more of what the shameless self-publicist had to say – now with completely unconvincing denials!!

Am I the only person that finds Poulter just obscenely irritating? He seems blessed with a mountain of mouthy self-belief and a molehill of actual talent.

You asked for it so we built it.  We are proud to present our new and improved, GTI 16V Results service.

You can now get every result for every market for every event we offer here on the website.  That’s right, it covers all sports from Racing to Rugby, Football to Financials and Cricket to Cycling.

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