Loren Roberts, a former U.S. Ryder Cup team member and assistant captain in 2006, isn’t ready to conceded this weekend’s event at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., to the Europeans.
“All I’m going to talk about in the Ryder Cup is I’m going to go back to the immortal words of Ben Crenshaw in 1999 — ‘I have a great feeling about this,’” the current Champions Tour member said. “I think this year the U.S. is going to do it.”
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But it will take more than a feeling for the U.S. to upset the Europeans.
The Americans have lost eight of the past 11 competitions in the biannual contest. In 2004 and 2006 the Americans were drilled 18 1/2 to 9 1/2 points.
Roberts, who was 3-1 as a player in the Ryder Cup, believes this year’s team was picked to excel under captain Paul Azinger.
“What I see this year that may be a little different is I see the emotion factor playing in,” Roberts said. “There isn’t a more emotional leader than Azinger. I think it’s great that you have two guys from Kentucky that are on the team playing in their own state. That will really get the crowd into it. The crowd plays a big part in it also, believe me, it does.”
Those native Kentuckians are Kenny Perry and J.B. Holmes. Perry finished third in Ryder Cup points to earn an automatic spot on the team and Holmes’ game is rooted on emotion, momentum and a booming drive.
Holmes and Perry, however, won’t make the crowd forget about an injured Tiger Woods. But the duo has a chance to do something the world’s No. 1 ranked golfer has done just once in his career: beat the Europeans.
