Before everyone starts pointing fingers and assigning blame for Team USA’s Ryder Cup loss Sept. 30, let’s look at the facts.

The Americans, led by Captain Davis Love, had built up a four-point lead heading into Sunday singles. Love had been pushing all of the right buttons to forge a large lead after four rounds of team matches.

Team USA was 5-3 in the foursomes matches. Normally Team USA is content to win a total of three points in foursomes.

The Americans were also 5-3 in the two four-ball sessions and took a four-point lead into the Sunday singles. The singles is where the Americans really do well, right?

Not so fast my friend. European captain Jose Maria Olazabal had a plan and he had the magic of Seve Ballesteros on his side.

Olazabal drew some criticism for holding Ian Poulter out of the Friday afternoon four-ball matches. He wanted Poulter rested and ready for the balance of the competition. Olazabal paired him with world No. 1 Rory McIlroy for the Saturday afternoon four-ball. He wanted Poulter to show the kid what passion for the Ryder Cup is all about.

Poulter did not disappoint. He birdied the final five holes to win the match and give a much-needed point to the Europeans. His performance in that match proved to be the impetus the Europeans so desperately needed to pull off their miraculous comeback Sunday

Captain Olazabal front-loaded his team on Sunday. Poulter, McIlroy, Luke Donald and Justin Rose won in the first four matches and erased the American lead.

Born-again European Ryder Cuppers Paul Lawrie and Sergio Garcia picked up huge wins for the Europeans in their matches. When Lee Westwood made the first putt he had made all week on No. 16 to close out Matt Kuchar, the Europeans needed just one more point to secure the cup.

Martin Kaymer has struggled with his game for two years and has fallen from No. 1 in the world all the way down to No. 32. All of that did not matter as the German sank a 6-foot putt for par on the 18^th green to edge out Steve Stricker and seal the winning point for the European Team.

Many will blame Love for this loss  As in all team sports, the coaches tend to get too much credit when a team wins and too much blame when a team loses. For two days Love looked like a genius and his players performed above expectations.

In the end the Europeans got some remarkable performances from their players and beat a very good American team.

Now that it’s all over, I say hats off to the European Team and their captain.

The biannual Ryder Cup matches between the best golfers in the United States versus the best golfers from Europe continues to be the “Greatest Show in Golf” and I’m already getting excited for the 2014 Ryder Cup.

For golf tips and video, visit www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Follow on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Davis Love, Fred Altvater, Ian Poulter, Jose Maria Olazabal, Justin Rose, Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Martin Kaymer, Matt Kuchar, Paul Lawrie, Ryder Cup, Sergio Garcia, Seve Ballesteros, The Back Nine

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 9th, 2012 at 3:56 pm and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back 9, The Back Nine.
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Automatic qualifying for the USA Ryder Cup team ended after the PGA Championship. The top eight players who are officially on the team are: Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Phil Mickelson.

USA team captain Davis Love will make four additional picks Sept. 4th following the Deutsche Bank.

Hunter Mahan, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler, Brandt Snedeker, Bo Van Pelt and Dustin Johnson are the next seven names on the Ryder Cup points list.

After his big win this week at the Barclays, Nick Watney may have just thrown his name into the mix also.

Mahan won two PGA Tour titles in 2012 and probably thought his position on the Ryder Cup Team was assured. Since his win at Houston in April, however, he’s only had one top 10 finish. Not the type of resume Love is looking for in a captain’s pick. He missed the cut at the Barclays and will need to perform well next week at the Deutsche Bank to get Love’s attention.

Stricker has had another steady year on tour. He picked up a win early in the year in Hawaii. He was recently runner-up at WGC-Bridgestone and has seven top 10 finishes. Strix is on the team if for no other reason than as the designated partner for Tiger Woods.

Furyk is a veteran of several Ryder Cup and President Cup competitions. He is just the type of steady experienced player that a team needs. Furyk has put himself in contention more than once this year but has had some memorable failures. He held the lead at the U. S. Open with just three holes left and could not get the job done. I don’t think that will matter to Love. Furyk is on the team.

Fowler finally got his first PGA Tour win at the Wells Fargo in May. He followed that up with a T-2 at the Players and T-5 at the Crowne Plaza but since then his best finish was a T-31 at the U. S. Open in June. Rickie does well in match play and would partner well with a veteran player. Plus he brings the flashy style and young viewers to the game. I think Rickie is on the team.

That leaves only one spot remaining for Mahan, Johnson, Van Pelt, Snedeker or possibly Watney.

Johnson, Mahan and Snedeker all have wins in 2012. Van Pelt has had a career year and has been in contention several times but has not won.

Snedeker finished runner-up at the Barclays, shooting 68-70 on the weekend at Bethpage. He definitely did not hurt his chances at making the team. Another high finish at the Deutsche Bank may just secure his spot.

Johnson finished just one shot behind Snedeker this week for a T-3. You just know that Love wants DJ on the USA Team.

Van Pelt finished T-24 at the Barclays. It was another solid week for him but he needs a win next week to get on the Ryder Cup Team.

