I was reading a golf article the other day about the upcoming Ryder Cup – it had the usual, “what are going to do without Tiger portion”, but then it talked about what guys are currently tops in points and how we have no one to be scared of – basically concluding that we don’t have a chance…and it totally bugged me!  I realize that golf writers and columnists are supposed to be critical sometimes, but geez, slamming the nice guy golfer is a little much for me.  Since when did being mean or intimidating equal success on the golf course at this level?   I mean, I can see Joe Average golfer cracking under the pressure of playing against the club pro, but this is professional level golf, does it really matter that Cink, Mickelson, Perry and others happen to have a friendly demeanor?

I would argue that some of the opponents might get more frustrated playing against a polite, quiet guy rather than the steely eyes of Tiger.  In many articles I’ve read you hear players over and over say how much they want the chance to take on Tiger – it motivates them.  Maybe our “nice guys” will go about their business of hitting fairways and greens, dropping a few putts, and letting their game speak instead of some persona. 

And just because someone is “nice” doesn’t mean that they don’t want to win just as much as the outwardly passionate guy…it’s how they channel their passion that will count. 

Just for fun, I looked at the current European list and frankly, I’m not sure that whole group is all that intimidating either.  I know there is some time before the final lists are out, but no matter who ends up on the US team, I think the secret weapon can be how much of “team” they can become –inspiring and supporting each other can make the difference.

I’ve always loved “team golf” and I look forward to watching the Ryder Cup and cheering for all of the nice guys!!  What are your thoughts on the Ryder Cup?

I'm sure any day now Paul Azinger will be getting a hold of me for my thoughts on his Ryder Cup captain's picks.  It's crunch time and some serious decisions have to be made if the US of A is going to capture the Cup next month.

The top 8 are locked up...in the golf international article they tell us who is already representing the US - Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Kenny Perry, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim, Justin Leonard, Ben Curtis and Boo Weekley.  It seems like a well-rounded group with varied golf styles and attitudes.  And let me just say that Kenny Perry better go undefeated since I hold him personally responsible for my fantasy team losing out on the PGA (I hope to be over the WD before the cup starts!).  Okay, back to the subject at hand...

Azinger has 4 captains choices - a change from the prior 2 picks and really making the captain just a little more responsible for the win or loss.  The easiest solution would be to take the next  4 guys in Ryder Cup standings...Stricker, Austin, Trahan, and Mahan.  (sidebar:  I like the rhyming Mahan/Trahan pairing!)  But I'm not sure the Ryder Cup standings are the best measure of who we want.

As much as it pains me to say this, I'm not sure Steve Stricker is our guy right now - at the end of last year and the beginning of this year he was streaky hot and was my winning pick for several weeks! (Thanks Steve!)  But he cooled off - a lot - and I'm not sure being #9 on the list is enough of a reason...his match play record isn't super, and I'm not sure he has as much fire for competition as some other guys.  I think I've finally learned that just because you like someone (a lot) doesn't mean they will come through for you.

I'm a bit indifferent to Woody Austin, Sean O'Hair, and Zach Johnson - Austin definitely has a competitive spirit, and O'Hair has played decent lately, but I think they might get picked as a default rather than because they are "must haves" - Zach is another player I REALLY like, but is performance this season as been mediocre at best.  Mahan/Trahan worry me - I don't know why - they've proven themselves with points, but when I think Ryder Cup, they don't seem to rise to the top.

Then there's Rocco - LOVE him - but his performance at the PGA puts him in my "maybe not" list...if he can prove himself in the next couple weeks maybe he'll have a chance, but I think I'd like to see him as a future Captain.

Brandt Snedecker is on my Yes list - besides making my favorite names list, being cute, and fairing well at the Masters, I think he's got a great spirit and passion for the game that will do well in match play. (oh that's right, being cute shouldn't be a factor) - anyway, he's 15^th on the list, but I think he deserves a chance.

The guys in my top 6 (besides Snedecker) are: David Toms, Chad Campbell, Brian Gay, Woody Austin and Sean O'Hair - with an honorable mention to Tommy Armour III.

