{"id":1339,"date":"2014-09-21T08:47:54","date_gmt":"2014-09-21T15:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/?p=1339"},"modified":"2014-09-25T07:01:38","modified_gmt":"2014-09-25T14:01:38","slug":"more-ryder-cup-peril-for-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/golf\/personalities\/1339\/more-ryder-cup-peril-for-usa","title":{"rendered":"More Ryder Cup peril for USA?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_1343\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/09\/No-2-Gleneagles.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1343\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1343\" src=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/09\/No-2-Gleneagles-1024x594.png\" alt=\"TAKE TWO: Eagles or &#096;others?' Second hole will be the first of the tempting risk-reward holes at Gleneagles. \" width=\"1024\" height=\"594\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/09\/No-2-Gleneagles-1024x594.png 1024w, https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/09\/No-2-Gleneagles-300x174.png 300w, https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/09\/No-2-Gleneagles.png 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1343\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">TAKE TWO: Eagles or `others?&#8217; Second hole will be the first of the tempting risk-reward holes at Gleneagles.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>If the Americans couldn\u2019t beat the Euros with a full complement of players on home turf two years ago, how can they be expected to win in Scotland with some obvious big names missing?<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a gloomy thought on this side of the pond.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s especially true when you factor in that Team USA held a 10-6 lead going into the 2012 singles matches on Sunday at Medinah before losing in very discouraging fashion.<\/p>\n<p>And yet, I\u2019m not convinced that the absence of players like Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson and Jason Dufner is a deal-breaker for the Americans.<\/p>\n<p>I expect Ryder Cup rookie Jordan Spieth to be a warrior, and wouldn\u2019t be surprised if Team USA\u2019s other newcomers, Patrick Reed and Jimmy Walker, also play well. All have shown the skills and toughness to be successful. Being a first-timer didn\u2019t bother Keegan Bradley in 2012, when he went 3-0 paired with Phil Mickelson before losing in singles to Rory McIlroy.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Norman 1,IMG 1465\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LnymXgQg2WU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><em>THE EUROS&#8217; SPIRIT IS AN EDGE BUT AMERICANS ARE CLOSING THAT GAP, GREG NORMAN SAYS<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>When I asked Greg Norman about the Ryder Cup when he was in Chicago recently, he brought up the same point.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The younger the better, quite honestly,\u2019\u2019 said the Australian star, who will assume Johnny Miller\u2019s color-analyst role when Fox replaces NBC at the U.S. Open next year. &#8220;They\u2019re the ones who want to perform, who are keen. Sometimes the old guys get stale. Young blood is good blood.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Favorite and underdog labels don\u2019t seem to mean much in the Ryder Cup.<\/p>\n<p>That helps explain why the Euros have won five of six Ryder Cups since 1999 and seven of nine since Team USA\u2019s last win in Europe, at the Belfry in 1993 when Tom Watson was captain.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Norman 2,IMG 1466\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Meh5MqizJbM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong><em>&#8220;YOUNG BLOOD IS GOOD BLOOD&#8221; IN RYDER CUP<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>That said, there are far more reasons to like the European team to prevail.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s the big one: The Euros have better players.<\/p>\n<p>In Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose, they have four of the top six players in the world rankings.<\/p>\n<p>Martin Kaymer (U.S. Open) and Victor Dubuisson (runnerup at WGC-Accentur match play championship) have put on big-time performances this year. And Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Lee Westwood are very accomplished Ryder Cup veterans.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Woods, Dustin Johnson and Dufner\u2014who have the potential to bring a lot when they\u2019re on their games\u2014will be missed. Add in that Bubba Watson, who has had a very bizarre year since he won the Masters, enters Ryder Cup play as a question mark. And neither Bradley nor Mickelson are looking all that imposing.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a lot for Team USA fans to be concerned about.<\/p>\n<p>And while it\u2019s difficult to predict exactly who\u2019s going to bring their A game, the Euros have been far more consistent at playing well in the Ryder Cup, as their record shows.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1344\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/09\/No-14-Gleneagles.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1344\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1344\" src=\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/09\/No-14-Gleneagles-1024x634.png\" alt=\"GO FOR IT? At 320 yards, No. 14 is a driveable par four to a tiny green.