The First Major: The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Good Walk Spoiled, a dramatic chronicle of the bitterly-fought 2016 Ryder Cup pitting a U.S. team out for revenge against the Europeans determined to keep the Cup out of American hands.

Coming into 2016, the Americans had lost an astounding six out of the last seven Ryder Cup matches, and tensions were running high for the showdown that took place in October, 2016 in Hazeltine, Minnesota, just days after American legend Arnold Palmer had died. What resulted was one of the most raucous and heated three days in the Cup's long history. Award-winning author John Feinstein takes readers behind the scenes, providing an inside view of the dramatic stories as they unfolded: veteran Phil Mickelson's two-year roller-coaster as he upended the American preparation process and helped assemble a superb team; superstar Rory McIlroy becoming the clear-cut emotional leader of the European team, and his reasons for wanting to beat the US team so badly this time around; the raucous matches between McIlroy and American Patrick Reed - resulting in both incredible golf, and several moments that threatened to come to blows; the return of Tiger Woods not as a player but an assistant captain, and his obsession with helping the US win - which was never the case when he was playing. John Feinstein's classic bestseller, A Good Walk Spoiled, set the bar for golf books. Now Feinstein provides his unique take on the Ryder Cup, which has clearly become golf's most intense and emotional event...it's 'first Major.'
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The First Major: The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Good Walk Spoiled, a dramatic chronicle of the bitterly-fought 2016 Ryder Cup pitting a U.S. team out for revenge against the Europeans determined to keep the Cup out of American hands.

Coming into 2016, the Americans had lost an astounding six out of the last seven Ryder Cup matches, and tensions were running high for the showdown that took place in October, 2016 in Hazeltine, Minnesota, just days after American legend Arnold Palmer had died. What resulted was one of the most raucous and heated three days in the Cup's long history. Award-winning author John Feinstein takes readers behind the scenes, providing an inside view of the dramatic stories as they unfolded: veteran Phil Mickelson's two-year roller-coaster as he upended the American preparation process and helped assemble a superb team; superstar Rory McIlroy becoming the clear-cut emotional leader of the European team, and his reasons for wanting to beat the US team so badly this time around; the raucous matches between McIlroy and American Patrick Reed - resulting in both incredible golf, and several moments that threatened to come to blows; the return of Tiger Woods not as a player but an assistant captain, and his obsession with helping the US win - which was never the case when he was playing. John Feinstein's classic bestseller, A Good Walk Spoiled, set the bar for golf books. Now Feinstein provides his unique take on the Ryder Cup, which has clearly become golf's most intense and emotional event...it's 'first Major.'
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The First Major: The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup

The First Major: The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup

by John Feinstein

Narrated by John Feinstein

Unabridged — 11 hours, 29 minutes

The First Major: The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup

The First Major: The Inside Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup

by John Feinstein

Narrated by John Feinstein

Unabridged — 11 hours, 29 minutes

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Overview

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Good Walk Spoiled, a dramatic chronicle of the bitterly-fought 2016 Ryder Cup pitting a U.S. team out for revenge against the Europeans determined to keep the Cup out of American hands.

Coming into 2016, the Americans had lost an astounding six out of the last seven Ryder Cup matches, and tensions were running high for the showdown that took place in October, 2016 in Hazeltine, Minnesota, just days after American legend Arnold Palmer had died. What resulted was one of the most raucous and heated three days in the Cup's long history. Award-winning author John Feinstein takes readers behind the scenes, providing an inside view of the dramatic stories as they unfolded: veteran Phil Mickelson's two-year roller-coaster as he upended the American preparation process and helped assemble a superb team; superstar Rory McIlroy becoming the clear-cut emotional leader of the European team, and his reasons for wanting to beat the US team so badly this time around; the raucous matches between McIlroy and American Patrick Reed - resulting in both incredible golf, and several moments that threatened to come to blows; the return of Tiger Woods not as a player but an assistant captain, and his obsession with helping the US win - which was never the case when he was playing. John Feinstein's classic bestseller, A Good Walk Spoiled, set the bar for golf books. Now Feinstein provides his unique take on the Ryder Cup, which has clearly become golf's most intense and emotional event...it's 'first Major.'

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

10/16/2017
Feinstein (A Good Walk Spoiled), a sportswriter best known for his golf coverage, provides a colorful story of the 2016 Ryder Cup—which broke an eight-year losing streak for Americans—that even non-golfers will enjoy. Dating back to 1921, this team competition between both new and established golfers from the U.S. and Europe is now one of the sport’s premier events; it also attracts more raucous fans than other major golf tournament in the world. Tension and drama ran high for the 2016 Ryder Cup, hosted at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., just days after golf icon Arnold Palmer’s death. The Americans were in the midst of a losing streak that began in 2008 and desperate to redeem themselves. Rather than provide a hole-by-hole narrative, Feinstein uses his tight connections within pro golf’s inner circle to take readers into the lives and minds of golfers such as Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, and Rory McIlroy. Context is central to understanding the significance of the Americans’ 2016 Ryder Cup victory, which is why Feinstein digs deep into the event’s illustrious history, peppering his prose with astute observations and witty lines and including an examination of Tiger Woods (“Woods had been raised by his father to believe that anyone with a club in his hand was the enemy”). Feinstein has written more than two dozen books, and this one ranks among his best. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

