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Ryder Cup Contest - THP & KBS & Official 2012 Ryder Cup Thread [Spoilers]

Americans have nothing to be ashamed of. They played a great tournament and have so much young talent. You have guys like Keegan and Dufner who are going to lead the US for years to come. I think as fans all we can expect are more great Ryder Cups like this. The US will be sure to win their share in the future. Just too much solid young talent moving forward.
 
I disagree. It's not desperation, it's strategy just as much as laying up to a comfortable wedge number was for Hansen. Dufner thought he wouldn't make worse than 4 by going for the green. Worked out well, turned into a 3. Hansen had to stick it just to give himself his best chance to make a 3. No blood, but one less hole for Hansen to make up ground.

Zach on Saturday just got a bad break, it happens. Happened to probably every player at least once this week at some point.
 
Golf Ghost said:
Americans have nothing to be ashamed of. They played a great tournament and have so much young talent. You have guys like Keegan and Dufner who are going to lead the US for years to come. I think as fans all we can expect are more great Ryder Cups like this. The US will be sure to win their share in the future. Just too much solid young talent moving forward.
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I think that's the one thing we can take from this Ryder Cup, we turned the page to the next generation. It was our young guys, really packing this thing on their back. Dufner was terrific and just played like a bulldog. You couldn't have asked for much more from Keegan and this dude will be the emotional anchor of this team for many years to come. Bubba and Webb are terrific together and both just ran into buzz saws today (Donald was lights out from the word go and Poulter was..........well, Poulter). We may have lost this Ryder Cup, but I kind of feel like we found an identity going forward.
 
jnug said:
Since you win or lose the hole without having to worry about having an impact on a stroke play score, those risk reward elements have to be considered on every hole separately and often on every shot separately. We seem not to have players that do that very well and we seldom have while generally developing far better stroke play golfers.
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I think you have a pretty good read on it. We choose our teams based on stroke play performance and I wonder how much coaching they go through for the match play mindset. This brings to mind the events last season where some players didn't even know the rules of the game they are professionals at. I'm not knocking em down I just wonder if they thought about each hole as match play golf.
 
JeffReedMO said:
I think that's the one thing we can take from this Ryder Cup, we turned the page to the next generation. It was our young guys, really packing this thing on their back. Dufner was terrific and just played like a bulldog. You couldn't have asked for much more from Keegan and this dude will be the emotional anchor of this team for many years to come. Bubba and Webb are terrific together and both just ran into buzz saws today (Donald was lights out from the word go and Poulter was..........well, Poulter). We may have lost this Ryder Cup, but I kind of feel like we found an identity going forward.
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Well said. It's time to move on from the Tiger/Phil era for the US in the Ryder Cup IMO.
 
tnc200 said:
Or relieved, Hunter was there last time and hindsight being 20/20 who would want to be on the squad? If I were either I'd be glad I wasn't picked.
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No way. Guarantee either of those guys gets more points than Stricker or Furyk. Well, unless they qualify I think it is safe to say that we have seen the last of either of them in the Ryder cup (and I really like both of them, but it is time for a change)
 
JeffReedMO said:
I think that's the one thing we can take from this Ryder Cup, we turned the page to the next generation. It was our young guys, really packing this thing on their back. Dufner was terrific and just played like a bulldog. You couldn't have asked for much more from Keegan and this dude will be the emotional anchor of this team for many years to come. Bubba and Webb are terrific together and both just ran into buzz saws today (Donald was lights out from the word go and Poulter was..........well, Poulter). We may have lost this Ryder Cup, but I kind of feel like we found an identity going forward.
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I think your right about an identity but Bubba and Dufner are not young I think 34 and 35. I would be surprised to see Watson on another Ryder Cup I dont think he has the skill to make it on his own in two years and I'm not sure he would be the best pick to help you guys win.
 
Good luck to those who picked the Euro's in this contest.
 
The next generation of US golfers is now well and truly upon us I think.

One thing to keep in mind though is that at least from what has been offered in the past, part of the reason the Euros have been somewhat better at match play is because of the way the business of golf had developed in Europe. For years it was not the kind of big money game that it was here and it was much more of a collegial environment for players moving up into the pro ranks. Guys roomed with each other, grew to knew the other guy and the other guys game at a level that just did not happen here. They did not have to guess or ask their partner what position on the fairway would be best for the shot he wanted to shape in alternate shot. They knew what he wanted to do.

So while the way golf is here for years helped us to develop the best stroke play players, the Euros sort of had an inside track on a developmental process that helped them develop better match play skills and more knowledge about the guys that became their partners. Match play becomes second nature to them the way stroke play becomes second nature for our guys.

Here guys tend to hire their coaches and go off and do their own thing more than they did there. Not sure if that is still true cause golf is now a big money business there also. So some of the Euro advantage in match play skills and knowledge is stuff that our guys just don't get exposed to. Even now I don't wonder if Europe's best stroke play golfers learn much of their stroke play skills here in the US.
 
I've read the old stories of the guys like Hogan and Jones in matchplay and wonder if it is becoming a lost skillset to the pga guys. Out on our rounds and for club tourneys we play it frequently, willing or not. But with the PGA guys playing 30 tourneys a year with travel etc I wonder how much they play. Some side bet I've heard but I'm dissecting todays play and just wondering what happened?
 
Am I the only one that thinks Tiger would just as soon pass on playing?