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"634\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/09\/No-14-Gleneagles-1024x634.png 1024w, https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/09\/No-14-Gleneagles-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/09\/No-14-Gleneagles.png 1150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1344\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">GO FOR IT? At 320 yards, No. 14 is a driveable par four to a tiny green.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Bringing Watson back as captain is appealing on some levels. It also has a fair amount of risk.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s outgoing, He\u2019s tough. He\u2019s a winner. He has aged well. And he has a fine history in Scotland.<\/p>\n<p>And yet, he\u2019s a generation or two removed from these players. Who knows how his leadership act will be received, especially in a crunch?<\/p>\n<p>In short, the Euros seem to have too many cards to play.<\/p>\n<p>Even though this Ryder Cup will be played on a parkland course (rather than a Scottish links) at Gleneagles, the Europeans will have the advantage of course setup and a vocal home crowd. If the weather turns nasty, which is certainly a possibility in Scotland in late September, they\u2019ll be more familiar with that, too.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the likely pairings of players such as \u00a0English duo of Poulter have strong foundations. And even if McIlroy and McDowell (Northern Ireland) are split by that off-the-course legal issue, the Euros are a tight-knit group. They really band together well.<\/p>\n<p>Since captain Paul Azinger famously helped Team USA overcome the mystical camaraderie of the Europeans in 2008 when he led the Americans to their lone 21<sup>st<\/sup> century victory, the Euros\u2019 close-knit spirit has been identified as a big key to Ryder cup success.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Europeans really [bring] team spirit to the game,\u2019\u2019 Norman told me. &#8220;The boys travel a lot together. They share planes, they live in similar communities. They\u2019re always around each other. They play practice rounds together. So it\u2019s very easy for them to get in a locker room with 12 players and team up.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s becoming less true, Norman said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think the Americans are learning to do that now,\u2019\u2019 he added. &#8220;Once they grasp hold of that, there\u2019s no real difference between the caliber of players.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not going to buy that in this match-play format until I see it. Except on rare occasions, golf isn\u2019t a team sport. And the Americans haven\u2019t shown the kind of closeness the Europeans enjoy.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, if Watson\u2019s positive elder-statesman approach works, Team USA will be competitive. As the underdogs, the pressure, while still intense, will be more manageable with the burden of expectations lighter.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;[The Americans] will be hard to beat this year,\u2019\u2019 Norman said. &#8220;The Europeans are a better team on paper than the Americans. That said, the Americans might finally get fired up, going into hostile territory in Scotland, where the support of the game is extremely enthusiastic. You never know.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Norman wouldn\u2019t go out on a limb completely, though, adding, &#8220;I think the Europeans will probably nudge them.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Enigmatic Team USA creating a hotly contested showdown at Gleneagles?<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a nice sentiment. It gives us a reason to watch. Even though the deck seems stacked against the American, this wouldn\u2019t be the first time that underdogs have had plenty of bite as well as bark in the world\u2019s most important team matches.<\/p>\n<p>Put me down with Norman: I expect the Euros to nudge the Americans in a surprisingly competitive Ryder Cup.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;&#8211;<\/p>\n<p>For more Ryder Cup, including a breakdown of the key six holes, check out this APosition e-magazine. . .<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/digital.edition-on.net\/links\/8520_rydercupissue.asp\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/digital.edition-on.net\/links\/8520_rydercupissue.asp<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If the Americans couldn\u2019t beat the Euros with a full complement of players on home turf two years ago, how&#8230;  <a class=\"excerpt-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/golf\/personalities\/1339\/more-ryder-cup-peril-for-usa\" title=\"ReadMore Ryder Cup peril for USA?\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":1343,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,334,18,7],"tags":[677,762,142],"class_list":["post-1339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-golf","category-commentary","category-lifestyle","category-personalities","tag-ryder-cup","tag-greg-norman","tag-gleneagles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2014\/09\/No-2-Gleneagles.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1339"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1349,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1339\/revisions\/1349"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}