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2020 Ryder Cup

smwhorn

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Coffee and Ryder Cup on the patio. LFG!

Grade of D as in David
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Brooks doesn't want to be there and Bryson is more interested in the long drive contest after. Stricker should go ahead and announce that he's going to pair the two of them together and try to ge

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Revolution512

Revolution512 1487

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On 9/10/2021 at 9:09 AM, 4th&Five said:

Bryson is top 20 in strokes gained putting. 

He’s been a great putter on tour other than his first year out when he was awful. He’s been suspect in both team competitions. This is about learning to play with a partner and he’s missed a number of must makes.

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20 hours ago, 4th&Five said:

I just can’t figure out why we keep losing these things. 

 

 

Link to article in Golf Digest in case you care...

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/brooks-koepka-poolside-interview-ryder-cup-masters 

Also this...  😂😂😂😂

Mark Immelman " largely making my blood boil a little bit" (start at 6:30 mark for context)

“Brooks Koepka Is THE PROBLEM” - Ryder Cup Woes For Team USA | The First Cut Golf Podcast 

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Paul Azinger calls out Brooks Koepka for Ryder Cup comments, suggests he should 'relinquish his spot'

By Alex Myers   September 15, 2021

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RYDER CUP

The captain's picks have all been made for the 2021 Ryder Cup, but one former captain was pretty vocal on Wednesday about a potential personnel change.

Paul Azinger weighed in on comments Brooks Koepka made about the biennial event in a recent interview with Golf Digest. In the interview, Koepka talked about the challenges—both on and off the course—of a Ryder Cup where "you go from an individual sport all the time to a team sport one week a year."

It's an adjustment that all participants go through. But the comments caught the attention of many, including the 2008 winning American captain.

"Brooks, I just read that article, I’m not sure he loves the Ryder Cup that much," Azinger said during an NBC Golf call with the media. "If he doesn’t love it, he should relinquish his spot and get people there who do love the Ryder Cup."

Wow. Go on, Paul …

"Not everybody embraces it. But if you don’t love it, and you’re not sold out, then I think Brooks should, you know, especially being hurt, consider whether or not he really wants to be there."

But wait! There's more!

"And then if you add the Bryson dynamic to that, that might be an easier decision for him. But Brooks is one of the most candid, most honest guys there ever ism and if he’s blatantly honest with himself and he doesn’t want to be there, he should come out and say it. But, I don’t know, I’m a fan of both players, and I just feel like it’s gonna be one or the other. They’re gonna put the weight of the team on their shoulders or they’re gonna be a pain in the neck."

Wow, that's a lot. Among other things, Azinger alluded to Koepka's wrist injury, which caused him to withdraw during the third round of the Tour Championship. And, of course, there's Koepka's highly publicized feud with teammate Bryson DeChambeau.

If Koepka doesn't play, the most likely replacement candidates seem to be recent Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed and Billy Horschel, who won the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday.

Koepka wasn't seen in videos of Team USA holding practice at Whistling Straits on Sunday and Monday. When asked the previous week, though, about his playing status, captain Steve Stricker said this: "We're not there yet. We'll deal with that situation if it happens."

We're guessing he wasn't counting on a former captain calling out Koepka becoming part of that situation.

 

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On 9/13/2021 at 6:36 PM, LTtxfan said:

Really stepping out there on your pick...

  • Last 10 matches, Euro's have won 7
  • Last 5 matches, Euro's have won 4

 

On 9/13/2021 at 8:36 PM, ztejas said:

Home advantage is huge though. We've won 2 of the last 3 at home and the loss was 14.5 to 13.5.

I wont bet it, but if I had to, I'd take Padraig's squad at these odds. 

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5 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

 

“Brooks Koepka Is THE PROBLEM” - Ryder Cup Woes For Team USA | The First Cut Golf Podcast 

 

a guy in above video wrote this...

 

2020 Ryder Cup: Brooks Koepka unintentionally reveals United States team's biggest problem

Kyle Porter  4 hrs ago

Quote

You could fill up the Library of Congress with theories about why the United States has lost seven of the last nine Ryder Cups. No idea is off limits, no scenario too fanciful. From scripting to spin rates to improper pods to incompatible psychological test scores, if a reason is tangentially plausible, it has been floated by those who watch, follow and obsess over the Ryder Cup.

Ahead of the 2020 Ryder Cup, there's no reason to exasperate ourselves by exploring the myriad possibilities as to why the U.S. has struggled despite so often having the more talented team. Thanks to Brooks Koepka, who sat down for an interview with Golf Digest, we know the answer. Koepka, an automatic qualifier for this year's team (his playing status is unknown due to a wrist injury) who played on the 2016 and 2018 teams, said the quiet part out loud.

"It's different. It's hectic. It's a bit odd, if I'm honest," Koepka said of his Ryder Cup experiences. "I don't want to say it's a bad week. We're just so individualized, and everybody has their routine and a different way of doing things, and now it's like, 'OK, we have to have a meeting at this time or go do this or go do that.' It's the opposite of what happens during a major week."

"It's tough," he added. "There are times where I'm like, 'I won my match. I did my job. What do you want from me?' I know how to take responsibility for the shots I hit every week. Now, somebody else hit a bad shot and left me in a bad spot, and I know this hole is a loss. That's new, and you have to change the way you think about things. You go from an individual sport all the time to a team sport one week a year. It's so far from my normal routine."

He went on to say that he missed getting to take naps, go to the gym or decompress by watching TV because those were his routines during major championship weeks (where his record is sterling).

Koepka has made a career feasting on those he might consider mentally inferior athletes, men whose minds get mushy at the thought of ascending to the top of the food chain, players who can't handle the mentally taxing minefields at major championships. So it's a bit of an own goal when he admits how much he struggles to swap a nap for a get-together in team dining to discuss Saturday pairing strategies. He actually sounds a lot like the golfers at whom we normally see him sneer.

All of this would be fine if it existed in a vacuum. Worthy of parody, sure, but ultimately fine. However, Ian Poulter has a garage full of Ferraris to prove the Ryder Cup is not played by individuals in a vacuum.

The idea that mediocre teams can beat great individuals in sports, and especially in golf, is a bit overdramatized for my taste (12 Jon Rahms are pretty much always going to beat any team you could feasibly assemble). Still, it's difficult to ignore the "culture beats talent" flag the European side has flown for one week every two years for the last few decades.

The first problem here is that Koepka has real sway. He's done the thing, subdued the seas, conquered the unknown. His treasure chest is full. He is a genuine badass on the golf course in a world where players like him are seemingly facing extinction. He carries real weight. At this level, major championship trophies are currency, and Koepka has plenty to spend.

Imagine how galvanizing it would be for him to walk in the U.S. team room and take on a real leadership role. Asking captain Steve Stricker where he's needed. Taking youngsters Scottie Scheffler and Harris English under his wing. Leveraging his superstardom for the good of a team he should be leading.

I have no confidence that will happen, of course, but the U.S. has enough bought-in stars (think Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth), that it probably doesn't matter. If they were structured more like Europe (with Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy at the top), then they might be cooked.

This leads to the second issue with Koepka's statements, and it's the one that has haunted the U.S. side for nearly 20 years.

If you have to boil down why Europe succeeds at the Ryder Cup to one word, it's trust.