I'm pumped for the Ryder Cup next month - I love match play and as much as I am a fan of many European players, I will be cheering hard for the US squad, whoever it turns out to be.  This reminds me just a little bit of me winning the World Match play - er, I mean Tiger winning the match play. 

Who do you think should be the Captain's Picks?

Hiya Chip ... some interesting thoughts ... I'm gonna go at it from a different perspective ... all of these guys can play, and golf is such a mental game that even if a player isn't at the top of their game they could play well if put in the proper situation ... and anybody that has ever played the game certainly can't disregard a candidate because of a single bad round (or even a bad week or two) as the Golf International article seems to do ... these guys are just too good to use stats or recent performance alone for this sort of an event ... but I digress ...

I like the following guys:

Rocco, because nobody (and I do mean nobody) would have more fun playing in the Ryder Cup than Rocco, and I think his enthusiasm and laid-back "dang-isn't-this-the-coolest-thing-ever" attitude would be very contageous (with very positive results for the team as a whole) ... and then Paul needs to spread Rocco and Boo around the team liberally throughout the weekend ...

JB, because in match play even the best players get deflated when somebody knocks it 40 yards by them on every stinking hole.

Steve Flesch, because we need another left-hander that will make guys stand on the other side of the tee box on every hole ... just something else to change it up a bit.

Brandt, because I like the way he plays and I like that big ol' smile that says "I'm an American, I'm going to kick your butt, and you're still going to like me afterwards because I'm cute" ...

Hey 2putt, Good thoughts and good picks, too.  Any feeling on Rich Beem after a decent performance last week?  I agree with you about Rocco regarding his attitude and enthusiasm, but I'm a little worried about his game right now.

I hadn't really thought about JB Holmes, but I think you're exactly right about the mental effect of a guy blowing past your drive on every hole.

I think I'm glad I'm not Paul Azinger right now.

We finally get to find out this morning on the 4 Captain's Picks for the Ryder Cup team - the press conference is going to be shown live on pga.com - more scoop about that here: http://www.pga.com/2008/news/pga/08/29/rydercup_announcement/index.html 

 After reading what others have said about the choices and wanting the best combination of players on the team I hope Azinger picks - JB Holmes (2putt made a great case for his length and Holmes says he loves the match play format) - Rocco Mediate (I have a bit of reservation on him, but I think his enthusiasm is the 15th club in his bag, and I think it can be contagious) - Brandt Snedecker (I'm thinking he's a long shot, but he's got game and the right demeanor) - and finally, going back on what I had said a few weeks ago - Steve Stricker - how could I even think I could keep him off my list?? Even though he hasn't created a whole bunch of sparks lately I think he can in KY.

 We'll find out soon enough!!

And how about leaving Darren Clarke off the European team??  I'm surprised - I might have actually picked Poulter & Clarke and left off Casey - but to not pick Clarke seems strange.

Happy Ryder Cup month!

Here are your four Captain's Picks - in the order that Azinger announced them:

Steve Stricker - Hunter Mahan - JB Holmes - Chad Campbell

I listened to part of the press conference but work got in the way for most of it, dang it!  Two of my hopefuls were picked, and I did remember that I had put Campbell on my list last month, so I'm taking that as a correct pick, too!   Hunter Mahan was a logical choice, but I just liked other guys better.  During the press conference he said he only called one guy to tell them they didn't make the team, but he didn't say who it was, only that the person felt bad - I'm thinking possibly Woody Austin or Rocco?

I thought Azinger handled the whole interview really well - I was impressed - he mentioned a few times about his control freak personality and that he was sort of an out of the box thinker when it came to this team - I didn't catch if he ellaborated on that at all.  He mentioned that Stricker and Holmes had been chosen before the other two.  Interestingly, Chad Campbell is most likely going to be a father today - it sounded like his wife was going to deliver sometime today - talk about having two amazing things happen in one day!

I'm sure the bloggers, reporters and web sites will be analyzing these picks to death - but now that we know the team, it's time to start pumping them up and cheering them on - Azinger mentioned the fans being the 13th team member, and I hope that's true!  I'm fired up again for the match - Go USA!

