Friday, September 10, 2021

Your Unplanned Friday Frisson

OK, that didn't turn out as planned.  Our trip was cancelled at the last minute, though this time to accommodate happy news.  I'll keep that news under wraps for a few more days, until it actually happens, but it does allow for some unexpected blogging...

Strick's Picks and Other Ryder Cup Thoughts - You've heard and absorbed the news:

Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay already earned spots on the team via the points standings that were finalized after
the BMW Championship on Aug. 29. That left one more event — last week’s Tour Championship — for any of the potential picks still alive in the FedEx Cup Playoffs to audition. Now, three days later, we have our names.

Joining the aforementioned six, Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Harris English, Daniel Berger and Scottie Scheffler were all added to the team on Wednesday.

Those first four were pretty much mortal locks by Decision Wednesday, though I find it significantly harder to include Harris English in that category than the other three.  That left two difficult choices for Captain Stricker, and he seems to have very much split the baby.  By which I mean he chose two players with diametrically-opposed skill sets.  More on that below...

Because life increasingly reminds of high school, Zephyr Melton is here to hand out participation ribbons:

Yeah, given that he was effectively deciding about only those last two slots, that's quite the enormous bubble....But you'll have guessed where he started, with the Artist Formerly Known as Captain America:

Patrick Reed

Patrick Reed has been a staple of Team USA since making his first appearance in 2014, but that experience was not enough to get a nod from Stricker. While Captain America brings plenty of spark in team events, he also brings plenty of controversy. His criticism of Jim Furyk after the 2018 Ryder Cup likely didn’t help his chances, and his recent form has not been the best either. Reed has not registered a top-10 finish since early June, and he had a scary bout with double pneumonia just two weeks ago. “It wasn’t an easy one,” Stricker said, “but I think it was just the uncertainty of his health, and really the lack of play that led to our decision down the stretch.”

Zephyr had to pick his spots, for sure, but Reed's criticism of Captain Furyk seems to this observer at best the bronze medalist for his antisocial behavior in Paris.  Add to that the fact that his behavior in Paris might have paled in comparison to his effect on that 2019 Prez Cup Team, and I'm left to wonder how he was even close enough to be considered a Bubble Boy.  OK, I'll admit that his rent-free tenancy in Rory's head is a mitigating factor...

Notwithstanding any high-minded objectives, the raison d'être of Unplayable Lies quickly evolved into covering Golfers Behaving Badly, in which category PReed is the gift that keeps on giving.  But Reed's antics have put his teammates and captains in some awfully awkward predicaments, most notably forcing them to rationalize his sand excavation work the week prior to that Prez Cup in Australia.  

Reed's behavior in Paris could fill a notebook, perhaps two if you include Justine.  But there's one aspect to it that I've long wondered about, since it involved the notoriously prickly Eldrick Woods.  As you'll recall, Reed was paired with Tiger, whose Sunday sartorial choices he's long copied, in two fourball matches.  You'd think a man might be honored to be paired with his hero, but our Patrick marches to his own drummer.  Not only did he whine about the pairing, but they got crushed both days:

Even Tiger Woods does not come out of this unscathed. Reed, upset about the Spieth breakup, stated that Tiger was his second choice. Sincere apologies due to him because he had to settle for
the greatest player of all time as a partner.

Reed and Tiger were bad. Both of them stunk in the two-man games. Reed was particularly awful and appeared on track to post a number in the 80s on Saturday morning had they been keeping score. There were several balls in the water and one tee shot hammered out of bounds into the line-drive section of nearby chalets.

Reed was arguably the worst American player not named Phil Mickelson in the first two days of matches.

They drew Moliwood both days, and Friday's 3&1 loss was followed by a Saturday 4&3 beatdown.  But here's the bit that I though should have inflamed Tiger, but somehow got overlooked:

Reed and Woods lost their first match against Fleetwood and Molinari, after which, Reed said, Woods apologized for letting him down. He said he told him, “We win together as a team and we lose together as a team.”

