39th Ryder Cup

Golf fans care who won the Memorial. They just don't care as much as they care about who won the majors. Woods was one of the top five players in the world in 2012 in terms of total performance. That's pretty damn good, but a considerable dropoff from his former status. He was world number one for what, 400 or so straight weeks?
Curious to see where Love bats Woods in the singles lineup on Sunday. Of course, those lineups are dictated by the score -- if the team's behind, its best players are at the top, and if its ahead, they're at the bottom.

 

There is no more Tiger standard. He will never, ever get back to that Tiger standard

 

I think you're crazy, but man, if he does get back to King Of The World status, all the assholishness of every athlete in the entire history of the world is not going to add up to what we will see from a vengeance-seeking Tiger.

 

to the Tiger of 2001? You're insane, I'd better whatever you like on that.

 

What's the standard? Do you have to win a major, or multiple majors, to be considered "back"?

Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson have won four major each over 15+ years, yet they are Hall of Famers. It's not like there is a major out there every way. And there are dozens of players currently capable of winning one. (For the record, Snedeker, Jason Dufner, Hunter Mahan, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald have yet to win a major, either.)

I agree that we may never get back to "Tiger vs. the field" when it comes to who is going to win a given tournament. But Woods has still had an awfully good year... a year that would be a career year for many Tour players.

As for the Ryder Cup, yeah, he's better in singles than foursomes, though.

 

Friday morning: foursomes

McIlroy and McDowell vs. Furyk and Snedeker
Donald and Garcia vs. Mickelson and Bradley
Westwood and Molinari vs. Dufner and Zach Johnson
Poulter and Rose vs. Stricker and Woods

If I thought I could see anything, I'd follow Match 2.

 

In addition to Poulter's infamous "it will be just me and Tiger" prediction, there's this from earlier in the year. Should be a fun group.

The relationship between the pair has been soured by the latest remarkable extract from Hank Haney’s book, The Big Miss, which claims that Woods disliked Poulter and accused him of trying to hitch a ride aboard his private jet. In a text to Haney, he wrote: “Can you believe this d--- mooched a ride on my plane?”

Poulter did not dispute the truth of the story on Wednesday but said: “I’ve no interest in it. It’s nothing to do with me.”

 

Donald and Garcia do pretty well together, and he's about the only guy a Euro captain can pair with Sergio in foursomes. Sergio will go off the reservation (his partner will ask him to hit a tee shot down the right side on a dogleg left so he can have a good angle to a back-left pin on the second shot, and Sergio will say, sure, and then try to cut the corner of the dogleg and put Donald in jail) and Donald has the temperament to handle it without wanting to strangle his weenie ass. The rest of the guys might actually clock him with a 6-iron. So they go Garcia-Donald in foursomes and Garcia-Westwood in fourballs, because you're pretty much on your own.

 

Stricker and Woods have been a more successful duo than Woods and just about anyone else, so I'll take the US in that one.

Westwood and Molinari? Hmmm.

OK, call it 2-2 after the morning.

 

Dufner and Zach Johnson was a good pairing by Love.