Oh no!  I've lost my Ryder Cup enthusiasm!!  I don't know what happened - maybe all the negative media has finally gotten to me.  Or maybe it's because I haven't really seen any stuff that's pumped me up either - I haven't watched much TV in the past few weeks so maybe I've missed all the commercials and hype about it.  I feel terrible!!

And I'm going to be golfing all weekend, so I might not even get to watch much of it...this is usually one of my favorite events to watch, too.

I can only hope that the US does great and people can start believing in the Ryder Cup again!  And if anyone happens to find my enthusiasm feel free to email it back to me -

[looks around ... doesn't see Chip's enthusiasm ... shrugs] ... sorry, it's not down here ...

I have a similar problem ... I'm playing a tournament up in Fort Dodge, IA with my sister this weekend, so I'll have to watch it on the DVR next week ... and I'll probably be listening to some of it on XM radio as well when I get the chance ... go USA!

p.s., I wish Rocco was playing ...

I think I've found a spark of enthusiasm - Yippee!  I read a couple of articles and several player interviews (of course Steve Stricker!!) on the Ryder Cup web site, and then I read Steve Gribin's latest post and I'm starting to feel some excitement...I really enjoyed reading about the players drive, desire and pride to be representing the United States this weekend - and it sounds like a great team...I know I had hoped some different players would have been picked, but learning more about how these guys feel about being on the squad makes me excited to see how they will handle the pressure, nerves, and fun that will be happening the next 3 days.  It was also nice to hear about all the fans that have been there during the practice rounds - we're going to need the 13th player!

I'm bummed I won't get to watch much of it, but I'll be checking in whenever I can...and maybe I'm only one of a few, but I care.

GO USA!!

I've decided to DVR the replays on ESPN Classic, which won't have as much fluff and fill as the live broadcasts ... they also won't be in HD, but at 17 hrs it would probably fill my DVR up ... 5pm to midnight Friday ... 6-11pm Saturday ... 4-9pm Monday ... (all times CDT) ... then I can watch them at my leisure in the coming weeks ...

I really hope JB does well ... he's not necessarily in my top 10 favorite players, but I think he was a good choice for the team (especially at this venue) and I hate that he's getting bashed by Johnny Miller and others ...

I also hope they have live mics on Boo Weekley all weekend, especially if he's paired with JB ... "whooooweeee, look at that ball fly!" ...

Well, how 'bout it?!  What a fantastic weekend for golf!  If anyone is disappointed with how the Ryder Cup played out I think they need to have their head examined...a US victory and some great stories to go along with it.  I missed most of Sunday (checking the progress at the turn) and I was totally bummed that I didn't think to record it because I thought it would be on ESPN classic Sunday night... only to find it wasn't.  But then I read 2putt's post above and see it's going to be on today - YES!  I'm so excited!  It was fantastic to have the replays both Friday and Saturday - great stuff to watch!  There are lots of great stories to read - Check out the golf international articles and Steve Gribin's posts in the Golfer's Home forum.  I totally dig getting the insider's point of view (hopefully he's going to post more stuff!).

Okay - I know most of you won't care about this, but mixed feelings on the apparel selections - liked Friday - so-so on Saturday and okay on Sunday (liked the Red, but seemed a bit plain) - I like when the Ryder Cup is in Europe because you get to see a lot of different clothing items!   I liked Europe's style of shirts, but also a bit plain on Sunday.  I can only imagine what that merchandise tent was like!!

I really needed a little "feel good" in the golf world, and that team came through big time - I can't wait to watch a little golf today!

I was able to watch some of the Sunday singles yesterday, but got a visitor and missed most of it (good thing I remembered to record this time!) - how about Kenny Perry's putting??!!  NICE (Great Putter by the way!)  SO many great shots - it was really fun to watch.  I can't wait to see the finish.  What was interesting was how much Phil was not a part of all the hype - and even though his record wasn't the best, I think he gelled with AK and had some serious enthusiasm and drive out there - I liked it.  But the think I really liked was how much this group of guys looked like a TEAM - they fed off of each other and not only were they playing for each other they were playing for us!  Loved Furyk, too...heck, I liked them all!  What fun it would have been to be in those crowds.  Good stuff!