The Europeans trust one another far more than the Americans. This is neither a controversial stance nor a difficult one to land on when you hear Koepka's stance. Pick a year, and you'll find something flowing from the U.S. side that has disfigured trust. Even in the only year the U.S. has won in the last decade (2016 at Hazeltine), I left the post-event press conferences believing that the European team had far more trust in one another than the U.S. and that was a Euro team that had just been torched.

So, you might be wondering why trust matters. You're (mostly) hitting your own golf shots, playing your own ball and trying to put together a score. Trust matters because there is a lot going on during a Ryder Cup week. The golf, at times, can seem complementary rather than primary. When there's a lot going on, there's a lot to think about, sort out and consider.

What is the one variable that can change your on-course play the most in a given week? It's your mentality, right? When there's too much mental clutter, too many things you're thinking about besides the golf -- like not knowing with whom you're going to be paired or whether Patrick Reed is going to throw you under the bus or why Koepka and Dustin Johnson aren't speaking or anything else outside of the golf that's in front of you -- your play suffers.

Europe has created a space where trust can co-exist with some of the biggest personalities and egos in sports, even if just for one week. That trust engenders vulnerability, which (when received properly) creates more trust. A cycle of success that leads to lesser teams consistently beating better ones.

"I see the way they support each other, and I see the way that they have this foundation of support amongst each other to lift each other up," Phil Mickelson said recently on the 5 Clubs podcast with Gary Williams. "I see them walking together side-by-side in the fairways and with a vision of solidarity, if you will. I see them helping each other get the best out of each other."

It really is all about trust.

That might seem completely irrelevant as it relates to hitting 4-irons from 225 yards -- the U.S. team has essentially tried to argue that it is for a long time -- but it is not. If you can't trust everybody in the room, it becomes extraordinarily difficult to have the mental clarity necessary in a week of chaos like the Ryder Cup. It seems difficult to trust somebody who so brazenly and loudly and even tauntingly says, I'm doing my job, you gonna do yours? instead of I'm doing my job, how can I help you accomplish yours? It's a small shift in thinking with massive ramifications.

Maybe none of this even matters. All of this might be for naught if Koepka remains injured and doesn't play. It doesn't mean the malaise is eradicated, but it does mean one of this year's problems is certainly erased. And perhaps all of this is even a bit overstated. Perhaps Koepka is different behind closed doors than he is on magazine covers. Perhaps he is beloved by his teammates.

However, we have a lot of evidence piled up that tells us this is not even a Koepka-centric issue. This has been plaguing the U.S. for years. How frustrating it must be, too, that it has never been an issue of talent or desire. Those are things that cannot be engineered. You can't make somebody a sharper iron player or a better putter or more competitive for one week. It would be less infuriating if those were the issues. 

Instead, it's something the team has control of that has upended them. It is well within the ability of every single person in the room to choose to trust one another. Yet over and again they have chosen not to take that leap.

It might make them better suited for professional golf 51 weeks of the year, but for the seven days of the Ryder Cup every other year, the results have often been a disaster.

 

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EUROPE'S HEART AND SOUL

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Ryder Cup 2021: Love or loathe him, Ian Poulter is always Europe's man to beat

By John Huggan            September 16, 2021

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Picture the scene. It is September 1999 and the 33rd Ryder Cup is taking place at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. Along with some friends, a 23-year-old by the name of Ian Poulter is 3,300-miles east inside a hostelry in Leicester Square, London, one of a large crowd sitting in front of a big-screen television.

All is well until a premature parade of American players, caddies and wives stampede across the 17th green in the wake of Justin Leonard holing his (in)famous 40-foot putt to all but clinch the biennial contest for the home side. All of which occurred before Jose Maria Olazabal was belatedly afforded a legitimate opportunity to halve the hole and extend the proceedings.

Outraged by what he saw as the injustice of it all and screaming at the top of his voice, Poulter leaps up onto a table. An exact transcript is unavailable at this time, but the gist of the ensuing tirade was that revenge would soon enough be his. He would sort out the Yanks when he got the chance. One day he would be wearing Europe’s colors. There was no doubt in his mind, despite the fact that, at the time, Poulter was a relatively impecunious member of the European Challenge Tour. Only a couple of years before, he was selling confectionery in the pro shop at Leighton Buzzard Golf Club.

So it was in him even then, the relentless self-belief and the chest-pounding passion that has made the more mature Poulter the man most Americans fear in the Ryder Cup. For Europe, he is “the postman,” the player who almost always delivers. In six Ryder Cups, Poulter's overall record is 14-6-2 (though he's 2-3-2 in his last two appearances), and he's undefeated in singles (5-0-1). Among those he's beaten on Sunday: Dustin Johnson in 2018, current U.S. captain Steve Stricker (2008) and Matt Kuchar (2010).

In 2010 at Celtic Manor, Poulter went as far as “guaranteeing” his singles point against Kuchar, who had been just about America’s best player to that point. No matter. Poulter said he would win. He guaranteed it, putting himself squarely in the firing line. It is hard to think of another player who would do that.

“Ian has a cocky vibe about him,” says Billy Horschel, winner of last week's BMW PGA Championship before th WGC-Dell Match Play champion in March. “When he gets going, he can beat anyone. He has that mentality. He always has. And he’s never lost it. Even when the game is beating him up, he feels like he is the best player. He thinks he can beat anyone. He’s not the guy you want to play. … He grinds stuff out. He pisses you off. He gets in your head. That is Ian to a tee. And that’s why he is so great.”

That he is, especially in the match-play environment embodied by the Ryder Cup.

“Ian is a just a remarkable human being,” concludes Terry Mundy, his longtime caddie. “He just has a different mentality. Let’s say he misses the green with a wedge in a tournament. He’ll be thinking, ‘what the hell was that? I’ve missed the green, now I might drop a shot.’ But in match play Ian is thinking he can chip-in—which is not what the opposition expects—and win the hole.

“It’s a whole different attitude. He understands match play completely. I wouldn’t want to play him. No matter how he is playing, he’s the little Jack Russell snapping around your heels. He is exactly the guy you don’t want to play. He gives you nothing. You have to ‘kill’ him to beat him.”

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Ian Poulter acknolwedges fans during the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club.   (Ross Kinnaird)

Lee Westwood is on the same wavelength.

“When I look at Poults I see a great match player,” says the now 11-time member of European teams. “He’s the kind of person I would hate to be drawn against. He plays on the image and portrayal everyone has given him. He almost has a trademark now. He’s one of those guys you don’t want to play. He’s so dogmatic. And he’s a wonderful putter. That pisses people off and wears them down. He gets in your head. Seve was the same. They do things you don’t expect. And you’re still thinking about it two holes later.”

Yes, yes. But there’s more to this phenomenon than just a polished expertise in the dark art of match-play golf. Many others have owned that talent. But Poulter is different, on another level. For most players, the Ryder Cup is an ambition and, once achieved, a memory to savor and reflect on in one’s dotage.

Judging by his eye-bulging reaction to yet another holed putt in the trans-Atlantic bunfight, the matches mean more to the 45-year-old Englishman. Much more. They permeate his very soul. Cut him and he bleeds blue and gold.

