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Jim Nugent

His Ryder Cup record is 10 wins, 3 losses, 2 ties.  He is a team leader who wins key matches, inspires the other Euros, demoralizes the Americans.

In majors, his record is 0 for everything.  He has never again matched his 2nd place finish back in the 1999 PGA.  He has missed 7 cuts since then, and seems to choke every time he is in contention.

Why is he a dynamo in the RC, a mostly-dud in the majors?  Same generally applies to the entire European team of the last ten or so years, and the reverse to the Americans.



   
« Last Edit: July 24, 2006, 04:40:36 AM by Jim Nugent »

Bill Shotzbarger

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but the Clown of Majors?
« Reply #1 on: July 24, 2006, 02:18:01 AM »
He's scared of Tiger. I remember during the 2002 Open at Bethpage he practically blamed the bad weather on Tiger, saying that if he were out there play would have been called. Later on Masters Sunday he shoots 66 or something, finishes top 5 and complains about certain people (TW) receiving too much publicity. Guess what pretty boy, they actually win the tournaments!

Brian_Ewen

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but the Clown of Majors?
« Reply #2 on: July 24, 2006, 02:37:23 AM »
I just couldn't imagine him in that Lemon outfit , with the Claret Jug in his hands .

John Sabino

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2006, 08:20:02 AM »
Sergio is this generation's Colin Montgomery. He will remain the best play never to win a major until he putts better.
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T_MacWood

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2006, 08:32:07 AM »
His record is 1-2 in singles.

Kevin Pallier

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2006, 08:38:27 AM »
Because his game suits matchplay...in it's inconsistency.

In strokeplay, there is no hiding and his game is built on all out attack re: his decision to use driver so much yesterday he doesn't seem to have the patience to play conservatively ala Woods.

ForkaB

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2006, 08:48:28 AM »
Jim

The whole Euro team is made up of Sergios--guys who fold up like cheap suits when under Major pressure, but put their Superman capes on when they play Ode to Joy at the Ryder Cup opening ceremonies.  I like our chances this year, however, as we have a bunch of nobodies on our team too!

Now if we could just get Chuck Berry out to perform "Roll over Beethoven" at the K Club, it would be all over except the shouting..........

Mark Pearce

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2006, 08:58:00 AM »
Jim

The whole Euro team is made up of Sergios--guys who fold up like cheap suits when under Major pressure, but put their Superman capes on when they play Ode to Joy at the Ryder Cup opening ceremonies.  I like our chances this year, however, as we have a bunch of nobodies on our team too!

Now if we could just get Chuck Berry out to perform "Roll over Beethoven" at the K Club, it would be all over except the shouting..........
A tad harsh, I think.  Let's face it a list of players that don't fold under major pressure in world golf, particularly when Tiger's in contention is pretty short.  I'd give you DiMarco, maybe Michelson (though Winged Foot was a spectacular fold - it'll be interesting to see how he recovers from that) and Vijay.  Goosen has a real fourth round problem.  Ernie has a pretty game but seems to dissolve under last round pressure.

Interestingly in recent(ish) years, some of the best examples of players NOT folding under the pressure have come from complete nobodies (the sort you say fill the European team).  Bob May in his, eventually, doomed dual with Tiger, Hamilton going down the stretch with Els (and just maybe finishing Els as a major winner), maybe even Ben Curtis.

Maybe, just maybe, all these unknown major winners (add Shaun Micheel and others) are happening in between the Woods assault on Nicklaus's record because the competition are wilting under the pressure?  I'd guess that that pressure is far greater now with all the Tiger fueled press interest than it was ten or twenty years ago.
In July I will be riding two stages of this year's Tour de France route for charity, including Mont Ventoux for the William Wates Memorial Trust (https://rideleloop.org/the-charity/) which supports underprivileged young people.

ForkaB

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2006, 09:11:16 AM »
Mark

Very good point about the nobodies who have been sneaking through recently, and how it might just be down to the pressure that the leading lights put on themselves due to the presence of Tiger.  Hamilton didn't fold against Ernie, Ernie did--mising the same putt twice in the same way.  The point that Mike Clayton made in another thread was very ominous--Tiger knows that his main competitors are afraid of them and they know that he knows and he knows that they know that he knows.

PS--that's not very harsh for me....
PPS--now that you're on GCA, wanna play in the Buda Cup at Hoylake 2-4 October.  The ROW team really needs some good sticks.

