2014 Ryder Cup Discussion Thread

[Crim]

When I heard they'd spelt Jimmy Walker incorrectly, I feared the worse

Jimmy Wanker would have been amazing.

[FarawayFairways]

Wow. Really? I got the USA to win Sunday night at 7/4 odds (+175).

7/4 is the principal price with a bit of 15/8 in places.

As I said, the 6/1 (Paddy Power) and 8/1 (Betfair sportsbook) are promotional prices. There's a few other firms offering refunds if America wins up to a maximum stake

The price I like is Jimmy Walker to be top rookie at 5/1

You can discount Donaldson, Gallacher and Reed on grounds of not being good enough, and not likely to play enough games. The word up is that Dubuisson will play foursomes with McDowell, but couold easily find himself playing just 3 matches, and it's not as if it would be a strong pairing (I'd put Victor with Rory in honesty) given that Rory is about the most wayward European off the tee and Dubuisson the best recovery merchant whilst also being perfectly good putter and driver in his own right. It also releases one of Kaymer and Sergio

If Walker plays with Fowler, as they're signalling, should he be 5/1 with Spieth at 11/4 playing with Kuchar

[ChrisP]

I don't think the Mickelson thing is a big deal, although the media will try to make it a big deal. I do think there is a little bit of friction between Rory and Phil. Not a lot, but I think a little that probably goes back to the PGA fiasco at the end. Been a couple small jabs since then, but nothing like Tiger and Phil had back in the day.

[boogielicious]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvmac

Jason Sobel at GolfChannel.com:

What’s the agenda here? Maybe he wanted to pump some life into festivities that were clearly lacking. Maybe he wanted to take the heat off his teammates who have been continuously – and tiresomely – answering questions about being overmatched this week.

Or maybe this was a public dig at McIlroy, who hasn’t held back from opining about Mickelson lately.

Why does everyone need an agenda these days.  Phil was making a joke and trying to get some laughs, that was his agenda.

Reporters need this.  It is their lifeblood.  There has to be a "controversy" or "agenda" or outrage for them to build up the story.  It has always been this way with the media.

[colin007]

Tiger's absence is good for 'Murica because he just doesn't really care about The Ryder Cup. He might say he does, but I know that deep down he doesn't give two flying craps about it compared to majors or even high level tour events.

[CarlSpackler]

Tiger's absence is good for 'Murica because he just doesn't really care about The Ryder Cup. He might say he does, but I know that deep down he doesn't give two flying craps about it compared to majors or even high level tour events.

I don't know if I agree with that. Tiger wants to win everything. I think his absence is good because he is playing like .

[saevel25]

Quote:

Originally Posted by colin007

Tiger's absence is good for 'Murica because he just doesn't really care about The Ryder Cup. He might say he does, but I know that deep down he doesn't give two flying craps about it compared to majors or even high level tour events.

You know this how? My best guess is you are just guessing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvmac

Jason Sobel at GolfChannel.com :

What’s the agenda here? Maybe he wanted to pump some life into festivities that were clearly lacking. Maybe he wanted to take the heat off his teammates who have been continuously – and tiresomely – answering questions about being overmatched this week.

Or maybe this was a public dig at McIlroy, who hasn’t held back from opining about Mickelson lately.

Seriously, its Phil, he trash talks all the time. He's a competitor. I love this, I thought it was a great jab.

Also in the light of what Rory said on Phil, I think Phil can take a few shots at Rory

---

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2014/09/ian-poulter-reveals-who-he-thi.html

Nothing like talking about the art of fist pumping.

Quote:

Later during his press conference, Poulter went into a deeper breakdown of the art of fist pumping.

"Obviously, everybody fist pumps differently, but there's always a lot of emotion to come out," Poulter said. "I don't think I've fist pumped any different from 2004 to what I have in 2012. I've seen the highlights and they are exactly the same. So everybody's got their own DNA and everybody fist pumps in their own way. It's not disrespectful in any way, shape or form. I feel that I've done it in a way that is natural to me, and I've been very respectful of that."

-Golf Digest

[RandallT]

For those interested, SpitFisher has a little prediction contest going- 17 questions to answer before the deadline.

[FarawayFairways]

Mickelson's jibe doesn't really seem to have caused waves to be honest. A few papers laughed, pointing out that a man who counts the Feds amongst his gallery is probably the last person to be handing out lectures on litigation. It would be in Europe's advantage of course to stir up some ill feeling as the American support is going to be out numbered about 50 to 1, but it doesn't seem to have happened yet

The genesis might have something to do with Rory having been questioned earlier about this new driver that he's using which the USGA only approved on Monday. Rory explained he's been getting an extra 8yds off it (suspect Bubba would be more put out by that). The media questioned the wisdom of an equipment change so soon to the Ryder Cup, and cited Mickelsons 2004 adventure as evidence. Rory laughed and explained that he was playing in the junior Ryder Cup and knew all about this because Phil nearly hit him twice, and he was standing 120 yds to his left. He then went onto explain that he'd been using the dirver since June and that Nike don't just give something on a new day and he immediately starts playing with it. He's had time to familiarise himself with its performance and believes it enhances his game etc

