Ryder Cup European Wild Cards

[drewster]

I would expect Sergio to play 3 matches, both 4balls with Rahm and obviously the singles. I think he will deliver.

Good shout, it would be very brave to risk him in foursomes and in a fourball with Rahm good things could happen !!!

 

[clubchamp98]

Should British or continental players be aloud in the ryder cup side after Brexit, perhaps the flag changed as britain no longer in the EUROPEAN UNION and that is the flag of choice for the Ryder cup lol

Britain will still be in Europe.
The team is not a EU team
Maybe keep the flag and just put a small union flag in the corner like the Aussie one.
There might be no EU by 2020 hopefully.

 

[clubchamp98]

I would expect Sergio to play 3 matches, both 4balls with Rahm and obviously the singles. I think he will deliver.

I agree just keep him out of the foursomes and play all the form players in them.

 

[Grant85]

I don't necessarily agree with the fourball / foursomes analysis.

In fourball, you have to make a lot of birdies to be competitive.
In foursomes, scoring will not be as low and so potentially easier to be competitive if you don't have your A game.

Obviously if you are playing Koepka and Johnson and they are flushing it, it's not going to matter, similarly if you are slapping the ball about then your partner is probably not going to do enough on his own to win in fourball.
But I would be surprised to see Garcia not play foursomes.

Potentially can see Garcia / Stenson as a specialist foursomes pairing.

 

[Jacko_G]

I actually think Bjorn has a cheek and a very short memory.

I remember him spitting the dummy and calling Woosnam everything under the sun for taking a much higher world ranked player (Westwood) over him who was 24th at the time to the 2006 Ryder Cup.

Quote

"I am shocked and have totally lost respect for Ian".

 

[User20205]

I don't see too much unsubstantiated moaning to be fair. Most folk are providing supported reasoning as to why they feel the Garcia pick is very strange to say the least. I do think you have pi**ed on your own bonfire by suggesting that Bjorn's selections are based upon analysis. If that were the case then Garcia would be absolutely nowhere near the team. He has picked Garcia purely on gut feel surely ???

I do however agree that it will be a case of Bjorn having to live or die by the sword and all will be revealed in time.

Analysis and foursomes selection after canvassing potential partners, IMO. Maybe I’m searching for a rational reason. Can’t believe he would pick on past reputation alone or because he’s a mate

 

[clubchamp98]

I don't necessarily agree with the fourball / foursomes analysis.

In fourball, you have to make a lot of birdies to be competitive.
In foursomes, scoring will not be as low and so potentially easier to be competitive if you don't have your A game.

Obviously if you are playing Koepka and Johnson and they are flushing it, it's not going to matter, similarly if you are slapping the ball about then your partner is probably not going to do enough on his own to win in fourball.
But I would be surprised to see Garcia not play foursomes.

Potentially can see Garcia / Stenson as a specialist foursomes pairing.

In fourball you hit your own ball
In foursome you are at the mercy of your partner, if he is not on form he can leave you in places you have never seen before.
This creates pressure on him to keep it in play ,and you have harder second or third shots.
Your opponents only need to play to win.
I would always put form players out in foursome for that reason.
But that’s just me.

 

[PJ87]

I actually think Bjorn has a cheek and a very short memory.

I remember him spitting the dummy and calling Woosnam everything under the sun for taking a much higher world ranked player (Westwood) over him who was 24th at the time to the 2006 Ryder Cup.

Quote

"I am shocked and have totally lost respect for Ian".

Read the article now it clearly says he lost respect because he found out on tv and wasn’t told in person which TB did with all his picks

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/45428129

 

[drewster]

Analysis and foursomes selection after canvassing potential partners, IMO. Maybe I’m searching for a rational reason. Can’t believe he would pick on past reputation alone or because he’s a mate

I've been trying to rationalise it too but haven't found any logic. As others have suggested playing him in foursomes would be extremely brave in the least . I agree that TB wouldn't pick him because he's a mate but I do think he selected him on a notion or a feeling that he'll come good come RC team. He also took council from his VCs too and the call was unanimous apparently. As hard as is it is for me to fathom it is what it is. Let's hope he plays some golf before now and then.

 

[Grant85]

In fourball you hit your own ball
In foursome you are at the mercy of your partner, if he is not on form he can leave you in places you have never seen before.
This creates pressure on him to keep it in play ,and you have harder second or third shots.
Your opponents only need to play to win.
I would always put form players out in foursome for that reason.
But that’s just me.

Well like I said, I don't agree with that. If someone is out of form, they are out of form and are going to struggle to contribute regardless of the format.

True in foursomes you can put your partner in trouble, but that is very much part of the game and even form players will miss fairways or short side their partner to tight pins. You will ultimately end up playing a more conservative game. In fourball you have to be putting your foot down on every hole and trying to make birdie.

