Thrash Talk: Phil's 2nd Major and President's Cup

[Thrash13]

Well, I did a little double duty this week in my Thrash Talk. I discussed some PGA Championship stuff and the captain's picks for the President's Cup teams.

I'll leave you with a couple easy questions to think over, but be sure to check out Thrash Talk in the morning. And don't be afraid to offer some opinions. It don't hurt my feelings if you disagree with everything I say. That's the fun stuff.

1. Is Phil a Sure-Fire Hall of Famer Now?

2. Who Would Have Been Your Two Captain's Picks for Each Team? And Why?

There..

[iacas]

1. Is Phil a Sure-Fire Hall of Famer Now?

Is Andy North?

Phil needs one more major and/or eight more tour victories. I'm sure he'll get the latter, and probably the other too.

2. Who Would Have Been Your Two Captain's Picks for Each Team? And Why?

I'd have taken Sean O'Hair and... Zach Johnson. Yup.

[nurseduffer]

Do you guys know why Sergio was not selected for the international team?
Is there a good reason?
Not to say that he should have been selected....I was just curious.
Thanks

[Thrash13]

Sergio is from Spain, so he plays in the Ryder Cup (Europe vs. USA).

The President's Cup is International (everyone but Europe) vs. USA.

Hope that helped! So Sergio will be playing in the Ryder Cup next year around this same time..

[Guest]

1. Is Phil a Sure-Fire Hall of Famer Now?

I would say his odds are about 60-40 right now. He needs a couple more majors to really be a lead pipe cinch.

Still, he has 26 or 27 tournament wins, including two major championships, and Vijay Singh, who is already in the World Golf HOF, has 27 and 3 majors. Very comparable records except that Vijay has one more major. Phil is younger and will most likely win more tournaments, but we'll have to wait and see about majors.

2. Who Would Have Been Your Two Captain's Picks for Each Team? And Why?

As for Captain's picks, I am pretty happy with the ones Nicklaus has chosen. From a team perspective, a little more winning experience is always welcome, and nobody is more of a competitor than Justin Leonard. He tends to rise up in team events and perform, and has the kind of quiet confidence that the team game needs.

As you can see, I am not a big proponent of picking "who is playing well" for the team game, or I might have more problems with picking Couples. But Couples brings a nice, even temperment, loads of experience and the kind of quiet leadership our last Rider cup team seemed to be lacking.

I think Captain's picks should be oriented to filling in gaps - i.e. personality, leadership, temperment - the intangibles, not just "the player to be named later". Nicklaus probably understands this better than any living golfer, and I wholeheartedly agree with his decision.