Last train to Chaska

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The 2016 Ryder Cup itself might be a month away, but the teams will be largely finalised this weekend.

Europe's 9 automatic qualifiers are already settled - and Darren Clarke's only headache is that he already has five rookies out of nine, and two of his next best unqualified players would be rookies as well. In the European side are Rory McIlroy, Danny Willett, Henrik Stenson, Chris Woods, Sergio Garcia, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Justin Rose, Andy Sullivan and Matthew Fitzpatrick. I fully expect Clarke will pick Lee Westwood, and I would go for Martin Kaymer, but none of the other veterans have had good seasons, and if I were Clarke I'd pick Soren Kjeldsen, even if it means six rookies.

The American team will only be finalised after the Barclays championship on Sunday, and at the moment any of the top 22 (down to Charley Hoffman) on their list can still make the team. At the moment, Davis Love must be pretty pleased with how the top eight, and indeed the next four, on his list are shaping up - the automatic places are filled by Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Jimmy Walker, Brooks Koepka, Brandt Snedeker, Zach Johnson and Patrick Reed, and the next four are JB Holmes, Bubba Watson, Matt Kuchar and Rickie Fowler. It would be pretty obvious for Love to pick those four. The difficulty facing Love could be if Jim Furyk wins this week - he's been preselected as a vice captain on the basis he wasn't expected to qualify, but still could.

Talking of vice captains, this will be Tiger Woods' only appearance at a major golf tournament in 2016. I wonder how much camera time he'll get compared to the other VCs.

[tee rex]

Last train to Chaska

This picture is from the Daily Mail, irony fans ...



If it's awkward this year, what will it be in two years' time? Banned?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

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If we reverted to GB and Ireland, we'd still just about be able to pick 12 out of the top 100. But we'd get our arses kicked.

[Ray de Galles]

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Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Thomas Pieters have been picked as Europe's wildcards by Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke.

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[Rogin the Armchair fan]

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Pieters surprised me - but Clarke was there to see him win at the weekend, and I get the impression that Clarke had intimated to all the near-qualifiers that he was likely to pick whoever impressed him most form-wise in Denmark. Pieters also hits the ball a bloody mile so will be a good fourballs partner to team up with, in the matches where the American tactic will similarly be to send JB Holmes, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson out to boom one up towards the green and intimidate their opponents into trying to follow suit.

The European team is quite notable, looking at it, for how many players who were the stars last time have slid completely off the radar. Luke Donald, Francesco Molinari, Nicolas Colsaerts, Jamie Donaldson - I'd have expected all of them to have been automatic this time around, but none of them are there.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

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Love's gone with Holmes, Fowler and Kuchar- the final pick won't be made until after the FedEx Cup final, but to be honest, while everyone was critical of the US system not allowing them to pick he surprise FedEx Cup winner (Billy Horschel) last time out, as his win came too late, I'd think carefully about picking the FedEx Cup winner anyway if he's a surprise. He'll have spent the week before ripped to the tits on his $10m bonus, and probably not thinking about the Ryder Cup. Of course, if Paul Casey wins the Tour Championship and the Fedex Cup (and there's every chance) it will at once justify his decision to deselect himself from the European Tour (and team), whilst leaving an "our best player" sized hole in the European team.

[ursus arctos]

Last train to Chaska

I hadn't realised that they have sliced and diced the order of holes at Hazeltine for television and sponsors.

When the United States team faces Europe beginning next Friday, this will be the order of the holes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 — make the turn — 10, 11, 12, 13, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

It says something about golf culture on the opposite sides of the pond, and Ryder Cup culture in particular, that this has barely engendered comment in general sports media over here.

[tee rex]

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Two nations, divided by a common language ...

A golfer's brother's comedy doesn't cross the pond. But the comments are (unintentionally) funny.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

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Clarke's rolled the dice for the opening foursomes.

Rose and Stenson out first against Spieth and Reed, and the European pair will be expected to get some blue on the board, even if both these pairs were their respective teams' highest scorers last time.

McIlroy and Sullivan must have clicked in the practice rounds, but will need to play well to get anything out of Mickelson and Fowler. Garcia and Kaymer against Zach Johnson and Jimmy Walker looks an even contest, as long as the European pair both bring their Ryder Cup game. The last one, Westwood and Pieters against Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar, looks like a red point on paper.

Oh, and after all the fuss about Love keeping one pick back to see who played best at the Tour Championship last week (Ryan Moore) ... he's benched him.

