Ryder Cup: Is Sergio Garcia the best Ryder Cup player ever?
After soundly beating Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk in foursomes, Sergio Garcia commented with satisfaction: "It's always nice beating Tiger."
USA Network flashed the highest winning point percentage for the Ryder Cup, all time. Sergio Garcia is ranked No.1, all time, with a percentage somewhere over 70%. In the morning today, Garcia hit 6 birdies to help rout the U.S. team of David Toms and Brian Wetterich. In the afternoon match, Garcia stuffed two consecutive short irons on 16 and 17 to close the deal against Tiger and Furyk, who never had a lead the entire match.
For a guy who's never won a major, Sergio's Ryder Cup success is a bit baffling. Is Sergio Garcia really the best Ryder Cup player ever? His record is 14-3-2, pending the outcome of the afternoon match (Garcia just stuffed his approach to 5 feet on 17, to help pull a 1-hole lead over Woods/Furyk).
UPDATE: Sergio, along with Luke Donald, racked up another victory. Sergio's record is now 15-3-2. That includes an undefeated 7-0 in foursomes. The young Spaniard just doesn't lose at Ryder Cup. By contrast, Tiger is now 8-12-2 in Ryder Cup. All of the other matches were halved in the afternoon, so Sergio's victory gave the Euros a 2 point lead.
Europeans 5 to US 3
9 Comments:
Sergio is now entitled to talk all the "smack" he wants about Tiger Woods'Ryder Cup play. that was a pretty convincing beat down of Woods and Furyk
Given that the Ryder Cup comes only once every two years, Sergio's Ryder Cup record may be just as impressive as Tiger's in majors. Sergio has fewer opportunities to perform at the Ryder Cup, but his success rate is much higher than Tiger's at the majors.
It's hard to argue with the stats. Garcia is just a better Ryder Cup player than Tiger. It's that simple.
Remember when Tiger Woods first came out on the tour? He was dubbed the king of match play by virtually all of the pundits. Rightfully so, I think, considreing his amature record and early match play tournaments on the tour. What happened to that distinction of his game? His Ryder Cup stats stink. He's not dominant in the match play World Cups. Is he so focused on majors that his match play game has gone south? Is this end of season match of no interest to him? Or is it everybody has bad days and his comes this time of year. Hit 'em straight my friends.
I think it's got to be between Faldo, Seve Monty and Garcia. Compare the stats:
Seve played 8 times ('79 and '83-'95), with a record of 20-12-5 (or 59%). He was a member of the winning team three times, tied once and lost four times.
Faldo played in 11 matches ('77-'97), with a 23-19-4 record (or 54%). What's important about Faldo's record is that he accumulated 23 wins even though he was a member of 6 losing teams! In other words, his record is all the more impressive because he won matches when his teammates were losing their's! (NB. in 1977 the US beat Faldo's GB&I team by 12.5-7.5, in 1979 it was 17-11 and in 1981 18.5-9.5)...For me this makes Faldo's record all the more impressive.
Monty has played 7 times ('91-'04), with a 19-8-5 record (67%). This record has been accomplished when winning the Cup 4 times, losing it 3 times.
Garcia's played 3 times ('99-'04), with a 10-3-2 record (73%). He's been on the winning team twice, lost once.
All four have great records, but the history of the Cup in the late 1970s/early 1980s leaves me thinking that Faldo's record is the best.
Tiger clearly cares more about majors. He is clearly a self-contained individual player.
For best, think in terms of which player's absence may have affected the outcome. Probably Monty's.
Sergio's Ryder Cup record "may be just as impressive as Tiger's in majors". WOW. That has to be the most contrived, ignorant, (insert synonym of choice for stupid here) comment I've ever heard. You're really not that much of a moron are you?
Ignorant is not a synonym for stupid, stupid or is it ignorant?
Uh...don't think you read his post, Euro. Looks like there's a comma between ignorant and the synonym for stupid, thus bringing them both into play. So you appear both ignorant AND stupid (or synonym of choice).
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