Ryder Cup Review

"Do you believe in miracles? YES!" That was the call by Al Michaels when the U.S. Hockey team took down the U.S.S.R. in the 1980 Olympic Games. And while the win by the U.S. Ryder cup team does not equal that achievement, it is an upset for sure.

A lot of people (including yours truly) did not give the Americans much of a chance to beat the Europeans. The experience was with the Euros. The captain leadership was with Team Euro. And Tiger was NOT with the U.S. But despite all that, the Americans took back the Cup for the first time since 1999. But how?

1. The U.S. Rookies played big
- The numbers don't lie. The U.S. rookies went a combined 9-4-8, and that includes an 0-2-1 performance from Steve Stricker. Rookies aren't supposed to come to the Ryder Cup and look comfortable. They aren't supposed to lead their team to victory but that's exactly what the U.S. newbies did. In the singles alone, they went 4-1-1. Talk about being clutch at the start and end.

2. Europe's vets didn't show up
- When Darren Clarke did not make this team on points or by captain's pick, it was noticed by many because he has been a presence on this team for the past few Cups. So with him gone, the pressure fell on players like Garcia, Westwood, Harrington, Casey and Jimenez who all had played in at least 2 Ryder Cups before this one. But look at their record in this edition. Combined, the "vets" went winless, 0-10-8. And remember, Westwood and Garcia came into this Ryder Cup with more points in their career than the entire U.S. squad. But this year, they combined for only 2 points. Just like an any sport, the vets need to lead the team and that just wasn't the case.

3. U.S. won the singles showdown...finally.
- It's not rocket science. In most cases, if you win the singles showdown, you win the Cup. And finally the U.S. team did that, winning 7.5-4.5 today. And though it is no guarantee that a team will win the cup if they win Sunday singles, it's been a good sign the past few years. 1999: U.S. wins 8.5-3.5 on Sunday and wins the Cup. 2002 and 2004: Europe wins 7.5-4.5 and the Cup and in 2006, 8.5-3.5 and the Cup. So to see the Americans show up on Sunday was nice.

4. Zinger picked wisely
- To start, this is not to say that Faldo did not. While his pick of Casey didn't work (0-1-2), his Poulter pick was great (4-1-0). But Zinger's 4 picks were amazing for him. Remember, Zinger changed the system so he could get 4 captain's picks instead of 2. With his picks, he took Holmes, Mahan, Stricker and Campbell. Together, they went a combined 6-3-5 and Mahan and Holmes did not lose a match. He could have gone with Rocco or others but give Zinger credit for sticking by his guns and picking these 4 guys.

Now, to the awards for each team.

U.S. STUD - BOO WEEKLEY
- A record of 2-0-1 in 3 matches is enough to earn the honor but once you add in the entertainment factor and the way he got the crowd hype, he no doubt was the most valuable golfer. He came in acting like himself and will leave the same way. And while his antics weren't always appreciated by the opponents, it was what the American team needed to get them fired up. Something tells me Boo has a place on the U.S. team in 2010 already.

U.S. DUD - PHIL MICKELSON
- Hard for me to put this dubious honor on a rookie like Stricker so Phil gets it. But he sort of deserves it. A 1-2-2 record and a singles loss of 3 &2 to Justin Rose in a match that at one point saw Rose 4-up. Phil just did not have his A game and if not for playing with Kim the first day, his record could have been worse

EURO STUD - IAN POULTER
- This was a no-doubter. Faldo got a lot of criticism for adding Poulter instead of Clarke with a captain's pick so Poulter had pressure on him. So how did he handle it? How bout playing in all 5 events and going 4-1-0. He led all golfers by earning 4 points and accounted for more than a third of Europe's points. His fierce competitive nature is perfect for this kind of event and he played well all weekend. He deserved to be on this team and he showed why.

EURO DUD - LEE WESTWOOD
- It was gonna be either him or Garcia so I tossed a fake coin and chose Westwood. He had his moments (going mono-y-mono with Weekley) but really just struggled to carry his team. For a guy who is so accomplished in this event, it didn't show. Matches he halved needed to be wins. And losing to Ben Curtis in the singles is inexcusable.

In the end, mad props to the U.S. squad. They played well and proved critics wrong. The Kentucky crowd was amazing and having two natives helped make this an even more compelling story. Hopefully, having the Cup back in the states will help make this event more popular. But for now, celebrate USA. The Cup is back in good hands.