LAMM AT LARGE: Ryder Cup as big as any major

Nothing illustrates the growing popularity of golf  more than the Ryder Cup.

The match between America’s best pros against those from Europe was seen as little more than an exhibition, even by most golf fans, for decades.

Now the Ryder Cup is one of the premier sports events in America. The world, in fact. It stands alongside such events as the Final Four, college football playoff, the World Series, the NBA Finals and the king of kings, the Super Bowl. It is the only golf event other than the Masters that attracts fans of all kinds.

Proof are the TV viewership numbers which started soaring in 1991. Unlike the Masters, which is played in early spring when little of note is going on in the sports world, the Cup holds its own in football season.

In ’91, the Cup was called “War on the Shore” at Kiawah Island S.C. and featured player controversies (Ray Floyd threatens to punch out Seve Ballereros’ lights), rowdy fans and came down to a 6-foot putt, which German Bernhard Langer missed for a USA victory.

The Ryder Cup had arrived as a major event.