02-10-2020, 10:18 AM
CHASKA, Minn. -- When players broke away from the PGA of America in 1968 to form what is now the PGA Tour, two properties had to be divided. The tour took the lucrative World Series of Golf at Firestone. The PGA of America was saddled with the Ryder Cup, which attracted hardly any attention in the U.S.Just look at it now.Try to count the more than 150,000 fans over three days who roamed Hazeltine, standing a dozen deep, shoulder to shoulder, and filled every grandstand even when a match was an hour from getting to that hole.It was the latest example that the Ryder Cup has become the biggest spectacle in golf (but only because the Masters would never want spectacle to be associated with its tournament). The Phoenix Open boasts of record attendance, but those figures tend to be inflated and half the crowd isnt even interested in golf.The buzz at Hazeltine was incredible.It was the brutish behavior that comes with such an enormous crowd that should make the PGA of America pause.The stories players once shared from the Ryder Cup used to be about how nervous they were on the first tee. Now the stories are about the verbal abuse from the American fans -- certainly not the majority, but enough to leave a bad taste.I got called a turd, which is the first time since I was about 12 years old, so it made me feel young again, said Lee Westwood, trying to make light of a dark situation.Emotions were raw Sunday night, and the crude comments from the gallery became a popular topic among the Europeans. This wasnt sour grapes. They simply were answering questions. They gave full credit to the putting and prowess of the Americans that led to a 17-11 victory.Years from now, the 41st edition of these matches will be remembered for shots from the players, not shouts from a few unruly fans.The lasting image from Hazeltine will be Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy producing a four-hole stretch that instantly became part of Ryder Cup lore, especially on the par-3 eighth hole. McIlroy holed a 60-foot putt and cupped a hand to his ear to bait the crowd. Reed answered with a 25-foot putt and wagged his finger at McIlroy. Both players laughed, bumped fists and patted each other on the back. It was great theater that defined the spirit of these matches.No moment was more painful than Westwood missing two short putts, including a 2-foot birdie attempt on the 18th hole that cost Europe a crucial point going into the final day. No one match was more compelling than Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia combining for 19 birdies in a singles match that fittingly ended in a draw.All that sullied this week was the crowd.McIlroy got into it with one vulgar fan, stopping to confront him and asking that he be removed. Thomas Pieters was about to take his putter back on a 4-footer to halve the hole in a foursomes match when some genius screamed out, Hit it in the water.The cheering and jeering at the Ryder Cup is unlike any other golf event.There were indications early that Hazeltine might be over the top, however. Fans tend to wait a second or two when the visitors hit a bad shot before cheering the good fortune of the home team. As early as Friday morning, cheers for Europes bad shots were loud and immediate. Andy Sullivan hit a tee shot into the water on the 17th hole and cheers rang out before there was so much as a ripple in the water.And it got worse.We want to play this tournament in the manner in which it should be played, McIlroy said. The American gallery are fantastic. They really are. We play week in, week out on the PGA Tour, and they couldnt be nicer to us. They greet us like we are one of their own. But this week, at times, it went a little bit too far.The PGA of America stepped in, but not until Sunday when the Americans had a three-point lead. It urged fans to be passionate and respectful, and pledged a zero tolerance policy to remove anyone who was disruptive and shouted profanities at players.The Americans dont have an easy time when they play the Ryder Cup in Europe, though the tone is undeniably different. American fans tend to make it personal. Maybe thats a product of having lost the Ryder Cup too many times over the last 20 years.Or maybe there are simply too many fans on the course for 32 matches over three days.Selling more tickets is only going to increase the odds of having more bad eggs who give American fans a bad name. It started at Brookline. It isnt getting better. If the PGA of America is not careful, the biggest spectacle in golf is going to become a spectacle for all the wrong reasons. Air Max 270 React On Sale .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers. Air Max 270 Light Bone . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. http://www.cheapairmax270react.com/air-m...-fake.html . 