CAPTAIN BERNHARD LANGER: I think the last Ryder Cup two years ago was a great example of what the Ryder Cup should be and can be. I think Curtis strange and Sam Torrance and their 24 players set a great example. I think the spectators behaved very well overall, and I think Hal's and mine intention is to follow in the footsteps of what happened two years ago and to continue the tradition that we've had for so many years, to play the Ryder Cup in the true spirit and sportsmanship and gentlemen-like that it should be by the Rules of Golf.
We all know every once in awhile they got out of hand here and there and wasn't always the players fault or the captains fault. But we will do our utmost I think to maintain what we've started again two years ago and keep it in the true spirit and let the clubs do the talking.
Q. Can you just talk about there are some non-golf fans here who are in this Detroit area who are not that familiar with the sport or what happened at Brookline, can you talk about how difficult it is for a golfer to play in an environment that is a little bit more hostile than they are used and can you kind of give a description of how that impacts the actual play?
CAPTAIN BERNHARD LANGER: Well, every player takes it a little bit different I suppose. But in general, I would say that golf in general, whether you play the Masters, the British Open or whatever tournament around the world, great shots get applauded for and when you hit bad ones or you miscue, the people, they go, "oohh" and "ahhh" but they keep fairly quiet. Not so in the Ryder Cup. Not always.
There's a definite difference where certainly people are for one team and against the other. It's a lot like in football and in soccer and tennis and whatever else. So we have to be aware of that and that makes it a little bit harder to stay within the fair Rules of Golf and create an environment that is still fair. And some players, you know, when they get booed or something or if they hit a bad shot and the spectators applaud, it might fire them up even more, and others get down. So it's difficult to say how the individual responds to it.
Q. Getting back to the underdog thing, Hal says there is no underdogs, and Sergio just a minute ago said that the Europeans feel like they are the underdogs; do you agree with that sentiment?
CAPTAIN BERNHARD LANGER: I do. If you look at the majors that have been won over the years, the last few years, tournaments in general that have been won, whether it's World Golf Championships or majors or World Ranking, as a matter of fact, which reflects the true capability of the player how well he's played over the last few months and the last couple of years. When you look at all of that, the American team is a lot stronger than the European Team. You know, at the same time we know over the last 20 years we have been very evenly matched. There was one point two years ago when I think they figured out we have had 200 matches or something and each team had won 100. That's how close it has been. So, it's just a little different contest.
JULIUS MASON: Bernhard Langer Hal Sutton, thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen.
End of FastScripts.
