Ryder Cup

[atlantacowboy]

Furyk has really botched the pairings. Tiger should be playing with Phil. Putting him with these young guys puts too much pressure on them and they wilt. Playing with Tiger would not phase Phil at all and might have even inspired him to play better.

 

[unionjack8]

Boom!!!!!

Beat down....

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Tiger-failure once again.

 

[JustChip]

Furyk has really botched the pairings. Tiger should be playing with Phil. Putting him with these young guys puts too much pressure on them and they wilt. Playing with Tiger would not phase Phil at all and might have even inspired him to play better.

I understand putting Phil with a young guy. The experience he brings would be very beneficial. The thing I thought was stupid was putting Phil in 4-somes. It made more sense to me to have in in 4-ball. Phil has been playing terrible for the last month. Playing him in 4-ball would mitigate that some since, if he hit a bad shot like putting into the hazard, it wouldn't automatically knock the pair out of the hole. However, the pairing didn't lose the Cup - the course setup and the execution by the individual players is what lost the Cup.

 

[atlantacowboy]

I understand putting Phil with a young guy. The experience he brings would be very beneficial. The thing I thought was stupid was putting Phil in 4-somes. It made more sense to me to have in in 4-ball. Phil has been playing terrible for the last month. Playing him in 4-ball would mitigate that some since, if he hit a bad shot like putting into the hazard, it wouldn't automatically knock the pair out of the hole. However, the pairing didn't lose the Cup - the course setup and the execution by the individual players is what lost the Cup.

The issue was not Phil's pairing partner. It was Tiger's pairings. The young guys couldn't handle the pressure of playing with him. Phil wouldn't have had a problem. Plus, putting a cold golfer with a hot golfer makes more sense in 4 ball.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Neither Tiger or Phil set it on fire. We got beat and the two of those guys, probably the most experienced players we have, didn't bring a win. That killed us.

 

[JustChip]

Plus, putting a cold golfer with a hot golfer makes more sense in 4 ball

Right, that's what I was saying. Phil didn't play 4-ball on Friday. He first played 4-some Friday afternoon with DeChambeau. They had no chance when Phil pulled or pushed his tee or approach. At least in 4-ball, if he pulled into the hazard, they still had a shot with his partner's ball.

If I remember right, Reed was paired with Tiger Friday morning. I don't think Reed was affected by that; after all, he is a major winner and is not short on arrogance. I don't recall who played with Tiger Friday afternoon in 4-some. USA lost the Cup on Friday afternoon and those matches weren't remotely competitive.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Neither Tiger or Phil set it on fire. We got beat and the two of those guys, probably the most experienced players we have, didn't bring a win. That killed us.

Phil was awful. I think Tiger was ok but his playing partners were playing much worse in 4-ball. Dechambeau was horrific on Saturday, and Reed suddenly couldn't make a putt which is what he does best.

 

[TheBigEasy]

And to think that I was so fired up to watch this that I took off work on Friday and got up @ 3.00am to watch the opening session live. There's a good five hours of sleep that I'll never get back! Let's see, we have a course here that emphasizes putting the ball in the fairway and Captain Jim decides to roll out Crazy Phil and Wild Bubba Watson. Not to mention that these two just wrapped up the Tour Championship by coming in dead last and second to last, respectively. And ok, I can understand his 'gamble' in the 2nd session pairings but I can't understand him not learning from the beatdown and him not sitting the guys who literally STUNK. Webb and Tony should have been out there for all four sessions. Webb keeps the ball in play and Tony got hot. Tiger got his butt handed to him but he also had a front row seat in watching Captain America tour every inch of that course and then watching him with ball in hand. Watching that up close would have made anyone depressed and uninspired. And lastly, Xander should have been on this team and Crazy Phil should have been home on his couch. I'm out!