“Ian gets more out of being part of a team than anyone I’ve ever seen, which results in better performances,” says Paul McGinley, who captained a European side including Poulter to victory at Gleneagles in 2014. “He knows that he can play his best and not win, or that he can play poorly. But the team can still win. He’s selfless in that respect. He doesn’t seem too concerned with his own play. He just wants the team to win. And, as a result, he plays better.”

Which brings us to the ultimate question: Just what possesses Ian James Poulter when he steps out of his phone booth wearing a European cape? Even the man himself struggles to find the definitive answer.

“It’s the unique enjoyment of team spirit and what that is all about,” he says. “You can’t ooze that week-in and week-out. You just can’t. It’s not possible. There is something special about being a team player, being inspired by that and in turn inspiring others. So what comes out in me is something that is not repeatable in a regular tournament. The switch gets clicked as soon as it is ‘go time.’ It’s just a different mode. I walk down a different path. It’s the yellow brick road.”

A hard road too, the beginnings of which might just offer a clue to Poulter’s unparalleled Old World animation. He’s come a long way, baby.

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Ian Poulter celebrates with his son Luke after Europe won the 2018 Ryder Cup.     (Stuart Franklin)

“Ian has an enormous amount of patriotism and pride,” says Tim Barter of Sky Sports, who has interviewed Poulter ‘hundreds of times.’ “He has come from relatively humble beginnings as a golfer. He always has a point to prove. He’s a guy a lot of people have dismissed. But he aspired to be a tour pro. And he looked at the Ryder Cup back then and wanted it more than anything else.”

Part of that ambition is perhaps that it was and is more realistic than, say, winning a major. Poulter has never been the best golfer on the planet. He has never been a superior ball-striker. He has never been one of the longest off the tee. Given all that, making a team of 12 has to be more achievable than becoming the top-one at any of golf’s four biggest events.

“Ian is never going to be the best player in the team,” says Andrew Coltart, a member of the ’99 European side. “We all know that. But he doesn’t have to be. He is the best at psyching someone out, the best at fronting up. Match play is all about that.”

Indeed, talk to just about anyone in and around the European Tour about Poulter and that theme soon emerges. Contrary to his widely held public image—one that erroneously accuses him of an attitude not far short of ego-mania—the father of four is the ultimate team player. Which is ironic. For a man who is the ultimate “peacock” when it comes to on-course garb, his best golf has been played wearing the same gear as everyone else.

Before Ian Poulter, Dai Rees was the original Mr. Ryder Cup

“Ian loves winning,” says former European No. 1 Robert Karlsson, who will serve as an assistant to European skipper Padraig Harrington later this month. “He thrives on it. He likes attention, which is at its height when he plays in the Ryder Cup. And match play is perfect for the way he plays. He is less worried about losing a hole than he is by the thought of accumulating a big number in stroke play. He has the perfect mentality. But it goes beyond style of play. It fits his personality. Look at the way he dresses. Look at the cars he drives. He wants to be seen. And the Ryder Cup is his stage.”

“‘Just watch me’ is Ian’s motto,” agrees Pete Cowen, Poulter’s swing coach. “When he goes to a Ryder Cup he thinks he is top dog. That’s another mindset, one that is impossible to reproduce week to week on tour.”

Strangely, however, the off-course Poulter at a Ryder Cup is again a different animal. Yes, he is the man behind the blaring music—“Anything with a loud beat,” says caddie Billy Foster—that typically permeates the European locker room, but beyond that noise, Poulter doesn’t have much to say. He isn’t the loud cheerleader, more the introspective guy in the corner.

“When we go to team meetings—and I’ve been to many with Ian in the room—he is the guy who sits with the hoodie over his head,” McGinley says. “He doesn’t say a whole lot. Everyone thinks he’s a ‘Braveheart” kind of guy. But he’s not standing on chairs or tables. He’s not shouting at everyone and getting them going. He’s the opposite. He says very little. He’s quiet. He listens. He’s very much part of it, but there is a real focus about him in those meetings.”

It is that intensity that transfers from locker room to course every two years. But, as good a career as Poulter has amassed—he owns a total of 13 victories on the PGA Tour and European Tour—he hasn't been able to reproduce the same level of performance to order. It is seemingly an elusive quality, one reserved almost solely for the Ryder Cup. Why is the mystery.

“If anyone has the answer to that question, I want to hear about it,” Mundy says. “It would be nice if it could turn up a few more weeks each year. It is just something about that week for Ian. The intensity goes up, right from the word go. Every other week, he’s going through the motions relatively. And if he finds something to get into contention, he’s off again. It’s probably not there Thursday and Friday, but at the Ryder Cup he arrives with ‘Sunday afternoon in contention’ intensity. And for whatever reason, his putter hears about it.”

Ah yes, the putting. As Horschel mentioned, Poulter has a spooky and incredibly annoying—for his opponent—ability to keep making putts at vital moments. The ultimate example, of course, is the birdie burst with which he finished a Saturday afternoon four-ball match at Medinah in 2012. Paired with Rory McIlroy, Poulter made crucial birdie putts on each of the last five greens to “steal” a point for Europe.

Here’s the thing though. Yes, Poulter has a great putting stroke in a technical sense. Many on tour do though. Yet again, what sets him apart in a Ryder Cup environment is meta-physical in nature and almost impossible to define. Even those who truly understand putting struggle to answer that one.

Let’s face it, in pressure moments it’s not technique that stands tallest. It’s the person. It’s about the nervous system, which controls hand-eye coordination. And how you respond to that environment. So it’s more about the player than the technique. Poulter performs under pressure. He wills putts into the hole.

“I’m not sure there is anything in Ian’s stroke that stands out especially,” says putting coach Phil Kenyon, who works with a host of top players. “He’s no different from anyone else at his level. How well he putts in the Ryder Cup is more about his personality. He just revels in it. He has such a positive mindset. He talks himself into holing putts.

“For example, at the 2008 Open, Padraig won and Ian was second. But on the 72nd green, Ian had a 12-foot putt that might have been for the win. At which point he calls Terry over to take a look. ‘Have you ever seen a putt to win the Open?’ asked Ian. ‘Well, this is it.’ How amazing is it that he had the presence of mind to go there at that moment? And he made the putt. That’s what makes him special. I’m not sure you can teach that.”

Still, for all the clearly fine qualities he brings to the Ryder Cup, Poulter’s influence goes beyond his individual performance in the sense that he inspires those around him by his very presence. They feel the love that that he has for them.

“The secret sauce that Ian has is applicable to any player,” McGinley says. “But he has it. He gets so excited by being part of a team and having teammates. He loves the concept of shared responsibility. I know many guys feel more pressure when they are part of a team. They don’t want to let anyone else down. But Ian feels the opposite. He is unburdened by the sense of shared responsibility.”

Still, for all that those around him have their theories, the mystery of Ian Poulter and his elevated performance level at the Ryder Cup continues. Even Mundy is perplexed by its complexity and elusiveness.

“If you get to the bottom of this, get back to us,” he asks. “We’d love to know. We’ve talked about it for 15 years. There is no way Ian hits the first fairway at a regular event, just misses the green to the right, chips in for birdie and goes running around the green pumping his chest. He’s not going to do that. He’s going to walk to the next tee thinking, ‘that was a result.’

