Some quick last day Ryder Cup thoughts
With the US going into the Ryder Cup singles trailing 10-6, I have these three quick thoughts:
1. A quick glance at the singles pairings should suggest anything is possible; were this not to Ryder Cup, the US player might be favored in most of the matches. And yet, I fear that Europeans might have the Cup wrapped up before most of the later groups even make the turn.
2. If Europe rolls over the US again, which would give the Euros 3 straight dominant victories, Sergio gets my vote as the all-time European MVP. Seve and Faldo and Monty all helped make the Ryder Cup competitive, but Sergio has helped the Euros become and play like heavy favorites.
3. Might it be time to have a non-golfer captain the US team? It is, of course, easy to second-guess choices by captains when teams lose, but if a team loses those choices all deserve to be second guessed. Here is a silly, but provocative, suggestion for heading the 2008 US Ryder Cup team: Bill Clinton.
UPDATE: Another stunningly unimpressive US showing in the singles has resulted in the second straight Ryder Cup blowout by the Europeans. (Details here.) I now think that if the US cannot right this ship in 2008, the Ryder Cup will no longer be an event to get excited about.
14 Comments:
Mickelson was an embarassment. I wonder if he'll ever recover from the 72nd hole of the US Open.
I note that one of the Irish papers classified the US team as Bush-loving Jesus freaks. I never thought about it that way, but it seems true. Being a Dem pro golfer is always news (Beem, Duval), and Lehman et al are outspoken evangelical-esque.
veganpa - what does faith or the political orientation of the U.S Team have to do with it? that's why we call it the U S team...it represents us as a nation regardless of our individual choices.
Indeed Phil was an embarrassment throughout the matches, but so were many of our other top players.
And I dont agree that if we don't win 2008 the Ryder Cup will be uninteresting; what the Europeans are showing us in golf is what the European basketball players showed us in the Olympics - we believe too much in our own B.S. and we hype it up too...
There are now many sports where we used to be dominant:
basketball
tennis
...and now golf.
oh and did I forget Track&field and Cycling, where we only seem to win if we pump ourselves with steroids; maybe that's why they want to do testing on the PGA Tour so we don't get tempted to win the Ryder Cup with Steroids.
I just thought it was an interesting take by the press. I have travelled in Europe both of the past two years, and there is a lot of anger at the imperialism and arrogance of the current administrations. Since so many of the American players are known Bush supporters, it struck me as another motivating factor for the Europeans.
As discussed below, I find the difference between Tiger and Sergio just utterly fascinating re: majors and RC.
I am very sorry that you said that the Ryder cup will be unisteresting if the USA don't win it. For one thing if a country withdraws from any competition that it doesn't dominate, how will it stay competitive ?
Future Ryder Cup matches can only become MORE interesting as we watch the USA team make the mental adjustments and course adaptability necessary to return to competitive form.
I agree that 2008 could be the most intriguing Ryder Cup yet. In my mind, it will shape up to be the sort of pressure-cooker that Kiawah Island was, with the American players burning to restore some pride. This though depends on a couple of things:
1. the captain setting the right tone for the matches, including perhaps - dare I say it - being a little more aggressive, and a little less diplomatic than Lehman (and this is no criticism of Lehman's criticism).
2. more of the US's top players being in top form: not just Woods and Mickelson, but Toms and Di Marco playing like the can. Perhaps some more experienced hands - Love III - returning to the fold to fulfil the sort of Irwin (1991) or Floyd (1991, 1993) role.
3. The rookies like Johnson and Henry maturing over the next couple of years into stronger, more consistent players who've grown accustomed to the pressure of the big tournaments, with more victories on their resumes.
I'm amazed that I seem to be the only person who realizes that the current Rdyer Cup format has lost it's legitmacy.
It was initially the U.S. vs. Britain and expanded to all of Europe to make it more competitive. Now the Euro's have a bunch of players that not only play on the PGA tour, but in fact many of them devloped their swings, their competiveness, and their overall skills in the United States. Most notably Paul Casey who after winning the Ryder Cup 2 years ago makes his now famous comments about Americans, the people that trained him how to play.
Fact is, if Europe wants to have an entire continent (25 countries in this case, 11% of the worlds population) play a single country in a "fair" tournament, the Euro's all have to come from their own tour, they cannot have gone to college in the USA, and they cannot have a residence in the USA.
Instead, why don't we just play a real world tournament. Country vs. country. Take a smaller team from all the contries that want to participate and have a world tournament like the football (aka soccer) does every few years.