The linked piece was the first I found via Google, written by the usually sensible Brendan Porath, who uncritically accepted Patrick's nonsense at face value:

Props to Reed, who again was not good himself, for taking the high road with an acceptance of Tiger’s apology via hackneyed sports cliche.

Really, Brendan?  Because if you're that credulous, I've got some swampland you might have an interest in...

This to me is Patrick blaming the loss on Tiger when they played equally badly.  More importantly, we only have Patrick's word on both sides of the conversation, but attributing grace to PReed would seem foolish in the absence of corroboration.  I have long wondered how Tiger felt about that, the only hint being this bit:

Tiger was asked on Thursday how he felt about everything with Reed, and he gave a verbal Heisman pose.

"Yeah, we spoke after the Ryder Cup for a long period of time and, you know, we talked amongst us and it will stay between us," Woods said. "Some of the things that, as I've said, it's between us and we'll be handling it between us."

The reason I recount this specific incident is that I turned to Golf Channel late yesterday afternoon and, for the first time, heard this specific issue addressed.  Shane Bacon cited Patrick blaming his partner for those losses as a specific reason that he might have been snubbed, which is exactly how I took the comments at the time.  

We may never know whether Reed would have been taken absent his recent health issues, but it's a welcome step just in the interests of public hygiene.  I'll just leave you with this gem from the man:

It is seemingly the story that won't die, mostly because its protagonist won't let it. His quotes about Jordan Spieth and the U.S. team ended as perfectly as you might have expected them to. Reed was asked if his Captain America moniker has vanished after going 0-2-1 in Paris.

"No," he said. "I'm still 3-0 in singles.''

What a guy!

Zephyr includes guys like Billy Horschel and Will Zalatoris on his list, which is profoundly silly.  But if bubble boys are to be missed, it'll bee because the Euros make more putts than the Americans, which will make folks wonder whether these two guys might have helped:

Kevin Na

 Kevin Na wasn’t on anyone’s Ryder Cup radar for most of the summer, but a recent hot streak thrust him into the conversation. Starting in early July, Na registered four top-eight finishes in six starts, and he carded the low 72-hole score at the Tour Championship, which gave his Ryder Cup candidacy a late lift. However, ranking 170th in driving distance likely didn’t help his cause. It was a case of too little, too late for the veteran.

Kevin Kisner

Kevin Kisner has proven himself to be a tough out in match play competitions during his career, but his form in 2021 never gave him much of a chance at making this team. Outside of ranking 32nd in SG: Putting, Kisner did not have another strokes-gained category where he ranked inside the top 80. He did earn a win just a few weeks ago at the Wyndham Championship, but his ball-striking deficiencies over the last 18 months sunk his chances.

Neither of these guys did near enough to be consensus picks, plus Daniel Berger fills the void as well.  But if the matches turn on the greens these were the guys left behind that provide that skill.

To me, the pick that surprised most was Scottie Scheffler, though this previously unknown Golfweek writer is all-in on it:

Scottie Scheffler may just be the most important captain's pick on this year's U.S. Ryder Cup team

 That seems a stretch....

In 2021, Scheffler did not finish outside the top 20 in a major championship – that record
includes three top 10s. At the Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club back in March, he made it all the way to the championship match.

After beating Schauffele in a playoff, Scheffler advanced to the round of 16. He would go on to beat Ian Poulter, a European Ryder Cup monster, 5 and 4, Jon Rahm, the number one golfer in the world, 3 and 1, and Matt Kuchar, past match play champion and Ryder Cup vet, 1 up, before losing in the finals.

What does this all mean? Scheffler shows up when the lights are the brightest. He’s not afraid to stare down the best players in the world and compete until the bell rings.

Geez, I hope not, because Austin in March won't have much relevance for Wisconsin in late September.  To me the pick of Scottie means that Stricker felt the need for him in foursomes.  he's a ball-striking machine that can go cold on the greens.  Anyone can play his own ball, but foursomes requires ball-strikers, and on should expect Morikawa, Finau and Scheffler yo play both shoe sessions.  Obviously DJ, JT, Cantlay, X-Man and perhaps Harris English can play in any format, but there's no point to putting Scottie on the team if you're not going to use him where ball-striking is at a premium.

