Is US Ryder Cup Team Healthy?

Written by Bryan Spitzer

Wednesday, 02 July 2008

With little over two months away from the grandest team event in all of golf, the US Ryder Cup team sits poised to reverse the unfortunate, shellackings they have received over the past 3 events, particularly the two most recent 18 1/2 to 9 1/2 embarrassments.  The team now consists of 5 veterans and three rookie's that are mathematically on the team at this juncture.  Additionally the next four players in point totals have absolutely no prior ryder cup play and only one of those four (Stricker '06) has any Presidents Cup experience, as well. Thru the last week in July, this is whos in and whos on the bubble. 1) Stewart Cink  Total Matches   R.C. W-L_H  Singles W-L_H  4Somes W-L_H  4Ball W-L_H  Total Points Won   Point % 12 3-5-4 1-2-0 1-3-1  1-0-3 3.5 .29 2) Phil Mickelson  Total Matches   R.C. W-L_H  Singles W-L_H  4Somes W-L_H  4Ball W-L_H  Total Points Won   Point %  25 9-12-4 3-3-0 2-3-3  4-6-1 11 .44 3) Kenny Perry  Total Matches   R.C. W-L_H  Singles W-L_H  4Somes W-L_H  4Ball W-L_H  Total Points Won   Point %  2 0-2-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0- 0  0.00 4) Jim Furyk  Total Matches   R.C. W-L_H  Singles W-L_H  4Somes W-L_H  4Ball W-L_H  Total Points Won   Point %  20 6-12-2 3-1-1 2-5-0  1-6-1 7 .35 5) Anthony Kim  Total Matches   R.C. W-L_H  Singles W-L_H  4Somes W-L_H  4Ball W-L_H  Total Points Won   Point %  - - - -  - - - 6) Justin Leonard  Total Matches   R.C. W-L_H  Singles W-L_H  4Somes W-L_H  4Ball W-L_H  Total Points Won   Point % 8 0-3-5 0-0-2 0-2-1  0-1-2 2.5 .31 7) Boo Weekley  Total Matches   R.C. W-L_H  Singles W-L_H  4Somes W-L_H  4Ball W-L_H  Total Points Won   Point %  - -  - - - - - 8) Steve Stricker  Total Matches   R.C. W-L_H  Singles W-L_H  4Somes W-L_H  4Ball W-L_H  Total Points Won   Point % - - - - - - - The top 4 guys have a combined 20 Ryder Cup Appearances and 21.5 points, Their record is mediocre at best.  The remianing locks are indeed the Wild Card in this years Ryder Cup as Anthony Kim leads the charge with Boo Weekley and Steve Stricker.  Justin Leonard has been the model of consistency this season and we should expect no less from him in the September matches as he tries to turn around his lackluster past performances.  Kim, who has exploded onto the scene with two wins, Wachovia and the AT&T has also produced a T7 at the Open and a T26 at the U.S. Open in June.    Stricker hopes to draw on '07 Presidents Cup experience to help guide him around Valhalla and Captain Azinger looks to put to great use his homefield advantage as most of his team has tournament experience at Valhalla, ('00 PGA Championship.)  If any silver lining can be taken from the the Worlds. No 1 being sidelined is the fact that without such a dominant force the US team will have to draw upon finding a synergy among the 12 guys on the course and rally behind each other to pull off what might be the biggest modern upset, (on paper) in Ryder Cup history. (1)

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 30 July 2008 )

 

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