“But in the first hole of a Ryder Cup—and the opponent is sitting 10 feet away—a chip-in is massive. That’s the bottom line. Ian loves that feeling. The problem is he can’t pretend to be playing a match when he’s not. He can’t kid himself on. Stroke play is about plodding into contention; match play is going for it.”

So it is that the last word belongs to Tommy Fleetwood, who will be making his second Ryder Cup appearance for Europe at Whistling Straits. Asked what “possesses” Poulter in the biennial contest, his perhaps definitive response was short and to the point.

“No idea.”

 

Great Stuff !!!

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LTtxfan

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14 hours ago, Grade of D as in David said:

Brooks doesn't want to be there and Bryson is more interested in the long drive contest after.

Stricker should go ahead and announce that he's going to pair the two of them together and try to get one or both to bow out and replace them.

Yeah, after reading that article about Ian Poulter, it feels like Europe is the much more likable team to pull for.  

Quote about Poulter

“The secret sauce that Ian has is applicable to any player,” McGinley says. “But he has it. He gets so excited by being part of a team and having teammates. He loves the concept of shared responsibility. I know many guys feel more pressure when they are part of a team. They don’t want to let anyone else down. But Ian feels the opposite. He is unburdened by the sense of shared responsibility.”

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Ryder Cup 2021: Everything American captain Steve Stricker must know to whip the Euros

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/ryder-cup-2021-america-gameplan-steve-stricker 

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Ryder Cup 2021: Everything European captain Padraig Harrington must know to spank the Yanks 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/ryder-cup-2021-europe-gameplan-padraig-harrington 

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LTtxfan

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26 minutes ago, smwhorn said:

https://golf.com/news/features/unsolved-mystery-still-haunting-1991-ryder-cup/

Excellent article by Rolfing on The War by the Shore.  Apparently someone threw a ball on the green after Irwin hit on 17.  Somehow his ball ended up in the fairway on 18.  I have never heard this story before.

Fantastic... Thanks for posting!!!  

Ryder Cup is one of my favorite sporting events -- can't wait! 

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dieucla98

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Butch Harmon said he'd put Brooks and Bryson together, first match out. Tell them step up and go get us a point and them being together would motivate the rest to fight for the USA this week.

Gotta admit, he's got me rethinking my pairings. I kind of like a Brooks Bryson pairing now (and for the record, I think both are painful to root for). Won't happen, too risky, but that would be an epic Ryder Cup story for decades to come regardless of outcome.

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ztejas

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45 minutes ago, Revolution512 said:

I think there is other strategy there too. Pairing them means they can only take one point away from you instead of two, if they both act the way we think they will. Play them the first match, if it goes awful sit the both of them until singles. Don’t let them bring down multiple pairings

If we are sitting two of the best 10 players in the world until singles we are going to get fucked up the ass. I don't care how douchey they are we need at least one of them if not both to play well throughout this thing to have a shot. 

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3 hours ago, ztejas said:

If we are sitting two of the best 10 players in the world until singles we are going to get fucked up the ass. I don't care how douchey they are we need at least one of them if not both to play well throughout this thing to have a shot. 

Koepka should play in both 4 ball sessions, and sit out foursomes.  His recent injury history would be reason enough to have him play in only 3 matches -- and it sounds like he prefers playing his own shots tee to green.

Bryson should play in 4 ball for sure on Day 1.   If Bryson will agree to tone it down to keep more tee shots in play, he could play in at least one foursomes match.  Depending on how Bryson is playing and feels, he probably needs to play 4 matches...

I am not a fan of pairing Brooks and Bryson together...  I don't see that helping the team chemistry at all.  

Morikawa probably should only play a maximum of 3 matches due to his recent back problems.  

 

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Ryder Cup 2021: The big edge Steve Stricker has as home captain that is often overlooked

September 17, 2021
 

 

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COURSE SETUP

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Thirteen years ago, in the months leading up to the 2008 Ryder Cup, Paul Azinger picked up the phone to call someone whose help he coveted. It wasn’t a player, or a caddie, or a swing coach. It wasn’t a celebrity guest speaker, either. It was Mark Wilson, the course superintendent at Valhalla Golf Club.

“I called him up and I said, ‘Mark, I consider you an integral part of our chances to win the Cup,’ ” Azinger recalls. “I told him I’m going to have a bunch of guys who bomb it and a bunch of pea-shooters who hit it right down the middle, and I don’t know what to do with that rough.”

Wilson was overjoyed to hear from the captain and rather eager to help.

“He said, ‘If you got bombers, I’ll keep it short. And if you got pea-shooters, I’ll fertilize the hell out of it, and in three weeks it’ll be six inches long!”

The duo devised a strategy. Azinger determined that he had six or seven players who could fly the ball 300-plus yards in the air. So they’d set up tees 300 yards away from the back edge of bunkers, allowing his bombers to carry them without added effort. They’d keep the rough a healthy length short of the bunkers but make sure there was essentially no rough on the other side of them. Azinger wanted to, in technical terms, let his big dogs eat.

“I had two tree limbs cut down strictly because of J.B. Holmes,” he recalls. The captain and the superintendent grew so close throughout that Ryder Cup cycle—which the underdog Americans won 16½-10½—that Wilson named his dog Zinger.

“Zinger’s still kickin’, too! I talked to Mark Wilson the other day.”

Some might label such blatant course manipulations as bush-league, but Azinger wasn’t breaking any rules. He had asked PGA of America setup chief Kerry Haigh if he could control the setup, and Haigh didn’t say no. That gave Azinger the green light to weaponize the golf course in his team’s favor.

Therein lies the Ryder Cup’s dirty little secret. Apart from his picks and choosing the pairings and lineup order, course setup is a home captain’s most potent lever to influence the matches. American sides have historically held edges in length off the tee and prefer faster greens, so U.S. courses have catered to those attributes—as Whistling Straits will next week. This is no surprise, given their games have been molded to feast on beefy PGA Tour setups. European teams—and again, we’re speaking generally here—typically have straighter hitters who are used to slower green speeds.

And while Azinger took it to the extreme in 2008, there is a long history of Ryder Cup captains on both sides of the Atlantic amplifying their home-field advantage via the golf course.

The 1997 Ryder Cup was held in Spain at Valderrama Golf Club, a tight and finicky track that took drivers out of the Americans’ hands. Europe won a nail-biter, 14½-13½. At The Belfry in 2002, European captain Sam Torrance made sure the rough was brutal at 285 yards, just beyond the fairway bunkers—the inverse of Azinger’s move. Europe won, 15½-12½. Ian Woosnam followed suit in 2006 at the K Club in Ireland. Europe equaled the widest margin of victory in Ryder Cup history with an 18½-9½ shellacking of a team that included the top three players in the world.

Next were Azinger’s antics at Valhalla, which came dangerously close to violating a stipulation in the mutually approved “Captain’s Agreement”—it states that the course is under the home captain’s control only until Monday of tournament week. After that, daily decisions regarding course setup all are to be handled by the Match Committee, which is made up of representatives from the European Tour and the PGA of America.

