2008 Ryder Cup Preview

For some reason, the Ryder Cup doesn't get a lot of publicity in the U.S. and it's a shame too. It's the Olympics for golf every two years and has a rich history. Lately though, it's been all about Europe. The Euro team has taken 5 of the last 6 Ryder Cup matchups and in the past 2 matchups, the margin has been 18.5-9.5, the biggest margins of victories of any Ryder Cup.

But all that's in the past. Time to look at the present and the action to come in Louisville starting Friday. The event is back on U.S. soil, which should help the U.S. team with momentum in some matches. Both teams are without some big guns. The Euro team is without Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke, who have been Ryder Cup mainstays and powerhouses in recent Ryder Cups. And of course, the U.S. is missing the best player in the world, Tiger Woods, though his record in these team competitions has been less than stellar.

But when it comes down to it, if the U.S. is going to win, it's going to take something close to a miracle. And here's why:

- No Tiger Woods.

- Though the U.S. boasts 4 major tournament winners (Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard and Ben Curtis) and the European team boasts just one (Padraig Harrington), the lack of experience of the U.S. team is just startling. The Euro team has 4 rookies (Soren Hansen, Greame McDowell, Oliver Wilson and Justin Rose) which sounds bad, but then consider that HALF of the U.S. team is making their debut (Anthony Kim, Curtis, Boo Weekley, J.B. Holmes, Hunter Mahan and Steve Stricker)

- It's not a good sign too when two players on one team have earned more Ryder Cup wins in their career than their opponents combined. Well, that's the case. Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia together have 28 Ryder Cup wins. The entire U.S. team has 17. Yikes.

- Besides Mickelson (9-8-3), the other 5 U.S. Ryder Cup vets have losing records. And for Leonard and Kenny Perry, it's been 4 years or longer since their last Ryder Cup.

- Besides looking over-matched in the roster category, even the captains on the Euro team are better. The Euro team is led by captain Nick Faldo and asst. captain Jose Maria Olazabal. Two players with extensive Ryder Cup experience. Don't believe me? How bout 18 Ryder cups between the two and a combined record of 41-27-9. Not to mention the 8 majors won as well. On the U.S. side, they have Paul Azinger as captain and 3 asst. captains (Olin Browne, Raymond Floyd and Dave Stockton). Apparently, Zinger needs all the help he can get. Won't matter though. Between all 4, they have played in 14 Ryder Cups, and have a record of 18-24-7. Not to mention only one major (1993 PGA Championship from Zinger) and Browne has no Ryder Cup experience at all (Why is he an asst. captain?). The good thing I guess is that Floyd and Stockton have been captains before.

- Did I mention no Tiger Woods?

- Phil Mickelson has already publicly said that he doesn't feel like he needs to be a leader with this team. Instead, he thinks that should be left to the captain. Someone should tell Phil that he has more Cup experience and success than his own captain and that he should be the veteran the young guns like Kim and Holmes should turn to. But that's Phil being Phil.

- The stigma from two romps by the Euro squad can't help the U.S. confidence. The team from 2 years and 4 years ago were better than this one. But I guess to combat that, the fact that this team is young and fresh could mean they don't give a crap about that at all.

- Oh, no Tiger Woods.

And as I was writing this post, the first matchups for foursomes came out. In case you are new to Ryder Cup, Foursomes means 2 players play one ball and take turns taking shots. One player starts on the odd-numbers and the other on the evens.

Mickelson/Kim vs. Harrington/Karlsson - I like the U.S. pairing. A vet like Mickelson with an up-and-comer like Kim. No better way to get your feet wet than with one of the better "scramble out of trouble" players in the world so if Kim has the jitters, Phil has the kind of game to help him out. Harrington and Karlsson though form a formidable duo. Paddy plays well in these kinds of events and Karlsson has game as well. Not to mention also, he requested Paddy after the two practiced on Thursday.

Cink/Campbell vs. Rose/Poulter - Cink and Campbell both rank in the top 20 in greens in regulation so there should be some good scoring chances for the 2. Meanwhile, Rose is making his debut and Poulter is trying to prove to others that he was the proper choice over Clarke.

Leonard/Mahan vs. Stenson/Casey - The most lackluster of the 4 matchups. Justin Leonard is gonna have to carry Hunter Mahan, who has struggled down the stretch of the PGA season. Mahan did have a 2-0 record though in foursomes in President's Cup play last year. Stenson though is a match-play wonder, as seen by his performance the WGC-Accenture Match Play event the past two years. Plus, him and Casey together means plenty of yardage on the drive.

Furyk/Perry vs. Westwood/Garcia - Talk about a dynamite pairing. And I'm not talking about the foursome. I'm talking about Westwood and Garcia in the same group. Yikes. Kenny Perry hasn't looked the same since his run in May and June and Jim Furyk may be distracted a bit since his wife was rushed to a hospital Thursday with severe back pain (supposedly will be fine). Big match for U.S., even if they just pull out a halve.

So what is my prediction for this year? I gotta go with the Europeans. Their players are stronger and more experienced. Their captains are more battle-tested and frankly, probably smarter. The hometown course won't be a huge boost to the U.S. squad and did I mention no Tiger Woods? Heck, even if he struggled, he would be better than half of this year's team. I think Zinger's new selection system was better but in the end, Europe just has better talent and just wants the Cup more.

MY PREDICTION: Europe 16, U.S. 12