Ryder cup 2018

[MU82]

Going 2-2 in the afternoon to keep it at 10-6 mattered IMHO. If they fell behind 11-5, they would have to have gone 9-3 tomorrow. Now they "only" have to go 8-4. It's only one fewer win necessary, but for some reason it seems a lot "easier" (for lack of better word) for them to go 8-4 than 9-3.

Still an incredibly high mountain to climb on the road. I'll be umpiring youth baseball and will miss it, so I'll have to see the highlights.

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

They don't have to win, just tie.

[WarriorDad]

They don't have to win, just tie.

I was hoping they would bother to simply show up, which we didn't.  Bad performance across the pond, again.  Tiger, MIA. Phil, brutal.

[tower912]

The European team is good.   The US team came in without anybody playing lights out, except Tiger, who is/was gassed.   Europe showed how to set up a course to neutralize length off of the tee.    Water.   Narrow fairways.   Thickest rough where the bombers tend to miss.    That course is the answer whenever you hear hand-wringing about the ball going too far.   If you set up a course to make 'bomb-and-gouge' impossible, then the ball doesn't go too far. 
 Who played well?    JT and Finau.   Both are bombers.    Both found a way to hit fairways.     Fairways=success.   Rough=failure.  Pretty simple.    Also, Tiger is death in Ryder Cups.    The two wins this century are when he sat.     Terrible partner.   Europeans sky high to beat him in singles.   

[nyg]

Tiger            0-4
Dechambeau 0-3
Phil              0-2
Dustin          1-4   

Thats ugly.

Tiger has only been part of one Ryder Cup win, 1999.

Another weird stat, Speith is 0-6 in singles play in all the Ryder/Presidents Cup he has played. 

Next Cup, new players.   

[🏀]

Tiger            0-4
Dechambeau 0-3
Phil              0-2
Dustin          1-4   

Thats ugly.

Tiger has only been part of one Ryder Cup win, 1999.

Another weird stat, Speith is 0-6 in singles play in all the Ryder/Presidents Cup he has played. 

Next Cup, new players.   

You're going to keep the #1 player in the world at home? And the hottest young golfer in the PGA?

Hmm. Phil and Tiger are done though, unless Tiger makes it on points in 2020.

Nice part about 2020, there will be a month between the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup.

[nyg]

You're going to keep the #1 player in the world at home? And the hottest young golfer in the PGA?

Hmm. Phil and Tiger are done though, unless Tiger makes it on points in 2020.

Nice part about 2020, there will be a month between the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup.

I must have missed the part where I stated to leave DJ and Dechambeau off the team. 

Like said earlier, Phil done and lets see how Tiger holds up for two years.  Maybe a Simpson (played great this time)or Bubba, doesn't qualify in two years.  Then new blood, like a Daniel Berger, Xander Schauffle and Patrick Cantley. 

[tower912]

Ultimately, Furyk took 9-10-11 and  Finau.  What would have happened if he had left Tiger and Phil off for Xander , Kisner, Bradley, or Stanley?  Please. 

[🏀]

I must have missed the part where I stated to leave DJ and Dechambeau off the team. 

Like said earlier, Phil done and lets see how Tiger holds up for two years.  Maybe a Simpson (played great this time)or Bubba, doesn't qualify in two years.  Then new blood, like a Daniel Berger, Xander Schauffle and Patrick Cantley. 

My mistake, I thought the players listed should be replaced by new players.

I'm most irritated by a guy like Rickie. Veteran, that actually has success hitting fairways just completely shut down. I wasn't thrilled with the DJ pairing, thought him and Webb would be a great pairing. Rick gets it on the fairway and Webb is lethal from there. Then Rick can't even keep it out of the water against Sergio, a guy that didn't make the FedEx Cup playoffs.

[tower912]

Rickie missed two Fed Ed events with a strained oblique.

[🏀]

Ultimately, Furyk took 9-10-11 and  Finau.  What would have happened if he had left Tiger and Phil off for Xander , Kisner, Bradley, or Stanley?  Please. 

Kisner, especially, would've had a better game for the course. The rest, meh. Maybe a case for Xander. Keegan and Stanley, nah.

[🏀]

Rickie missed two Fed Ed events with a strained oblique.

And played decent at East Lake.

[tower912]

I like Kisner.  Pretend it is a month ago.  Now make a case for him ahead of Tiger, Phil, or Bryson. 

[🏀]

I like Kisner.  Pretend it is a month ago.  Now make a case for him ahead of Tiger, Phil, or Bryson. 

Top tens at The Open and PGA. Led The Open for 54 holes.

I'm not taking him over Tiger or Bryson.

Phil MC at PGA and the Players. Almost missed The Open. His entire game was never going to be a factor at Le Golf this weekend.

[nyg]

Ultimately, Furyk took 9-10-11 and  Finau.  What would have happened if he had left Tiger and Phil off for Xander , Kisner, Bradley, or Stanley?  Please.

