European Ryder Cup Team

[Hacker Khan]

Could also be said if he played and qualified then Clarke wouldn't have had to 'use up' a captains pick on him

Well yes but from Westwood's point of view if he was already in then why bother? He's used to being a Captains pick anyway.

 

[FairwayDodger]

Without bashing those who did get picked, based on form Knox should have been the first name down for a wildcard. Playing consistently well on the pga tour and a higher ranking than most of the European team. Pretty strange decision to leave him out IMO.

The real problem with the team, however, is the number of out of form players who booked their places early in qualification.

Hope I'm wrong, but can't see anything other than a USA win this time round.

 

[HankMarvin]

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Without bashing those who did get picked, based on form Knox should have been the first name down for a wildcard. Playing consistently well on the pga tour and a higher ranking than most of the European team. Pretty strange decision to leave him out IMO.

The real problem with the team, however, is the number of out of form players who booked their places early in qualification.

Hope I'm wrong, but can't see anything other than a USA win this time round.

I fear you are spot on here about a USA win.

Hope is not as bad a campaign for Darren than from the farce Faldo had tho.

 

[User62651]

/

I fear you are spot on here about a USA win.

Hope is not as bad a campaign for Darren than from the farce Faldo had tho.

You've got to lose to value winning, US teams needs a win for ther sake of the Cup and the Europe team looks the weakest for a long long time imo. Faldo got some PR stuff wrong but the golfers lost the match, not by much either. Knox at 20 in the rankings, with only 5 Europeans above him, should have been first wildcard imo. Form is what matters and Westwood/Kaymer don't have it. Yanks have the right idea in leaving the last pick until the week before, we all know golf form is streaky so they'll get someone bang on form.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

You've got to lose to value winning, US teams needs a win for ther sake of the Cup and the Europe team looks the weakest for a long long time imo. Faldo got some PR stuff wrong but the golfers lost the match, not by much either. Knox at 20 in the rankings, with only 5 Europeans above him, should have been first wildcard imo. Form is what matters and Westwood/Kaymer don't have it. Yanks have the right idea in leaving the last pick until the week before, we all know golf form is streaky so they'll get someone bang on form.

So why dont both teams have the same entry criteria?

 

[Robobum]

You've got to lose to value winning, US teams needs a win for ther sake of the Cup and the Europe team looks the weakest for a long long time imo. Faldo got some PR stuff wrong but the golfers lost the match, not by much either. Knox at 20 in the rankings, with only 5 Europeans above him, should have been first wildcard imo. Form is what matters and Westwood/Kaymer don't have it. Yanks have the right idea in leaving the last pick until the week before, we all know golf form is streaky so they'll get someone bang on form.

If form is streaky - maybe the in form Americans are just about to hit their poor streak and the out of form Europeans are heading to their in form streak?

Or in other words.........Christ knows???,!!!

Just sit back and enjoy the golf, it's likely to be top notch whoever ends up winning 😀

 

[bluewolf]

This thread seems remarkably similar to the previous 3 or 4 Ryder Cup threads.. We never seem to have much confidence in the team do we?

I think Westy was the right choice.. Pair him up with one of the rookies (like with Colsaerts last time) and let him use his vast experience to steady the nerves..

Knox or Pieters was a toughie.. Maybe Darren thought that the reason the European team has been so successful has been the team ethos and togetherness of the European tour.. Pieters may blend better with the rest of the team as he possibly knows them better than Knox.. Who knows?

I'm sure that previous Captains have been giving him advice, and I reckon they know better than anyone on here (with the exception of a few )..

Anyway, I can't wait.. I've booked the week off work and I've got some games planned in the diary to sweeten the deal..

Come'on the Euro's.............

 

[Hacker Khan]

Without bashing those who did get picked, based on form Knox should have been the first name down for a wildcard. Playing consistently well on the pga tour and a higher ranking than most of the European team. Pretty strange decision to leave him out IMO.

The real problem with the team, however, is the number of out of form players who booked their places early in qualification.

Hope I'm wrong, but can't see anything other than a USA win this time round.

Absolute gash. I mean look at Sullivan and Fitzpatrick who recently have done.... erm.... OK, OK, what about McIlroy who has been tearing it up in all the maj.......Oh. Ah, what about Wood who is now in peak fitnes....cock....well how about Williett, now there's a man who has hit a hot streak since his Masters win!! Not so clever a point you made now is it!

 

[Imurg]

The qualifying is way too long. It's perfectly possible for someone to bank their spot in the team by February and then lose their way completely by September.
Shorten the qualifying period - start it in March and finish it at the end of August. 6 months.
Both teams should have the same qualifying process and the same number of picks....

 

[Hacker Khan]

The qualifying is way too long. It's perfectly possible for someone to bank their spot in the team by February and then lose their way completely by September.
Shorten the qualifying period - start it in March and finish it at the end of August. 6 months.
Both teams should have the same qualifying process and the same number of picks....

Why does it have to be the same? Surely it is up to the respective tours to decide how they want to fill their teams, that's part of the skill in some way.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

The qualifying is way too long. It's perfectly possible for someone to bank their spot in the team by February and then lose their way completely by September.
Shorten the qualifying period - start it in March and finish it at the end of August. 6 months.
Both teams should have the same qualifying process and the same number of picks....

