Ryder Cup: Grading Golf World's grades

Early returns are in on Golf World's Ryder Cup coverage, by readers who turned the tables and "graded" its coverage, much as it graded the teams. Early respondents seem to be the toughest graders:

It seems to me when two teams compete one has to lose. Even in the Ryder Cup a tie results in a winner and a loser. There were numerous matches decided by a shot or two. From crucifying Nick Faldo to actually > giving grades to each player for their performance is just plain ridiculous. I don't recall any of these players trash talking the other team or bragging about how good they are. You don't see these players holding out in the beginning of the year for a better contract. They all work hard to get on the team and do their best, yet if they don't hit every shot perfectly or win every match, GW nails 'em up to a tree. What a disgrace.>

Chuck Dierkes

I believe Steve Stricker's Ryder Cup play deserves a higher grade than a D+. During his 50 holes of play he made 11 or 12 birdies including the crucial 18 foot putt on Saturday that Captain Azinger said made the difference for us in the matches as it kept the momentum from jumping to Europe. That clutch puttt plus all the birdies deserves an upward grade revision.

James J Statz

Madison, WI

__I was very much looking forward to reading your article on the Ryder Cup until I came to [John Hawkins']: "In a rear-view mirror with no signs of fear, hindsight and failure soon disappear." Did you really intend for that line to be in your magazine, or was it a prank by the production department?

Then, in the same vein, there was "...before our youth proved it could handle the truth."

I don't know where you went to school, but in my Freshman English class that level of writing would have earned an F.

Also, to move to substance instead of style, Mr. Hawkins references Boo "Weekley's top 10 quips at Valhalla." Hawkins backs up his high assessment of Weekley's entertainment value with Mickelson's endorsement. So we readers get two full paragraphs about how witty Weekley was, but we do not get one single Weekley quip. Unless you count "I never thought golf could be this much fun..." Do you think that you could prevail on Mr. Hawkins to share the fun stuff with those of us who weren't there?

Everyone else on your staff seems to write very well, but this is the second major event article that Hawkins has produced this season that was banal and tedious. Please give him some editorial assistance, or assign someone else to write your lead articles on major events.__

Paul Fairchild

San Antonio

I won't take sides except to say that when it comes to the Ryder Cup the best grading system is pass-fail--and maybe that goes for the coverage as well. The Americans pass and so does Hawkins. On the other hand I'm looking at the whole thing through a rear-view mirror with no fear and no editor.

--Bob Carney