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If there had been a 2015 Ryder Cup ...

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    If there had been a 2015 Ryder Cup ...

    ... along the way they normally select the side, the automatic qualifiers in the European team would have included Bernd Wiesberger, Marc Warren, Danny Willett and Ross Fisher.

    Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer (along with Miguel Angel Jiminez) would all have missed out and had to rely on captain's picks. Which does make you wonder if appearing in the Ryder Cup gives some of those players that extra motivation - possibly too much - needed to play well in the build-up to it. Poulter, in particular, who once said his only motivation was to replace Tiger Woods as world number one, has never come remotely close to doing so, even though four of his European team-mates have all been number one since Woods went off the boil.

    #2
    If there had been a 2015 Ryder Cup ...

    Those guys would play in more European Tour events in a Ryder Cup year, though, right? So it's not really like for like.

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      #3
      If there had been a 2015 Ryder Cup ...

      Maybe, but most qualifying points (both world ranking ones and Race to Dubai ones, a combination of which are used to choose the side) come from the majors and the WGC events, which are co-sanctioned (even if they mostly take place in the US).

      Shane Lowry would also have made the European team this year by virtue of his recent WGC win, for example.

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        #4
        If there had been a 2015 Ryder Cup ...

        It's usually been the case that the U.S had the better players (certainly where rankings where concerned), but that Europe had the better team. But with Europeans winning more majors in the last decade, you could argue that they had the better individuals too. I think that's swinging back to the U.S again, if this year's majors are considered. The number of Americans in the top ten of this year's four majors were three (US Open), four (British Open), six (Masters) and seven (US PGA). That strikes me as high. Surely higher than any year over the last decade.

        Some Americans performed well, like Russell Henley, Robert Streb, Brandt Snedeker, Brooks Koepka & Billy Horschel. Don't think any of these would have made the Ryder Cup team had it been a fixture this year, but it shows that the Americans have returned to that greater strength-in-depth they previously enjoyed.

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          #5
          If there had been a 2015 Ryder Cup ...

          Do they not have it every year?

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            #6
            If there had been a 2015 Ryder Cup ...

            Every other year I think. Like the African Cup of Nations, only less fun.

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              #7
              If there had been a 2015 Ryder Cup ...

              OA, of the ones you mentioned, actually Snedeker and Streb would have made a 2015 USA team automatically. Mickelson, Furyk and of course Woods would have all missed out, which would have given this year's US captain a tricky job as, as you say, you've got Henley, Koepka, Horschel and Patrick Reed also just outside the top 9, and probably playing better than the veterans.

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                #8
                If there had been a 2015 Ryder Cup ...

                ad hoc wrote: Every other year I think. Like the African Cup of Nations, only less fun.
                Ah right. What's that other golf thing? Do they have that every year?

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                  #9
                  If there had been a 2015 Ryder Cup ...

                  The Presidents Cup? That's every other year, too, in the odd years. There's quite a swell of opinion that they should supplement the existing two (which are US v Europe and US v "Everyone except Europe") with a new Europe v "Everyone except US" match, similarly biennial and maybe played Feb/March in the odd years, either somewhere warm in the Med or at the end of the southern hemisphere summer, to complete the cycle so to speak.

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                    #10
                    If there had been a 2015 Ryder Cup ...

                    I don't know as I've heard of that. I was probably thinking of some less teamy thing. Not that they are real teams.

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                      #11
                      If there had been a 2015 Ryder Cup ...

                      Heh, well if you meant the Open, then yes, that is annual. Normally the third weekend in July, although I think I read they've brought it forward a week or two next year to accommodate the Olympics being fitted into the schedule. Yes, golf at the Olympics. I know.

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                        #12
                        If there had been a 2015 Ryder Cup ...

                        WTF?

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