Ryder Cup golf shenanigans and match play mental game hijinks

photo by IhourahaneEveryone knows that match play brings out a respectable dosage of gamesmanship. It's one of the reasons match play is so exciting!

And with the Ryder Cup residing on top of the heap of match play events, you can rest assured the players will bring every tool in their golf arsenals to their matches this weekend.

But these are PGA professionals, they would never stray into the dark arts of head game manipulation at the great Ryder Cup competition! Au contraire, my fellow golf enthusiasts ...these boys will be using every trick in the book to get inside the heads of their formidable opponents.

And often it's nothing more than a distracting cough in a backswing or some pocket change jingling when an opponent is about to putt.

Consider the tactics of master head gamer and golf intimidator, Seve Ballestaeros. A seemingly innocent question about his opponents missing wife, whom Seve knew had recently filed for divorce, was just enough to knock his rival's mind off the game and into his personal tribulations.

Seve was also known to stand too close to his opponent, continually fidget with gadgetry and refuse to concede short putts. These little gestures created a constant stream of distractions that would often provide him a significant competitive advantage if his opponents were unable to remain focused.

The 1969 Ryder Cup witnessed an ungentlemanly tiff involving American golfer Ken Still and England's Bernard Gallacher. According to the British press, Ken Still, in the first-day foursomes, had been accused of gamesmanship when he regularly stood too close when his opponent was putting. Later in the matches, Still squawked about some recurring gamesmanship by Bernard Gallacher. He reportedly knocked aside Gallacher's ball marker and conceded loudly, "You can have the hole – and the goddamn Cup!" The two nearly ended up in a fistfight.

Golfs true gentleman prevail

In the final match of the competition that year Jack Nicklaus conceded, what many believed (including American captain Sam Sneed), was a missable putt to Tony Jacklin. It halved their match and ended the 1969 Ryder Cup in a first ever tie at 16-16. The Americans retained the cup.

The challenges and contoversies of the 1969 Ryder Cup ignited a golf media frenzy on both sides of the Atlantic. It fueled stories of manipulative head games, Britain's unexpected competitive performance and Jack Nicklaus' generous and good natured sportsmanship. It provided a much needed boost to The Ryder Cup's somewhat tarnished image.

Pay close attention to how the players interact with each other this weekend. Their game faces will be on and their body language will be strategic. It's the entertainment behind the entertainment.

Do you know any juicy stories of Ryder Cup head game shenanigans? If so, leave a comment. We'd love to hear them. Who knows... you may pick up a few mind bending tricks you can use in your next match.

Jim Furyk heads to the Ryder Cup $11.35 million richer than the rest of us

With the FedEx Cup under one arm and the Tour Championship Trophy under the other, Jim Furyk will probably just float over the pond to Wales for the much anticipated Ryder Cup this week. Not to mention the fact that his record breaking 11.35 million dollar payday will afford him a snazzy souvenir or two for all his cronies left at home.

Jim's mild manner won't keep him under the radar at this year's Ryder Cup matches. His dual victory brings him out of the shadows of b-flight touring pros directly into the center of golf's world stage.

"I'm hoping to keep this roll going and keep the pedal down next week." Jim told reporters after his win on Sunday. "If I don't, it won't be from a mental perspective, I promise you that."

It's a perfect storm of positive mental reinforcement that will carry him to the Twenty Ten Course at Celtic Manor Resort. And with his somewhat lackluster Ryder Cup record of 8-13-3, he'll no doubt welcome the jolt of residual energy he'll be bringing to the course this weekend.

Jim Furyk is a fierce competitor. Even without the well deserved dual moniker of Fedex and PGA Tour Champion.

The 2010 Ryder Cup is going to be an awesome display of super premium golf. I just hope he hangs on to that $39 putter. It has already served him well. 

BMW Champion, Dustin Johnson is positioned well for PGA Tour Player of the Year

"I feel like I really stayed in the moment," reported Dustin Johnson after scoring a final round 69 to win the BMW Championship. "...to finally get it done -- especially after all the things I've gone thru this summer -- to finally get it done on Sunday, it can't feel any better."

Johnson is definitely earning his pro golfers chops this summer. With the disappointment of his club grounding rule violation at the PGA Championship and the final blow up round of 82 at this year's US Open, he's certainly no stranger to the agony of defeat. You might even think he would be considering a career adjustment. After all, who deserves to get so close but remain so far away from victory. 

It seems his patience, mental stamina and exceptional abilities are finally beginning to pay off. He now has the most victories of any player in his twenties. And he's looking really good for PGA Tour Player of the Year. Oh and he just maneuvered himself into the number two position on the FedEx Cup points list. Nice turnaround Dustin!

He credits his win to the fact that he didn't get ahead of himself. He was able to stay in the moment. He said he did a good job of just being patient.

These are the big mental game hurdles that all the top PGA professionals must contend with. The pressure is huge but they are able to stay in the moment and play great golf.

You've just got to love the resilience of a player like Johnson. He managed to step beyond this summer's mistakes and debacles, hold onto his own mental toughness and come out on top. Congratulations Dustin.

I can't wait to see what kind of performance he'll give his new found ravenous fans in the upcoming Ryder Cup. One thing is certain. He's awesome to watch!