European and US Teams Geared Up And Ready To Hit Celtic Manor

2010 Ryder Cup

Ryder Cup fever has certainly touched Wales. The American team touched down at Cardiff Airport this morning ready to take on Europe at Celtic Manor this weekend.

They posed for photographs on the steps of their plane – with around half the team wearing sunglasses despite it being cloudy. Captain Cory Pavin insists they’re not concerned by the potential of rain in South Wales.

Meanwhile…

Four days to go until golfs biggest event- and the European team have had a bad night at their five-star hotel in Newport. There was a fire drill at around one AM. It’s come to light after one of the players Ian Poulter – recorded a video while he was sat outside – then put it on Twitter. Despite that though Poulter has paid tribute to those organizing the event.

Thankfully for Irish eyes, Padraig Harrington has shown a somewhat turn around in form. He posted the best round of the day yesterday, despite a very poor previous 3 days at the Vivendi Cup in Paris, not to mention his poor showing all year. There had been suggestions that the Dubliner was a threat to the team and should be removed. But he says everything is OK now.

All pressure is on Europe to win back the Ryder Cup from the US. European captain Colin Montgomerie is predicting a tight and tough tournament. Meanwhile, Monty has revealed that he resisted the temptation to tamper with the set-up of the Ryder Cup course at Celtic Manor. As the home captain, Montgomerie was entitled to set-up the course to suit the strengths of his players – but he says he’s happy to let the two teams compete on the original lay-out.

Daniel "Pitchside" Pitcher Twitter: @DanFM104Sport About: Dan "Pitchside" Pitcher provides insight and commentary as the chief soccer and rugby correspondent for Sportspeak.