The U.S.A. vs. The World

For the non-golfers reading my blog, the Ryder Cup is a professional golf competition between U.S. golfers and those from Europe. It’s a tournament that occurs every two years with the venue rotating between the United States and a location in Europe. Not to be outdone, the ex-pats in Ghana have initiated the annual Cryder Cup Golf Tournament. The Cryder Cup pits the ex-pats from the U.S. against….the World….not just Europe.

I was told that the name of the tournament was changed to “Cryder” because of all the crying and whining going on by the Americans. Evidently, much like the Ryder Cup, the Cryder Cup has been won mostly by the non-American team. That was all about to change….

Kumasi is about a five hour drive north of Accra. Instead of making the long drive, Julie, Otto, Dave and I took a 35 minute flight and were met at the Kumasi airport by Otto’s driver, Peter. We stayed at a place called “The Four Villages,” which is basically a bed and breakfast with four rooms designated as hotel rooms. It is owned by Chris and his wife, Canadians, who have lived in Kumasi for 11 years. Included in the cost of the rooms were beer and frosty mugs straight out of Chris’ freezer. A quick drink on the veranda was needed before we headed off to the kickoff dinner/party at the Moti Mahal Indian Restaurant.

At the restaurant, we met up with the rest of our team members and met our adversaries…the World. They weren’t so scary. In fact, some of them were just flat out drunk! Ha ha!! This was obviously going to be a lot of fun. With the exception of Dave, Otto, Julie, and I, I think the rest of the golfers came from one of the two mine sites (Ahafo or Akyem). After an evening of getting to know our teammates and checking out the competition, we returned to The Four Villages to prepare for the tournament. (Code for “sleeping.”)

The format of the tournament was one in which neither Dave and I had ever participated. I don’t know what it was called, but this is basically how it went. We both hit off the tee box, and chose the best shot. From there, we both hit our own ball for the rest of the hole. At the end our total scores were added up and our handicaps were applied. Dave and I were paired with Bart and Walter – both South Africans who work at the Akyem mine site. The course was narrow so it was important to hit a straight ball, especially off the tee box. Dave and I had a dual advantage: 1) I got to tee off from the reds, and the guys had to hit from the blues; 2) I hit the ball straight, and the guys (especially the South Africans) did not! In fact, Dave and I took my ball all but four holes.

The golf course was much nicer than the one at Takoradi and the greens were actually “green,” although quite bumpy. The day started out pretty nice with overcast skies and fairly cool air. That lasted about two holes, and then the heat and humidity set in.

Dave and I trampled our competition, and helped lift the entire U.S. team to a win. No, not just a win – but a trouncing. Julie golfed lights out. I think that every U.S. team beat their counterparts, and we enjoyed the win.

In the end, the competition was a friendly one, and for most of the competitors was a way to enjoy a weekend off of the mine compounds. We enjoyed meeting other Newmont employees and contractors. And, for at least one year the U.S. golfers can claim victory.

Until we meet again!