Thats golf, you just never know who is going to play at a sustained level of excellence for three days.  Maybe Xander played and did a Tommy Fleetwood.  You don't know. Picks are made in strange ways, to appease the older players, heck and even the media and fans.  Furyk had to go with Tiger, Bryson and Finau, but Phil should have stayed home, he was the sentimental pick and was playing terrible.  If Rickie was injured and not 100%, he should have told Furyk and stayed home. Reed was in a super funk and didn't work out that good, well Sergio was in bigger funk and he came out of it. I am a big proponent to start selecting these young guns and getting them experience for the future Ryder/Presidents.  Berger played great on Presidents Cup, Schauffle, Cantley, and even guys who are around 30, like Stanley, Kisner and Bradley.

We'll see how next two years go and how the probable captain Stricker sees it.   

[Lennys Tap]

The European team is good.   The US team came in without anybody playing lights out, except Tiger, who is/was gassed.   Europe showed how to set up a course to neutralize length off of the tee.    Water.   Narrow fairways.   Thickest rough where the bombers tend to miss.    That course is the answer whenever you hear hand-wringing about the ball going too far.   If you set up a course to make 'bomb-and-gouge' impossible, then the ball doesn't go too far. 
 Who played well?    JT and Finau.   Both are bombers.    Both found a way to hit fairways.     Fairways=success.   Rough=failure.  Pretty simple.    Also, Tiger is death in Ryder Cups.    The two wins this century are when he sat.     Terrible partner.   Europeans sky high to beat him in singles.   

I agree with this analysis.

[MU82]

Rough year for Phil.

He had one win early and a handful of top-10s - something many golfers would kill for - but many golfers aren't the great Phil Mickelson.

His best finish in any of the majors was a tie for 24th, he intentionally hit his golf ball when it was moving during the U.S. Open, he missed the cut at the PGA, and he was terrible in the Ryder Cup.

Pretty fitting that his season ended with him hitting the ball in the water and having to concede the match to Molinari that officially delivered the Ryder Cup to Europe.

Hell of a career, obviously, but he's 48 and, for all intents and purposes, he's toast.

[tower912]

Europe had a good team.  They played better and deserved to win.

[Golden Avalanche]

The European team is good.   The US team came in without anybody playing lights out, except Tiger, who is/was gassed.   Europe showed how to set up a course to neutralize length off of the tee.    Water.   Narrow fairways.   Thickest rough where the bombers tend to miss.    That course is the answer whenever you hear hand-wringing about the ball going too far.   If you set up a course to make 'bomb-and-gouge' impossible, then the ball doesn't go too far. 
 Who played well?    JT and Finau.   Both are bombers.    Both found a way to hit fairways.     Fairways=success.   Rough=failure.  Pretty simple.    Also, Tiger is death in Ryder Cups.    The two wins this century are when he sat.     Terrible partner.   Europeans sky high to beat him in singles.   

1. DeChambeau had won two of the previous four tournaments. That's at least a single light out.

2. Europe didn't have a "lights out" player on the squad yet they elevated their game.

3. Woods didn't look gassed on Friday. Played pretty well. He got gassed from carrying Reed's plumpy ass which is why Molinari rolled him.

4. The US will win a Ryder Cup here and there but until the long shadow cast by fawning over Woods (and the subsequent trail of tears left by those who were the "next big thing") is finally erased the Americans will always find themselves far too selfish to legitimately buy in to the team concept needed to be dynastic like the Europeans have been this past quarter century.

[jesmu84]

Europeans always appear to have a chip on their shoulder that the Americans lack. They are also able to set aside ego. Further, generally, they are more accurate and better ball strikers. This helps significantly with alternate shot. They also (much as the Americans do) set up their home courses to their strengths.

American captains need to play the most consistent/accurate guys in alternate. Play your birdie guys in fourball/singles.

I would also argue that anyone in the running for a Ryder cup position (if able) should play in a tournament at the course in the season before. (Coincedence that Finau played in the French Open there and played well at the Ryder cup?)

Lastly, interesting NYT piece: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/30/sports/golf/ryder-cup-europe-united-states-egos.html

[jesmu84]

More good analysis:

https://www.barstoolsports.com/boston/why-did-america-lose-the-ryder-cup

[Lennys Tap]

I don't know how poorly the bottom half of the European team was playing going into the Ryder Cup but our guys looked awful. Spieth fell apart and didn't make the final tournament. Mickelson, Watson, Reed and Koepka made the final 30 - and finished 30th, 29th, 28th, and 27th - a combined 36 over par. Fowler was hurt and Tiger (never very good at the Ryder Cup even when he was head and shoulders above the pack) was gassed. The course was familiar to the Europeans and laid out to their liking. The crowd was large and boisterous. World rankings aside, I saw very little to be encouraged about going in and things went pretty much as expected.

[tower912]

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/ryder-cup-2018-twelve-men-one-team-why-europe-succeeds-where-america-fails-shane-ryan

Cultural (?)

[Herman Cain]

For the most part, the US looks at the Ryder Cup as an exhibition. The Europeans ,for the most part, look at it like a major. I think that explains a lot of the results since Continental Europe was added to the event. I agree that Europe has more chip on the shoulder guys. Overall it has  probably  been better for Golf worldwide that the Euros have had so much success in this event.

[Lennys Tap]

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/ryder-cup-2018-twelve-men-one-team-why-europe-succeeds-where-america-fails-shane-ryan

Cultural (?)

Very interesting article. The old joke used to be that the European team arrived together on a jet and the Americans arrived separately on their own jets.