Ryder Cup 2020/21 (***NO COVID/POLITICS***)

[JaNelson38]

Europe definitely needs another couple of guys to breakthrough to help their team in 23.

 

Robert McIntyre looks to have talent for sure.  I would expect Wiesberger to be back in two years, as he's got game.  Matt Fitzpatrick is young and will be back.  But after that, the bench looks awfully thin.

 

To be brutally honest, the Presidents Cup has a chance to be more competitive in the next decade than the Ryder Cup does, unless a couple of young guys breakthrough and become stars for the Euros.

Edited September 27, 2021 by JaNelson38

[Canoe Paddler]

Maybe I don’t keep up with amateur golf as much as some of you, but it seems a little short sided to say that Europe doesn’t have a pipeline for the future. 
 

I can only speak for myself, but 4 years ago, I didn’t know who Xander, Cantlay, Bryson, Scheffler, Berger, and Morikowa were. Justin Thomas wasn’t quite a star yet, Finau and English weren’t Ryder Cup caliber players either. 75% of this US team wasn’t in the discussion. Jon Rahm is clearly the best player in the world, and 4 years ago almost no one knew who he was. Who’s to say Europe won’t have a similar roster explosion of guys who are currently 18-22 year olds. 

 

That said, this is a scary good US team and outside of Bryson/Brooks, the chemistry seems to work. It’s a group that’s a lot easier to root for than past teams. Looking forward to good Ryder Cups ahead!

[jdl]

40 minutes ago, me05501 said:

 

Nah, disagree. 

 

The US team made a major change to its selection process before this RC because we'd been losing so consistently. The Euros can change their own rules if it benefits them. 

 

There was also an unusually large home course advantage this time around for the USA. It was originally expected that the galleries would include 1/3 Euro fans but they couldn't travel here to support their side. This had two effects: one, almost everyone on the property was rooting for the USA, and two, people felt emboldened to act out more because there were no Euro fans around to worry about offending (or starting a fight or whatever). It was very lopsided. 
 

We were playing our usual casual round on the course yesterday and I tried to imagine what it would be like to know that tens of thousands of people were immediately going to react to each shot right after club contact. It's gotta be a huge deal even for such seasoned pros. 

Europe allowing more captain's selections isn't going to help if the talent isn't there to be picked. They are going to be losing a bunch of their long time stalwarts and it doesn't look like there's many guys coming on the scene to replace them, much less elevate the team to be competitive.

[jdl]

13 minutes ago, Canoe Paddler said:

Maybe I don’t keep up with amateur golf as much as some of you, but it seems a little short sided to say that Europe doesn’t have a pipeline for the future. 
 

I can only speak for myself, but 4 years ago, I didn’t know who Xander, Cantlay, Bryson, Scheffler, Berger, and Morikowa were. Justin Thomas wasn’t quite a star yet, Finau and English weren’t Ryder Cup caliber players either. 75% of this US team wasn’t in the discussion. Jon Rahm is clearly the best player in the world, and 4 years ago almost no one knew who he was. Who’s to say Europe won’t have a similar roster explosion of guys who are currently 18-22 year olds. 

 

That said, this is a scary good US team and outside of Bryson/Brooks, the chemistry seems to work. It’s a group that’s a lot easier to root for than past teams. Looking forward to good Ryder Cups ahead!

There's always hope.

 

 

[2011l6]

When Rory said " ....I hope there are boys and girls watching this today who aspire to play in this event or the Solheim Cup.." this got to me the most.  Almost like saying we need better players to compete against US team....

[me05501]

Just now, jdl said:

Europe allowing more captain's selections isn't going to help if the talent isn't there to be picked. They are going to be losing a bunch of their long time stalwarts and it doesn't look like there's many guys coming on the scene to replace them, much less elevate the team to be competitive.

 

I'd venture a guess that most of us on this thread don't really know what the Euro pipeline looks like. Surely there are guys like Hovland who are playing for college squads in the U.S., for just one example. 

 

One move I can imagine them making is to include another country to widen the pool of talent. I don't know what the limits are on the composition of the Euro squad, but at one point it was just the UK until they added continental Europe to make it more competitive. Could the net be widened again to include former UK territories like Australia? I dunno. But I don't think either side is going to sit idle in the face of a buzzsaw. 

[jdl]

6 minutes ago, me05501 said:

 

I'd venture a guess that most of us on this thread don't really know what the Euro pipeline looks like. Surely there are guys like Hovland who are playing for college squads in the U.S., for just one example. 