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PHILADELPHIA -- Hit or no hit, Maikel Franco was just happy the Phillies won.Franco drove home the winning run with one out in the 12th inning on a play that eventually was ruled a single to give Philadelphia a 5-4 victory over the struggling San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night.Ryan Howard homered among his three hits and Cameron Rupp also connected for Philadelphia. Franco finished with three RBI, including one on the unusual sequence that ended the game.With the bases loaded and one out, Franco lined what appeared to be a clean single into right-center field. But young teammate Aaron Altherr, who was on first base, got so excited about the Phillies winning that he rushed out to right field to congratulate Franco without ever touching second base.Giants catcher Buster Posey noticed the blunder and took a throw at second from right fielder Hunter Pence -- and second base umpire Dale Scott signaled that Altherr was out. Franco did indeed cross first base, though, so Tommy Joseph scored easily from third and the Giants had no chance at an inning-ending double play.When I saw (Hunter) Pence run out to center field to get the ball, I was like, `Whats going on here? Altherr said. Then when I saw him throw to second I was like, `Oh, (no). I feel terrible about it. Im just thankful we still got the win.Altherr said he would buy Franco dinner if the mistake cost his teammate a hit, but after a long delay following the game, the official scorer credited Franco with a single.Its more important that we won the ballgame, Franco said before the ruling. I got my RBI, we win the ballgame, thats what this game is all about.Posey singled, doubled and drove in three runs for the NL West leaders, who have lost 13 of 17 since the All-Star break. Denard Span had three hits.George Kontos (2-2) started the 12th by hitting Joseph with a pitch. He went to second on Luis Garcias sacrifice bunt and Philadelphia had runners on first and second with one out after Kontos walked Cesar Hernandez.Giants manager Bruce Bochy called on Jake Peavy for his first appearance since being demoted to the bullpen when the team acquired left-hander Matt Moore from Tampa Bay on Monday.Peavy induced a grounder by Altherr, but he reached to load the bases when third baseman Eduardo Nunez bobbled the ball for an error.Franco then drove the next pitch from Peavy into right-center.Anytime you win in extra innings, its a great win, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. When you lose, its terrible.Garcia (1-0)) pitched a scoreless inning for the win, capping an impressive performance by Philadelphias bullpen.dddddddddddd Six relievers combined to pitch seven shutout innings while allowing two hits.That was difference in the game, Bochy said. Their `pen shut us down completely.The teams combined to use 14 pitchers in a game that took 4 hours, 2 minutes.Franco hit a two-out, two-run single in the eighth off Giants starter Johnny Cueto to tie the score at 4 and complete Philadelphias comeback from a 4-0 deficit.FOR STARTERSGiants: Cueto was cruising along until giving up a pair of homers in the seventh and Francos hit in the eighth. He was lifted after allowing four runs in 7 2/3 innings while recording his 12th career double-digit strikeout game by fanning 10 Phillies. He gave up seven hits and walked one.I felt normal, Cueto said through a translator. I made all my pitches. The only thing I can say is they beat me.Phillies: Phil Klein recovered from a shaky first inning in an emergency start and lasted five innings, giving up four runs and eight hits. Philadelphia scratched scheduled starter Aaron Nola 4 hours before the game and placed him on the 15-day disabled list with a strained elbow.Prior to Wednesday, Klein made eight relief appearances for Texas this season and had pitched 36 games in his big league career. He was a 30th-round selection by the Rangers in 2011.Klein was optioned back to Triple-A after the game.NOLA SIDELINEDNola (6-9, 4.78 ERA) said he felt discomfort after his most recent start on Thursday in Atlanta.But I really didnt think it was anything, he said. It just kind of got sore a little bit. It kind of prolonged for the next couple of days and I told the (Phillies staff).The 23-year-old righty has been struggling for nearly two months and has a 9.82 ERA in his last eight starts. The Phillies skipped him once in the rotation before the All-Star break, but Nola said his struggles have had nothing to do with his health.No, no, I never felt any pain or any soreness, he said. I guess it just kind of flared up in that one game.Nola hopes to return this season, though the Phillies could be cautious with a young pitcher who is considered one of the key cornerstones in their rebuild.UP NEXTThe teams conclude their three-game series Thursday afternoon when Phillies RHP Vince Velasquez (8-3, 3.32 ERA) opposes Moore (7-7, 4.08). ' ' '