One of Golf Digest's Best Books of the Year

"Richly detailed and entertaining. . . . Feinstein captures the intensity, the flavor, the pomp and all the circumstance that is. . .the biggest event in golf."
USA Today

"Feinstein’s talent always has been the depth of his relationships, which enables him to get important figures to divulge intimate details of what transpired. . . . The book features one interesting anecdote after another, including inside reaction to controversial statements by Phil Mickelson; how an injured Tiger Woods swallowed his ego to play a supporting role as an assistant captain; and more. In the hands of a lesser writer, a book about a lopsided match would have been hard to pull off. Feinstein, though, knows how to tell a good story, regardless of the outcome."
Chicago Tribune

"[Feinstein] uses his journalistic instincts and innate curiosity to uncover the story beneath the story. . . . Like a scratch player so confident in his short game he’ll risk the sand traps and water hazards, Feinstein confidently chips and blasts out the notion that golf is reserved for those who prefer insular endeavors."
—Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star

"Plenty of juicy material to enjoy. . . . Feinstein’s readers will walk away the way the victors and the vanquished did: smiling."
Golf Digest

"A colorful story. . . that even non-golfers will enjoy. . . . Feinstein digs deep into the event's illustrious history, peppering his prose with astute observations and witty lines. . . . This [book] ranks among his best."
Publishers Weekly

"Feinstein compellingly re-creates the excitement, sometimes shot by shot,
especially in the classic McIlroy-Reed singles match, which has come to be a symbol of golf at its best, both for shotmaking and sportsmanship. A great moment in golf history, vividly captured."
Booklist (starred review)

"Golf fans love Feinstein's books because he's trusted by the pros and thus can give inside information no other journalist can capture, plus he has a flair for telling a great story.... His journalistic style of short, pithy paragraphs drives the narrative along at breakneck speed. Recommended for any sports enthusiast and a must for golfers of all handicaps."
Kirkus Reviews

"Feinstein spends nearly three quarters of the book setting us up for the 28-point war at Hazeltine, deep-diving into Ryder Cup backstory and behind-the scenes conversations, power plays and personality studies to ratchet up the tension and reveal this as truly the biggest event in golf . . . He keeps up the quick pace even while fleshing out the stories of individual players, and offers insights on just what motivates and challenges the world’s best to find another level on a stage unlike any other . . . By the time Feinstein gets to the blow-by-blow of the matches, we’re feeling that fire, too. And loving it."
—Golf Tips Magazine

Library Journal

10/01/2017
Feinstein (The Legends Club) offers insight into what is one of the few team events in golf. The sport is often an individual effort and, as Feinstein relates, the biannual Ryder Cup is one of the few exceptions. Apart from magazine articles, there is little written on the team aspect of golf. Professional golfers tend to focus solely on their own game, and, when not in contention, often leave the tournament without waiting for the winner to be announced. The Ryder Cup is an exception; in this instance, the goal is for the team to win, not simply earn a final score. Feinstein does a thorough job in describing both the drama of the event as well as its backstory. By delving into the history of the event since its founding in 1927, the more recent record, the strategy of the teams and course selection, Feinstein re-creates the drama from a team perspective. Along the way, he entertains with personalities involved with the tournament, including Phil Mickelson, David Kocher, and Danny Willets. He also effectively describes the use of golf pods in developing a team ethos. VERDICT A well-written, insider account that will appeal to many golf enthusiasts.—Steven Silkunas, Fernandina Beach, FL

Kirkus Reviews

2017-07-12
An exciting story of the "terror…absolute joy and absolute despair" that are the Ryder Cup matches.Noted sports columnist and prolific author Feinstein (The Legends Club: Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Valvano, and an Epic College Basketball Rivalry, 2016, etc.) returns to the world of golf with this in-depth portrait of the dramatic 2016 Ryder Cup matches between the U.S. and European teams at the Hazeltine Golf Course in Minnesota. Golf fans love Feinstein's books because he's trusted by the pros and thus can give inside information no other journalist can capture, plus he has a flair for telling a great story. He's been waiting 23 years to write a book about the Ryder Cup, and he covers a lot of material here. The author begins at the end of the matches, with Ryan Moore (the last American to make the team) putting to win the matches for the U.S., the first win since 2008. He provides a succinct history of the matches, which began in 1926, before moving on to more detailed tales about the most recent ones and the key players involved in them. Then it's on to the 2016 competition. He provides terrific behind-the-scenes information about how Davis Love was chosen as team captain for the second time in a row as well as the scrap between Phil Mickelson and Tom Watson and how Love decided to implement a strategy similar to what captain Paul Azinger used in the American's 2008 victory: the task force, which gave "the players the input they needed to be prepared to succeed." The opening ceremony had seating for 1,500. There were some 45,000 on the course, and 30,000 stayed for the ceremony. Feinstein's coverage of the actual matches only takes up about a quarter of the book, and his journalistic style of short, pithy paragraphs drives the narrative along at breakneck speed. Recommended for any sports enthusiast and a must for golfers of all handicaps.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940172195907
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Publication date: 10/24/2017
Edition description: Unabridged

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