Kevin
 
Golf Ghost said:
Well said. It's time to move on from the Tiger/Phil era for the US in the Ryder Cup IMO.
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US can only "move on" if either or both don't continue to be automatic qualifiers. I bet Tiger will be on the 2014 team, not sure if Phil will play well enough to get on.
 
Esox said:
Am I the only one that thinks Tiger would just as soon pass on playing?

Kevin
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No I think he likes it.

Hey we did learn who P. Lawrie is though, and so did Sneads.
 
tnc200 said:
I've read the old stories of the guys like Hogan and Jones in matchplay and wonder if it is becoming a lost skillset to the pga guys. Out on our rounds and for club tourneys we play it frequently, willing or not. But with the PGA guys playing 30 tourneys a year with travel etc I wonder how much they play. Some side bet I've heard but I'm dissecting todays play and just wondering what happened?
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All the euros play are certain games and matches. Never just a bunch of guys going and shooting they west score. It most certainly is a lost skillset
 
Esox said:
Am I the only one that thinks Tiger would just as soon pass on playing?

Kevin
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He looked seriously unenthusiastic finishing for sure. He's gotta be wondering if he's ever gonna get that step back tonight.
 
coolbreeze said:
No I think he likes it.

Hey we did learn who P. Lawrie is though, and so did Sneads.
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Everyone knows who P. Lawrie because of the prime rib and seasoned salt. It's that P. Hanson that's the mystery.

Kevin
 
I don't think we need to dissect it that far. I think europe had the better team, the more complete team (i've thought that all along which is why I picked europe in the contest and in a bet with a friend) and thats why they won. I feel europe has more good players in the primes of their career (compared to the u.s. with guys either on the brink of their prime or just past it) and that's really it. The US was hot the first two days with a team that I feel has players that play well when they don't have to live with their mistakes; then when it came to singles with every player out on an island having to keep it together for 18 holes against a team of just as (if not more so in some cases) talented players at better points in their careers, the u.s. got beat. Europe has 4 players who have reached number 1 in the world and all have done so within the last few years whereas the americans only have 1 player who has reached number 1.


I don't feel it's all that complex or a statement on american golf; just a higher volume of talented players in the primes of their careers. I do agree that the europeans seem to be consistantly a lot better at match play, but I don't know if I would say that's the specific reason why they won. I would almost wonder if it's more an indictment of some of this specific group of players because they seem to be more aggressive around the greens and become consistantly much better putters during match play, especially during the ryder cup than they are during other tour events.
 
For a guy playing mostly in Europe the courses tend to shape their game as well just like they would everywhere else. They have links courses in some parts of Europe and many courses that are not links courses are packed into less space than courses here cause they did not have the space. So more of the courses there are hilly, feature dog legs and stuff like that cause they had to fit the holes into less space.

As golf has grown more popular it has become more feasible to allocate more space to a golf course and gradually courses have been expanded and new courses are bigger than many of the older courses in Europe. The more time goes by and the more the economy that drives the golf business becomes similar globally, gradually there will be more and more similarities in how golfers play I think. But if a guy or gal growing up and developing their game was always playing on tighter courses with more undulation and more dog legs with different grass on the greens depending on the kind of grass that likes the local weather...well that is going to serve to shape that golfer's game just like growing up and playing in the howling Texas winds would shape a person game.
 
jnug said:
For a guy playing mostly in Europe the courses tend to shape their game as well just like they would everywhere else. They have links courses in some parts of Europe and many courses that are not links courses are packed into less space than courses here cause they did not have the space. So more of the courses there are hilly, feature dog legs and stuff like that cause they had to fit the holes into less space.

As golf has grown more popular it has become more feasible to allocate more space to a golf course and gradually courses have been expanded and new courses are bigger than many of the older courses in Europe. The more time goes by and the more the economy that drives the golf business becomes similar globally, gradually there will be more and more similarities in how golfers play I think. But if a guy or gal growing up and developing their game was always playing on tighter courses with more undulation and more dog legs with different grass on the greens depending on the kind of grass that likes the local weather...well that is going to serve to shape that golfer's game just like growing up and playing in the howling Texas winds would shape a person game.
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I was thinking something similar - links style golf may be more conducive to RC success because it tends to teach you about overcoming adversity and bad breaks in order to score.
 
tequila4kapp said:
I was thinking something similar - links style golf may be more conducive to RC success because it tends to teach you about overcoming adversity and bad breaks in order to score.
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I'm not sure I agree with this concept. Wouldn't this hold true in all high-pressure situations? It seems to me, over the course of their development, my impression (not sure if this is statistically accurate) is that there are more match-play opportunities in European golf as opposed to US golf. I also think the European golfers also have a bigger chip on their shoulders, their collective shoulders about the quality of the PGA tour vs. the Euro Tour.

Even then, that is splitting hairs on just a flat out great day.
 
The US started the avalanche that eventually buried them yesterday when ZJ effectively took his team out of the 15th hole yesterday afternoon.
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Agreed. This was the turning point in the tournament, but it appears nobody on the US side had any concern that it happened. They just assumed the margin was too large to overcome and stuck with their plan.
 
Wow, my head is sore today.
 
the_paulo said:
Wow, my head is sore today.
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I wish I'd have seen this in a pub somewhere - I can't tell anyone that I spent the evening fist-pumping by myself. It just sounds a bit dodgy....
 
AndrewG said:
I wish I'd have seen this in a pub somewhere - I can't tell anyone that I spent the evening fist-pumping by myself. It just sounds a bit dodgy....
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I spent the whole day watching the Sky 3D coverage in the pub. Pretty special.

Still can't quite fathom what happened there.
 
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