It is Ryder Cup week, this time from Rome Italy. Europe will be looking to bounce back after getting dominated by the U.S. in 2021, the U.S. winning 19-9.

According to our Power Rankings, both teams have their top-10 players all currently ranked in the top-100. This means pretty much all players are coming in to the matches in good form. It looks like for Europe to win it will be 14.5 – 13.5, but I will predict the U.S. will hold the cup after a 14-14 tie. Every point will be critical for both teams.

https://www.presidentscup.com/news/2021/08/05/tickets-for-2022-presidents-cup-to-go-on-sale-october-1.html

The 2022 Presidents Cup is here, taking place the Quail Hollow in Charlotte North Carolina.

We have done an analysis of the two teams, and based on our Power Rankings we are predicting a pretty easy win for the United States team.  You can see the comparison for yourself in the table below.

As you can see, the American team has 5 players currently ranked inside the top-20, whereas the Internationals have only one in the top-20. This might be the most lopsided event in the very lopsided history of this competition.

1st Green – From approximately halfway down the hole. You can see the driveway cutting across the fairway.

I was looking through some old files in my computer and found a few pictures from the old Tillsonburg Golf & Country Club (now known as The Bridges at Tillsonburg). Back when these pictures were taken the course was still just a nice little 9-hole course, however it was about to start work on a second nine (actually 10 new holes, as the original first hole was not part of the 18 hole layout).

I think Tillsonburg G&CC opened up in 1925.  For many years the course record was held by the legendary Moe Norman, and if memory serves the record was 59, which is a pretty solid 9-under par (the course was 9 holes, but so you did two loops, first from the white tees and the second time around from the red tees). Moe would have shot his score in a tournament sometime in the early or mid 1950s. My dad says he worked as a caddy that day. I believe Andrew Corner shot the first 58, back around 1995, in fact he might have shot 56.

3rd Hole – Par 3

Unfortunately 2021 was the last year for this course to be 18 holes. The members used to own the course, but the town and investors paid for the expansion. They all sold to a single investor, who then sold to the current owners (You might get a sense of the moral quality of the current owner from his actions during the province’s Covid lockdown). The course will become a 12-hole course, with at least 3 of the holes from the original design becoming a housing development.

So sad.

I miss the old 9-hole course.  All of the members all knew each other, and on a good day you could play 18-holes in just over 3 hours.

For those who remember Tillsonburg G&CC, I hope you like the couple of pictures I found and they bring back some nice memories.