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| Both Teams Fit and Ready |
Sam Torrance and Curtis Strange have declared themselves happy with their final preparations for the start of The 34th Ryder Cup Matches and their sides are itching to get the action underway.
Just hours before the first shots are struck, Torrance said: "This feels fantastic. I've been waiting for this moment for a while and I can't believe the action starts tomorrow. Everything has gone well and I'm sure, come Sunday night, I'll be saying it's finished, it's gone so quickly, but it's been great.
"Being Captain has far surpassed my wildest dreams. This means everything to me and thinking about it gets me very sentimental. But my team is ready. They know what they have to do, they are settled, they just want to get going."
The buoyant Scot knows exactly what his side has to do to regain the Ryder Cup, lost at The Country Club, Brookline in 1999. "Score 14 ½ points," he added with a smile. "That's it, 14 ½ points any way they can, fairly. It's as simple as that. But Curtis has a wealth of talent and he's paired them well."
Strange is equally happy and confident. "It's going to be fun," he said. "There are always tough matches but I've asked my team to prepare in the way they would for a major championship. This is not an exhibition. This is a hell of a competition that we take great pride in winning and playing well and representing our country.
"This is the greatest honour I've ever had to try to organise and prepare over the past three years. And now we are finally here, it's been beyond my imagination how well it has gone, thanks to The De Vere Belfry and Ryder Cup Limited. It has been flawless."
What does the US Captain feel his team has to do this week to win? "Play well," he said. "Put it in the fairway. That's a huge priority because this is like a US Open. You are not going to advance the ball very far out of the rough so you do anything to get it in the fairway. Obviously in match play you have to putt well, you have to make birdies and you have to make thing happen.
"I have never said we will win the Cup, but I think we will retain the Cup if we play up to our potential. I feel confident of that."
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