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Paul Azinger used his home-course advantage in 2008 to manipulate where Valhalla's rough would be grown thick and where it would be left whispy thin.     (Ross Kinnaird)

“We’ve agreed to try to avoid doing so much course manipulation [during the event], because we were getting some really sneaky stuff on hole locations” says Davis Love III, who played on six Ryder Cup teams, captained the 2012 and 2016 side and will be an assistant at Whistling Straits. Even if there was no sneaky stuff, Love made his preferences known.

“In 2016 at Hazeltine, I told Kerry that you’ve set this up before and to stick with it. I didn’t want rough if at all possible. We wanted to take luck out of it and have a whole bunch of birdies, because birdies get the crowd into it. Even if we tie holes with birdies, that’ll get the crowd fired up.”

The routing was also changed, with traditional holes 1-4 and 14-18 functioning as the front nine and 10-13 and 5-9 comprising the back. Americans won comfortably during that birdie-filled week—exactly as Love envisioned and to the chagrin of the European side.

“I thought the setup was incredibly weak,” Justin Rose said of Hazeltine. “I just thought it was very much a pro-am in terms of pin placements. They were all in the middle of the green. I didn’t understand that, to be honest, with world-class players, 12 world-class players here and 12 other world-class players from the U.S., and we wanted to showcase our skills.”

Rose was much more complimentary of the setup at the most recent Ryder Cup in 2018, which made plainly obvious once more just how big an impact a venue can have. With his captain’s picks, Jim Furyk selected four players in terrific form: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Tony Finau and Bryson DeChambeau. But that form came on American-style courses; Le Golf National, outside Paris, presented a different challenge entirely. The fairways were narrow, the rough punishing, the greens slow—at least by American standards. Furyk was criticized for using his picks to select four guys who ranked 93rd or worse in driving accuracy on the PGA Tour.

“Thomas [Bjorn, Europe’s captain] thickened the rough a little bit, but the fairway widths were no different than they were for the French Open—and we’d played 20-odd French Opens around that golf course,” says Paul McGinley, captain of the victorious 2014 European side at Gleneagles. “And that was the really surprising thing for us, that Justin Thomas was the only one who came over to see it [in the 2018 French Open]. To see the golf course, to see what it was like. Even with no rough, it’s not a golf course that you wrestle to his knees and whip it over corners. It’s a golf course that’s positional. It always is.”

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In Paris in 2018, it was more of the same as European captain Thomas Bjorn made sure that Le Golf National was tight off the tees to confound the American bombers.  (Luke Walker)

Knowing this, Bjorn picked four fairway-and-green finders with his captain’s selections for Team Europe in Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Henrik Stenson. The American captain’s picks went 2-9 that week (though Thomas, it should be noted, went 4-1 after getting his early look). The European captain’s picks went 9-4-1.

Steve Stricker, captain of this year’s U.S. squad, seems to have learned the lesson. In explaining his rationale behind his six captain’s picks—Daniel Berger, Tony Finau, Harris English, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth—he repeatedly stressed the importance of driving distance. As is the duty of the modern captain, he’d consulted with his statistical experts and determined that length off the tee was vitally important to cracking Whistling Straits. It worked in favor of Scheffler and against candidates such as Kevin Na, who may have gotten the call had the venue been a European one.

“Looking at what Stricker’s done with his picks, I think there’s no doubt that there’s a change there in the American modus operandi from what they did before,” McGinley says. “The takeaways they’ll have gotten from Paris is that we were much better prepared for that examination paper. Henrik Stenson is a greens-in-regulation guy. Sergio Garcia is a greens-in-regulation guy. Paul Casey, the same. They were picked for that reason. Thomas [Bjorn] knew what he was doing. He knew that golf course inside out.

“We set our pairings up and our teams up according to what the exam was for that specific Ryder Cup. I know Jim Furyk is part of the consultation panel that’s been going on there, and they all would have learned from what happened in Paris. It’s quite clear Stricker made his picks with that in mind.”

Only Whistling Straits isn’t a Valhalla or a Hazeltine National or a Bethpage or a Bellerive. It’s not a point-A to point-B bomber’s paradise that hands out birdies like candy. It’s a vexing test of golf, devoid of trees and situated on the shores of Lake Michigan. If you turn off Location Services and squint your eyes, you’d swear it’s an Irish links. Recent history gives a good indication of what is in store. The course will play long and the rough will play short. The pins will be on the easy side. All that is more or less within Stricker’s control. But the weather possibilities of late September in Wisconsin are not—and that gives the underdog Europeans hope.

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Expect Whistling Straits to be friendly to America's long hitters with hole locations conducive to lots of birdies. (Gary Kellner)

“If it’s a darts fest, we have got no chance,” McGinley says. “I mean that, we have no chance. If there’s a 30-mph wind and squally showers, as we call it in Ireland, and it becomes a bit of a dogfight, I’m much more liking our chances in that case. You look at the performances of Patrick Cantlay and Bryson DeChambeau in the darts fest that the [FedEx Cup] playoffs were. Every one of those events was a darts fest of soft golf courses with soft greens and virtually no wind.

“You look at how much the Americans revel in those conditions—warm, humid, ball flying miles. The Americans eat those conditions up. The golf course could certainly give us a chance. I’ll be watching that weather forecast very, very closely.”

 

 

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MEET THE PLAYERS

Ryder Cup 2021: All 24 golfers playing at Whistling Straits, ranked

September 19, 2021
 

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Here at Golf Digest, we rank the top 100 players heading into every major championship. It’s a fun if not futile exercise even then, ahead of a 72-hole stroke-play event on the most demanding golf courses of the year, designed to weed out the pretenders and identify the best players in the world. For a match-play event, with partners, during a week that looks, sounds and plays different than any other, predicting who will win—let alone which players will shine—borders on impossible.
 

Undeterred, we’ve done our best to rank each of the 24 players teeing it up at Whistling Straits. The concept: If we had our pick of the entire lot, what would the draft order look like? The highly subjective results are as follows. If nothing else, you’ll know more about the men you’ll cheer for—and against—during the most fun week in golf.

 
24.  Bernd Wiesberger

Age: 35 World Ranking: 61 Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie
You got the sense Padraig Harrington wanted Shane Lowry to get the last auto-qualifying spot, which would’ve freed the European captain up to use a pick on Justin Rose. Wiesberger had other ideas. The Austrian finished strong to eek in on points and become the first player from his country to play in the Ryder Cup. He has four wins on the European Tour since July 2019 but hasn’t quite been able to carry the momentum into the U.S.—he’s yet to post a top-10 finish in 28 career major starts and missed the cut in both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open this year. He comes to the matches with the skimpiest résumé of any player on either side, but one does not make the Ryder Cup team by accident; he’s got plenty of game, and anything can happen in an 18-hole match with a partner. Look for him to play once, maybe twice, before the singles.

 

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Richard Heathcote

23. Tyrrell Hatton

Age: 29 World Ranking: 19 Ryder Cup appearances: 1
Ryder Cup record: 1-2-0
Got as high as No. 5 in the world after he began the year with a win in Abu Dhabi, but he’s been pretty terrible since. That might sound mean, but we’re just taking hints from the man himself—he’s his own harshest critic and is good for at least one self-own per week, always with a tinge of that British caustic wit. His lone top-10 in his last 14 starts worldwide came against a very weak field at the Palmetto Championship, and he’s missed four of his last six cuts including the last two. That, compared with his 1-2-0 record at Le Golf National, is cause for some concern. He’s well-liked among his peers and could pair well with anyone, but he’s a good candidate to do some sitting, at least early in the matches. Simply put, he’s not in the greatest form.