The one thing about foursomes is that, historically, the American players just haven't been very good at it - whereas the Europeans seem to thrive on the format (it was 7-1 to us in 2014). Overall I'd be happy with 2-2 from this session, looking at those pairings, but hopefully Europe can nick it 2 1/2 - 1 1/2.

[Ray de Galles]

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Is Moore not appearing in the opening pairings that surprising? Four guys miss out in those, he was the last guy picked and last to join up with the team. There are potentially four more matches for him to play after all.

Willett not making them is surely the bigger issue, though there are obvious external reasons Clarke might not want him out there early.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

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I hope Willett's brother's sense of humour doesn't become an albatross around his neck. It's hardly his fault, is it, that his brother is clearly thicker than the American fans he was parodying.

[Ray de Galles]

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Both teams in navy blue is making it a bit confusing to those of us trying to work and keeping one eye on the TV to keep up.

Rory has some lush new daps on mind.

[pebblethefish]

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I'm only able to read the BBC updates feed, but even that is worrying enough at the moment

[Ray de Galles]

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Has there been a whitewash session since Europe came in to the competition (I presume there must have been for USA v GB)?

,

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

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Ray de Galles wrote: Has there been a whitewash session since Europe came in to the competition (I presume there must have been for USA v GB)?

From The Guardian:

That’s only the fourth clean sweep in a foursomes series, following American efforts in 1947, 1975 and 1981.

[Ray de Galles]

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So one European one.

Interestingly, looking them up, the other two were also both in the opening morning foursomes of away tournaments for GB&I (apologies for missing Ireland out last time) and they ended up losing them both by 10 points (under different scoring systems from now).

This is looking dead already.

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[Rogin the Armchair fan]

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This morning was a complete and utter disaster.

Looking at the afternoon's fourballs (which I'd always have favoured the US team in, anyway):

Speith/Reed v Rose/Stenson : in fourballs I'd go for the Yanks, narrowly. Hopefully a draw, but Patrick Reed didn't miss a bloody putt this morning.

Holmes/Moore v Cabrera-Bello/Garcia : Garcia is the only real world class player in this foursome, and this morning he played like he'd never been handed a club before. Red point.

Snedeker/Koepka v Kaymer/Willett: on paper this should be Europe's. Two major champions against two relative rookies. Is Willett's head in the right place? Will the US crowd fire up their young guys? Happy with a half.

D Johnson/Kuchar v McIlroy/Pieters : why Clarke has sent Pieters out again is a mystery (at least he had the sense to bench Westwood, who was abysmal). Rory played quite well this morning, but if this pair are going to win with, say, a joint 64, it will because Rory McIlroy has shot a 64. Red point.

This could very easily end up 8-0 to the USA tonight. If the odds on that are favourable, put a dollar on it.

[IronSeaPower]

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Only 8 birdies in the morning session.
Much more competitive in the afternoon. For now.
It's ages since I watched this 'live' and have succumbed to naughtiness live streaming.

Monty is funny with the odd involuntary John Shuttleworth 'oofphs'.

The crowd is interesting. As partisan as it is on our soil, I feel there is the 'too quick too applaud the errors' element.

Willetts' brother is to be castigated for his comments - he may have compromised the Euro team spirit.
Rather than highlighting obesity, he should have concentrated on the potential to form an army of cunts from a Ryder Cup crowd, with this year, for example, being the best opportunity.

[Hot Pepsi]

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I feel like this is the worst golf event.

All of the boredom of regular golf but with the boorisness and jingoism of every other sport.

[Ray de Galles]

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Nah, it's the greatest. I've been in a Ryder Cup crowd and the atmosphere was wonderful, great for both sets of players.

It's very hard to get jingoistic about Europe as an entity.

[Outside Agent]

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All four matches in the afternoon session are heading for clear victories. Has there ever been a session where all matches were won by 3 holes or better?

Four balls on the green in regulation in a fourball match, and the ensuing putt-off, is one of golf's greatest components.

[ursus arctos]

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Hell of a 16th by McIlroy

[Ray de Galles]

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Well, fuck my old boots. Where did that come from? The cliche about the Ryder Cup being all about momentum borne out again. Fantastic stuff.

[GCostanza]

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Oh dear.

This aside, would actually like to see the US make much more of contest of this, though it's questionable which team represents an overall higher proportion of unpleasant people in their respective populations.

[hank williams]

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Willett's brother wasn't harsh enough on the American fans. You'd think golf would attract a civilised crowd.