Watney had only had three top 10s heading into the playoffs this week. But you know what they say: Winning talks but …. Well, you know.

If he can back up his win with another high finish next week he may just find himself on the team.

Mahan’s missed cut puts him well behind the others. He needs a win quick.

This will be a tough decision for Love and the USA Ryder Cup team. Competition makes everyone play better. Any one of these players would be a good choice for the team.

Maybe the USA can get the Ryder Cup back at Medinah.

For golf tips and video, visit www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Follow on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Bo Van Pelt, Brandt Snedeker, Bubba Watson, Davis Love, Dustin Johnson, Fred Altvater, Hunter Mahan, Jason Dufner, Jim Furyk, Keegan Bradley, Matt Kuchar, Nick Watney, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Ryder Cup, Steve Stricker, The Back Nine, Tiger Woods, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 28th, 2012 at 11:00 am and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back Nine.
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The first Ryder Cup matches were held in 1927 at the Worcester Country Club in Worcester, Mass. The 39th Ryder Cup matches will be held Sept. 28-30 at Medinah Country Club near Chicago.

The European Team captain, Jose Maria Olazabal, will have a strong team. The Europeans currently hold the cup from their 14½-13½ win at Celtic Manor in 2010.

Eight USA Team members qualify automatically based on points earned through competition in PGA Tour events throughout 2011 to the conclusion of the PGA Championship on Aug. 12.

USA Team captain Davis Love will then pick four players to round out the team in September.

Captain’s picks help to fill voids in the team. Short game specialists are chosen to match up with long hitters for the two-man team competitions. Veteran players are chosen to match up with Ryder Cup rookies.

Davis Love will have some very interesting choices this year.

The top 15 golfers on the current Ryder Cup points list are all very strong and would be excellent choices to join the team.

Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Phil Mickelson currently make up the top eight qualifiers.

The next seven players not on the team — Hunter Mahan, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler, Brandt Snedeker, Dustin Johnson, and Bill Haas — will be hoping for a call from Love.

Mahan has two wins in 2012 and one of those was the WGC-Accenture, a match play event. He took down Rory McIlroy in the final for his win. Ryder Cup is all about match play. Hunter will be on the USA Team.

Regardless of whether Stricker earns enough points next week to make the team, Love will certainly pick him to provide a partner for Tiger Woods in the team events. Woods/Stricker has been a very formidable duo in past Ryder Cup matches. Stricker makes the team.

This is where things get a little sticky: There are three quality players and only two spots left on the USA Team.

Furyk is next on the points list. He is a veteran who has been on seven Ryder Cup and seven President’s Cup teams. Furyk has 16 PGA Tour wins plus a U.S. Open trophy. He is a gritty grinder who makes an excellent partner in team matches.

He can still move into the top eight with a good performance at the PGA Championship this week. You have to think that Love wants Furyk on the team.

Dustin Johnson has one win in 2012, the St. Jude at Memphis, and would make a great team member. Injuries kept him out of action for more than two months early in the season. He missed the cut at the Olympic Club but was T-9 at Royal Lytham.

Fowler played very well as a captain’s pick in the 2010 Ryder Cup. He has a win in 2012 but has not been quite as consistent over the balance of the year. He had a second place finish at the Players and was T-5 at the Crowne Plaza but his last starts have been T-52, T-41, T-31, and T-60 at Akron. Rickie adds flash and brings young people to the party. Will he get picked again this year?

Two additional players with a long shot to make the team are Bill Haas and Brandt Snedeker.

Haas won the 2011 FedEx Cup and picked up a win at Riviera in a playoff over Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley. In his last eight events, however, he has four missed cuts and only one top-25 finish. Unless Haas earns a bunch of points at the PGA Championship don’t expect to see him on the Ryder Cup team.

Snedeker has been injury-free in 2012 and has had a great year but he will need to finish very high at the PGA Championship to earn enough points to make the team in the next two weeks.

A sleeper pick is Bo Van Pelt, No. 15 on the Ryder Cup Points list. A good finish at the PGA or a win in one of the first two FedEx Playoff events could move him into the conversation.

Davis Love will make his four picks in September, probably after the second FedEx Cup Playoff tournament. A win at the Wyndham Championship or in the playoffs for any of these players will move them up the list.

The USA Team for the Ryder Cup is beginning to take shape. All of these choices for Captain Davis Love are good ones.

Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Jim Furyk, Brandt Snedeker, Bo Van Pelt or Bill Haas would all make excellent team members.

If one of them moves up into the top eight after the PGA the player that gets bumped down becomes the first Captain’s pick.

For golf tips and video, visit www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Follow on Twitter: @tolohgolfr.

Tags: Bill Haas, Brandt Snedeker, Bubba Watson, Davis Love, Dustin Johnson, Fred Altvater, Hunter Mahan, Jason Dufner, Jim Furyk, Keegan Bradley, Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Ryder Cup, Steve Stricker, The Back Nine, Tiger Woods, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson

This entry was posted on Monday, August 6th, 2012 at 3:00 pm and is filed under Golf, Sports, The Back Nine.
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