Ryder Cup special
September 15th 2008 09:31
I’ve come up with a completely improvised but interesting way to work out who will win the Ryder Cup at Valhalla this week.
I’ve paired off the two teams in head-to-head match ups based on relative similarities between players. It’s quite arbitrary but this is my blog and I’ll do what I want. So here goes:
The undoubted top dogs in either team are Padraig Harrington and Phil Mickelson. Harrington missed the cut the last time he played but he gave the appearance that he didn’t really care for the FedEx Cup playoff system. He’ll be in this up to his eyeballs and has proved this season he’s the best player in the Tiger-less golf world. Phil has never really fired in the Ryder Cup, maybe because there’s no money at stake … and he’s not really in form, so I give this one to Europe which makes it 1-0
Sergio Garcia v Jim Furyk. Here’s two guys who hit a lot of fairways and greens and rise and fall on their putting. Lately Sergio has been right there with the blade and his razzle dazzle and passion for this event gives him the edge of Furyk – Europe 2-0
Steve Stricker v Miguel Angel Jiminez. These two veterans are with games tailor-made for major tests. Stricker appears the better match player but Jiminez is in form. Hard to split but Jiminez might not fire to the same level as Stricker, so I’ll give this one to the yanks. 2-1
Anthony Kim is the hottest prospect in world golf. Stenson is Europe’s class act. They are the bright young things. Kim has a little more magic. 2-2
Kenny Perry and Lee Westwood appeal as couple of guys who like the simple life and the odd beer. Perry was peerless mid-year and Valhalla is in his home state of Kentucky while Westwood has been in stunning form in the majors. His performance at a higher level and Perry’s tapering form and the pressure of playing at “home” gives the advantage to Europe. 3-2
Stewart Cink and Robert Karlsson – these two guys really are similar. Both are tall and both put themselves in contention week on week. And both went long periods before winning this year; Cink’s Traveler’s Championship win was his first in four years and Karlsson’s win last week was his first in almost three years. Hard to split these two. Europe 3.5-2.5
Justin Leonard and Justin Rose are a pair of steady eddies, or just Justins. They will rattle along doing little wrong and play well if the weather turns bad. They are too hard to split so I’ll call it draw. 4-3 Europe
Ben Curtis v Soren Hansen. These are kind of nondescript players who hover around leaderboards. Curtis had a really hot batch of form going until recently but he can recapture that while Hansen appeals as a player who cannot quite lift to the big time. Give this one to Curtis. 4-4
Hunter Mahan v Paul Casey. Two of the best players from the under-30 age group. Casey is a good player but Mahan is a fierce competitor and will out-passion the Englishman: 5-4 USA
Mercurial defines Chad Campbell and Ian Poulter; they are guys who can be both brilliant and reckless, They birdie with abandon and bogey in the blink of eye. Poulter though has taken his mental fortitude to a higher level this year and he is better suited to this format. That makes it 5-5
JB Holmes and Graeme McDowell. The long and short of it … these two are defined by their driving. Holmes is a big hitting brute who has won the FBR Open twice and his length will help the Yanks immeasurably whereas McDowell is a short-hitter who won’t offer the same advantage to Europe. Distance wins. 6-5 USA.
Boo Weekley v Oliver Wilson; Hmmm. The leftovers. Wilson is the only guy in this whole shebang who hasn’t won on either on the PGA or European Tour but he’s had a fantastic year nonetheless, with a string of seconds earlier on and when he needed a top finish to secure his Ryder Cup place he finished top-10, so he’s mentally strong. Weekley’s is quirky, interesting, down to earth guy and a heck of a player. His backsticks simplicity is charming but it might be lost in this environment, so I give this match to the steadier Wilson. So that makes it 6-all.
So to split the teams, it’s the captain’s pick, as in pick which captain will have more influence. Nick Faldo can be divisive but I think he’ll rally his troops. Paul Azinger is a cancer survivor and a strong-willed customer but this might come down to flair, ability to motivate and knowledge of the matchplay format. I think Faldo has the edge.
