Ryder Cup Disappointment

[golfreggie]

I bet there are many golf fans in our midst. I am surprised that the guys did not play better in the Ryder Cup Matches. I understand Tiger. The man is mentally and physically gassed! But other than JT, Speith (team events), Tony Finau, and Webb Simpson the team lacked spark. I don't know what it is but it almost looks like the JV team against the All-Star team. Sergio, Poulter, Casey, played excellent golf. We made so fewer birdies because the guys were playing from the hay patch more. If ever there was a case for fairways and greens, this was it. Hard to make birdie chipping from around the green because you could only lay up on the approach shots. You gotta give it to the Euros, they were focused. I don't think they actually "wanted" it more than our guys, I just think they know how to compete in the Cup as a team better. I think Jim Furyk could have picked better, but how do you leave Tiger off the team, and Phil. I heard on PGA tour Sirius radio that we actually picked down the line, all 12 guys. Maybe straighter hitters like Kisner and Schauffle may have done better. But that is one thing I really enjoy about golf, "what iffing" afterwards!

[Kerbie]

Yep, sad. Just sad.

[Bob Womack]

Have you ever watched an ice skating competition and seen every competitor hit the same little patch of ice and either go down or bobble?

You do know that pro courses rearrange themselves right down to the locations of the holes on the greens every year, right? Any chance it was just a tough course this year?

Bob

[Fogducker]

The EUROS played way better golf than our bunch! Whining about course conditions is no excuse, they all played on the same dirt! I like European golf courses, their 2nd cuts and roughs are real and the bunkers are definitely not to be messed with, especially over in Scotland (Bring a ladder for their pot hole bunkers) where golf started.

Fog

[TomB'sox]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Have you ever watched an ice skating competition and seen every competitor hit the same little patch of ice and either go down or bobble?

You do know that pro courses rearrange themselves right down to the locations of the holes on the greens every year, right? Any chance it was just a tough course this year?

Bob

I am a little confused with this one. The hole location is changed every day of a tourney and both teams were playing the exact same locations and course each day?

[jseth]

I'm not sure I'd say I was disappointed, but the matches certainly were lopsided... I was quite heartened with the first morning matches, but the afternoon foursomes were tragic for our boys...

I don't think that many golfers in the USA actually play foursomes (alternate shot) much, if at all - where in the UK folks play that way all the time. I could not believe that Furyk sent Michaelson out in the alternate shot format... his only lame decision, save for who and how he paired Tiger for the first two days...

Given Tiger's immense worldwide popularity, the fans are always all over his group - and it seems that rarely does any other player respond well to the "Tiger Circus". He doesn't get much help in the "partner format".

Overall, though, Europe just flat outplayed us, each and every day. Tough course, certainly set up for accuracy and to negate the US advantage in distance... but we just did not play that well when all was said and done.

I, for one, was amazed that Phil was chosen for the team... he played pretty well, early in the season, but did nothing but throw up on himself in the latter stages of this year.

[golfreggie]

One thing I love about golf has already been mentioned, everyone plays the same course and has the same opportunity to either execute or not. It shows that playing from the short green stuff is a superb manner of playing. Some of our guys couldn't hit the fairway with an iron. Granted, they were narrow, but the point is they were narrow for the Euros also. Their guys hit more fairways and almost doubled the amount of birdies. We just seemed to hit the bad shot just when we needed the good shot. And poor Tiger just could not make a putt, except the eagle on Sunday. I love watching, win or lose, 'cause I love the drama!

[Golffishny]

I've always believed that the PGA setup on most courses is not punitive enough for "long and wrong" golf. I'd like to see more tournaments use the US Open setup. Majors should have the "old" US Open setup, you miss the fairway and pay the price. I miss the shotmaking skills of the older players. Just my opinion. I know many people like the "bomb and wedge" style. With a tougher weekly setup, the team would likely consist of at least a handful of different members.

[fitness1]

It cost me LOTS of sleep (still recuperating!) and obviously the outcome wasn't what I would have liked.

One thing I noticed was this year really lacked any emotion on either side until the singles matches on Sunday, and even then it was nothing like the Rory/Reed match two years ago! (now that was fun!)

The one thing that seems to resonate is that the Euro's seem to be much more capable of thinking of themselves as a team than we do. We just don't seem to be able to produce the comradery they do.

I still always enjoy it, and there was about an hour in the middle of Sunday when I thought we had a slight chance of turning it around.

We'll see what happens at Whistling Straits.

[AX17609]

The US players all want to make the team because of the status it confers, but no one wants to actually play the matches. They don't have the chops for that kind of golf.

[aknow]

Maybe if they cared they would have showed up a week early, and practiced on the course. The Euro's were already familiar with it. The USA team looked just like America does now, depressed and disheveled. They have troubles when they don't have booming drive and 1/2 wedge to 14 holes a day.
I found it refreshing to watch a tournament where they actually use the clubs in their bag, I guess they didn't.