Adam_F_Collins

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #9 on: July 24, 2006, 09:33:23 AM »
Sergio is the clear winner of the "Best Player to Suck" category.

Mark Pearce

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #10 on: July 24, 2006, 10:09:01 AM »
Mark

Very good point about the nobodies who have been sneaking through recently, and how it might just be down to the pressure that the leading lights put on themselves due to the presence of Tiger.  Hamilton didn't fold against Ernie, Ernie did--mising the same putt twice in the same way.  The point that Mike Clayton made in another thread was very ominous--Tiger knows that his main competitors are afraid of them and they know that he knows and he knows that they know that he knows.

PS--that's not very harsh for me....
PPS--now that you're on GCA, wanna play in the Buda Cup at Hoylake 2-4 October.  The ROW team really needs some good sticks.
Rich,

October at Hoylake sounds good, I'll check my diary.  I've been invited to play there Wednesday but it looks like work commitments won't allow.  Whether I'm a good stick or not, now that's a different question.....
In July I will be riding two stages of this year's Tour de France route for charity, including Mont Ventoux for the William Wates Memorial Trust (https://rideleloop.org/the-charity/) which supports underprivileged young people.

Jason Topp

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #11 on: July 24, 2006, 10:19:20 AM »
I think a putt to halve a hole carries a lot less pressure than a putt of the same length in stroke play.  3 putts do not matter in that situation.

Tom Zeni

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #12 on: July 24, 2006, 10:28:07 AM »
Sergio's swing doesn't stand up to the pressure of a 4 day tournament. He may throw one hot round in four to make him look like a contender, but his swing doesn't hold up under pressure for even back to back days.

In short, he's a 2nd tier player that will never win a major.

ForkaB

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #13 on: July 24, 2006, 10:43:10 AM »
Mark

Very good point about the nobodies who have been sneaking through recently, and how it might just be down to the pressure that the leading lights put on themselves due to the presence of Tiger.  Hamilton didn't fold against Ernie, Ernie did--mising the same putt twice in the same way.  The point that Mike Clayton made in another thread was very ominous--Tiger knows that his main competitors are afraid of them and they know that he knows and he knows that they know that he knows.

PS--that's not very harsh for me....
PPS--now that you're on GCA, wanna play in the Buda Cup at Hoylake 2-4 October.  The ROW team really needs some good sticks.
Rich,

October at Hoylake sounds good, I'll check my diary.  I've been invited to play there Wednesday but it looks like work commitments won't allow.  Whether I'm a good stick or not, now that's a different question.....

Mark

I actually hope you are hopeless, as I'll be playing for the US of A.  However, the ROW has been pathetic in Budas I-III and we would really like a bit of competition this time!

Bob_Huntley

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #14 on: July 24, 2006, 10:46:04 AM »
Because his game suits matchplay...in it's inconsistency.

In strokeplay, there is no hiding and his game is built on all out attack re: his decision to use driver so much yesterday he doesn't seem to have the patience to play conservatively ala Woods.

Kevin,

There can be no other answer.

Bob

Tom Huckaby

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #15 on: July 24, 2006, 11:02:32 AM »
Great question re Tiger.

His record in singles is decent - in fact throw out matches that didn't matter (like the time he lost to Parnevik when the Cup was already decided) and he's pretty good in those, no?

But his record in all the partners' matches is pretty poor.

Lots of speculation has been made about this, but I think it does come down to this:  for Tiger golf is a solitary pursuit.  Oh he WANTS to win with partners and tries his best and wants to be a team player, but it's just not his game.  His life is devoted to kicking these guy's asses and it's tough for him to change his stripes, even for all the right reasons which his mind can get around, but his soul cannot.

TH

Phil McDade

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #16 on: July 24, 2006, 11:07:30 AM »
I think Sergio is emerging as the Tom Weiskopf or the Lanny Wadkins of his generation. It's hard to imagine, with his talent, that Garcia won't win a major sometime down the road. But it may just be one -- something about his game (right now, primarily his putting) just doesn't seem to hold up well under major tournament conditions. Similar to Weiskopf in that respect -- a tremendous ball-striker and mediocre putter, who during the 1970s was truly one of the top half-dozen golfers in the world. But he had to compete against Nicklaus, Trevino, Player and Watson, and couldn't put it together in multiple majors like those folks did. Wadkins is perhaps an even more apt comparison -- a terrific Ryder Cup record, who thrived under those conditions, but aside from the '77 PGA, repeatedly came up just short in the majors. I happen to like Garcia a lot -- I think he shows an enthusiasm for the game often lacking in some of our robo-golfers -- but he clearly has a major hurdle when it comes to majors.