The US team's automatic picks are, I believe, based entirely upon PGA Tour standings.

If Europe were to do the same Westwood & Kaymer would have been automatic picks but Garcia, Fitzpatrick, Sullivan and Rose would be fighting for Captain's picks.

Willett, Stenson & Mcilroy qualify largely due to their performances in the majors counting on the European Tour, certainly would not seem to be based upon their results in regular Tour events.

This reflects the difficulty in attracting the stars to those events.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

This thread seems remarkably similar to the previous 3 or 4 Ryder Cup threads.. We never seem to have much confidence in the team do we?

I think Westy was the right choice.. Pair him up with one of the rookies (like with Colsaerts last time) and let him use his vast experience to steady the nerves..

Knox or Pieters was a toughie.. Maybe Darren thought that the reason the European team has been so successful has been the team ethos and togetherness of the European tour.. Pieters may blend better with the rest of the team as he possibly knows them better than Knox.. Who knows?

I'm sure that previous Captains have been giving him advice, and I reckon they know better than anyone on here (with the exception of a few )..

Anyway, I can't wait.. I've booked the week off work and I've got some games planned in the diary to sweeten the deal..

Come'on the Euro's.............

It is always the same before each RC - I remember the thumping we were supposed to get last time and the time before and the time before that - yet every single time Europe win - why when people talk world rankings and players from the US in form and winning comps etc do they not win then ?

Simple for me - it's matchplay and its playing finding a way to gel together , it's creating an attitude that players are not playing for themselves they are for the one time in their career playing for others and a whole nation , the Europeans do that naturally together already , even the US based ones mix with each other , they park their egos and forget any price money and play with their hearts and it all happens naturally

The US team don't do it - why ? Because I believe that with the addition of the Fed Ex their priority is there and the RC is an after thought - they try and force the players to develop an understand and it doesn't happen

The US have even created a task force but until they stop forcing it then I don't think they will ever creating the same environment that Europe does - world rankings mean nothing as soon as that first ball is hit and I would take a player who is ranked 100 but plays matchplay well over someone ranked 10 who only plays well as a single

 

[Wilson]

:blah:

Hmmm, not quite sure what it is about Westy that seems to inspire such bilge from certain sections of this forum.. Let me think about it.. I'm sure it'll come to me if I really concentrate...

What am I missing about why some posters have so much hate for Westwood?

To me the Kaymer & Westwood pics were no brainers, with the number of rookies the team needed some experience - I think had Pieters not won at the weekend Donald might have still been in the mix.

 

[351DRIVER]

I have no hate for Westwood but he has always struck me as first loser

He has had a long career but does not merit a wild card, he is no inspirational figure, therefore you should go with form

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Personally I think the RC points should be weighted to be of more value at the end of the qualifying period - ie The USPGA worth more than the Masters - as an awful lot can happen in those 6 months in between.

Also, Captain's picks always cause argument. Sometimes they are remarkable successes other times they are unfortunately not successful. Poulter in '08, Westwood in '06 are both examples of heavily criticised picks who went on the do well. Gallagher unfortunately, despite carrying decent form into the RC, didn't do so well in '14.

So let's sit back and enjoy some top golf by some of the future legends of the game, and see who wins (even though I think it'll be the Yanks)!

 

[PhilTheFragger]

A few Ryder cup players playing this week at the European Masters

One would hope that they are going to start to show a bit of form.

BUT Westwood is T 84 on +2. 8 behind the leaders, Sullivan is T122 on +4 and Fitz is T130 on +5

Wood is on -1 so in touch

BEEF is T3 on -5 BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

 

[Deleted member 15344]

A few Ryder cup players playing this week at the European Masters

One would hope that they are going to start to show a bit of form.

BUT Westwood is T 84 on +2. 8 behind the leaders, Sullivan is T122 on +4 and Fitz is T130 on +5

Wood is on -1 so in touch

BEEF is T3 on -5 BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

Willett got himself a bit of form - 5 under just one of the lead

Beef was great to watch , fearless with a smile on his face every time and lethal with a putter in his hand

 

[fundy]

I see Stensons MRI has shown he has another small tear in the meniscus in his knee. Withdrew last week, playing this week and almost certainly qualifies for at least 1 more week in the fed-ex (and potentially another) - must be a fair chance his knee doesnt hold out until the ryder cup

 

[HankMarvin]

A few Ryder cup players playing this week at the European Masters

One would hope that they are going to start to show a bit of form.

BUT Westwood is T 84 on +2. 8 behind the leaders, Sullivan is T122 on +4 and Fitz is T130 on +5

Wood is on -1 so in touch

BEEF is T3 on -5 BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

From what I seen Westwood was rank rotten hardly hit a fairway,not what you want to see after getting a wild card thats for sure. Bet he misses the cut, DC must be smashing his head off the wall given the performance from a few of the players in the team

 

[HomerJSimpson]

From what I seen Westwood was rank rotten hardly hit a fairway,not what you want to see after getting a wild card thats for sure. Bet he misses the cut, DC must be smashing his head off the wall given the performance from a few of the players in the team

I guess the only positive is matchplay is a different beast and you can still play rotten golf on a hole but as long as you take one less than the opponent it doesn't matter how many. Westwood in particular always seems more comfy in a pair. Personally I don't think we're good enough and the US will be desperate to win at home, but we'll see what happens