• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

2008 Ryder Cup

Turbo

Turbo

Changeling
Premium Member
How did we do that!? The US is leading after the first day? For the first time since 1979?

Way to step it up, guys! :techman: Looks like we've got a good shot at the Cup this year. (About time, too.)

Is anyone else watching this? I think the morning foursomes will end up being split 2-2; Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim will beat Henrik Stenson and Oliver Wilson, while Padraig Harrington and Robert Karlsson should blow Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry out of the water (Furyk and Perry might be the biggest two chokers on the Tour). The other two matches look much more even, but Leonard/Mahan should beat Jimenez/McDowell and Rose/Poulter will probably still beat Campbell/Cink.
 
I suspect that after this afternoon's rounds the US won't be trailing. Worst case scenario I think you'll be tied. Given that, how many times have Europe had the better of the singles rounds?

Think you're in with a very good chance this time around.
 
Cool outcome. Seve Ballesteros was right -- the U.S. needed to win these matches for the Ryder Cup to remain interesting and competitive. Kudos to Azinger for shaking up a failing system and getting the most out of his players.
 
Indeed. Paul Azinger really won that Cup for the US. J.B. Holmes and Chad Campbell were great captain's picks (it's not everyone who can go up against a back-to-back major winner and come out on top, even if he is playing badly) and Hunter Mahan was decent but obviously nervous. Azinger's best move, however, was to put Anthony Kim up first. I don't know if he guessed that Faldo would put Sergio Garcia out first, but it was fantastic to see Kim absolutely dominate Garcia. Not only did it give the US some much-needed momentum, it got the gallery excited, which really helped turn the tide.
 
A fair outcome I feel.

I don't think that much blame can be laid at Faldo's door as Captain. What let Europe down was the failure of so many of the experienced players. Garcia had a forgettable tournament, and Harrington didn't fare any better.

An American win should stir things up nicely for the next tournament. Another European win would have probably started to undermine the value of the competition.
 
I agree that Faldo had little to do with Europe's performance. And while everyone is putting Azinger up on a pedestal, it's important to remember that the Captain is not the one executing golf shots out on the course.
 
Well done Team USA, odd how not having Woods turned out to be a good thing for you lot, what puzzles me is how are the Swedish good at Golf? I don't imagine Sweden is a place in which one can play golf for more than a few months of every year and yet they managed to produce some of Europe's stand out performers, I still think D Clarke should have been picked, but all in all we got beat by the better team and beaten well.
 
RaulMacca said:
...what puzzles me is how are the Swedish good at Golf? I don't imagine Sweden is a place in which one can play golf for more than a few months of every year and yet they managed to produce some of Europe's stand out performers, I still think D Clarke should have been picked, but all in all we got beat by the better team and beaten well.
Click to expand...

I agree, Swedish golf excellence is a mystery. They must have intense programs that encourage and reward golf mastery. Korea is another country that has an abundance of great golfers, particularly female golfers.

I also agree that Darren Clarke was an odd omission. But those captain's picks are so very difficult. Because hindsight is always perfect, it's not fair to second-guess the picks after the event.
 
In hindsight, Poulter was a decent pick, but we'd have been better picking either Clarke or Montgomery as the other. With the more experienced players failing, either of them could have proven critical.

Perhaps there's an argument to be made that we should follow the American selection template. Didn't Azinger have four picks? Selection based on the order of merit isn't always as successful as the formula would suggest. Harrington is a perfect example. Great player, highly ranked, but ultimately, suffers at the Ryder Cup. Montgomery on the other hand, lower down the rankings, but with an excellent Ryder Cup record.
 
Phil Mickelson is another great example of a highly ranked player not playing well in the Ryder Cup. (Though his struggles tend to carry over to every large tournament. Overrated shmuck.) In fact, our #2 guy, Stuart Cink, didn't play very well either. One captain's pick, Steve Stricker, was a bust, but he was #10 on the money list and would've been on the team under the old system anyways. (And I have a feeling he was a late replacement for Boo Weekley, when Boo qualified for the tournament via the money list.) The other three captain's picks really helped make a difference in this tournament.

I was quite surprised that Montgomerie was not on the European Ryder Cup team; he's been on every team since 1991.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top