 

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Stuart Franklin

 

22. Harris English

Age: 32 World Ranking: 11 Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie
The Ryder Cup first-timer is actually the second-oldest player on the U.S. team, and his laidback vibes don’t exactly scream wet-behind-the-ears youngster. Had a breakout season with two victories, and it might’ve been three had he been paired with anyone other than DeChambeau in the final round at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. He’s an easy 6-foot-3 and swings it beautifully but it’s his putting statistics that jump off the page—he was 12th in strokes gained, eighth in one-putt percentage and second in average distance of putts made per round. A hot flatstick is the currency of match play, but if there’s one rookie who could potentially fall victim to nerves, you fear it could be English. The non-golf stuff clearly distracted him in Memphis, and he doesn’t seem like he feeds off the crowd quite in the same way as a number of his teammates. Don’t be surprised if he sits the first session and one more after that.

 

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Jamie Squire

21. Matt Fitzpatrick

Age: 27 World Ranking: 27 Ryder Cup appearances: 1
Ryder Cup record: 0-2
Had a miserable experience five years ago in his first Ryder Cup as a 22-year-old at Hazeltine. He was a much more one-dimensional player there, relying on a low piercing cut off the tee and struggling on big American-style courses. Darren Clarke opted to sit him for the first three sessions that week, so he entered the singles having only played alternate shot and was pumped by Zach Johnson on Sunday. He’s put on about 30 pounds and 30 yards of distance since then and is a much well-rounded player, but his value could come down to the weather forecast. He tends to struggle on soft and calm bomber-fest layouts but excels on demanding and firm tests, so if things do get windy, he could emerge as an unsung hero for the Europeans. Started the season strong but has struggled with his irons virtually all summer, which led to him seeing his FedEx Cup playoff campaign end after a missed cut at Liberty National. Looked much better at Wentworth, where he was T-6 before a triple bogey on the 71st hole of the tourney ruined his chances of a high finish. In match play, though, that would’ve counted as just one hole lost.

 

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Warren Little

20. Daniel Berger

Age: 28 World Ranking: 16 Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie
He’s a victim of his own soft-spokenness—you don’t see him get interviewed much, he doesn’t get the same airtime as his peers, and he’s often forgotten when discussing the gaggle of best young American players. He’s never lacking on belief, though, and held firm in his belief that Stricker knew what he brought to the table and he’d be getting a call from the captain. He did indeed, benefitting not just from a strong performance under Stricker in the 2017 Presidents Cup but a two-year period that saw him emerge from industry purgatory and become one of the more consistent players on tour. Posted 14 top-25 finishes in 23 starts and finished fifth in strokes gained/approach last season, and he’s part of the Jupiter crew alongside Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay, so team-room fit shouldn’t be an issue. There’s some fire under the quietness. It’ll come out during Ryder Cup week.

 

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Sam Greenwood

19. Shane Lowry

Age: 34 World Ranking: 40 Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie
There was a sense that he “deserved” a spot on this team after winning the 2019 Open Championship, but by the time the post-COVID Ryder Cup points list rolled around he needed a captain’s pick from good buddy/compatriot Padraig Harrington. He’s had a very consistent 2021, having made the cut in his last 16 starts and finishing T-26 or better in his last seven. Possesses one of the best short games on earth, which could come in handy in foursomes sessions where pars tend to be solid scores. He’s played a bunch of practice rounds this year with buddy Rory McIlroy, perhaps teasing an all-Irish island pairing to come.

 

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Warren Little

18. Bryson DeChambeau

Age: 28 World Ranking: 7 Ryder Cup appearances: 1
Ryder Cup record: 0-3
Will be at the center of attention all week, as is the case every week. Golf’s lightning rod has continued to make headlines, this time for his decision to put in two-a-days to train and compete in a Long Drive contest the day after the Ryder Cup—preparation for which, in his own words, has “wrecked” his hands. This in addition to his long-running feud with teammate Brooks Koepka, which will surely be a topic of conversation. Lost an epic duel to Cantlay at the BMW Championship and looked solid at the Tour Championship, and he’ll be the longest hitter on a course that rewards driving distance as much as any venue. On the flip side, he’s been a disaster that captains have tried to hide the two team events he’s played, going 0-3 at the 2018 Ryder Cup and 0-1-1 at the 2019 Presidents Cup. This will be his first team competition with his new body and game, and Bryson 2.0 figures to be a more dangerous match-play opponent than Bryson 1.0 because he feasts on par 5s, leading the tour in eagle frequency and finishing third in birdie percentage. The big question looming: Who will he play with?

 

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Harry How

 17. Lee Westwood

Age: 48 World Ranking: 34 Ryder Cup appearances: 10
Ryder Cup record: 20-18-6
Played on 10 consecutive Ryder Cup teams from 1997-2016 but looked to have moved onto the assistant captain/eventual captain stage a few years back … only to re-assert himself among the game’s best, highlighted by back-to-back 54-hole leads and back-to-back solo seconds at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship in March. Hasn’t been able to replicate that gear and doesn’t have a top-10 since, and he was actually in danger of missing the team on points at the BMW PGA Championship. He’s the most experienced player at these matches and has a terrific 17-11-6 in team sessions. Has shown a newfound equanimity on the golf course in his late 40s, but something tells me we’ll see some flashes of fiery Lee in what could indeed be his last Ryder Cup. Then again, we said that in 2016.

 

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Andrew Redington

16. Brooks Koepka

Age: 31 World Ranking: 9 Ryder Cup appearances: 2
Ryder Cup record: 4-3-1
There are questions about his health and his attitude. We’ll start with his health—he withdrew from the Tour Championship after hitting a tree root and aggravating the same wrist that gave him trouble in 2018. Then, he expressed apathy and borderline annoyance with the Ryder Cup team dynamic in an interview with Golf Digest. It surely wasn’t Stricker’s favorite thing to read, but Koepka’s nothing if not outspoken, and he’s said a bunch of eyebrow-raisers before backing them up with excellent play on huge stages. Keep in mind that this is the guy who has finished T-7 or better in 12 of his last 16 appearances in major championships. Plus, the media criticism of his Ryder Cup comments—Paul Azinger suggested he withdraw from the team to make space for someone who does love the Ryder Cup—will serve as added motivation, as he clearly takes note of slights real or perceived. Tied for fifth at the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits and profiles as an excellent fit for the golf course.

