2012 Ryder Cup Discussion Thread

[StealthTrader]

Originally Posted by Zeph

First round foursomes:

Rory - GMac vs Furyk - Snedeker

Luke - Sergio vs Phil - Bradley

Lee - Molinari vs Dufner - Zach

Poulter - Rose vs Tiger - Stricker

Hmmmm.

Rory and GMac are going to be very tough to beat.

Phil and Bradley should be able to take Luke and Sergio.

Dufner and Zach is the easiest pick of all.

Tiger and Stricker will have very little trouble with their opposition.

I've got the U.S. Up 3 after Friday.

Any takers?

[StealthTrader]

Originally Posted by MEfree

What do Lee Janzen, Chris Riley and Robert Karlsson have in common?

All are former Ryder Cup players teeing it up this week at the Web.com' Chiquita Classic

Yeah, and he even held a share of the lead at -6 under when play got suspended due to "darkness" today.

The whole Lee Janzen thing blows my mind.  Its a bit like the whole David Duval thing - which also blew my mind.  Which was nothing like the John Daly thing, which never really blew my mind at all.

I honestly expected Lee Janzen, to have five (5) majors and 40+ wins by now - including one (1) player of the year and maybe one (1) FedEx Cup.

Where did I go wrong.   I liked everything about Lee, and still do.  I wish him all the best.

[crayputter]

Hmmmm. Rory and GMac are going to be very tough to beat. Phil and Bradley should be able to take Luke and Sergio. Dufner and Zach is the easiest pick of all. Tiger and Stricker will have very little trouble with their opposition.  I've got the U.S. Up 3 after Friday. Any takers?

You do mean 3 up after the foursome ? The four ball pairings for the afternoon session will be named later on Friday I guess... I predict a 2-2 scoreline after the foursome, with US taking 1 and 4, Europe the rest. Ray

[Golf Man]

Originally Posted by StealthTrader

Hmmmm.

Rory and GMac are going to be very tough to beat.

Phil and Bradley should be able to take Luke and Sergio.

Dufner and Zach is the easiest pick of all.

Tiger and Stricker will have very little trouble with their opposition.

I've got the U.S. Up 3 after Friday.

Any takers?

Game 1: McIlroy being given the responsibility and his preferred partner, but I think Furyk/Snedeker will be very hard to beat - interesting to see how Snedeker reacts as the only rookie in the foursome. Could go either way - but if McIlroy is at the top of his game, I think they'll win

Game 2: Luke Donald is the single best foursomes player on both teams - played 6 and won 6 at the Ryder Cup, 4 of those were with Sergio. Garcia isn't bad himself - played 10 foursomes, won 9, halved 1, and always produces his best at the Ryder Cup. Mickelson has a poor Ryder Cup record, seems to havenever really found a good partner. Bradley is a rookie albeit a great putter. This is Europes est partnership and I expect them to win

Game 3: Bit of a strange match up. Westwood is a another great Ryder Cup player but Molinari seems like he has been landed on him without much reason (Kaymers poor form doesn't help). That said Molinari is far more suited to foursomes - he has his problems putting from time to time ut I don't think he will make a huge amount of mistakes. Zach Johnson is a bit like Molinari, except his advantage is with the putter. This is a big step for Dufner - a lot of his good form was earlier in the season, but agan he looks like a good foursomes player. Could go either way - I certainly don't see it as an easy pick (its not the most inspiring or frightening of US partnerships)

Game 4: The best US partnership against probably the feistiest European - Stricker and Woods should win but oulter and Rose won't exactly roll over for them

Sitting on the fence I'll go 2-2 after the first session or possibly 2.5-1.5 to Europe. Foursomes will be one of Europes strong points. Overall I reckon US will win - probably be relatively close after the first two days, but US are definitely defintely stronger in singles - Europe will need at least a 9-7 lead to have a chance

[ThominOH]

Originally Posted by StealthTrader

Hmmmm.

Rory and GMac are going to be very tough to beat.

Phil and Bradley should be able to take Luke and Sergio.

Dufner and Zach is the easiest pick of all.

Tiger and Stricker will have very little trouble with their opposition.

I've got the U.S. Up 3 after Friday.

Any takers?

Sorry. I'm with Faldo on this one..  Euro 2.5 vs USA 1.5..

I think Rory and GMac are the better team and should win.. Phil is a wild cat off the tee, and that will cause problems Keegan USA loses.. I see Duf and Zach winning, and finally Tiger and Steve halve..

