Your Ryder Cup coverage, or how to plan your weekend naptime

You look at a map of Wales and can't help but think -- such a green country. So many golf courses must be there. And all so green.

The nine-hour time difference between the Ryder Cup in Wales and your home television set will provide many of the usual Wimbledon-British Open-type warps in trying to follow the action of the U.S. team against the dirty dozen from Europe.

Note the posting of this blog -- if you're reading it live at 1 a.m. Tuesday, you're body clock is in a good position to move forward before it falls back.

ESPN has Day 1 of the Ryder Cup -- Friday in Wales, but Thursday night here -- starting at 11:30 p.m.

Thursday's opening ceremonies will go on ESPN during the 8 a.m. SportsCenter, followed by a preview show at 11 a.m.

ESPN will also re-air coverage from all three days, starting at 10 a.m. Friday on ESPN2 (the first day goes from 11:30 p.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Friday on ESPN).

Mike Tirico anchors the event with Paul Azinger (the '08 Ryder Cup captain), while Curtis Strainge ('02 captain) will be among the analysts, with Andy North, Judy Rankin, Bill Kratzert and Peter Alliss. Also beware of essays and commentary from Tom Rinaldi and Rick Reilly.

(Tirico, by the way, has an insane flight schedule, having to work ESPN's "Monday Night Football" from Chicago, go to Wales, then be back for Monday, Oct. 4 in Miami for the New England-Miami NFL game).

NBC comes in for the weekend -- Dan Hicks, Johnny Miller, Gary Koch, Peter Jacobsen and Brad Faxon, plus Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing and Dottie Pepper, with essayist Jimmy Roberts -- but Saturday's four-ball and foursome matches are on 5 1/2-hour tape delay (from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m.). That's already not going over well with some of those state-side golf followers. Sunday is live from 4 to 10 a.m.

The delay from the Ryder Cup is nothing new. Back in 2002, NBC did the same thing from The Belfry in England after USA Network had delayed first-day coverage. NBC came on Saturday at 5 a.m., delayed.

Golf Channel plans 20 hours of live reporting starting today at 9 a.m. with press conferences, including Wednesday (9 a.m.), Thursday (3 p.m.) and Friday (10 a.m.). Kelly Tilghman, Frank Nobilo, Rich Lerner, Steve Sands, Alex Miceli, Tim Rosaforte, Ken Schofield, Mark Rolfing and Randall Mell are there. Lerner will cover the European team, while Sands is with the U.S. On the weekend, Golf Channel goes to the Ryder Cup from 3-5 p.m. Saturday and 10-to-11 a.m. Sunday.

Sirius XM Radio has live coverage on Sirius 209/XM 146 on Thursday (11:30 p.m.), Saturday (5 a.m. to 3 p.m. delayed) and Sunday (4 a.m.).