ryder cup: hal, your move
We'll have more on the grueling (and somewhat forgettable) last round of the PGA, in which most golfers shot over par. But the most pressing issue is the Ryder Cup. Hal Sutton will be making his 2 captain's picks by tomorrow.
Here are who made the team: Tiger, Phil, Davis Love, Jim Furyk, Kenny Perry, David Toms, Chad Campbell, Fred Funk, and with their play today, Chris DiMarco, and Chris Riley (who never seems able to make a clutch putt).
Some people who are left out: Steve Flesch, Stewart Cink, Jay Haas, Jerry Kelly, Jeff Maggert, Scott Verplank, Justin Leonard, Todd Hamilton, John Daly.
My prediction of whom Sutton will pick: Jay Haas and Scott Verplank.
If I were captain, who'd I pick: Jay Haas and John Daly, or possibly Todd Hamilton.
P.S. The U.S. Ryder Cup scoring system seems just as mysterious as the BCS Championship for college football. Why would Justin Leonard have vaulted from 30th in the standing to the top 10 if he had won the PGA? That's an incredible jump and would have seemed odd, given that Todd Hamilton has won twice this year and still wouldn't have made it.
2 Comments:
I think it would be a complete misstep to select--or even consider--John Daly. His streaky play this year (look at his year in full) speaks for itself. We don't need to worry about getting the Oakland Hills crowd excited and behind the US team. The top US players in the world will be out there--good enough to rile up any crowd.
It's a testament to just how off-form Justin Leonard was this year that a T2 at the PGA wouldn't vault him onto the team. That said, his play at the PGA and undisputed putting skill makes him a reasonable pick.
Todd Hamilton appears to be a great pressure player (the Open), but his temperment hasn't been tested at the frequency of a Jeff Maggert or a Jay Haas, or Justin Leonard for that matter.
My Picks: Jay Haas, Justin Leonard
Hal will choose: Jay Haas, Jeff Maggert
Pressure putter? Maybe I wasn't watching the same tournament. Justin Leonard missed 4 crucial putts from 10 feet or less in the last 6 holes of regulation.
Also, Justin made 2 huge tactical mistakes. He underclubbed on the 18th hole in regulation, taking a 5-iron from 210 plus yards out. Then, in the playoff he hit the same 5-iron on the 18th hole again -- way underclubbing again. Result: short, short.
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