2014 Ryder Cup: Roster Analysis and Predictions

The Ryder Cup is a highly prestigious golf tournament held between the Americans and the Europeans. It builds a strong friendly rivalry and provides golf fanatics with one of the best weekends of golf that there could possibly be. The Europeans have won 2 in a row, 5 of the last 6, and 7 of the last 9 tournaments. The Americans are going to be trying to change the tide, and win on foreign soil for the first time since 1993.

This year’s Ryder Cup is greatly anticipated, and for good reason. The USA is looking to rebound from the last tournament, where they blew a 4-point lead heading into the final day. “Miracle at Medinah” was a huge moment for the Europeans while the Americans were left in disarray. Despite the blowup from Team USA, it was great golf to watch. Seeing Henrik Stenson match Tiger’s final score to earn the half point needed for Team Europe to win was unreal. Both sides gave strong performances, which I was pleased about because it meant that the competition in golf is heating up. As much as I enjoyed seeing Tiger dominate throughout my entire life, seeing young stars being born is just as thrilling. Among them I see Jordan Spieth, Martin Kaymer, Victor Dubuisson and Rickie Fowler having a standout tournament. My favorite part of the Ryder Cup is knowing that everyone will bring his A-game; the question is, who will come out on top?

Here’s a quick view of the layout of both squads:

Position	USA	Europe
Captain	Tom Watson	Paul McGinley
1	Bubba Watson	Rory McIlroy
2	Rickie Fowler	Henrik Stenson
3	Jim Furyk	Victor Dubuisson
4	Jimmy Walker	Jamie Donaldson
5	Phil Mickelson	Sergio Garcia
6	Matt Kuchar	Justin Rose
7	Jordan Spieth	Martin Kaymer
8	Patrick Reed	Thomas Bjorn
9	Zach Johnson	Graeme McDowell
Captain’s Pick 1	Keegan Bradley	Stephen Gallacher
Captain’s Pick 2	Webb Simpson	Ian Poulter
Captain’s Pick 3	Hunter Mahan	Lee Westwood

By now, you probably know my prediction for this tournament. If you’ve been following golf all year, than you, like myself, know that Europe has a high chance to walk away with the trophy again.

From top to bottom, Europe has the better roster. From the current best player in the world with Rory McIlroy, to one of the most consistent Ryder Cup players the world has ever seen in Ian Poulter; Europe outmatches the US in nearly every category.

Tom Watson made some quality captain’s picks, but he has faced some scrutiny for it. He made his picks “too early” according to some. He also elected to go with experience with his captain’s picks rather than potential talent. He left Chris Kirk off of his roster, who a few say deserve a spot more than all 3 of Watson’s picks. Kirk would have been the fourth rookie on Team USA, but he’s had his best year yet and he’s proved that he can consistently compete at a high level.

Another option for Watson was the late bloomer and FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel. Despite winning the Cup, the BMW Championship, and placing second in the Deutsche Bank Championship (the final 3 tournaments he played in), Horschel didn’t do enough early enough in the eyes of Tom Watson, or as Watson described it “He was a day late, but not a dollar short.” Horschel would truly have been cheated out of the luxury of being selected had he wanted to be selected in the first place. Horschel’s wife is due with their first child this Saturday, and he clearly stated that he wants to be there for her. Ironically enough, Tom Watson went through the same thing. In 1979 Watson was going to play in his second Ryder Cup, but withdrew so he could be there for his wife and child.

So don’t be too critical of Watson and his selections, he went with what he knew was best for Team USA. Besides, he’s Tom Watson… No one can be mad at Tom.

Paul McGinley had a few options himself and despite wanting nothing more than America to win, I was upset that Luke Donald didn’t get the nod. He has performed admirably in the tournament throughout his career posting a 10-4-1 overall record through 4 tournaments, including a thrilling win over Jim Furyk at Medinah last year. Donald deserves a spot on this Ryder Cup team as much as everybody, yet McGinley left him off for Stephen Gallacher, a 38-year old who doesn’t typically face the Americans. I get that Gallacher had a good year on the European tour, but Luke Donald is a player that any captain should be begging to play. He went with the incredibly reliant Ian Poulter, who has a 12-3 overall record through 4 tournaments. Donald is essentially another Poulter, and McGinley did not take advantage of that. His third pick was also based on experience with Lee Westwood so I don’t know why he wouldn’t stick to the game plan. Other than that hiccup, McGinley has one heck of a team.

What we can expect:

For obvious reasons, one of the most anticipated potential matchups is Fowler vs. McIlroy. Personally though, I’m hoping to see the rookies match up with each other. Both sides possess 3 rookies (Spieth, Walker and Reed for USA and Dubuisson, Gallacher and Donaldson for Europe), and I would love to see them go head-to-head on Sunday. If it were up to me, I would pair up Spieth with Dubuisson, Walker with Donaldson and Reed with Gallacher. Spieth and Dubuisson would be a sick match to watch, considering they both play well beyond their years. I think we can expect to see at least 1 rookie matchup on Sunday, and a couple rookies going against each other in the foursomes and fourballs on Friday and Saturday. Look out for the rookies this year, because they can make or break their respective teams.

On the American side, I think we can expect Jim Furyk to continue his poor Ryder Cup performances. Despite playing in the tourney 8 times he’s posted a 9-17-4 record. Jim is one of my all-time favorites, but I won’t be able to stand watching the man choke again. He’s had a great year and I hope he can right his own ship, but the odds are against him.

Also be wary of Phil. He’s off-and-on every tourney, and we never know which Phil Mickelson will show up. In that aspect, Phil and Keegan Bradley are somewhat similar. Bradley had a strong showing in 2012 going 3-1, but his one loss was huge. And as we’ve seen in past years, Bradley can be either dangerously awful or dangerously good.

If there’s one player that I expect to perform above the competition, it’s Rickie Fowler. He’s coming off his best year on the tour, and he’s confident about his game. He’s improved his swing a great deal, and he can go toe-to-toe with Europe’s best. He’ll probably be the American’s anchor, so look for him to win a couple crucial matches.

For Europe, expect McIlroy to be playing nearly all weekend except in Saturday’s afternoon matches. He’s their stud, and has been the world’s best golfer all year. He’ll be tough to stop, and I don’t know if anyone will be able to do so. Apart from McIlroy, Europe has Henrik Stenson who is nasty, Sergio Garcia who has been playing excellent golf recently, and Martin Kaymer who has had a great season. In addition to that, the veterans for Europe can be expected to perform well, specifically Ian Poulter.

Final thoughts:

If America is going to win this year, each of their twelve players is going to need to bring their best golf all weekend. They’re clearly outmatched by Europe, and they can’t afford any slip-ups. I’m projecting the Europeans to win 8 points out of the 12 Sunday matches. I just don’t think we can match-up with them going head-to-head. Taking that into consideration, I think the US will need to win the foursomes and fourballs by at least 4 points (but don’t count on them being able to do that).

It’s going to be an interesting tournament and America is the outside team coming in. I’m going with Team Europe to win again this year, 16.5-11.5. But after all it is the Ryder Cup, and as we’ve seen, anything can happen.