So I predict Europe to win a close one.
I’ve paired off the two teams in head-to-head match ups based on relative similarities between players. It’s quite arbitrary but this is my blog and I’ll do what I want. So here goes:
The undoubted top dogs in either team are Padraig Harrington and Phil Mickelson. Harrington missed the cut the last time he played but he gave the appearance that he didn’t really care for the FedEx Cup playoff system. He’ll be in this up to his eyeballs and has proved this season he’s the best player in the Tiger-less golf world. Phil has never really fired in the Ryder Cup, maybe because there’s no money at stake … and he’s not really in form, so I give this one to Europe which makes it 1-0
Sergio Garcia v Jim Furyk. Here’s two guys who hit a lot of fairways and greens and rise and fall on their putting. Lately Sergio has been right there with the blade and his razzle dazzle and passion for this event gives him the edge of Furyk – Europe 2-0
Steve Stricker v Miguel Angel Jiminez. These two veterans are with games tailor-made for major tests. Stricker appears the better match player but Jiminez is in form. Hard to split but Jiminez might not fire to the same level as Stricker, so I’ll give this one to the yanks. 2-1
Anthony Kim is the hottest prospect in world golf. Stenson is Europe’s class act. They are the bright young things. Kim has a little more magic. 2-2
Kenny Perry and Lee Westwood appeal as couple of guys who like the simple life and the odd beer. Perry was peerless mid-year and Valhalla is in his home state of Kentucky while Westwood has been in stunning form in the majors. His performance at a higher level and Perry’s tapering form and the pressure of playing at “home” gives the advantage to Europe. 3-2
Stewart Cink and Robert Karlsson – these two guys really are similar. Both are tall and both put themselves in contention week on week. And both went long periods before winning this year; Cink’s Traveler’s Championship win was his first in four years and Karlsson’s win last week was his first in almost three years. Hard to split these two. Europe 3.5-2.5
Justin Leonard and Justin Rose are a pair of steady eddies, or just Justins. They will rattle along doing little wrong and play well if the weather turns bad. They are too hard to split so I’ll call it draw. 4-3 Europe
Ben Curtis v Soren Hansen. These are kind of nondescript players who hover around leaderboards. Curtis had a really hot batch of form going until recently but he can recapture that while Hansen appeals as a player who cannot quite lift to the big time. Give this one to Curtis. 4-4
Hunter Mahan v Paul Casey. Two of the best players from the under-30 age group. Casey is a good player but Mahan is a fierce competitor and will out-passion the Englishman: 5-4 USA
Mercurial defines Chad Campbell and Ian Poulter; they are guys who can be both brilliant and reckless, They birdie with abandon and bogey in the blink of eye. Poulter though has taken his mental fortitude to a higher level this year and he is better suited to this format. That makes it 5-5
JB Holmes and Graeme McDowell. The long and short of it … these two are defined by their driving. Holmes is a big hitting brute who has won the FBR Open twice and his length will help the Yanks immeasurably whereas McDowell is a short-hitter who won’t offer the same advantage to Europe. Distance wins. 6-5 USA.
Boo Weekley v Oliver Wilson; Hmmm. The leftovers. Wilson is the only guy in this whole shebang who hasn’t won on either on the PGA or European Tour but he’s had a fantastic year nonetheless, with a string of seconds earlier on and when he needed a top finish to secure his Ryder Cup place he finished top-10, so he’s mentally strong. Weekley’s is quirky, interesting, down to earth guy and a heck of a player. His backsticks simplicity is charming but it might be lost in this environment, so I give this match to the steadier Wilson. So that makes it 6-all.
So to split the teams, it’s the captain’s pick, as in pick which captain will have more influence. Nick Faldo can be divisive but I think he’ll rally his troops. Paul Azinger is a cancer survivor and a strong-willed customer but this might come down to flair, ability to motivate and knowledge of the matchplay format. I think Faldo has the edge.
So I predict Europe to win a close one.
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