Golf Digest's Christopher Powers presents pairing he'd like to see, but it's a curious mix that begins with this seeming certainty:

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele

This pairing is less of a "we want to see it" and more of a "we're going to see it," which, by the
way, is a very good thing. Cantlay and Schauffele went 2-2-0 together in their U.S. team appearance at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, then they both won their singles matches in a tightly contested 16-14 American team win. They both do literally everything well, and they both exude a low-key, stoic demeanor that plays perfectly off each other, and plays perfectly in a match-play setting. Their similar personalities are likely why they are such good buddies, too. This week, following Cantlay's FedEx Cup victory, he and Schauffele are headed to Napa Valley for vacation with their significant others. Can you say partner bonding?

We've seen these two paired in a Prez Cup and we know they will play together at this Ryder Cup, so who exactly is arguing otherwise?

Dustin Johnson and Tony Finau

There's a more-than-legitimate argument to be made that Stricker would be pairing the two most talented golfers in the Ryder Cup together should he put together Finau and Johnson. These two are effortlessly long, extremely solid with their irons and they can each run hot with the putter from time to time. There aren't two other players on the planet who could step on the tee and feel good about their chances against the opposing duo of Big Tone and Deej. And remember, Finau was one of the lone bright spots on the 2018 losing U.S. team, going 2-1-0 overall. Johnson, paired alongside the shorter-hitting Rickie Fowler three times and Brooks Koepka once, went 1-4-0 overall. If paired with Finau on a course he loves, Bunker-Gate aside, there is simply no way he couldn't improve upon that record in 2021.

The only problem I see here is the simple fact that DJ hasn't been DJ in some time.  I'm not exactly sure what you do about that, but do we want him playing foursomes?  I know that contradicts my point above, but it's the hardest format and the man is looking for his game.

But any sense that Powers is worth our time comes to a screeching halt with this:

Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka

First off, Brooks Koepka needs to actually play in the event. And secondly ... ahh, never mind. This is never—we repeat, NEVER—going to happen. But we can certainly dream.

Really?  That's the kind of stuff you dream about?  You might want to see someone about that....

So, shall we ruin my day?  

Wait for it...

If Koepka is unable to go, Stricker would make another pick. Although he didn't say who that 13th pick would be, he did admit he "lost sleep" leaving Patrick Reed and his career 7-3-2 record in the biennial event off the team.

Just when we thought we had dodged that bullet....  I think Stricker has decided to move on from Reed, but this is absolutely the wild card.

One last hoped-for pairing that posing a conundrum:

Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa

If we were doing one of those "build your perfect golfer" things, you'd start with Bryson DeChambeau's driving and Collin Morikawa's approach play. Why not pair those two elite areas together, specifically in alternate shot foursomes? If Bryson finds the fairway enough on his driving holes (a rather-large if), Morikawa can feast with his irons, getting DeChambeau close enough to roll in some birdie putts. On the holes Morikawa drives, he will find the fairway (10th on tour in driving accuracy), and even at a long course like Whistling Straits, DeChambeau will have short irons into the greens. Also, the last key factor here, a big one, is that outside of Harris English, we're not sure there's a more perfect guy on this team to deal with the circus act that is DeChambeau right now than calm, cool, collected Collin.

The question that's been on my mind is whether you play Bryson in foursomes?  Morikawa is an interesting fit there and Powers makes some good points, but Collin obviously needs to be up for it, and we've no indication of how he feels about the guy.

We have lots more time to mulls all of these things over, and Sunday we'll have Captain Padraig's picks.  Just a couple more bits, first this on the first tee:

And this amusing bit riffing on Alan Shipnuck's famous prediction of an era of U.S. domiannce:

Alan was a popular guy in that Euro team room in 2018.

This took a bit longer than I expected, so I'll leave you at this point.  I have some follow-up pieces on the Solheim Cup that I promise to get to in the next few days, perhaps even over the weekend.  Check back early and often, and have a great weekend.

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