[ThominOH]

In any case..  I'm just glad the spectacle they call an opening ceremony is over.. It was organized like a cheap hillbilly wedding.. lol It was actually embarrassing watching it, wondering if the rest of the world found it as amateur and crazy as I did.. Music?  Dancing? Parade of dresses and flags?  Even the fly over was not timed.. At least Janet Jackson didn't show up and do a duo with Justin.. ha ha..  I was laughing more then clapping.. It was truly a waste of PGA money and time..

[Wansteadimp]

Originally Posted by ThominOH

Sorry. I'm with Faldo on this one..  Euro 2.5 vs USA 1.5..

I think Rory and GMac are the better team and should win.. Phil is a wild cat off the tee, and that will cause problems Keegan USA loses.. I see Duf and Zach winning, and finally Tiger and Steve halve..

Dunno, normally Phil & Bradley would be least likely 4somes pairing I could think of. You need consistency and the ball in play. However, if there is no rough & therefore no trouble it may be inspired.

Are the fairways tree lined? Presumably its not an open field with no rough. so there will be some penalty when it comes to being off line.

Overall its 4somes (unpredictable), matchplay over 18 holes (anything could happen) and the Ryder Cup (addtional pressure & unusual performances), so my prediction 4-0 to Europe or 4-0 to the US or some where in between!

No idea but very excited now!

[Shorty]

Quite frightening to think that some members actually think they have some idea of the outcome of the matches.

The common wisdom seems to be that driving, iron play, shortgame and putting will be important factors - great revelations.

I'm all for hopes and wishes, but every single match is a coin toss.

[michaeljames92]

Just watching the ceremony now. It's quite over the top. But God, some serious stunners in the player's wives.

[Golf Man]

Originally Posted by Shorty

Quite frightening to think that some members actually think they have some idea of the outcome of the matches.

The common wisdom seems to be that driving, iron play, shortgame and putting will be important factors - great revelations.

I'm all for hopes and wishes, but every single match is a coin toss.

I don't see how every match is a coin toss - there are obvious favourites in some games and less so in others

US probably have better form, just about. Europe have more core strength and better cup record imo, but US have more strength in depth and home advantage

Some matches are coin tosses, other not so much

[Zeph]

Some matches are coin tosses, other not so much

Golf in general is almost a coin toss. At this level, in this format, I would definitely say all matches are. You can just look at the start from Tiger and Stricker.

[robrey85]

Originally Posted by Zeph

Golf in general is almost a coin toss. At this level, in this format, I would definitely say all matches are.

You can just look at the start from Tiger and Stricker.

Like the announcer said, I wonder why Tiger didn't hit a 3w. Especially with the way he has been driving lately.

EIT: COME ON TIGER! GET YOUR THUMB OUT OF YOUR ASS! Haha.

[Golf Man]

Originally Posted by Zeph

Golf in general is almost a coin toss. At this level, in this format, I would definitely say all matches are.

You can just look at the start from Tiger and Stricker.

Trying to predict golf can be a coin toss but the game itself isn't - in a regular tour event the best player, that particular week, wins the event - any luck, good or bad, will even itself out over the course of 72 holes

There is obviously a little bit more luck/chance invovled with matchplay but its very hard to win when you play worse than your opponent (compare this to soccer for example when this is quite commonplace)

[Dave2512]

Team USA isn't showing much positive body language. They look rattled already. Someone needs to get the crowd back in it. A few shots from the tee that don't fly into the stands should do it .

[Zeph]

Trying to predict golf can be a coin toss but the game itself isn't - in a regular tour event the best player, that particular week, wins the event - any luck, good or bad, will even itself out over the course of 72 holes

Surely, but guessing the winner at the start of the week is a lot harder than predicting who wins a soccer match. Luck [b]can[/b] even itself out, but there is obviously no guarantee that it will. The best players usually win, but that doesn't make predictions any easier. The players selected for the cup are the best from Europe and USA. If you put Tiger and Stricker vs some 150-ish ranked Europeans, it's easier to predict, but against other world class players, not so much.

[robrey85]

Team USA really needs to get off the tee in good form right now. Dufner got super lucky on his tee shot, haha. That was pretty sweet.

[robrey85]

I'd just like to say, SKY coverage > ESPN coverage. I'm watching both right now, haha.

[Wansteadimp]

Originally Posted by robrey85

I'd just like to say, SKY coverage > ESPN coverage. I'm watching both right now, haha.

Just you wait, Monty will be on soon with his tales starting "When I......."

Also, I can't stand Livingston.