The 37th Ryder Cup - Just Play Already !

Just another sign that it's the end of the world as we know it, but I feel fine. Ryder Cup media coverage is reaching fever pitch. I hardly can tell if I'm reading a golf website or People Magazine. Faldo snubs Clarke, Azinger picks guys outside the top 50. Woods may or may not visit Valhalla to rally the troops. Faldo rips Azinger's assistant captain selections. And the list goes on and on....

Perhaps it's all fallout from a lackluster late summer golf season. TV ratings are plunging and the casual golf/Tiger Woods fan couldn't really care any less. Even $10,000,000.00 can't get their remotes to hit on a tournament or get Vijay to offer up a sentence or two. I always wondered if guys like Vijay and Ernie Els watch the Ryder Cup. Which leads to a stroke of average golfer brilliance. Why not form a third Ryder Cup team from the nations that can't play in the current format? Australia, Fiji, Asia, and South Africa could field a representative squad. Every two years the previous winner gets a bye. The other two play to see who challenges the defending champs. Theoretically you could play in every Ryder Cup, or none. More world class players get to be seen and winning actually means something. Won't happen, makes too much sense.

Ryder Cup buzz can be interesting. Much more discussion and time is involved in the run-up than the event. It's half the fun. Still, the speculation is meaningless once the first ball is in the air. Players have good days and bad. A lot of the deciding in a three day event depends on who's hot during that tiny stretch. Stats are useless. World ranking is yesterday's news. What you're doing for me today rules. Let's hope for a competitive match that renders the final day's singles matches as important. I have a feeling we'll get one. These guys are all great golfers. It's just a question of how many are how great for three days and on which team. Enough with the jaw flapping already. Let's see some golf.

Til' next,

Azinger Draws Straws, Makes Ryder Cup Picks.

Choosing from a sea of mediocrity, American captain Paul Azinger made public his 2008 Ryder Cup captain's picks today. Cleverly changing the selection format from two to four captain's picks, Azinger had hoped to be able to ride the coattails of four recently hot golfers. He had to settle for tepid.

Steve Stricker, J.B. Holmes, Hunter Mahan, and Chad Campbell received the fortunate phone calls for their clothes sizes. Let's speculate a tad on each.......

• Steve Stricker.....Most solid of the bunch. Ranked #8 in the world. Ranking achieved mostly from last year's success. Still, shouldn't hurt us.

• J.B. Holmes..... Ranked #55. Kentucky native. Has played Valhalla a million times. Big bomber, birdie maker. At least that's the plan. Expect very little rough to be in the way of his cannon.
  

• Hunter Mahan..... Ranked #37. Repentant Ryder Cup disser. Sincere though. Playing well, but not consistently well. Opened the Barclays with a 61, finished T31.

• Chad Campbell..... Ranked #53. Always referred to as "great ball striker". Would prefer " low scorer". Can't really tell if Chad gets rattled. He appears the same all the time.
  

The top of the list of guys that weren't picked that could possibly be deemed surprises would be Scott Verplank. He owns a 4-1 Ryder Cup record, is a magnificent putter and ranked #45. Great putters are at a premium in match play and none of Zinger's picks would be confused with Ben Crenshaw. Still, expect Azinger to set the course up fast with little discernible rough to favor our advantage with bombers, Mickelson, Kim, Perry and the aforementioned Mr. Holmes. Horses for courses.

Average golfer will take a little time to digest the squad and comment liberally in the coming days. Maybe after getting scorched repeatedly with an "A" squad, coming in under the radar with a "B" squad may not be all that bad. Sneak attack anyone?

Til' next,