Gleneagles has familiar feel for U.S. Ryder Cup team

Gleneagles layout has a familiar feel for the U.S. team

By David Wharton • Los Angeles Times

GLENEAGLES, Scotland – The surrounding countryside is classically Scottish with rolling hills and lush fields as far as the eye can see.

The weather this time of year is also fairly typical, the skies gloomy and spitting rain.

But something about the golf course at Gleneagles — the site of the 2014 Ryder Cup — has made the U.S. team feel right at home this week.

"Wasn't sure what to expect," Matt Kuchar said after Tuesday's practice. "It's a little more Americanized."

Instead of the layout that Kuchar and his teammates envisioned — something along the lines of Royal Troon or the Old Course at St. Andrews — Gleneagles features a manicured look more befitting the PGA Tour.

That shouldn't be a total surprise. Jack Nicklaus designed this course in 1993 and later revamped it. Paul McGinley, captain of Europe's team, sees another reason for the untraditional layout.

The difference between European and American golf has narrowed, he suggested, the game becoming more globalized as top players compete in tournaments from Doral to Dubai.

"Now we have as many big hitters as they do," McGinley said, making a comparison to the U.S. team. "There was a time when we were straighter and shorter and they were longer and a little bit wider, but that's not the case anymore."

It would be a mistake to say that Gleneagles has totally abandoned its heritage. At less than 7,300 yards, it is relatively short and rewards accuracy.

The course has hosted a regular stop on the European Tour for more than a decade, so McGinley figures his players will be comfortable there. And if some of its features also suit the Americans, that's fine.

Still, with Scotland playing host to the Ryder Cup for only the second time, some have wondered if those other courses — the more famous ones — might have been a better choice.

Asked about criticism directed at Gleneagles in the past, Henrik Stenson said: "There's always personal preferences on golf courses we play. Every week, you're going to have guys loving it or guys feeling like it's so-so or doesn't suit your eye or your game or whatever."

McGinley acknowledged that the rough is a little thicker than he would have preferred. He blamed the "warm Scottish September" and recent rains.

The European captain dismissed questions about the possibility of grooming the course to favor his team. He seemed more eager to talk about his players making a grand entrance by way of a path that leaves the clubhouse and practice area, tunnels under a road, then emerges at the No. 1 tee.

"A bit like gladiators walking into the arena," McGinley said, adding that "it should be an electric atmosphere."

Television should like the Gleneagles backdrop, which includes stunning views of the Perthshire straths and the Ben Vorlich and Grampian mountains.

Finally, it seems, the U.S. team is pleased about a venue that might take some sting out of Europe's home-team advantage.

"I like the character it has," Zach Johnson said. "A lot of undulation, hills, short, long, up, down, left, right — it's got everything, which is good."

The more recognizable qualities mean the Americans will not have to spend all week trying to get a handle on the topography.

"It didn't seem like a course where you're required a whole lot of practice rounds to figure out the lines to take," Kuchar said. "It seems pretty straightforward."