The current format is as ridiculous as taking all of Europe and having them play the rest of the world in a Ryder Cup. How'd you Euro's like that? Kind of differnt when it's put that way isn't it?
The population of Europe is about the same as North America. Any comments about the structure being wrong sounds a little like sour grapes. US has 50 states - Europe has a much broader range of languages as a barrier to team effectiveness. Perhaps you should look at all of the issues rather than just chose the ones that favour US. US fielded the worlds 3 top players who between them only just outscored Sergio Garcia over 5 matches.
Put your "it's not fair" sneering away, take your beating and learn to respect the fact that it was not you who chose to compete in his format but your PGA. Perhaps then you will lean what it takes to win together and lose together. Perhaps you will also love yourself a little more too.
the most telling stat. and analysis came from johnny miller (as always).
in the last two ryder cups 23 matches have come down to the 18th hole and the US has only won one (1) of those holes!!!!! that my friends is astounding. that is the heart and sole of the problem - the US team turns into yellow belly sap suckers crying for their mommy's on 18 when the match is on the line.
forget about all the analysis paralysis - the key to getting the mojo back is to focus on 18 and to be ready and willing to win. we are not europe, we will never be like them, we don't have to be - we need to be who we are and make god damned sure we are ready when the match is on the line at 18. -- that my friends is the secret to our future success.
thank you again johnny - you are the man!!!!!!!
Calygolf has to be the most ingorant commentator on this blog! Would you be complaining about the Ryder Cup format not being fair or legitimate if the US had won? Hardly. You really sound like a baby with your bitching and moaning. Face it, we got whipped by a better team. In time, the US will once again win the Cup, but for the time being, Europe is dominant. Instead of whining about the format, why not just appreciate the matches for the game of golf rather than complaining about how it's just not fair that the US can no longer dominate. You sound like the spoiled little kid who wants to take his ball and go home. Grow up.
Here's something to think about - it seems alot of our American players bring their A game when theirs a big cash prize and standings.
Could it be - that we have lost the passion for the game itself - and replaced it with technique and money
Sour Grapes?
I'm obviously the Senior member of this group, so let me educate you neophytes, and let me show you how to intelligentlly correct someone instead of resorting to the childish name calling.
Fact #1: Europe is 710,000,000 people. America: 295,000,000. Who said they were essentially the same size? Care to guess again?
Fact #2: The Ryder Cup was U.S. vs. Britain for 58 years. It was changed because it wasn't a fair competition. He was the sore looser then?
Fact #3: Seven of the European players are regulars on the PGA Tour; Westwood, Clarke, Olazabal, Garcia, Casey, Harrington, Donald.
The Europeans have modified their qualification system so many times it's ridiculous so any good player that happen to just grow-up in Europe can be on "Their Team". How is Luke Donald not an American? He has an American college degree, American home in Chicago (not transistional Florida), and an American Wife yet he plays for the European team?
With those rules the U.S. should be allowed to have any player who has a residence in the U.S., how does that sound? Goosen, Els, Singh, Immelman, Ogilvy and whoever we like can finish off our team instead of Wetterich, Johnson, Henry etc.
I've never thought the Ryder Cup format was fair, even when the U.S. won. Make the rules simple, make qualifying for each team simple, and don't allow either team to have a completive advantage.
You'll never hear any of the American golfers mention this issue; cause look how open minded you all are! Look how you all start flaming me without knowing anything (like the populatioins) or stating a SINGLE FACT to support your arguments!
Don't tell me to "Grow UP!" In a forensic manner, I just kicked your bu#@s. Please, go look up what forensics is, and which version of the word I was referring to, and please come back with an intelligent rebuttal, or you go home...and take your ball with you my Son!
Calygolf, you also have an excellent command of the English language!
Let's see where to begin...
Where do you get your numbers as far as population? You're including non-EU countries, which have never contributed a player for the Ryder Cup.
Luke Donald was born in England. Follow me here, that means Luke Donald is ENGLISH. Have you got that my friend? Or do you think England is that state just north of Iowa?
By your logic should all those Europeans who play here be on the US team? Do you realize how stupid you sound?
If you don't like the Ryder Cup format, here's a novel idea...stop watching. Problem solved.
And by the way Calygolf, Luke Donald isn't married so it's a bit difficult to have an American wife.
And by your token perhaps Tiger should be on the European team because he's got a Swedish wife!
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