U.S. Ryder Cup picks

Campbell: 1-3-2 in Ryder Cups.

Mahan: Big mouth. Told Golf magazine Ryder Cup players are "treated like slaves" that week. Yeah ... slaves with Gulfstream 5s and personal massueses.

Holmes: Drives it longer than anyone. Chokes under pressure (see, Match Play against Tiger; then held 54-hole lead in the PGA and tripled the first hole of the final round). Also, plays slower. If he draws Harrington in singles, they'll never finish.

Stricker: Only pick that makes sense.

Azinger should have picked ... Verplank (4-1 in Ryder Cups), Mediate and O'Hair.

 

Mahan has a lot to prove after running his mouth so that might not be such a bad pick after all. I like Stricker as well. The other two? No so much, especially after Holmes blew the PGA on the first hole Sunday. I would have went with Verplank as well. Guy is tougher than nails. Mediate wouldn't have been a bad pick either if for no other reason than the pressure won't get to him with that personality.

 

I'll take the Euros.

 

Going out on that limb, are we, Claws?

Like TwoGloves, I don't mind the Mahan pick. Shows Azinger has some onions to put him on the spot and see what he can do. Mahan has plenty to prove and the perfect venue to prove it now.

Not fond of the Holmes pick or the Campbell pick. Mediate, O'Hair, Verplank or even Snedeker would have worked better.

 

Don't know the status of Rocco's health, but the US team seems to lack a certain gravitas. Woody Austin would have kept the team loose at least. But I do think these picks reflect Azinger's style. Will they win? Probably not.

 

Mahan and Stricker played well in Jersey at the Barclays, while Campbell woke up in Boston this weekend and finished strong during the final round Monday. All three have been playing well lately ...

Holmes' length (insert Johnny Wadd joke here) will be an advantage at Valhalla, so Zinger is counting on that and his play, despite the meltdown at Oakland Hills.

Yes, Mediate would have been logical given his personality and ability to handle pressure, yet he hasn't finished in top 10 since the US Open. Plus is back remains a concern, given it could give out at anytime.

Verplank has a solid Ryder Cup record, but 33rd in the standings isn't going to cut it since it means you haven't done shit during the past 18 months.

 

You have to assume Azinger is going to pair the Kentuckians, Holmes and Perry, which would translate into a loud and huge following by the home folks. Whether that means points for the US, who knows?

 

I like the Mahan and Stricker picks; not sure about the other two. On the other hand, Holmes might get fired up to play in his home state.

 

Azinger will long regret leaving out Mediate. He wanted this badly, and nearly played his way into an automatic spot in about 5 healthy months.
Zinger joins the long list of clueless captains that peaked with Curtis Strange but shows no signs of abating.

 

Let me tell you about clueless captains: Saturday night, 2002, U.S. tied with Europe 8-8, Curtis Strange is the captain. A friend of mine were in the bar of a golf club watching the singles draw unfolding. The two best Euros that week were Colin Montgomerie (3-0-1 in doubles) and Bernhard Langer (2-0-1), and Monty drew Scott Hoch and Langer drew Hal Sutton. Hoch and Sutton weren't playing worth a damn anyway, so the U.S. wasn't counting on their points. Conversely, Monty and Langer weren't going to take points from a U.S. player who was reasonably on form. To a lesser extent, Duval drew Darren Clarke. Again, a point Strange wasn't counting on anyway.

Now look who our "studs" drew: Mickelson got Philip Price. Tiger got Jesper. Furyk got Paul McGinley. Love got the immortal Pierre Fulke. Cink got Thomas Bjorn. That should have been 4 points, easy. Halfway home.

Instead, the U.S. got exactly 1 point, draws by Furyk and Tiger. They won only two matches, by Toms (beating Sergio) and Verplank (beating Westwood). Those two would have to be upsets.

When the matchups were on the TV screen, my friend and I agreed: Strange got just the pairings he wanted. It was as if they let him pick the Euros for his guys. We high-fived, predicted a U.S. romp, and went home.

Next day, Europe wins in singles 7.5-4.5. Lesson learned: It's ain't the captain. Sooner or later, these guys have to play some golf. Nicklaus said it best: "It's not about what a captain does but what he doesn't do." In other words, stay out of their way.

 

The other thing in Pornstar J.B. Holmes' plus column is that he went to college only about an hour away in Lexington. Odds are very good that he has some pretty good course knowledge.

Yes, the golf course has had a number of changes done to it, but he does have a better idea of the place than many others.

And, yes, he can really hit the living snot out of the ball.