Golf Tips & Quips

The 2010 Ryder Cup will be hosted on European soil this year at Celtic Manor, Newport Wales. Captains Corey Pavin, and Colin Montgomerie have the daunting task of leading their respective teams into one of the most hotly contested tournaments in sports. Equally a daunting tasks for both leaders is making their three captains picks.

Montgomerie was scheduled to make his selections today and the players just outside the top 9 in Ryder Cup points made it very interesting for Monty. There were five players that everyone agreed were fighting for three spots. The five in contention were Justin Rose, Paul Casey, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, and Edoardo Molinari.

I wouldn't want to have to make this decision but Monty does, and he did. He picked Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, and Edoardo Molinari. These are great picks despite the fact that this means that half of the team will be making their rookie appearances.

Earlier in the season I would have picked Justin Rose as a lock to make the team. At one point I started to wonder if he was the best player in golf. He won twice, but started to fade as the season progressed. Paul Casey is great in match play, but he has been fighting injury for much of the past two years.

Padraig Harrington is a three time major winner and he deserves to be on the team. He is a player that can catch fire and keep it going for a long time. He is an exciting player to watch and he will certainly fire up his teammates.

Luke Donald played great in the Ryder Cup two years ago. He is a streaky player who when he is dialed in, is as good as any from tee to green. This was made evident when he rattled off six birdies in a row to start the final round of The Barclays. He finished with a twenty eight on the front side, adding two more birdies at eight and nine. Great timing to start playing well, and Monty took notice.

Montgomrie also took notice of Edoardo Molinari who birdied the last three holes of the Johnnie Walker Championship to win it by a stroke over Brett Rumford and three over his brother Francesco, who had already made the team. Molinari showed poise as he finished down the stretch, hitting the clutch shots when he needed them. This is something that is needed to be successful in Ryder Cup competition.

Montgomerie gave a surprise pick in Sergio Garcia as the fourth assistant captain. Garcia, who qualified for the Fed-Ex Tournament, but opted to sit it out, will be there as a spark for the team. I am not sure how that is going to work out. Garcia has not had the fire in his game for some time now. Maybe being around the team will renew the passion that he once had for the game of golf.

Pavin still has his picks to be made, and the players on the outside will be stating their case for a selection to the American side. Most think that Tiger Woods is a lock for a pick despite his sub-standard play. Interestingly enough, it seems that Tiger has found something this weekend. He is driving the ball better and today he is putting like the Tiger of old.

The Ryder Cup is always a great competition to watch. All the players talk about making the team at least once in their career. There is a lot of history in this event and it looks like there will be many more stories and tales written again this year. There always is. Have a great round and always hit your target.

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