 

One move I can imagine them making is to include another country to widen the pool of talent. I don't know what the limits are on the composition of the Euro squad, but at one point it was just the UK until they added continental Europe to make it more competitive. Could the net be widened again to include former UK territories like Australia? I dunno. But I don't think either side is going to sit idle in the face of a buzzsaw. 

It's not that mysterious, the OWGR isn't perfect for looking at who might do well in the RC but it's certainly not that far off. And I do pay attention to the Euro tour though this season it was pretty dreadful with many of the top guys staying in the US. College golf is certainly filled with a lot of good European talent each season though the US has even more of those guys too (see my other post on the WAGR ranks).

 

I did think about that "former colonies" idea, you'd essentially be killing off the President's Cup and while that might not be the worst thing I'm not sure it's going to happen right now.

Edited September 27, 2021 by jdl

[2011l6]

As much as I enjoyed watching US beating Euro, I do feel bad some of the older players ... Paul, Lee, Ian, and captain Harrington.  There achievement was extraordinary for some 25 years in Ryder Cup.  It’s sad to end this way.  The worst lost in Ryder Cup history, and their names are attached to it….

 

[cardoustie]

Has anyone commented on how many birdies the US guys made the final day?  It seems to be getting glossed over a little

 

I think DJ had 8 .. and barely won!

 

Koepka and Collin had 7 ???

 

Not sure on the others but the wind laying down really led to some great scoring in the indy's yesterday

 

 

[jdl]

1 minute ago, cardoustie said:

Has anyone commented on how many birdies the US guys made the final day?  It seems to be getting glossed over a little

 

I think DJ had 8 .. and barely won!

 

Koepka and Collin had 7 ???

 

Not sure on the others but the wind laying down really led to some great scoring in the indy's yesterday

 

 

Yeah, even Berger had 6. 😃

[imakaveli]

Nearly 100 pages for an exhibition nobody cares about! Kewl!

[ShowMe]

3 hours ago, tatertot said:

Was Stricker considered a leader? Honest question?

 

Good question.  Probably not by those who only see leaders as having to be extroverted.

[LBB]

1 hour ago, 2011l6 said:

That is the reason Rory tearful interview after the game….he doesn’t see upcoming young Euro’s can take the challenge in next 10 years.  We still got Woff, Reed, Champ….

I think it was more about paying respect to the guys he's played with (and won with) on this years team that will likely not be there in 2023.  He's played in 6 consecutive Ryder Cups spanning 11 years.  A lot of good winning memories with guys like Poulter, Westwood, Harrington, Garcia, etc.  When you win the cup decisively, you probably don't think much about how the team is going to look in 2 years...but when you get spanked, you more quickly see that change is on the horizon.  So yes, while I agree that his emotion might have had something to do with the short term outlook, I think it had more to do with knowing some of the stalwarts that have mentored him may not be alongside him anymore.

 

While the score was lopsided in 2016, Europe was in it 2/3 through the singles matches.  This year, the writing was on the wall by Saturday morning 4 ball, and I'm sure Rory and the team had time to think about it while spending time with the guys Saturday evening.

[ShowMe]

Well, now we're on to the Sanderson Farms Championship.

 

The excitement is palpable...

[TLUBulldogGolf]

1 hour ago, 2011l6 said:

That is the reason Rory tearful interview after the game….he doesn’t see upcoming young Euro’s can take the challenge in next 10 years.  We still got Woff, Reed, Champ….

 

Homa, Zalatoris, Horschel, Burns..

[mark m]

52 minutes ago, cardoustie said:

Has anyone commented on how many birdies the US guys made the final day?  It seems to be getting glossed over a little

 

I think DJ had 8 .. and barely won!

 

Koepka and Collin had 7 ???

 

Not sure on the others but the wind laying down really led to some great scoring in the indy's yesterday

 

 

Good point. The greens were great and a good mix of hole locations. I think Bryson made 5 birdies and an eagle - but went 5-6-5 on the 3 par 5’s. He could have really gone low. Lots of very good shots and putts made this year. 

[DLBTide7]

Returning home from a fantastic week at Whistling Straits.  
 

For those on GolfWRX (or elsewhere) that repeatedly insist on calling the Ryder Cup an “exhibition”, all I can say is “You just don’t get it”.  If you disagree with me, watch Rory’s post match interview. Or speak to any of the other 23 players representing the two teams. You will hear a much different opinion than, “It’s an exhibition”. 
 

