WAKE UP WITH THE RYDER CUP
The 42nd edition of golf's biennial U.S. vs. Europe Ryder Cup kicked off with four matches early Friday morning in France. The fourball (better ball) matches teed off at 1:10 a.m. Twin Cities time at Le Golf National, about 12 miles outside of Paris. The foursome (alternate shot) matches are scheduled to begin at 6:50 a.m. The schedule will repeat Saturday morning before Sunday's 12 singles matches begin at 5:05 a.m.
What's at stake: The U.S. leads the all-time series 26-13-2 but, under the direction of captain Jim Furyk, is trying to defend for just the third time since 2002 and win on European soil for the first time in 25 years. It will take the Americans 14 points to retain the Ryder Cup they won at Hazeltine in 2016 by a score of 17-11, their largest winning margin since 1981.
How to watch: Golf Channel has live shot-by-shot coverage Friday and again from 1-2 a.m. Saturday. Ch. 11 picks up coverage from 2 a.m.-noon on Saturday and full coverage on Sunday. You can also find results, photos and the latest Ryder Cup news at www.startribune.com/sports/golf.
Did you know: The 72-foot tall grandstand surrounding the first tee has a capacity of 6,978. "I expect everyone to feel a little bit of jelly in their legs walking to their first tee," Europe's Henrik Stenson said.
