Stronger US Ryder Cup Team?

[iacas]

Well, it seems that the US Ryder Cup team may be a tad stronger in 2006. The PGA of America has shaken up the points values .

I think this is a welcome change. It still rewards consistently good play, but nobody can lock up a position with a good year two years before the event.

What do you think? Post here or on the blog.

[Mr_Slice]

Very nice! They've done something right. This should give the Americans a more well-rounded team of players that are playing well at the time of the Ryder Cup. It would be interesting to go back and apply the new points system to the last two years and see who would have been representing the U.S.

[muskegman]

Super good decision by the PGA folks to plan for a stronger team next time around. I wish there was some way to measure things like "teamwork" and "unselfish play" in the points system. The US team will rise or fall on their ability to rise to the occasion as a team. I think individualism kept us from being cohesive as a group. Maybe next time we won't get trounced.

[dale]

I really don't think it matters who they pick until they can start playing some team events. Seems like we always have to play are ass off on Sunday to just have a chance. Is alternate shot and 4 ball,etc. that hard for the Americans to play. Europe destroys us consistantly in those events. Just my thoughts.

[igolfalot]

Yes I agree that the USA have got to understand team golf. They are always stronger on paper than the Europeans. Tiger recently bashed Tom Lehman as Captain because his buddy Mark O'Mera was passed over. Way to understand the team concept.

[iacas]

John Daly was just on "Golf Talk" and he said that he thinks both sides should use the same criteria. He said that if we used (in 2004) the same criteria the Europeans used, he'd have been on the team in a landslide. He mentioned Jim Furyk's wrist surgery, Fred Funk's ribs, and someone else's surgery (also wrist, he thought).

[Celtic Golf Addict]

I don't understand why such fantastic individual golfers don't seem to be able to play foursomes or better ball. I mean it's the same shots/clubs they use in their individual game. At my club we play foursomes/greensomes/4 ball better ball formats all the time and it's great fun.

[iacas]

It may be a different mentality: even as a junior golfer, we never played those kinds of tournaments. They seem to be more common in the UK and Europe.

[Celtic Golf Addict]

I wonder just how different club golf is between the US and the UK for example. As far as the UK golf clubs are concerned there is a strong feeling of community within the individual clubs. At my own club for example we run dozens of competitions each year for the members. The different sections within the club (ladies/mens/seniors/mixed/juniors etc), play each other and other clubs using a whole variety of formats. This is good for your game and helps you get to meet others within the club and new people at other clubs. Plus the bonus of playing at other courses and eating & socialising with others after the game. Is this pretty much the same in the US?

[Timothy Voyles]

We do the next round of Ryder Cup teams look?