 

[atlantacowboy]

Right, that's what I was saying. Phil didn't play 4-ball on Friday. He first played 4-some Friday afternoon with DeChambeau. They had no chance when Phil pulled or pushed his tee or approach. At least in 4-ball, if he pulled into the hazard, they still had a shot with his partner's ball.

If I remember right, Reed was paired with Tiger Friday morning. I don't think Reed was affected by that; after all, he is a major winner and is not short on arrogance. I don't recall who played with Tiger Friday afternoon in 4-some. USA lost the Cup on Friday afternoon and those matches weren't remotely competitive.

Tiger sat out friday afternoon. Reed hasn't played well on tour in months.

 

[JustChip]

Tiger sat out friday afternoon. Reed hasn't played well on tour in months.

That's one of the problems with the USA's Ryder Cup qualification process. Players can make the team that haven't played well in months off the strength of their prior year. I know they changed the process some after the 2004 Oakland Hills debacle (which I was at), but it still means you have players like Reed making the team. Phil also hasn't played well in months, but was a Captain's Pick. I love Phil, but I would've asked him to be an Assistant Captain rather than a playing team member.

The biggest factor in the result was the course and how it was set up. It was essentially a US Open course and setup - premium on putting the ball in the fairway and putting. The US struggled with both of those. Justin Thomas' putting was atrocious. And Phil took an iron off the tee early on his round Friday to put in in the fairway and he still found the water of the tee.

 

[atlantacowboy]

That's one of the problems with the USA's Ryder Cup qualification process. Players can make the team that haven't played well in months off the strength of their prior year. I know they changed the process some after the 2004 Oakland Hills debacle (which I was at), but it still means you have players like Reed making the team. Phil also hasn't played well in months, but was a Captain's Pick. I love Phil, but I would've asked him to be an Assistant Captain rather than a playing team member.

The biggest factor in the result was the course and how it was set up. It was essentially a US Open course and setup - premium on putting the ball in the fairway and putting. The US struggled with both of those. Justin Thomas' putting was atrocious. And Phil took an iron off the tee early on his round Friday to put in in the fairway and he still found the water of the tee.

Fowler put 3 balls in a row in the water on sunday. It was contagious.

Reed is a problem b/c nobody likes him. He's been one of the best US Ryder cup/Presidents cup players. I think he;s something like 8-1-2. On paper, putting him with Tiger looked good b/c both guys are kinda in their own world on the golf course. But, its well known that Tiger is his hero and I think playing with Tiger under the pressure affected him.

 

[JustChip]

Fowler put 3 balls in a row in the water on sunday. It was contagious

Yep, it started at East Lake the week before. Not necessarily by Fowler, but there were more balls splashed on #8 there last week than collectively in the last 20 years.

 

[JIMMYBUFFETT]

Phil should never have been on the team to begin with. In other news, you can go back and forth between Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka as the #1/#2 golfers in the world all you want, but Justin Thomas is the best player in the world right now. I also felt like Webb Simpson and Tony Finau played really well. Finau beating Fleetwood was impressive considering how well Fleetwood has been playing. Simpson has been impressive all year with top 20 finishes in all 4 majors, The Players Championship victory, 4th in the Tour Championship, and a strong Ryder Cup performance.

Bjorn had that course set up perfectly to work against the American style of play. It's a shame Furyk couldn't have figured that out earlier and adjusted. Leaving the drivers in the bag would have benefited some of the longer hitters on the US side.

 

[uvaballa]

Crazy story http://www.espn.com/espnw/sports/ar...-ryder-cup-brooks-koepka-shot-loses-sight-eye

 

[Plankton]

These guys have no concept as to how to play team golf. The US sucks at playing foursomes every time in the Ryder Cup. The players can bomb the hell out of the ball, but cannot play precision golf off the tee. On a course where driving accuracy was at a premium, the US missed fairway after fairway. On one hole, when Woods/DeChambeau were playing Molinari/Fleetwood, Molinari went in the water off the tee. Instead of hitting a 3 wood or a 2 iron to be in the fairway, and put the pressure on, DeChambeau hits driver, and goes in the water. Mindbogglingly stupid play, and he screwed his partner.

