European Ryder Cup team

[Niall C]

Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson have been given Ryder Cup wildcards by Europe captain Thomas Bjorn. It looks to me that following Darren Clarke and his wild card debacle last time round that Bjorn is following suit.

What’s the chances of it being all over after day 2 

Niall

[Peter Pallotta]

Niall,
IMO those Captain's picks are exactly what will give the Europeans a fighting chance.
The American team looks very strong indeed; but: Stenson at the top of his game is formidable; Casey to me is the most under-rated player in golf and when he's on can beat anyone; Sergio I think is still at his best in the team format; and Poulter is such a pest and a great scrambler that he'll give all the Americans a run for their money. Personally I'd send Poulter out against Bryson -- the sheer illogic of his game would give the Scientist fits!

[Ben Stephens]

Well can anyone remember 2006 wild card selection who was the one that made the most fuss about not being selected 


The great coaches pick players on form not reputation.


Thought Matt Wallace would have been a great shout.

[JESII]

Five rookies in the top eight make it tough to add more through picks although three victories for Wallace screams for a chance...

[Tony_Muldoon]

Niall,
IMO those Captain's picks are exactly what will give the Europeans a fighting chance.
The American team looks very strong indeed; but: Stenson at the top of his game is formidable; Casey to me is the most under-rated player in golf and when he's on can beat anyone; Sergio I think is still at his best in the team format; and Poulter is such a pest and a great scrambler that he'll give all the Americans a run for their money. Personally I'd send Poulter out against Bryson -- the sheer illogic of his game would give the Scientist fits!

Stenson is injured.
[/color]I believe at Carnoustie for the first two rounds Casey led the field in GIR and narrowly made the cut. [/size]It is often said the RC comes down to who makes the putts.
[/color]Sergio is not the player he was. Hasn’t been a good putter since he was a teen![/size]
[/color] [/size]
Poulter, well he’s unpredictable.
 
Still I’m not going to call a Ryder Cup in advance. We’ll see.

[George Pazin]

Still I’m not going to call a Ryder Cup in advance. We’ll see.

Wise words. Another wise poster on here has related that, in 18 hole matchplay between tour pros, almost anything can and will happen. Golfers like Sergio and Poulter are completely different players in the Ryder Cup.


I am REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY hoping the last American pick is Tony Finau. I found out a few years ago that he is the nephew one of my long time clients, and I've followed his career closely ever since. His family that I know are, quite simply, the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of working with and for. He's a top 10 machine, and I think he's going to put up some big wins in the not too distant future.

[Peter Pallotta]

Tony - understood, but when we talk about golfers being 'on form', I'd rather have them on form *then* than now. Which is to say, Brooks and Bryson and Dustin and Justin might all be playing quite well now, but they've got those final FedEx tournaments and they're getting tired etc; while on the other hand, Stenson can only get better/less injured and putting is so streaky for even the best golfers so I don't put much stock in Casey's troubles or Sergio's etc, and scrambling pests are always scrambling pests....
I might be proven totally wrong, of course, but if I am wrong then Niall is right and it'll be over quickly....

[Thomas Dai]

Pre-judging a bit but it seems like there’s some gambling before the start from Thomas Bjorn.
Hendrik Stenson is one hell of a player but has been/is injured. Hopefully he’ll be up to playing 5 times plus practice games plus be involved in all the other things that go on. Sergio’s form has not been there. I hope I’m not correct but I suspect it might not work out for him on the course. If ‘heart of the team room’ is so important well maybe he should be a Vice-Capt. Poults is well, Poults! Paul Casey hasn’t played in a RC for 10 yrs now but always seemed to be going to be included given the way he’s been persuaded/encouraged. Disappointed not to see Thomas Pieters selected and sympathy for Matt Wallace after the year he’s had. Many others over the years have had worse years and made the team.
Atb

[Kalen Braley]

I think the real story is in whats available for the wild card picks.