This American team is handling itself slightly differently to others though. They look better focused and on message. There does seem to be a genuine sense of purpose about them. We've seen it before when they've been on home soil, and it usually overspills into unedifying jingoism, but they don't have that option at a distance of 3500 miles so they seem to be concentrating on things golf rather than entertainment. It could be my imagination, but it's Europe who seem to be doing the celebrity thing a bit more, and someone could do with pointing out that Medinah (or the 'miracle of Medinah to give it, it's full name now) is actually an historical result and they had better start looking at Gleneagles and not what happened 2 years ago (or even who might captain at Hazeltine - Rory)

America's managed to avoid any diplomatic blunders that could turn a crowd openly hostile (Phils is the nearest) and that's largely being interpreted as give and take, knock about. They haven't indulged in the complaining about penal rough, tight fairways, slow greens, and autumnal weather that we've heard previously too. When you hear the opposition moaning the course doesn't suit them that's usually a pyschological lift, so I'm sure their tactical silence for a change, is quite deliberate (regardless of what reservations they might harbour privately). Getting on the front foot and announcing that they're targetting Poulter and Rory was smart, even if Paul Azinger's contribution to it lacked class, and an appreciation of Scottish history (casting America as William Wallace means they win the first day, get beaten heavily on the second, and ritually humiliated, chopped up into four pieces, and posted back to where they came on the third)

[newtogolf]

I heard the only person that commented / complained about the course was the European captain, Paul McGinley, when he saw the length of the rough.

Quote:

McGinley acknowledged that the rough is a little thicker than he would have preferred. He blamed the “warm Scottish September” and recent rains.  The European captain dismissed questions about the possibility of grooming the course to favor his team.

[Mr. Desmond]

Rory has shown that he can and will talk smack ... I think that's the big story this week.

As for Phil, Tom Watson acknowledges his smack. Phil has a longtime rep, I believe, for smack.

“He talks smack … he talks the way you're supposed to be talking in the locker room,” said captain Tom Watson on Wednesday morning. “He talks the locker room talk and he gets people talking back to him. That's what you have to do.”

That afternoon, Mickelson stepped to the podium, leaned into the microphone, and illustrated Watson’s point. When asked whether the U.S. players are as cohesive as their European counterparts, Mickelson quipped: “Well, not only are we able to play together, we also don't litigate against each other and that's a real plus, I feel, heading into this week.”

It was a clean body blow delivered to Rory McIlroy, who is currently suing Graeme McDowell’s management company, Horizon Sports. And in case you were wondering, yes, a potential Mickelson-McIlroy showdown now ranks as this week’s Main Event.

[Crim]

Let's stay out of that rough boys.

2014 fairways hit % rankings (Bjorn, Gallacher, Victor were estimated in based on a the stats I could find.)

4th - Jim Furyk

6th - Zach Johnson

12th - Graeme McDowell

14th - Henrik Stenson

20th - Matt Kuchar

36th - Hunter Mahan

69th - Keegan Bradley

70th - Webb Simpson

Thomas Bjorn

73rd - Sergio Garcia

87th - Ian Poulter

88th - Martin Kaymer

91st - Lee Westwood

102nd - Bubba Watson

Stephen Gallacher

T108th - Rickie Fowler

T108th - Rory McIlroy

111th - Justin Rose

120th - Jamie Donaldson

129th - Jordan Spieth

140th - Phil Mickelson

158th - Patrick Reed

Victor Dubuisson

176th - Jimmy Walker

[Silent]

I don't mind at all to have such a rough. At Medinah 2 years ago it mostly felt like there was no rough at all (at least, bad tee shots seemed a lot of the times not that big of a problem).

[Crim]

I don't mind at all to have such a rough. At Medinah 2 years ago it mostly felt like there was no rough at all (at least, bad tee shots seemed a lot of the times not that big of a problem).

I don't mind either, it's going to make things really interesting.

[FarawayFairways]

The Centenary course needs it, to be honest, as it's not a difficult track for a pro with the best equipment.

It's not a case of eeking out small advantages and holding on. There's the potential for some quite violent scoreboard action and swings, and especially from 14 onwards. Rory drove and eagled the 14th  for a two in practice, and both the par 5's at 16 and 18 can be palyed as par 4's at this level

[colin007]

You know this how? My best guess is you are just guessing.

Nah, we Skyped each other the other week...

[skydog]

Keegan and Phil vs. Rory and Sergio. Love it

[Dave2512]

I don't like Watson's pairings or order. IMO it was a no-brainer Rory and Sergio were going out 4th, putting struggling Phil and Keegan against them is a lost point. Obviously no crystal ball here but I see it as US down one before they hit a ball.