You can blame Furyk for a lot of things here, but this loss was on the players. Plain and simple, they sucked. Bubba Watson, Tiger, Phil and Reed were awful. Watson and Phil literally needed to be hid out there. DeChambeau was a little over his skis as a rookie. Furyk's captain's picks went 2-10. Bjorn's went 9-4-1. There's the difference.

Until the PGA and the players on the US side place a greater emphasis on precision golf, and understanding team play, they will lose every time this event is played in Europe. The Europeans will set the course to limit the big hitters, and the US won't be able to adapt.

 

[Future]

These guys have no concept as to how to play team golf. The US sucks at playing foursomes every time in the Ryder Cup. The players can bomb the hell out of the ball, but cannot play precision golf off the tee. On a course where driving accuracy was at a premium, the US missed fairway after fairway. On one hole, when Woods/DeChambeau were playing Molinari/Fleetwood, Molinari went in the water off the tee. Instead of hitting a 3 wood or a 2 iron to be in the fairway, and put the pressure on, DeChambeau hits driver, and goes in the water. Mindbogglingly stupid play, and he screwed his partner.

You can blame Furyk for a lot of things here, but this loss was on the players. Plain and simple, they sucked. Bubba Watson, Tiger, Phil and Reed were awful. Watson and Phil literally needed to be hid out there. DeChambeau was a little over his skis as a rookie. Furyk's captain's picks went 2-10. Bjorn's went 9-4-1. There's the difference.

Until the PGA and the players on the US side place a greater emphasis on precision golf, and understanding team play, they will lose every time this event is played in Europe. The Europeans will set the course to limit the big hitters, and the US won't be able to adapt.

This is all true...but I don't really buy that the US can't play with precision or really that the course itself matters. They were as bad from in close as they were off the tee.

At the end of the day, I just don't think the US players care about it nearly as much as the Euros, they look at it is as a good time. It matters to guys like Poulter, Fleetwood, Shcwartzel, and Casey because they can't win big tourneys on tour. Even Rory hasn't won a major in, what, 5 years?

 

[Plankton]

This is all true...but I don't really buy that the US can't play with precision or really that the course itself matters. They were as bad from in close as they were off the tee.

At the end of the day, I just don't think the US players care about it nearly as much as the Euros, they look at it is as a good time. It matters to guys like Poulter, Fleetwood, Shcwartzel, and Casey because they can't win big tourneys on tour. Even Rory hasn't won a major in, what, 5 years?

The US gave themselves no chance with their inability to get off the tee. The rough at Le Golf Nacional made it impossible to hit good approach shots if you were inaccurate off the tee. Every week on the PGA tour, they set the courses with mild rough and very wide fairways. It hampers these guys when they have to play tight courses, and their inaccuracy off the tee did them in, especially in foursomes.

 

[Future]

The US gave themselves no chance with their inability to get off the tee. The rough at Le Golf Nacional made it impossible to hit good approach shots if you were inaccurate off the tee. Every week on the PGA tour, they set the courses with mild rough and very wide fairways. It hampers these guys when they have to play tight courses, and their inaccuracy off the tee did them in, especially in foursomes.

Yea - I agree with all of that. I just don't agree with the "lose every time in Europe" because of it. By that logic, the US can just add another 100 yards a hole and never lose. Ricky Fowler is the US' most accurate of the tee and went 1-3, Rahm is only 1% more accurate of the tee than Tiger...there are a bunch of things that suggest the US should be able to compete just fine on a course like that, especially since they smoked the Euros in the first session.

But how many putts inside of 8 feet did they miss? Conversely, the Euros made a bunch of tough ones. I think that was the difference, even though the US didn't help themselves off the tee.

 

[lukin2006]

‘Eyeball exploded’: Ryder Cup spectator blinded in eye by errant shot