I do not make many guarantees, but I am certain that the Americans will retake the Ryder Cup at the K Club in Ireland. I am so confident that I will guarantee it right now. My belief is only strengthened by the recent series of events that have made news leading up to the Cup in just a few weeks.
First, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson voluntarily rearranged their schedules to appear in Ireland for a team scouting session at the K Club. Woods established himself as team leader by taking the four rookies on the squad out to dinner and trying to get to know them a little bit better. Brett Wetterich had never even met Woods and now they have some semblance of team together. That's definitely a step in the right direction considering the palpable lack of camaraderie that the U.S. team has shown in the Ryder Cups since the Miracle.
Then, take a look at the performances of Stewart Cink and J.J. Henry since it has been made official that they were in fact members of the team. Cink gave Woods a run for his money at Bridgestone in the WGC event there — then again, Cink won that event in 2004 after he was named to the team and went 1-2-1 in the Ryder Cup.
J.J. Henry has played some respectable golf in recent weeks, as well. He had a top-10 finish at Bridgestone and finished tied for sixth at the TPC of Boston. Assured he was on the team, Henry played much better and snapped out of a cold spell that saw him miss a cut and finish top-50 in two of his last three events before the PGA Championship. Even further, Jim Furyk just won the Canadian Open.
Sure, Brett Wetterich has missed the cut in six of his last 11 events. But, unlike in the President's Cup, the Ryder Cup allows the captains to hide weaker players. Cap'n Tom will be sure to do so if he feels that Brett is not likely to contribute.
In the meantime, the U.S. has some legitimate pairings that have demonstrated recent success in the President's Cup and other competitions. Woods/Furyk and [Chris] DiMarco/Mickelson will do well at the K Club as they did at RTJ just last fall. Throw in Stewart Cink/Zach Johnson and you have three pretty formidable teams for the Euros to face. Given the power stats of Wetterich and fellow rookie Vaughn Taylor, the fourball teams that the U.S. has could actually take advantage of the recklessness that the format affords. After all, what does the U.S. have to lose in the pairs matches? The U.S. has been getting crushed in them for years, forcing the red, white, and blue to rally on Sunday in the singles matches and that just cannot continue.
If the good news about the individuals on the U.S. team is not enough to convince you, then I invite you to take a look at the K Club. Guess who designed the course hosting the matches? An American — more specifically, Arnold Palmer in 1988. The architecture of the K Club is truly American-inspired at the course presents lots of birdie opportunities and encourages aggression. If nothing else, the American team is good at making birdies and lots of them.
Barring some extreme conditions or very unusual pin placements, the K Club will yield a lot of low scores. Given that excellence on the PGA Tour these days is measured in birdies and eagles, this reality favors the Americans. If the Ryder Cup becomes a test of wills and pars, then the Americans would be in trouble (see Oakland Hills, 2004).
Further, the Americans can take solace in the recent brouhaha that the Europeans have engaged in concerning Captain Ian Woosnam's picks of Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood. Westwood, in Woosnam's mind, made the team because of his Euro Tour success at events held at the K Club, including the Smurfit European Open. Thomas Bjorn, who thought he should have made the team, was left off for his lack of success there and created a stir by going public with his story.
If nothing else, this serves as a distraction for the European team — the side that has seemed the most cohesive in the past 20 years of Ryder Cup competition. It may not be much, but it may be enough to create a distraction from which the Americans could benefit.
Finally, the 2004 Ryder Cup should serve as plenty of motivation for the American players that were a part of that complete embarrassment. The largest margin in the history of the matches should inspire the American players to do better, especially Tiger Woods. Woods is completing what is arguably his best season on Tour and will want to cap it off with a victory at the Ryder Cup. It appears that Woods finally takes his place on this team seriously as he is now the undisputed leader of the team. Look for him to play well in the Ryder Cup, especially coming off of match play experience at the HSBC World Match Play Championship this week.
Sure, the Americans look weaker than the Euros on paper. But, the inverse was true for the past 20 years and that never seemed to stop the Europeans from winning. The Americans are looking at a stronger team, a favorable course, and clear motivation — there is no reason that Cap'n Lehman cannot inspire this team to take the Cup home.
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