I have some sympathy for US Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III. It was impossible for him to please everyone when he made his 4 captain's picks for the US Ryder Cup team this morning. So I am not going to be that critical, it is just that Love had the unfortunate task of putting 8 into 4.
| Tough decisions: Davis Love III had to upset someone |
| Fowler misses out on the final 12 |
The contenders who missed out were: Hunter Mahan, who was 9th on the points list, one place outside an automatic spot; Rickie Fowler, the popular youngster who had his first PGA Tour win this year and was a part of the losing team 2 years ago; Nick Watney, who found some recent form by winning the Barclays 2 weeks ago; and Bill Haas, last year's FedEx Cup champion.
An amazing crop of players, but it was hard to go past Love's mixture of huge experience - which will be needed in a team with 4 automatic rookie qualifiers - along with the big-hitting Johnson and another first-timer in Snedeker.
Here is the complete rundown on the American team:
Tiger Woods: Qualified by finishing 1st on the points list. 3rd in the world and 3rd in FedEx Cup. 6th Ryder Cup appearance (won 12, halved 2, lost 14). Tiger has already won 3 times this year, and has had previous success at Medinah, winning the 2006 PGA Championship.
Keegan Bradley: Qualified by finishing 4th on the points list. 12th in the world and 12th in FedEx Cup. 1st Ryder Cup appearance. Won the WGC Bridgestone Invitational in August, and has had a consistent year with 5 top 10s and 19 made cuts out of 23 tournaments.
Jim Furyk: Qualified by captain's pick. 30th in the world and 21st in FedEx Cup. 8th Ryder Cup appearance (won 8, halved 4, lost 15). The 42 year old veteran has had a below par year by his standards, including an unfortunate collapse on the 72nd hole at this year's US Open to miss out on a playoff.
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| Phil has played in every Ryder Cup since 1995 |
Jason Dufner: Qualified by finishing 3rd on the points list. 7th in the world and 7th in FedEx Cup. 1st Ryder Cup appearance. A consistent performer, Dufner recorded 2 wins within a month earlier this year, and has only missed one cut in 20 events.
Steve Stricker: Qualified by finishing captain's pick. 10th in the world and 16th in FedEx Cup. 3rd Ryder Cup appearance (won 3, halved 1, lost 3). Won the season opener in Hawaii, and gave Sergio Garcia food for thought in the 2008 Ryder Cup with this long range putt. In recent team events, he has formed a formidable partnership with Tiger Woods.
Dustin Johnson: Qualified by finishing captain's pick. 14th in the world and 6th in FedEx Cup. 2nd Ryder Cup appearance (won 1, halved 0, lost 3). Has found some recent form with two top 10s in his last 2 tournaments, also 7 top 10s in 17 tournaments so far this year.
Brandt Snedeker: Qualified by captain's pick. 18th in the world and 4th in FedEx Cup. 1st Ryder Cup appearance. The 2007 PGA Tour Rookie of the year won the Farmer's Insurance Open back in January and finished a well-deserved 3rd at the British Open.
Zach Johnson: Qualified by finishing 6th on the points list. 16th in the world and 8th in FedEx Cup. 3rd Ryder Cup appearance (won 3, halved 1, lost 3). Born in Iowa, Zach has already won twice this year and made the cut in all of this year's majors.
Bubba Watson: Qualified by finishing 2nd on the points list. 8th in the world and 10th in FedEx Cup. 2nd Ryder Cup appearance (won 1, halved 0, lost 3). Big-hitting Bubba shared a passionate moment with teammate Jeff Overton at the 2010 Ryder Cup, after Overton holed-out for eagle, watch it here
| Webb Simpson will be one to watch |
Webb Simpson: Qualified by finishing 5th on the points list. 5th in the world and 19th in FedEx Cup. 1st Ryder Cup appearance. The 27 year old as risen to prominence over the past two years, and won the US Open in June.
Matt Kuchar: Qualified by finishing 7th on the points list. 13th in the world and 13th in FedEx Cup. 2nd Ryder Cup appearance (won 1, halved 2, lost 1). Came 3rd in the Masters and won the unofficial 5th major, The Player's Championship, in mid May.
In terms of experience, the American team has a combined 27 Ryder Cup appearances between them, 5 debutants, and 5 players who have played in 2 or more. Team Europe is similar with 26 appearances and 5 players who have played in multiple Ryder Cups previously, but only 1 debutant (see this blog post).
Home advantage should cancel out the American's inexperience somewhat. I will write more posts in the coming weeks as the Ryder Cup draws closer.
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