Golf Fans Rise Early To Watch Ryder Cup Action

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

People who love to watch golf on TV...

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

That already sounds like a set-up to a joke.

INSKEEP: No, no, no, no. This is serious. People who love to watch golf on TV had to set their alarms extra early this morning - like to 2:35 a.m. Eastern. The Ryder Cup is underway in Scotland. And for the first time, the Golf Channel is broadcasting the action live.

CORNISH: The Ryder Cup is a team event, the U.S. versus Europe, which makes it rowdier than a typical gold tournament.

CHRIS SOLOMON: There was no chance I would not wake up in the middle of the night for this event.

INSKEEP: That's Chris Solomon who runs the golf blog No Laying Up. We reached him at 2:00 a.m. Central Time.

SOLOMON: I actually woke up 45 minutes before my first alarm even went off. I'm on coffee number two as we speak.

CORNISH: Solomon's running a contest to reward those watching live.

SOLOMON: We came up with this idea to create this kind of bingo game. We just included a bunch of random catch phrases and events that we thought may happen.

INSKEEP: So if a square on your bingo card is marked with a particular catchphrase and that phrase is said on the telecast, you get that square - eventually bingo.

CORNISH: Some contestants tell Solomon they'd rather forget bingo and make it a drinking game.

SOLOMON: If that's the case, then they've got a solid buzz on already.

CORNISH: Because you can expect TV announcers to use plenty of phrases in the game.

SOLOMON: Scottish independent vote - whenever that is mentioned, that's one. Rory McIlroy's commercial for his OMEGA Watch company, the last time the U.S. won on European soil, it's an easy put, in the team room tonight - whenever that phrase is mentioned - there's a streaker or if anyone mentions Tiger Woods and where he's watching the event from.

CORNISH: The first player to hit bingo wins a brand-new Callaway driver. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.