 

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David Cannon

15. Collin Morikawa

Age: 24 World Ranking: 3 Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie
Two months ago, he claimed his second major championship victory and was the darling of the golf world. Now he’s a struggling superstar, and there are injury concerns even if the man himself says his back is 100 percent healthy. Oh, how quickly the narrative changes in this game. Morikawa entered the FedEx Cup Playoffs leading the points standings only to play quite poorly—by his standards, but also anyone else’s—missing the cut at The Northern Trust, finishing T-63 (out of 70) at the BMW and 28th (out of 30) for his 72-hole score at the Tour Championship. The putting statistics were poor, as they often have been, but he also failed to gain strokes with his approach play in three of his last four starts, which is particularly concerning for the best iron player on the planet. He’s had a couple weeks off to rest and re-set, and he’s already indisputably proven that his best is good enough to win on any golf course, against anyone. This marks his first Ryder Cup appearance, and it’ll be interested to see who Stricker pairs him up with; Morikawa said at the Tour Championship that he’d love to play with Thomas or Xander Schauffele, but both those have baked-in partners in Jordan Spieth and Cantlay. So does Stricker take advantage of his maturity and steadiness and pair him with Bryson? Or will he try to highlight his assassin-like tendencies, which are there in spades, and stick him with another fiery youngster like Berger (who’s signed to the same agency) or Scheffler (who’s 10 months older)?

 

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Oisin Keniry

14. Tommy Fleetwood

Age: 30 World Ranking: 36 Ryder Cup appearances: 1
Ryder Cup record: 4-1
Formed one-half of the Moliwood powerhouse in France, where he and his Italian partner took down Tiger Woods three times and Jordan Spieth/Justin Thomas once. He rode that momentum into 2019 and hovered around the world top 10 for most of the year, but 2021 has not been kind—the Englishman posted just two top-10s in 18 starts on the PGA Tour and missed the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Returned to Europe for a fruitful fortnight, taking T-2 in the Italian Open and T-12 at the BMW PGA Championship to build up some confidence heading into Whistling Straits. With Molinari out of the picture, Fleetwood has a number of potential partners. Said last week that he didn’t “expect anything else but Europe to win,” which would seem like bulletin-board material until you consider the source, one of the gentlest and kindest men on tour.

 

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David Cannon

13. Scottie Scheffler

Age: 25 World Ranking: 21 Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie
Such matters are not made official, but Scheffler was almost certainly the last man into the U.S. team. He’s the lowest-ranked American and seemed to be in a battle with Kevin Na and Patrick Reed for the final spot—Scheffler got the nod in large part, according to Stricker, due to his length off the tee and his runner-up finish in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play earlier this year. He and English are the only two “true” rookies on the U.S. side, meaning he has not played in either a Ryder or a Presidents Cup. That said, he’s been terrific in the big events and finished T-19 or better in his last six major starts, which include four top-10s. He makes a ton of birdies (seventh in birdie average last season) and should be a weapon deployed in the four-ball sessions. The man has shot 59 on the PGA Tour, after all, and has shown comfort in making an absurd amount of birdies in short succession. The question mark here is his putting—he ranked 102nd in putting from 4-8 feet and 160th in putting from 10-15 feet, and those are the ranges that win matches.

 

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Michael Reaves

12. Tony Finau

Age: 32 World Ranking: 10 Ryder Cup appearances: 1
Ryder Cup record: 2-1
He always seemed a likely captain’s pick, given his prodigious length of the tee and propensity for birdie-binges, but his uninspiring form throughout the summer raised some question marks. Stricker must’ve been pleased, then, to see him end a five-year victory drought at The Northern Trust to open up the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Showed well as a captain’s pick in Paris, going 2-1 and dusting a previously unbeaten Tommy Fleetwood, 6 and 4, in singles. The only question mark is his sometimes-shaky putting, an issue at Royal Melbourne when he went 0-1-3 in the 2019 Presidents Cup. Will likely see action in both four-ball sessions and could well partner with DeChambeau, for there may not be a human being on the planet who cannot get along with Tony FInau.

 

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Sam Greenwood

11. Paul Casey

Age: 44 World Ranking: 23 Ryder Cup appearances: 4
Ryder Cup record: 4-3-5
Needed a captain’s pick in 2018 to play in his first Ryder Cup since 2008 but had no such stress this time, as he qualified easily thanks to a mid-40s renaissance that has shown no signs of slowing down. A first major championship continues to elude Casey but he’s inching closer in the huge events—this year he was T-5 at the Players, T-4 at the PGA Championship, T-7 at the U.S. Open and T-4 at the Olympics. Remains an elite ball-striker, ranking second on tour in strokes gained/approach and seventh in strokes gained/tee to green. Also finished T-12 at the 2010 PGA at Whistling Straits and T-30 there in 2015. Came into the playoffs with four finishes of T-7 or better in his last six starts but struggled finishing T-64 at the Northern Trust and T-38 (out of 70) at the BMW Championship to miss out on East Lake. As such, he’ll be rested and ready to go in what could be his last Ryder Cup appearance.

 

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Richard Heathcote

10. Jordan Spieth

Age: 28 World Ranking: 15 Ryder Cup appearances: 3
Ryder Cup record: 7-5-2
When he made his Ryder Cup debut as a 21-year-old in 2014, he looked a prime candidate to set the record for consecutive Ryder Cup appearances by an American. He proceeded to fall into one of the more curious slumps in recent golfing memory and would’ve easily missed the 2020 team if it weren’t for COVID-19 postponing the event a year. In the time since, he has rediscovered his game and re-entered the picture as one of the game’s best and most consistent players, despite a slightly disappointing FedEx Cup Playoff campaign. Had immense success pairing with Patrick Reed in his younger years but has long wanted to realize a childhood dream and play alongside Justin Thomas—they did so in 2018 in Paris and went 3-1, and with Reed not on the team this time around, odds are we’ll see Spieth/JT again. Along with Morikawa, English and Berger, he’s one of the shorter-hitting Americans but that doesn’t make him short—he averaged 299.5 yards per drive last season, well above tour average—and it didn’t hurt him when he shot 18 under to finish solo second at the 2015 PGA at Whistling Straits. Any fan of this game will be happy to see him back in the Ryder Cup mix, right where he belongs.

 

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Keyur Khamar

9. Ian Poulter

Age: 45 World Ranking: 49 Ryder Cup appearances: 6
Ryder Cup record: 14-6-2
No player in this generation has become more synonymous with the Ryder Cup than the spiky-haired Brit. His overall record speaks for itself, and his 5-0-1 record in singles speaks even louder. He does not have a swing you’d watch on the driving range for hours, nor does he hit it miles, but he finds a way to get it in the hole and make crucial putts every single Ryder Cup appearance. Perhaps no one feeds off the crowd—both supportive home ones and antagonistic away ones—better than Poulter, who essentially morphs into a different player when he’s wearing those blue and yellow shirts. He hasn’t won a tournament since 2018 and had only an OK season on the PGA Tour, so there was some discussion that he might miss out on this team, but the truth is he’ll get a look so long as he’s healthy and even somewhat competitive on the world stage. Still top 50 in the world—just barely—don’t expect anything less than a maddening performance that has you wondering come Sunday afternoon, How is this guy beating Dustin Johnson 3 up through 11?

 

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Christian Petersen

8. Sergio Garcia

Age: 41 World Ranking: 43 Ryder Cup appearances: 9
Ryder Cup record: 22-12-7
He’s the winningest player in Ryder Cup history. It became official in Paris, when he passed Nick Faldo to become the all-time leader in Ryder Cup points, and his record in team sessions is an astounding at 18-8-6. Needed a captain’s pick to get to his 10th Ryder Cup as he’s no longer a fixture in the top 10 of the World Ranking, as he was for a decade, but he managed to get into the Tour Championship with a strong showing at Caves Valley and will have plenty of confidence in his game heading into the Ryder Cup, his ultimate comfort zone. Finished third on tour in SG/off the tee and 16th in driving distance at 41 years old, which bodes well for a course that demands a strong driving performance. It is worth noting, however, that he finished T-54 at the 2015 PGA at Whitsling Straits and missed the cut in 2004 and 2010. Then again, this is Sergio and this is the Ryder Cup.