While the Euro side had to pick some older players who aren't playing thier best lately....the US has the opposite problem with so many hot hands right now.  I don't envy Furyk's job to get down to those last 4 as 2-3 very deserving guys will be left off..

[Niall C]

Tony

Let me say from the outset that I think the US will win because firstly they have a bit of momentum after last time, and also because they have a much stronger group of automatic qualifiers. When Europe have done well they have tended to rely on a core with 1 or 2 players being there only for the singles.

I just don’t see this group having a core that’s going to win the bulk of the points need to get over the line.

Dai

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. All stellar players but not exactly setting the heather alight. Think of Lee Westwood last time round. Think also of how poor Matt Fitzpatrick was treated and then maybe Matt Wallace will consider he has dodged a bullet. It does concern me that a selection process of picking big guns has simply morphed into cronyism.

Niall

[Ryan Coles]

Five rookies in the top eight make it tough to add more through picks although three victories for Wallace screams for a chance...

Amongst the nonsense discussed about the Ryder Cup, ‘Rookies’ seems to me to be the prime example.


Rahm, Fleetwood, Hatton, Noren etc are hardly likely to be deer in the headlight material at this stage of their career.


18 hole matchplay comes down to putting and putting (and 36 holes) is a young mans game.


How many times has Poulter consistently proved he’s not one of the top players in Europe, as evidenced by his repeated failure to qualify for the team on merit?


Poulter up to and including Medinah more than justified his selections. However Europe’s players all seem to play one Ryder Cup event too many.


I fear the ‘’postman’’ may this time only deliver junk and get savaged by the dog on the way out.

[Jeff Schley]

WHO CARES!   

[Thomas Dai]

Good point Niall. Cronyism seems to have been present in the Euro set-up for quite a while now. I suggest the amount of £-€ involved won’t be helping matters either.
One aspect that seems to have changed however, is how many games individual players play these days. It used to be pretty routine for quite a few of the better players to play all 5 games. This seems to have declined recently.
The desire for freshness or combating the fatigue? Even more so these days given the amount of time the matches are taking to be played, the length of the courses, the early starts when physio/practice/warm-up time is needed beforehand, the off-course commitments in the days running up to the first tee time, the late finishes, other non-golf activities etc etc etc. The caddies must get pretty knackered as well.
Atb

[Sam Krume]

Dont mind the wildcard picks BUT I would have taken Rafa over Sergio. Bjorn could still get his spanish armada with Rahm and Rafa!!!

[Michael Whitaker]

Sergio seems a "hopeful" pick. He has been in bad form for quite a while.

Poulter will probably catch fire for the Ryder Cup... it totally inspires him. Did you see his interview with David Feherty?

I too would like to see Finau on the American team. No one makes more birdies than Finau... he would be the PERFECT fourball partner.

[Kalen Braley]

You've got  Xander, Kuchar, Kisner, Finau, and Stanley all left on the board.


Given Kuchar was appointed as an assistant he's probably out.  But I'm guessing the Euros would love to have all of those guys, and only one of them is gonna be teeing it up in Paris...


P.S.  i've always wondered what would happen if one of them was physically unable to play on game day if they threw thier back out.  Do they have an alternate in the wings?

[Michael Whitaker]

I've always wondered what would happen if one of them was physically unable to play on game day if they threw thier back out.  Do they have an alternate in the wings?

Kalen - It would only affect the singles matches. If that were to happen to a US player, for example, the Euros would put one player "in the envelope" when the singles lineups are announced. The player "in the envelope" would be matched against the injured US player and their match would be an automatic draw.

[BHoover]

I've always wondered what would happen if one of them was physically unable to play on game day if they threw thier back out.  Do they have an alternate in the wings?

Kalen - It would only affect the singles matches. If that were to happen to a US player, for example, the Euros would put one player "in the envelope" when the singles lineups are announced. The player "in the envelope" would be matched against the injured US player and their match would be an automatic draw.