I watched Garcia and Rory play Foursomes at Gleneagles on the Friday against Fowler and Walker. They were all over the place. Barely ever in position and could have lost a string of holes and been done by the 15th. They stuck at it. When someone hit it in the rough, the other guy muscled it out. They got a half on the 18th green. Sheer will and determination not to be beaten.

Garcia's record is far better in foursomes than fourball. He is actually somewhat of a specialist foursomes player and as I said, I'd be amazed if he didn't feature in both foursomes, assuming he plays at least once each day.

 

[Jacko_G]

Read the article now it clearly says he lost respect because he found out on tv and wasn’t told in person which TB did with all his picks

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/45428129

And he's also on file saying he deserved to play ahead of Westwood (although not mentioned by name). They had a major falling out due to Bjorn believing he had the right to be there.

 

[Grant85]

And he's also on file saying he deserved to play ahead of Westwood (although not mentioned by name). They had a major falling out due to Bjorn believing he had the right to be there.

Just read what Bjorn said at the time. He was obviously mightily pissed off. Completely over the top criticism. He stated that he is ahead of Westwood on every category, which appeared to be true. However, the big factor was that Woosnam was going to pick Clarke and so wanted Westy to play with him.

Ultimately vindicated his strategy with the results mind.

And now, when Bjorn has had the picks, has done a similar thing picking experienced campaigners rather than the guys next on the list. And that is with Bjorn making 4 picks as opposed to 2 in 2006.

 

[Italian outcast]

One thing - as I understand it - is that had the cut-off for qualification been Monday (after the DELL Fedex) rather than the Sunday (Made in Denmark) competitions - then RCB would have been in ahead of Oleson

It was always going to be the case that TCB would play in the Fedex (and any other ranking US tour Europeans) - so that in itself disadvantaged any US based Europeans from the off

So rather than the Garcia 'old-boy' pick - its actually an Oleson 'fellow-dane' pick - though IMO Oleson is a good enough choice anyway

It is harsh on RCB mind

Should be a great event anyway

 

[Del_Boy]

We'll be behind them when it starts, but with the team just announced obviously people will express their opinions on it.

You are only allowed an opinion if it is pro European

 

[Del_Boy]

In 1996 Nick Faldo won the Masters - a year later Seve picked him as a Wild card for the Ryder Cup at Valderrama- his form wasn’t great but Seve picked him to be the team leader both on and off the course.

I wonder what the reaction would have been if there were Internet forums around at the time - or would they have trusted such a Ryder Cup legend to make the right reasoned choice for his team

There is a difference between debate and moaning - right now there just seems to be moaning and using incorrect facts as well. Bjorn will be the one who will have to live with his choices - just like all the previous Ryder Cup skippers and if there is one person whose attention to detail is as anal as Langers then it’s Bjorn

What have you based Bjorn being as anal as langer?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

One thing - as I understand it - is that had the cut-off for qualification been Monday (after the DELL Fedex) rather than the Sunday (Made in Denmark) competitions - then RCB would have been in ahead of Oleson

It was always going to be the case that TCB would play in the Fedex (and any other ranking US tour Europeans) - so that in itself disadvantaged any US based Europeans from the off

So rather than the Garcia 'old-boy' pick - its actually an Oleson 'fellow-dane' pick - though IMO Oleson is a good enough choice anyway

It is harsh on RCB mind

Should be a great event anyway

RCB had plenty of events to qualify though didn’t he ? Surely it can’t come down to that one event that didn’t count towards the points ?

He has been playing solid over the last couple of months but he still hasn’t made it over the line to win a Comp. If he had won at some stage then he would have qualified by right

 

[Del_Boy]

C'mon USA, Scottish and proud but just not European. Bjorn I feel has made bad decisions already and the Europeans just not as strong player for player. Will get well and truly humped in my opinion

Reckon this is the first time I have agreed with a sweatie. English and proud but just not European

 

[Del_Boy]

Come on. The actual playing isn't the hard part of playing 5 weeks in a row. It's the being away from home, the constant travel, playing a few rounds of golf less doesn't make it any less difficult.

What I struggle with is if it's Sergio's influence in the Team-Room that's so important rather than his form and it was so hard to leave RCB out for golfing reasons - why not just make Sergio a VC and pick RCB? Get the best of both worlds then.

We all have crap to put up with when doing our job - most just get on with it

 

[Del_Boy]

It’s a valid point and I believe it was something Monty mentioned in 2010 when he picked Harrington as the “team leader” - but it appears a number of times the players are given time when the captains etc leave the locker room and that’s when your playing Captains step up - it was something that the US did for the first time last year when they let Mickleson give a speech. I guess it’s just getting that influence from the players teeing up with you . I think if you look back each European team has that one or two player who could be classed as the playing captain

Reckon poults, Molinari, Rose and/or Rory are better placed to be the playing captain than the garcia

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Reckon poults, Molinari, Rose and/or Rory are better placed to be the playing captain than the garcia

He has been playing RC longer than any of the other players 5 in the list of all time European scorers but I don’t tbink there is one player skipper but a number of them including the players you mention