 

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Mike Ehrmann

7. Dustin Johnson

Age: 37 World Ranking: 2 Ryder Cup appearances: 4
Ryder Cup record: 7-9-0
Ready to feel old? DJ is the oldest player on the American side by five years. He also has the most Ryder Cup experience of any of his teammates, but given the European dominance in this event in recent years, most of that experience is of the losing variety. Teased a dominant run to come in the tail end of 2020 but it didn’t materialize as he trudged through a semi-slump for most of the summer. Showed some better form with top-10s in four of his last six starts as he started holing putts, particularly in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He was a bomber before being a bomber was cool, and thus he’s fared quite well at bomber-friendly Whistling Straits, infamously missing the playoff for the 2010 PGA Championship after he grounded his club in a bunker on the 72nd hole and taking a solid T-12 when the PGA returned in 2015. He’s as easy going as they come and has thus played with a number of different partners, but with limited success—he’s a combined 4-8-0 in the team sessions and 3-1-0 in the singles. Despite a so-so year, Stricker will still view Johnson as a go-to guy and a crucial part of his team’s chances.

 

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Stuart Franklin

6. Viktor Hovland

Age: 23 World Ranking: 13 Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie
One of just three first-timers on the European side, the Norwegian will be a thorn in American sides for the next decade-plus. Was still 10 months away from turning pro during the last Ryder Cup, but in the three years since, he’s won twice on the PGA Tour and is knocking on the top-10-in-world door. Not the longest guy out there but still ranked fifth on tour in SG/off the tee, and his consistent ball-striking is the perfect formula for 72-hole stroke-play events. Match play is another story, but he sure didn’t have any issues with the format en route to his victory at the 2018 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach. Rookies have fared well in recent Ryder Cups, and he’s a great candidate to win three-plus points this week; given his consistent play over the last year-plus, Harrington will surely want him in the lineup more often than not. The lone concern is the short game, which has been an area of difficulty throughout his young career, but he’s been working hard at it with coach Jeff Smith.

 

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Andrew Redington

5. Xander Schauffele

Age: 27 World Ranking: 5 Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie
He certainly doesn’t feel like a rookie. Has been a big-time performer in the majors (without actually winning one, of course), got some team-play experience at the 2019 Presidents Cup and took home the gold for the U.S. in the Olympics just a few months ago. Ranked 12th on tour in eagle frequency and 11th in birdie percentage thanks to elite approach play (14th in strokes gained) and elite putting (16th in strokes gained). He’s as well-rounded as they come, and Stricker will likely trot out him and Cantlay without thinking twice about it. You won’t catch him hooting and hollering or putting his fingers behind his ear—playing to the crowd isn’t his style—but he’s a guy any team would be lucky to have, particularly in foursomes, where his short game will become his partner’s best friend.

 

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WILLIAM WEST

4. Patrick Cantlay

Age: 29 World Ranking: 4 Ryder Cup appearances: Rookie
Another rookie-in-name only; he’ll turn 30 early next year, appeared on the victorious 2019 U.S. Presidents Cup team and comes in playing the best golf of his life, having outdueled DeChambeau at Caves Valley and doing just enough at East Lake to win the FedEx Cup title—and, somewhat surprisingly, PGA Tour player-of-the-year honors over Rahm. Also comes in with an expected partner, as Tiger Woods trotted out him and Schauffele in all four team sessions in the 2019 Presidents Cup. The two laconic Californians also took their significant others to Napa the week after the Tour Championship, so they’re clearly close, and there’s been no indication that Stricker will break them up. Or at least not initially. Doesn’t seem an ideal match-play guy on the surface as his game is built more on relentless consistency, but he’s capable of some extremely hot putting streaks and enjoyed the mano-y-mano dynamic at Caves. There are certainly high hopes for his Ryder Cup debut.

 

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Rob Carr

3. Justin Thomas

Age: 28 World Ranking: 6 Ryder Cup appearances: 1
Ryder Cup record: 4-1
Hard to believe he’s only played in one Ryder Cup, as he’s been firmly established in the elite tier for what feels like forever now. Was a lone bright spot for the Americans in Paris in 2018, going 4-1 and forming one-half of the Spieth/Thomas partnership that could well become a staple at Ryder Cups for years to come. Emerged as an emotional leader that week and relished the challenge of playing (and winning) Sunday’s first singles match against Rory McIlroy. Also went 3-1-1 at the 2019 Presidents Cup and didn’t hesitate to play in the Olympics when many of his countryman did; representing his country clearly holds meaning to him and brings out his best. Played nicely in the playoffs, with a pair of T-4s at The Northern Trust and Tour Championship sandwiching a T-22 at the BMW Championship, and should be a no-brainer start alongside Spieth in the Friday’s first session.

 

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Darren Carroll

2. Rory McIlroy

Age: 32 World Ranking: 15 Ryder Cup appearances: 5
Ryder Cup record: 11-9-1
He’s playing in his sixth consecutive Ryder Cup and entered the first five as Europe’s best or second-best player virtually every time. That’s not quite so clear-cut this go ’round, as he’s dropped to World No. 15 as he continues to work on swing changes, so it’s possible his streak of playing all five sessions in four straight Ryder Cups could come to an end. Yet this is a good course for him, he’s a natural leader in any setting and a big-stage performer, so he figures to be at the center of the action all week. His recent issues have been more with avoiding round-killing mistakes than making birdies; in fact, he led the tour in birdies last season, which doesn’t hurt in match play. He’s been on four winning Ryder Cup teams already, although while his record in the matches is good, it’s not quite great. A potential pairing with Hovland is particularly intriguing, and not just because they look vaguely similar. Admitted McIlroy felt some fatigue toward the end of the season, but after two weeks off to spend some time with his family, he’ll be fiery Rory come Friday, reared up and ready to go.

 

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Ramsey Cardy

1. Jon Rahm

Age: 26 World Ranking: 1 Ryder Cup appearances: 1
Ryder Cup record: 1-2-0
The undisputed best player in the world, both in name and in game, but it wasn’t enough to win PGA Tour player of the year. That went to Cantlay, despite Rahm faring better in each of the six majors of the 2020-21 “super” season and finishing head-and-shoulders above the rest in the statistical conversation. In the end, his lack of official wins hurt him. If he needed any added motivation to fuel the heater he’s riding, he has it. Curiously was the only player on either side to play an event the week before the Ryder Cup, and even more curiously missed the cut in Napa (while dealing with a stomach virus), but he tends to play the week before a majors, too. Has not yet played a tournament at Whistling Straits but he ranked second on tour in SG/off the tee. Took great pride in playing against and beating Tiger Woods in singles at the 2018 Ryder Cup—a victory that brought him to tears—and you have to believe (so long as the stomach bug has passed) he’ll go all five sessions and perhaps be the first player thrown out in singles come Sunday.

 

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Ramsey Cardy

 

Edited by LTtxfan
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