Congratulations to our USA team on the great victory and burying the demons from the past few years. 

[2011l6]

18 minutes ago, TLUBulldogGolf said:

 

Homa, Zalatoris, Horschel, Burns..

absolutely.... we r in good position.

[Joe Mannix]

15 hours ago, ShowMe said:

 

Is Zack Johnson a leader, though?  Sure he's won a couple of majors, but he barely cracked the Top 10 rankings that many times in his career.  I just don't envision a lot of excitement for him being captain.

 

They should give it to Azinger again, so he can prove (or not) that he can win in Europe.  Winning in the U.S. is a lot easier.

Zach went to my high school, so I always wish the best for him....but he is not Captain material....Azinger is the best choice for finally winning on foreign soil

[MUNIGRIT]

Has Zinger expressed interest on being the Captain again? The talent gap will show up again in 2023 if these guys dont fall off cliffs. 

[Pepperturbo]

The best Ryder Cup I've watched in years.  Lots of young talent that want to represent America  - that I love to see.

[CCTxGolf]

People talk about horschel in the same breath as Zalatoris and burns like he’s an up an comer. He’s closer to DJ in age than he is JT and Jordan Spieth. 

[Holy Moses]

23 minutes ago, 2011l6 said:

absolutely.... we r in good position.

Maybe it was the caved in face of his putter that was fixed, but Zalatoris has to become a better putter to be on the Ryder Cup team

[Medson]

I just wanna take a moment and acknowledge that this is the No. 25 most replied thread on this sub-forum. Well done, gentlemen! 

 

There is a chance we can make top 20 after all is done. 

[BNGL]

2 hours ago, jdl said:

There's always hope.

 

 

If half that list turn out to be good enough to be considered for Ryder Cup spots I’d be extremely surprised. It’s ridiculously difficult to go from elite am to elite professional. Does it help? Sure but it is no guarantee by any means.

[JaNelson38]

58 minutes ago, MUNIGRIT said:

Has Zinger expressed interest on being the Captain again? The talent gap will show up again in 2023 if these guys dont fall off cliffs. 

 

Zinger said during the broadcast that if the PGA of America is serious about winning in Rome, they need to convince Stricker to do it again.

 

I think if Steve wants it, he'll do it.  Its a matter of whether he wants to or not, or if he wants to return to playing golf again on the Champions Tour.  I know he said during the presser that he's 'glad its over' and all that stuff, but anyone who knows Steve knows that he's as competitive as they come, and after a few weeks when the high of winning ends and everyone looks forward to Rome, I think he'd have a hard time turning down another captaincy in an effort to win on foreign soil.  Especially if a bunch of players come to him and ask him to do it again.

[JaNelson38]

2 hours ago, cardoustie said:

Has anyone commented on how many birdies the US guys made the final day?  It seems to be getting glossed over a little

 

I think DJ had 8 .. and barely won!

 

Koepka and Collin had 7 ???

 

Not sure on the others but the wind laying down really led to some great scoring in the indy's yesterday

 

 

 

They tipped the course out on Sunday too.  

 

It was an amazing display of golf.

[KennyP]

2 hours ago, cardoustie said:

Has anyone commented on how many birdies the US guys made the final day?  It seems to be getting glossed over a little

 

I think DJ had 8 .. and barely won!

 

Koepka and Collin had 7 ???

 

Not sure on the others but the wind laying down really led to some great scoring in the indy's yesterday

 

 

 

Anyone know how many balls actually ended up in lake Michigan?

 

It didn't come into play as much as I expected.

 

Lots of shots disappeared over the edge on camera, only to be shown being played, sometimes from reasonable lies.

[tatertot]

4 hours ago, JaNelson38 said:

 

When the reporter asked at the team presser about Stricker being a captain again in 23, to a man all the players said yes.  When someone asked JT a question about Tiger, JT responded, "Tiger who?"

 

It wasn't that long ago that Phil Mickelson was throwing Tom Watson under the bus in these pressers.

I meant before this Ryder Cup ... the question was asked about Zach being considered a leader. Did anybody consider Stricker a leader before this past weekend.

[tatertot]

2 hours ago, TLUBulldogGolf said:

 

Homa, Zalatoris, Horschel, Burns..

Horschel?