As we near one of my favorite sporting events, The Ryder Cup, there has been a lot of chatter about the selections made by the captains of the competing teams. Zach Johnson (US captain) and Luke Donald (European captain) both caused quite a stir with their captain’s picks. While I have observed the social media frenzy surrounding the different captain’s selections, I have stayed out of the debate on social media. I’ve read a lot of opinions and comments with varying views either supporting or deriding both captains for their picks.
Since I will be rooting for the US team, I will share my thought and opinions on Zach Johnson’s selections, they are similar to my thoughts and opinions on Luke Donald’s selections.
Before I begin, I played in a Ryder Cup type of club pro team event three times called the Dick Smith Cup. We played three 9-hole matches; 2-man scramble, fourball and foursomes. I have also played mini tour events, club pro events, state opens and US Open qualifiers. Even with all that experience, I was never more nervous than I was playing in the Dick Smith Cup matches. So, when the best players in the world say the Ryder Cup is the most nerve-wracking event they have ever played, I believe them.
I also want to mention I had teammates I wasn’t particularly comfortable with. Simply put, we didn’t like each other, or, at best, weren’t friends. I had a winning record in the three matches I played in, and I won and lost matches with both friends and non-friends. But I played better in matches with partners I was comfortable with, and it definitely helped relieve some of the pressure.
Keep all that in mind as I share my thoughts.
There were several players on the short list for the US team. Each name on the list deserved to be on the list for varying reasons. Some because of recent play. Some because of two years of solid play. Some because of past Ryder Cup performance. Some because they are best friends with another player already on the team. With each there were also negatives that needed to be considered.
Most of the selections made by Zach Johnson were met without issue by golf fans. It seems two selections created the most controversy, while two players left off the team carried a lot of support.
Let’s start with who was left off the team.
Lucas Glover. I was personally rooting for Glover to make the team following his late season back-to-back wins and overall solid play this season. Glover is a ball striking machine who has clawed his way back from the depths of golf darkness. When I think of Glover, I think of a grinder with a bulldog tenacity. Don’t let his soft-spoken demeanor fool you. There is no quit in the man. But he is also a true gentleman of the game who is liked and respected by his peers. While he has never played on a Ryder Cup team, he has played on two President’s Cup teams and went undefeated in his matches.
Glover is also older. He probably would not be on another Ryder Cup team. Ryder Cup selections now focus on players who have experience in the Ryder Cup or need experience in the Ryder Cup. I believe this was the factor that kept Glover off the team.
Keegan Bradley. Bradley was the more controversial snub. Just like Glover, Bradley is a bulldog on the golf course. He was solid over the past two years with two wins this year and finished eleventh on the Ryder Cup points list. Bradley has also won a major. Unlike Glover, Bradley has played in the Ryder Cup amassing a 4-3 record.
Bradley believed he was not selected because he isn’t one of the guys. Bradley isn’t as old as Glover, but he’s older than the players on the team. He said he’s tried to get closer to the younger players. Refer back to my experience playing team matches. The Europeans have built teams around experience and relationships. If Bradley isn’t close with the younger players on the team, then this was ultimately the reason he wasn’t selected.
I know people will argue they are professionals and get paired with players they don’t get along with all the time. That is true. Golf has its cliques. Players grow up competing against each other. The younger group of players on the Tour grew up competing against each other. Most of them seem to get along with one another. Bradley is older and, therefore, an outsider which he recognized. I take Bradley at his word that he tried to get closer to the younger players, but the close friendships aren’t there. I don’t know if they get along. They may or may not. With all else being equal, Johnson selected younger experienced players he knew already meshed well together.
If I had to pick between the two, I would have taken Bradley based on his past Ryder Cup experience, even though I rooted for Glover to make the team. That said, if either or both had been picked for the team, there were enough positives to justify their selections. I would have been okay with it.
Time for who was selected.
Sam Burns. Burns has been solid over the last two years. He won the WGC Match Play earlier this year. He was left off the team two years ago. He made it known it hurt being left off the last team and used it as motivation to try and make this team. Burns is also young with the kind of firepower which is appealing in the modern game. One of the goals for the US Ryder Cup is to get younger players on the team and develop experience. Oh, I believe I’ve mentioned close relationships with other players being a big factor, his best friend is Scottie Scheffler.
While Burns has the game and firepower, he will be a Ryder Cup rookie at age 27. He did play in the last President’s Cup and compiled an 0-3-2 record.
Justin Thomas. THE controversial pick. JT has not played well this season, but he has that bulldog tenacity which is so important in match play. His Ryder Cup record is 6-2-1, and, at age 30, is still a world class player. Plus, he and best friend, Jordan Spieth, are a formidable pairing in both fourball and foursomes.
Ultimately, I am happy with the selections Zach Johnson made. I would have been pleased if he had selected any combination of the four players mentioned here. The team would have been formidable with any of them, but, if I’m honest, this is a team event. Players get paired together as a team with one day of individual match play. It is infinitely easier to put players together as a team when they have friends on the team. Scheffler/Burns and Spieth/Thomas are natural pairings. It easier on the captain and the players themselves.
The Europeans developed a winning formula and started dominating the event. The formula was simple: experience and strong relationships within the team. As an example, the Europeans selected Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter on previous teams when they weren’t in good form, but they had strong relationships with other players on the team and strong Ryder Cup records. Those two players were often the difference makers in those Ryder Cup matches. Luke Donald has followed
that model again with his selections.
The US examined the model the Europeans used and started to formulate their own version. Zach Johnson has merely followed the successful European model. Only time will tell if it will be successful for this US team.
As always, be grateful when you play. Enjoy the round. Now, go golf!
Thanks, Dennis! It's going to be a lot of fun!
Great read. Pumped for Ryder Cup!