Ryder Recap
America Wins!
I had high hopes of documenting the match by match results of this year’s event, but work got in the way! With a click of the button on the main page you can see the Ryder Cup Blog of the Golf Channel which I thought was well done. Here is my take on it.
The American team brought their A games on Sunday when it counted, no doubt but that’s not to say that the Euros didn’t play well. There were some awesome, historical matches, Wow!
Reed vs. McIlroy
– Patrick Reed proved he is a top tier player, I would look for him to use this success to catapult him to major champion status. Produced clutch shots all weekend, was an emotional sparkplug and took on the world’s best in Rory and beat him head to head in an epic match. Imagine going 6 under over a stretch of 5 holes and never taking an advantage. That’s what Reed did versus Rory. Unfathomable! And Rory was just being the great player that he is. Holing long putts to change the momentum and hitting monster drives with accuracy that kept the pressure on Reed all, day, long! One of the best matches in Ryder Cup history for it’s shear emotion. I want a recording of this for the archives, put it in a time capsule for future generations, it was that good! Reed’s short game really impressed me, world class.
Sergio vs. Phil
– If there was ever a match to rival the quality of play of this one, I haven’t seen it. Phil makes 10, 10 birdies in 18 holes and halves the match. You could argue that both of these players are past their primes (sad but true) and won’t play a big role in the majors anymore, but in this gut check of a competition they have the potential to inspire a whole team. Sergio showed me a lot, he made iron shots that showed he may still be one of the best ball strikers in the world. But, it was his often maligned putting that was like that 17 year old kid that rushed onto the world stage to challenge Tiger, that impressed. He’s still a whiner, which is a quality that defines his defeatist attitude in general. He just wasn’t scripted to win. You want to like him, but he makes it hard. Phil on the other hand played wonderfully all week and with all the things said in the media and other manufactured drama, he brought game. He was a combo of aggressiveness and safe that would have served him well in other major occasions. And he was smoking hot with the putter…10 birdies, c’mon, who does that? Everyone will tell you that Phil should have won, Sergio’s putt on 18 would have slid by in the movie version. But, well done by both, thoroughly enjoyable!
Pieters vs. Holmes
Both players had pretty good weeks. Pieters, whom I don’t remember hearing of before, hits it a ton and despite a very nervous start, put the hammer down on JB. It all comes down to putting and JB just missed a few that would have turned the tide in his favor. Holmes is still a favorite of mine because of the simplicity of his swing.
Ryan Moore
– Don’t wake this guy up! He won everything his last year as an amateur and showed occasional brilliance on Tour. But, his effort against Lee Westwood coming from 2 down to win the last 3 holes showed what he is truly capable of. He hits it very straight so maybe he’s a U.S. Open contender? His opponent Lee Westwood is a great guy, going through tough times personally, but he’s classy, makes no excuses and tells it like it is. Wish him the best, he will be a Euro Captain someday, despite no majors, if it’s possible.
Poor Danny Willett
– Love this guys game and his brother’s sense of humor! Too bad the Americans need silly things like them to motivate them. OR SHOULD I say , too bad the American press that thinks it motivated the American players. Couldn’t be further from the truth, the USA team understands how this crap happens and probably had a good laugh, but motivation, not. It was Danny’s distraction and no one else’s. Hope his brother got paid handsomely for the article or interview, ’cause Danny will be answering the media questions for months to come.
Zach Johnson: Modern day Ray Floyd?
What do you think? With that swing (lack of distance) and him being way off his putting form, he virtually wills a decisive victory over young Fitzpatrick 4 and 3! Sick as a dog, he guts it up and inspires his teammates.
Fowler steps up?
I pictured Ricky getting his a$$ handed to him by Rose and being reduced to cheerleader, but I was surprised and impressed. Rose hits it way too far and straight and that put a lot of pressure on Fowler. I didn’t think he could handle it, at all. For sure he is all marketing and no guts, pretty boy, kids idol with no credibility in the locker room. Not so, he went toe-to-toe with arguably the best player for Europe all day and won 16 and held on to win. Showed me a lot. Maybe he can win a major, time will tell.
Bad week for Kaymer:
Every Ryder Cup there is an American and a Euro that simply can’t hit the face. That was the kind of week that Kaymer had. Just not in sync, played his guts out, but couldn’t make a difference. Even the match with Kuchar was inconsequential because the cup had already been decided.
Spectators – Come on!
Seriously? What is it about the Ryder Cup that bring out the Ugly American in these people? Hell, isn’t this why we created professional wrestling? Y’all gotta promise me that if you’re at a tour event and hear some a-hole saying something ignorant, that you give them a sharp elbow to the sternum. It’s got no place and I’m not saying keep it to the stuffy golf clap either, just be civilized. Like the diehards pictured who have great fun AND are respectful.
Jordan?
High-five injury? How ’bout tired as hell? Jordan has had a long season, busy as ever and just couldn’t put it together like he’s capable. Chad and I talked about just having Jordan’s putting game! Give that to Stenson and he’s Tiger. Give Stenson’s ball striking to Jordan and you have Tiger! But, Jordan doesn’t strike it that well, he’s going to have to get there eventually or it will be a shame. I saw him hit several drives longer than his partner or competitors, so he’s not short, he’s erratic and he can’t dominate like he did being erratic. He’s too strong mentally to not make it happen, but it will take time. A good restful off-season would be helpful.
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What made me most happy about this year’s Ryder Cup was the interaction amongst the players on both sides. This generation of competitors seems to have gained back something lost in the Zinger-Seve-Strange-Wadkins era of Ryder Cups. That being a friendliness that Arnold, Jack, Tony Jacklin and some of the old timers had. I see it in the way Reed and Rory embraced and showed respect to each other after playing the emotions with the crowd. I feel that the Zinger-Seve era showed each other up, to use a baseball term, right? Jordan Speith, Rory, Rickie, Jimmie Walker, all on both teams, maybe because they compete so much with each other on the World Tour, have become friends without reducing the competition. I think that Arnold Palmer would be really proud of these young men.