Putting an end to weeks of speculation, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin selected Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson and Rickie Fowler with his four wildcard picks to round out his 12-man team in Wales. These four guys will join the eight others that qualified through their play throughout the season. Here is the list of the entire team that will take on the Europeans in three weeks:Phil Mickelson
Hunter Mahan
Bubba Watson
Jim Furyk
Steve Stricker
Dustin Johnson
Jeff Overton
Matt Kuchar
Tiger Woods – Captian’s pick
Zach Johnson – Captian’s pick
Stewart Cink – Captian’s pick
Rickie Fowler – Captian’s pick
The Tiger Woods selection was a no brainer to me. Even though he has been through one hell of a year, he is still the #1 ranked player in the world. How do you have a match as important as the Ryder Cup and not have the #1 ranked player there? I know he hasn’t played up to that level but he has shown major improvements in the last several weeks. I also think the picks of Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson are smart as well. There are several first time qualifiers on the team and adding Cink and Johnson brings a level of stability and experience. They both have played in Ryder Cup events and are both major championship winners. But the interesting pick is that of Rickie Fowler. He is a PGA tour rookie and hasn’t won a major, he has played in the Walker Cup which is the amateur version of the Ryder Cup. So I guess he does have some experience with this type of match play.
Team Captain Corey Pavin said he has “a gut feeling” about Fowler. I like the pick, I think he will bring a great enthusiasm to the team and not to mention he can hit the ball a mile and is an overall good player. Also, he has some cool hair! So what’s not to like?
Overall I think the US team is solid and has players that compliment one another. They will again be the underdogs against a very strong European team and the US hasn’t won a Ryder Cup on European soil since 1993. Also, Team Europe has won 5 out of the last 7 events. But like Captain Pavin, I have a gut feeling about this team. I think it will come down to the finial matches on Sunday and as long as Tiger and Phil aren’t paired together in the alternate shot matches. Those never seem to work out as planned!
Go Team USA!
Hunter Mahan
Bubba Watson
Jim Furyk
Steve Stricker
Dustin Johnson
Jeff Overton
Matt Kuchar
Tiger Woods – Captian’s pick
Zach Johnson – Captian’s pick
Stewart Cink – Captian’s pick
Rickie Fowler – Captian’s pick
The Tiger Woods selection was a no brainer to me. Even though he has been through one hell of a year, he is still the #1 ranked player in the world. How do you have a match as important as the Ryder Cup and not have the #1 ranked player there? I know he hasn’t played up to that level but he has shown major improvements in the last several weeks. I also think the picks of Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson are smart as well. There are several first time qualifiers on the team and adding Cink and Johnson brings a level of stability and experience. They both have played in Ryder Cup events and are both major championship winners. But the interesting pick is that of Rickie Fowler. He is a PGA tour rookie and hasn’t won a major, he has played in the Walker Cup which is the amateur version of the Ryder Cup. So I guess he does have some experience with this type of match play.
Team Captain Corey Pavin said he has “a gut feeling” about Fowler. I like the pick, I think he will bring a great enthusiasm to the team and not to mention he can hit the ball a mile and is an overall good player. Also, he has some cool hair! So what’s not to like?
Overall I think the US team is solid and has players that compliment one another. They will again be the underdogs against a very strong European team and the US hasn’t won a Ryder Cup on European soil since 1993. Also, Team Europe has won 5 out of the last 7 events. But like Captain Pavin, I have a gut feeling about this team. I think it will come down to the finial matches on Sunday and as long as Tiger and Phil aren’t paired together in the alternate shot matches. Those never seem to work out as planned!
Go Team USA!
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