This happened in 1993, when Seve had an injured foot and couldn’t go in Sunday singles. Lanny Wadkins sat out that day, although I can’t remember if his name was in the envelope or if he volunteered to have Tom Watson sit him because he was a captain’s pick.

[Kalen Braley]

Mike,


That makes sense, sounds like a fair compromise, even if it would suck to not play in Sunday singles...

[Thomas Dai]

I've always wondered what would happen if one of them was physically unable to play on game day if they threw thier back out.  Do they have an alternate in the wings?

Kalen - It would only affect the singles matches. If that were to happen to a US player, for example, the Euros would put one player "in the envelope" when the singles lineups are announced. The player "in the envelope" would be matched against the injured US player and their match would be an automatic draw.

This happened in 1993, when Seve had an injured foot and couldn’t go in Sunday singles. Lanny Wadkins sat out that day, although I can’t remember if his name was in the envelope or if he volunteered to have Tom Watson sit him because he was a captain’s pick.

It was Sam Torrance in 1993 at The Belfrey with the injured foot not Seve. There has been conjecture that Lanny Watkins was not the name in the envelope but he asked to be the one to sit out. And guess who was appointed the next US RC Capt team? Yip, LW!
It also happened at The Kiowah Island Ryder Cup. Steve Pate sat out the singles (injured in car incident prior to the first days play) despite playing in one earlier foursome and David Gilfords name was in the Euro envelope. Much consternation, ie acronym, resulted as I recall.
I believe there was some ‘misunderstanding’ (ie a dispute) at an earlier Ryder Cup, 1960’s-70’s era, as to whether the name in the envelope was the player to sit out or whether it was the player definitely not sitting out. I can’t quite recall the details but I believe there was some lively discussion about it at the time.
Atb

[BHoover]

Yes, you are correct about 1993. Sam Torrance had to sit out due to injury. Lanny Wadkins was supposedly going to play Seve in the singles.

[Mark Pearce]

I saw an interesting stat this morning which I can't now find.  I *think* the numbers were that Sergio had a 75% record in his first 3 RCs but was only 44% in those since.  I love Sergio but his recent form and that stat don't make any sort of case for picking him.  Bjorn has bottled it.

[Phil McDade]

Still I’m not going to call a Ryder Cup in advance. We’ll see.

Wise words. Another wise poster on here has related that, in 18 hole matchplay between tour pros, almost anything can and will happen. Golfers like Sergio and Poulter are completely different players in the Ryder Cup.


I am REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY hoping the last American pick is Tony Finau. I found out a few years ago that he is the nephew one of my long time clients, and I've followed his career closely ever since. His family that I know are, quite simply, the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of working with and for. He's a top 10 machine, and I think he's going to put up some big wins in the not too distant future.

Agreed! (Who said George and I can't agree here on GCA )


Among other attributes, Finau is a birdie machine -- 11th on tour in birdies per round. Dude can go low, one reason he'd make a great four-ball partner, maybe paired with a vet like Mickelson who can also score birdies in bunches.

[Kalen Braley]

As a fellow Utah Citizen, I approve of Tony as well.


Bumped into him a few times down at Thanksgiving Point, his sort of home course.  Genuinely nice guy, which I'm sure can't be said about some on tour.


P.S.  I gave him a supreme hip snap-move tip, been super long ever since!! 

[jeffwarne]

The difference is when the Euros pick experience, it's WINNING experience.
No substitute for expecting to win-especially on a familiar venue.


The US team has trotted out that "experience thing" for years, but it was LOSING experience. (see above)
I always said they needed more rookies that didn't expect to lose.


That said, I think the 3 US picks so far have been spot on(and I'm no Michelson fan...) as all were in the Top 12 anyway and all are trending well to great.(and one is named Woods)
My heart wants Kisner to be #12 but I'd be OK with Shauffele, Finau or Kuchar as they are all close and one may peak next week or have some synergy I'm unaware of.


I'd say both teams look strong given the venue