Yesterday seemed further proof that Tiger will top Nicklaus' record, if only because his competition in majors is far, far less than what Nicklaus faced.

Tim Pitner

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #17 on: July 24, 2006, 11:08:43 AM »
Sergio has become a terrible putter.  That puts pressure on his long game and then the two factors conspire to put him in trouble.  He's certainly not alone in failing to bring his best stuff in a final round pairing with Tiger.  When you see him in person, you realize that his ball-striking is as good, if not better, than anyone's.  He can do amazing things with the ball.  But, he has to fix his putting if he's ever going to win majors.  

Glenn Spencer

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #18 on: July 24, 2006, 11:23:42 AM »
Who knows? I wonder why Els is not on trial here. That was pretty pathetic what he did on the weekend. 71-71, and behind the 8-ball in both rounds. All that talk on Friday and then he plays as if he didn't want it on Saturday and Sunday. I don't get it. These guys just look as if they feel like they are getting in the way of history. None of these guys can hold off Woods, I am sick and tired of watching it, they are just a bunch of tin men in comparison to Woods. They will never beat him unless he is in scramble mode on Sunday and falls just short. Mickelson either. That tournament was over on the 18th green on Sat. Garcia in final pair!! Please. DiMarco can do it from behind and not quit all he wants, but Woods was firmly in control of that situation and the 2005 Masters.

Jim Nugent

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #19 on: July 24, 2006, 11:27:03 AM »
Sergio has become a terrible putter.  That puts pressure on his long game and then the two factors conspire to put him in trouble.  He's certainly not alone in failing to bring his best stuff in a final round pairing with Tiger.  When you see him in person, you realize that his ball-striking is as good, if not better, than anyone's.  He can do amazing things with the ball.  But, he has to fix his putting if he's ever going to win majors.  

I agree with you.  But why does he putt and play so well at the Ryder Cup?  

 

Tim Pitner

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #20 on: July 24, 2006, 11:43:36 AM »
Sergio has become a terrible putter.  That puts pressure on his long game and then the two factors conspire to put him in trouble.  He's certainly not alone in failing to bring his best stuff in a final round pairing with Tiger.  When you see him in person, you realize that his ball-striking is as good, if not better, than anyone's.  He can do amazing things with the ball.  But, he has to fix his putting if he's ever going to win majors.  

I agree with you.  But why does he putt and play so well at the Ryder Cup?  

Why do all the Euros seems to putt and play so well at the Ryder Cup--they're really into it and the team spirit inspires them.  BTW, did you notice you much attention the Ryder Cup got, especially from the British press, this past week?  It was incredible.  I certainly don't recall the Ryder Cup being the center of attention during U.S. Open week.  It just shows how much the Ryder Cup means to the European fans and press.

Andrew Mitchell

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #21 on: July 24, 2006, 12:22:05 PM »
That tournament was over on the 18th green on Sat. Garcia in final pair!! Please. DiMarco can do it from behind and not quit all he wants, but Woods was firmly in control of that situation and the 2005 Masters.

Anyone know the criteria they adopt as to the pairings for the following day when there are multiple players tied on the same score?  Why did Garcia go in the final group and not Els or DiMarco?
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Tim Pitner

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #22 on: July 24, 2006, 12:25:23 PM »

Anyone know the criteria they adopt as to the pairings for the following day when there are multiple players tied on the same score?  Why did Garcia go in the final group and not Els or DiMarco?

He shot the lower score in the 3rd round.

wsmorrison

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #23 on: July 24, 2006, 12:26:14 PM »
Isn't it determined by lowest score the preceding day?  Garcia had 65 so he was paired with Woods.

Phil McDade

Re:Why is Sergio the King of Ryder Cups, but a dud in the Majors?
« Reply #24 on: July 24, 2006, 12:31:47 PM »
Doesn't the R&A (as well as the USGA and L/PGA) use the first-in/last-out rule? That is, lowest scores go out last, and if there is a tie for low scores (three players tied at 12 under, as was the case Sat.), the player "first in" the clubhouse goes out later than the players he is tied with. Thus, because Garcia was first in the clubhouse among those ta 12 under, he goes out later than the other 12 unders (Els and DeMarco).

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