Ryder Cup

A list of participatory sporting events in and around the area: BASEBALL Tuesdays - Wilderness Trace family YMCA T-ball at the YMCA in Harrodsburg. Play 5:30-6:30 p.m. for ages 3-4. Call (859) 734-9622, (859) 236-0359 or (859) 734-9622. CYCLING Sundays, Wednesdays - Semi-weekly casual rides beginning in Danville. Rides begin 7:30 a.m. Sundays and 6 p.m. Wednesdays at Danville Bike and Footwear, 417 W. Main St. Helmets required. Riders under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

J.B. Holmes and Brandon Parsons literally grew up together on the golf course. "During the summers, our parents would pick us up at 9 a.m, take us to the golf course and pick us back up at dark. They would leave us lunch money. But all we did was play golf together," said Parsons. This week the duo will be on an international stage when Holmes plays in the Ryder Cup in Louisville and Parsons works as his caddy. The two Taylor County natives, both 26, have known each other since their elementary school days.

The 2008 Ryder Cup will be played Sept. 16-21, 2008,at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville. This is a tremendous compliment to the facility and the state of Kentucky in regards to golf enthusiasts based in our area. Valhalla has a great tradition in hosting golf events. The upcoming Ryder Cup will be no exception. With the event merely a year away, I am beginning to be asked many questions regarding the Ryder Cup. One of the questions is how the team is chosen. Next I am asked about whether the players are really enthused to participate due to their past efforts.

I got an opportunity to go to the Ryder Cup three times last week. On Thursday, Jay Stenzel, Bill Humphrey, Wayne and Chris Martin, Bruce and Jack Walters and I went to the final practice round. I once saw an exhibition match featuring Frank Beard, Gay Brewer, and Bobby Nichols, but I had never been to a major golf tournament before. The first thing that impressed me was the number of people there, including many from Europe. I got a big kick out of the Irish fans dressed as leprechauns and the Scottish gentlemen wearing kilts.

Buoyed by strong play at the top of the lineup, the team from Mount Sterling Golf and Country Club fashioned an early lead and never looked back, capturing the Ryder Cup competition with Winchester Country Club for the second consecutive year. The hosts led 15-11 after four ball and foursomes play, and held firm during singles competition to retain the cup with a deceptively comfortable 28.5-22.5 victory. Winchester stayed close with strong performances from Paxton Mahan, Robbie Baldwin, Willie Palmer, Scott Humphrey, Jimmy Powell, Doug Brown, Keith McDonald and Francis Thomas.

Rachel Pingleton of Boyle County will represent Kentucky at the Junior PGA Ryder Cup Academy in Port St. Lucie, Fla., July 1-8 at the PGA Center for Golf Learning and Performance. Only 84 junior players ages 14-17 were selected to participate, and Jacob Edward Cook of Frankfort is the lone Kentucky boy that will be attending. The Ryder Cup Junior Golf Academy is a seven-day program where players are given professional instruction while expanding their knowledge on the history and format of the Ryder Cup. Participants had to have at least a 2.5 grade-point average and other considerations during the application process, which included an essay, were desire and ability to excel in competitive golf and the player's character.

Jim Wright, Lenny Midden, and I got an opportunity to play at Peninsula Golf Resort next to Harrington Lake in northern Garrard County recently. The course has Bermuda grass fairways (which were spotty in some parts) leading to undulating, bent grass greens. Several greens have two tiers. Very little water comes into play but 68 bunkers do. The course has four sets of tees. We played the blues, which total 6,082 yards. Some of the roughs were knee-high. The course is well-marked, and the carts are equipped with GPS systems.

The Danville boys finished second and the Boyle County and Garrard County boys tied for third Thursday in the Kentucky Bluegrasss Conference Tournament at Dix River Country Club in Stanford. West Jessamine, led by medalist Connor Haas with a 1-under par 35, won the tournament with a team score of 154. Danville was eight strokes back at 162, followed by Boyle and Garrard (163), Lincoln County (165), East Jessamine (169), Rockcastle County (173) and Casey County (194). Boyle's Dakota Jarman and Chris Butler of Lincoln were medalist runners-up after shooting even par 36s. Andrew McKinney of Danville, Jonah Johnson of Garrard and Ben Kendrick of Boyle tied for fourth after shooting 38 and J.B. Williams of Danville, Drew Moore of Garrard, Zach Johnson of Lincoln and Luke Beard of Casey tied for eighth after carding 39. KBC-CKC¿Ryder Cup - The Kentucky Bluegrass Conference and Central Kentucky Conference will have their annual Ryder Cup Playoff Tournament next Thursday at a site to be determined.