CARMEL, Ind. -- Ricky Elliott always hoped he could be in the Ryder Cup, the dream of any aspiring golfer from Portrush in Northern Ireland.He finally got there as a caddie, which is not unusual.Except that hell be working for the other team.Ill be getting plenty of good needle, but its all in good fun, said Elliott, the caddie for American player Brooks Koepka for the last three years. Whenever Im out here, I stay with Kenny (Comboy), Billy (Foster) and all the other European caddies because we have the same things in common. I still am European. When it comes down to the matches, might they be a little wary in the team meeting? You just dont know. But its all about getting the cup back to this side of the pond.And Im working for the American team.The Ryder Cup is all about the flag, Europe against the United States, three days of frenetic golf and fanatical cheering.The PGA of America only began keeping records of Ryder Cup caddies in 1995, and no European caddie worked for the American team in the last two decades. The last European caddie to work for a U.S. player might have been Brian Bellenger of England, who caddied for Bill Rogers in 1981 at The Belfry. Bellenger, who died last year, holds the unique distinction of working on the winning side of both teams. He also worked for Ken Brown when Europe won in 1985.There are more stories of Europeans who didnt work.Terry Holt of England worked for Paul Azinger in 1993, but chose not to go with him to the Ryder Cup at The Belfry. Dave Musgrove of England declined to work for Lee Janzen in 1997 at Valderrama, fearing a conflict in interest. He didnt want to be in a bad situation. People might wonder about his loyalties, Janzen said then.The most recent example was Andy Sutton, the English caddie whom Ben Curtis hired when he won the British Open at Royal St. Georges. Curtis qualified for the Ryder Cup in 2008 at Valhalla, and Sutton didnt want to work for him that week.We had talked about it in the past and he said, `If you ever make the Ryder Cup, I cant work for you, Curtis said. When it came about, I remember saying to him, `Are you serious? He said: `I cant. Ill catch too much grief from the other European caddies. He decided it might be better for me to have someone else.Curtis hired Tony Navarro for the week. He said years later, Sutton regretted not working for him at the Ryder Cup.Whats in store for Elliott?I have no worries about him, said John Wood, who caddies for Matt Kuchar and will be working at his sixth Ryder Cup. There might be some out there I would be concerned about, but not Ricky. I think hell jump right into the feel of the team and be part of it. I think it would be difficult if you had somebody who had been on a European Ryder Cup team and then came into the U.S. room. But for Ricky, it will be a fresh experience for him.There have been examples of American caddies working for European players in the Ryder Cup -- Jerry Higginbotham for Sergio Garcia in 1999, and Lance Ten Broeck for Jesper Parnevik in 1999 and 2002.It was kind of weird in the beginning, Ten Broeck said. I remember I was kind of concerned about doing it, but the more I spoke to Hal Sutton, he said: `Why wouldnt you do it? Thats who you work for. And I spoke to Jesper about it a long time. This is a golf match, not a war. And its one of the great experiences.Elliott played college golf at Toledo, competing against Curtis at Kent State, and stayed in America. He lives in Florida near Graeme McDowell, one of his best friends from Portrush, and decided last year to become a U.S. citizen.I had to say a sentence in English and I had to spell a word, and I just squeaked by that, Elliott said in his sing-song Irish lilt. There was about 80 of us in the room and 2,000 people had come to watch. I was there on my own, sitting beside a wee Chinese man waving the flag. It was cool. Ive spent half my life over here. Youre still always where youre from, but Im pleased as punch to be an American citizen.Elliott was trying to find a golf pro job during the economic downturn in 2008 when he caddied for Maarten Lafeber on the European Tour, and then Curtis. He was between jobs when Koepka, who began his career on the European Tour, received an exemption to the 2013 PGA Championship and his regular caddie had visa problems.First time I ever met him was on the range at the PGA, Elliott said. Hes striping these shots and Im like, `Happy days. I was still in Europe, but you know what its like when you see a good player. He made the cut that week, played with Tiger (Woods) on Sunday and said to me in the locker room, `Do you fancy doing a few in Europe?Theyve been together ever since. Koepka won in Turkey in 2014 and won the Phoenix Open the following year. He is No. 22 in the world, playing in his first Ryder Cup. He never thought twice about having anyone but Elliott on his bag.Elliott never considered sitting out.The caddie lives at Lake Nona in Orlando, home to some of Europes finest in the Ryder Cup over the years -- McDowell, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson.It will be fun for Ricky, said Curtis, who used to live at Lake Nona and won his most recent event with Elliott on the bag. Once you get into it, its the same as when youre playing against one of your good friends in the final round. You want to beat them. And this will be the same thing. Warriors Jerseys China .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. Cheap Warriors Jerseys . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. http://www.customwarriorsjersey.com/ .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. Cheap Custom Warriors Jersey . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. Custom Warriors T-shirts . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season.Zlatan Ibrahimovics agent has cooled talk that the striker is heading to Manchester United. The 34-year-old is a free agent after his PSG contract ended, and Sky sources understand Manchester United are the only Premier League option he has considered, with his former manager Jose Mourinho named as their new boss on Friday.But his agent Mino Raiola says they have yet to decide their next move, and insists they are in no hurry to rush to a conclusion. The 34-year-old is a free agent after his PSG contract ended Does it have to be United that Zlatan goes to? Will the whole of Sweden not sleep if it does not happen? Raiola told Swedish newspaper Expressen.We have yet to decide, itll be a surprise in the end. Everyone talks about United, which is why I dont talk to journalists a lot.There are clubs in England and Europe, some outside of Europe, but everyone thinks he must go to Manchester United. Its not true. Mourinho and Ibra in quotes We look at what Jose Mourinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have said about each other over the years... Ibrahimovic said in the week that he has alreadyy decided what his next move will be, and he confirmed on Thursday that he has had concrete offers from England, Italy and other clubs including some outside of Europe.ddddddddddddSky Sports News HQ understands he has also been considering an offer from China and that United are not prepared to match the financial terms Ibrahimovic can earn from an unnamed Super League club, worth £53m over two seasons.Raiola, meanwhile, says the only guarantee is that Ibrahimovic will not be retiring. Ibrahimovics former manager Jose Mourinho was named Manchester United boss on Friday (courtesy of @ManUtd) Were not in a hurry. I only care about securing something of quality, the agent said. Well see what happens, we have a good time ahead of us now.The only thing I can guarantee is that he will not quit. But where he will play next season, I can not say anything about.Zlatan Ibrahimovic is King and the club that buys him do not have to pay a transfer fee.This means that Ibrahimovic, who just finished a record season at PSG, can get an extra high salary. He is in a good bargaining position. Also See: Transfer Centre LIVE! Jose and Ibra in quotes Transfer betting Paper Talk ' ' '
