Ryder Cup Rant

 This was made in response to a conversation on my fantasy golf league's message board. In the middle of what is clearly a long rant, I thought I should post it. To provide context for the start of this rant, I'm pasting comments made by my brother in the conversation:

"I think you'd be foolish not to take Stanley because when he's on he's lights-out, whereas Phil, Fowler, and Z. Johnson aren't as superior in their own victories. Plus, although I think Phil is a competitor, Rickie and Zach really aren't."

Wait...what?

How is Kyle Stanley "more superior in his victories" than Phil Mickelson? Well first of all, let's change that to "more superior in his victory" as Stanley has a whopping win total of 1 compared to Phil's 40. I agree that the 2nd half of Phil's season has been nowhere close to the pace he was on in the 1st half, but that's why the points are cumulative for the year. Phil gets in the top 8 because of literally just the insane run he went on in February, March, and April. Also, he loves Bethpage and could easily get a top 10 or better this week, changing the outlook of his recent struggles. Plus, I'm pretty sure when Phil's on he dominates the field better than a Kyle Stanley.

The bottom line is the US team is really deep this year, which is why we're seeing so many capable players on the bubble. Like the CBS crew said last week, that's a good problem for Davis to have. I mean, just look at the top 8 qualifiers:

Multiple wins on TOUR this year: Woods, Dufner, Z. Johnson

2012 Major champions: Simpson, Watson

All around solid seasons with a victory in a "premier" event: Kuchar (The PLAYERS) and Bradley (WGC-Bridgestone)

That leaves Phil. The fact that Phil was able to get into the top 8 with a T-36 at the PGA ought to demonstrate just how poorly Hunter Mahan has played in the 2nd half. I mean, he's won 2 tournaments this year, including a WGC, and ISN'T in the top 8. He also duffed a chip that could have won the 2010 Ryder Cup for the US...though, he wasn't totally at fault for being put in that position. That being said, he's an excellent match player. His control off the tee and on approach is so good that he should be on the team no question, even if his short game tends to unravel rounds for him.

Not that it's a question because he played his way into the top 8, but Zach Johnson is also a great fit for the Ryder. He balances out the Watson/Mickelson/Bradley contingent on our team by playing with control and a superior short game. He's the perfect counter to people like Donald and McDowell, who also don't win by hitting the ball far. There's a reason why control guys like Mahan and Donald have won the WGC match play in recent years and it's because their ability to minimize mistakes just wears down other golfers.

Those two reasons are why my second pick along with Mahan, if I'm Davis, is Poor Jim Furyk. I know, I can hardly sit still without having to shit my pants when I think about Poor Jim in a pressure situation, given his two epic meltdowns this year. Despite that, he's been rock solid and is basically half the reason why the US won the Presidents Cup last fall. Poor Jim Furyk was in Brookline in 1999 for the greatest Ryder Cup in history and has always been pumped up for international competition as a result. He gets one of my picks.

That leaves two and this is where the difficulty begins for me. If you're going with the "ride the hot hand" strategy, the picks would be Van Pelt and Stricker. Aside from missing the cut at the Open, Bo's worst finish in his last 6 starts is a T-24 (collected 3 top-10s in there). Similar for Strick in his last 6 starts: 3 top-10s, 2 top-5s, worst finish was a T-23.

Dustin Johnson is creeping into the hot hand category lately. That could be official with a strong finish this week. He's had a strong year overall, including a win, and should be an intimidating match player from tee to green. Emphasis is on the "to green" portion of the last sentence. DJ becomes very not intimidating around and on the green, but that still doesn't change the fact that his length on 5s and shorter 4s should be a huge match format advantage.

Rickie Fowler is an slightly different position. Like Johnson, he's had an overall good year. Upon closer examination, that is mostly due to flat out insane month he had from 4/29 thru 5/27, finishing in order T-10, 1st, T-2, T-5. Since then, he's cooled off in a major way. His best finish has been a T-31, he's finished over par in each event, and missed the cut at the PGA. He started off this week well too, though, so we'll see if that changes things.

Snedeker just doesn't quite make the cut for me and I have hard time making a case for him, though again I think this is mostly due to how deep the US is this season. He picked up a win way back in January at Torrey Pines, but otherwise he's claim is mostly staked on the strong T-3 he put up at the Open. In another year, he might be in, but he's just overall not been good enough to get a spot.

Given all of this, I make my other captain's picks Bo Van Pelt and Steve Stricker. In addition to the things I've mentioned above, Van Pelt brings another big stick to the table, while Stricker brings his superior battle tested putter. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see a US victory sealed by a stroke from Strick's flat blade.

I don't care who Jose Maria Olazalabalaba picks because I hope Europe loses.

Yes, this is going on the blog.