Around midday yesterday American fans could be forgiven for thinking this might come easily.... The good news is that we have ourselves a Captain uniquely familiar with how ephemeral a 4-point lead can be. So familiar, that it took him mere hours to cede half thereof:
At the end of the first day, the score is America 5, Europe 3, and the game is fully on.
I have a hunch that this photo is from the morning session... Eight matches, with not a single half and only one that went the full 18. By day’s end, the 18th green was suffering neglect. By Sunday, it will be the center of sporting universe.
You most likely know what happened in the morning, cellphone sneak-peaks being such an integral part of office life during the first day of Ryder Cup play. Just in case you don’t: The Americans owned the foursomes, the alternate-shot format that had flummoxed the Americans in Ryder Cup play in recent years. By lunchtime, the score was 4-0. That’s roughly the equivalent of a 28-0 college football game at the half.
Four-zip! If you saw that coming you must have been one serving canapés in the U.S. team room on Thursday night. The last time either side started the Ryder Cup with a perfect inaugural session was in 1975, when the matches were held at Laurel Valley, outside Pittsburgh, a course cofounded by Arnold Palmer, who also happened to be the U.S. captain. Standing sentinel on the 1st tee at Hazeltine on Friday was Palmer’s 1975 Ryder Cup golf bag.
So, what surprised this observer?
Phil, Of Course - OK, they won, but it makes no sense to play Phil in Foursomes and sit him in Four-balls.... I know he and Rickie won, though Andy Sullivan played a good-sized role in that. Here's Phil's explanation:
After all, Mickelson has struggled in the alternate-shot format throughout his Ryder Cup career (4-6-4), and last week at the Tour Championship he finished last in driving accuracy. But apparently there was no way that Mickelson would begin these matches on the bench.
“Certainly I felt more pressure heading into today’s matches,” he said, “given the buildup over the last couple of years, the criticism, the comments. I could have copped out and asked to sit, but that would have been a total weak move, and I wanted to get out there. Put me out there. I enjoy that pressure.”
At times like these its important to focus on that which is most important, and I'm totally comfortable that our pairings and match strategy are subject to Phil's need to prove he's still a BSD.
Invincible Teams - Spieth/Reed and DJ/Kooch were unbeatable, until they were beaten soundly.... Stenson/Rose were at least smart enough to lower expectations before asserting themselves.... Just a reminder, 18 holes of match play remains a virtual coin toss and the guys on the other side can play a little...
You Guys Stink At Foursomes - Remember that bit of motivational genius from Cap'n. Watson? Funny thing is I keep hearing the talking heads aping that point, but 2014 was an anomaly....Since the Cup has become competitive in the 1980's, the Yanks have done better in Foursomes than Four-balls....
Speaking of Cap'n. Watson... - I forget, whose idea was the teaming of Spieth and Reed?
AWOL Golfers - Since the format was adjusted in the late 1970's, the typically-shallower Euro squads have employed varying strategies in utilizing their talent. The most notable example was in 1999, when Captain Mark James held back three players (Jarmo Sandelin, Andrew Coltart and Jean van de Velde), a strategy that worked like a charm....for two days. All three lost in singles, contributing to that epic U.S. comeback....
In the current instant, Clarke held back Chris Wood and Matthew Fitzpatrick from yesterday's action, especially curious since the latter has a game that screams Foursomes.
Wither Westy - I was deeply suspicious of Clarke's Lee Westwood pick.... I understand his issue with rookie-laden roster, but the older one gets the harder it becomes to summon the magic. he looked lost out there yesterday, and I'm guessing that Darren will be having second thoughts involving Russell Knox.... And while it's not alliterative, same point about Martin Kaymer. Will we see either before Sunday?
So, what does a Captain do? Well, this is what they did:
Here's one take on the pairings:
Being “the best” goes out the window when you’re involved in the Ryder Cup.
The best European team? Clearly, it’s Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose, but they’ve been split up for Saturday morning’s foursomes session.
Instead, captain Darren Clarke has asked the heavyweights to shepherd rookies Matt Fitzpatrick (Stenson) and Chris Wood (Rose) through the rigors of their first Ryder Cup match.
As for the “best” American player, that would be Dustin Johnson. And he’ll be found on the bench Saturday morning, as will Matt Kuchar. It reflects the lackluster play that Johnson and Kuchar displayed in a 3-and-2 loss to Rory McIlroy and Thomas Pieters in Friday afternoon’s four-ball session.
First, I think Davis' strategy is to not have anyone go all five sessions, but the wild card there might well be Spieth and Reed. They're a bit younger, and I'm curious as to why he moved them out of lead-off....
I'll assume he plans to play Phil and Rickie in the afternoon as well, but if you're at all worried about the alter cocker going 36, I'd have thought Day One would make more sense from an energy conservation point of view.
The Tour Confidential panel was asked about the "M-word", and rendered a split verdict:
Mark Godich: I still give the edge to the U.S. Who wouldn't have signed up for a 5-3 lead at the end of the day? Plus, don't discount the fact that the Americans got all 12 players on the course today, while European rookies Matthew Fitzpatrick and Chris Wood spent the day on the range. Captain Darren Clarke's hand was most certainly forced after getting shut out in the morning, but now he's sending both rookies out in alternate shot on Saturday and splitting up the dynamic duo of Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose to do it. Not ideal.
I think he's got that exactly right..... Ignoring the unusual distribution between the sessions, two points is quite a good-sized lead. Added to the Euro's roster-construction issues, magnified by the poor play of Westwood and Kaymer, has the U.S. well-positioned.
But I think what makes it hardest is the knowledge that they're supposed to win.....
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