After a sizzling summer of sporting action where Europeans have come out on top (Germany in the World Cup and Team England in the Commonwealth Games), golf fans this side of the pond will be hoping to add the cherry on the cake by retaining the prestigious Ryder Cup. Being played on the home soil of Gleneagles Country Club in Scotland and with the World Number 1 golfer on their side, the Europeans are strong favourites, however having had the cup snatched from under their noses at Medinah in 2012, the US will be out for revenge..So lets see how the teams stack up, who’s in form and what other factors will play a part in deciding this years winner.
The Teams
Those who have more or less guaranteed their spot on European Captain Paul McGinley’s plane to Edinburgh include Rory McIlroy, Henrick Stenson, Victor Dubuisson, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer, Thomas Bjorn and Jamie Donaldson. Contenders for McGinley’s three captain’s picks who don’t automatically make selection will be those with strong Ryder Cup credentials and thus Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter and Luke Donald will be contenders.
On Captain Tom Watson’s US Team, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Jimmy Walker, Matt Kuchar, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Zach Johnson and Phil Mickelson have qualified automatically. The three captain’s picks are likely to include Webb Simpson, Keegan Bradley and Brandt Snedeker. One notable absentee will be Tiger Woods who confirmed in August that he has ruled himself out of the action until December as he attempts to get to the root cause of persistent back problems.
The Form Guide
On team form alone Europe would walk away with it having won seven of the last nine Ryder Cup battles. However looking solely on recent player form, the last three major winners have come from European shores and Americans have emerged victorious in just six out of 18 tournaments on the PGA Tour since April. Ricky Fowler, Phil Mickelson and Jim Fuyrk are really the only US players with any form heading into the back end of the season.
Then there’s Rory McIlroy – as well as two of the aforementioned majors, he has also claimed the World Golf Championships this summer and US Captain Watson publicly admitted he wished McIlroy was playing for his side. Whilst one player doesn’t make a team, he will certainly spearhead the attack and inspire his colleagues.
Other factors
Home advantage for the Europeans will be a major factor, not just from the support of fans but moreover experience on the Gleneagles links style course – not since 1993 have the Americans won on foreign soil.
Another overwhelming factor is the mentality difference between the two teams – the US have the skill to win, but they lack the mentality Europe brings to the Ryder Cup, epitomized by Ian Poulter’s Death Stare as he led the European comeback at Medinah in 2012. US teams want to win, but they don’t hate to lose. Indeed that same year, Justin Rose made a freakishly long putt to tie Phil Mickelson on the 17th hole and ‘Lefty’ smiled and gave Rose a thumb’s up. It was quite sporting but also quite revealing. Poulter would have sneered, turned and marched to the next hole. The Europeans simply aren’t concerned about enjoying “the experience” of Samuel Ryder’s little get-together.
Lessons will, hopefully, also have been learned from Faldo’s team of 2008 – the US Team were in disarray and Europe had Padraig Harrington who like McIlroy had just completed the Open – US PGA double. However Faldo’s game plan of using his top ‘heavyweights’ to apply the knockout blow backfired and his opposing Captain’s strategy of investing the responsibility in his whole team prevailed earning the US their only win this century. The similarities pre-tournament have not escaped attention; “I guarantee you there will not be one ounce of complacency on our side,” McGinley told the journalists. “We will not underestimate the Americans one bit.”
Clearly one bonus of being the underdog for the US Team will be the lack of pressure, particularly from the press, given their recent form and low expectations – just ask any British tennis player at Wimbledon what pressure can do to you!
One final consideration is that Tiger Woods absence may have done the US Ryder Cup team a big favour. Woods is the greatest player of his era, but he has been a poor Ryder Cup golfer, especially when compared with the game’s all-time greats. In fact he has lost more Ryder Cup matches than any U.S. golfer in history, coming up short 17 times in 33 matches.
So if the Europeans are so highly fancied, why bother to tune in? Well it can really only be a win, win situation for us this side of the pond – if form follows, we get to watch Europe dominate yet another sport this year and if by any miracle the US put up a good fight, it’s sure to go right down to the nail-biting wire again.
The Ryder Cup will be played on 23rd – 28th September 2014 in Gleneagles, Scotland.
