Should Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson be automatic Ryder Cup picks?

With three tournament wins this season for Tiger Woods and top ranking in the FedEx Cup rankings, exclusion from the Ryder Cup would be out of the question. For Phil Mickelson, however, an automatic qualification should not have necessarily been clear-cut.

The eight official automatic 2012 Ryder Cup picks not made by Team USA Captain Davis Love III are (not necessarily in order of popularity):

1. Tiger Woods:  Three wins in 2012 but struggled most recently at the PGA Championship and in the majors in general. Of course Tiger's "C" game is akin to most tour players' "A" game.

2. Phil Mickelson: One win at the ATT Pebble Beach Pro-Am, M/C three times and slid in to 14th place on the money list with a lackluster season. Perhaps it's time for Mickelson to turn in the spikes for cleats?

3. Bubba Watson: A Masters win this season and being top-8 in the Official World Golf Rankings makes the second lefty on the list more of a shoe-in than likeable Phil but cuts at both the Memorial and the U.S. Open (when the pressure was on) makes Bubba questionable as well.

4. Jason Dufner: This was definitely Dufner's year with wins at the Zurich Classic and at the HP Byron Nelson. Second place at the Crowne Plaza Invitational with a follow-up 4th place at the U.S. Open makes Dufner a rising star on the PGA Tour.

5. Keegan Bradley: Aside from being a very likeable fellow, Keegan is also a solid golfer and good clutch player. He also recently won the WGC-Bridgestone and just tied for third place at the PGA Championship. Right now, he's hot.

6. Webb Simpson: Winner of the 2012 U.S. Open....enough said.

7. Zach Johnson: Two wins this season and 4th on the PGA Tour money list. Johnson's stats include ranking 11th in putting and second place in strokes gained in putting.

8.  Matt Kuchar: Cut from the PGA Championship but first in top-10 finishes this year and 9th in scrambling from the rough on the PGA Tour.

These players are Team USA's representation at the Ryder Cup and I will be cheering them on to victory and to getting the Cup back onto US soil. Team Europe won the 2010 Ryder Cup matches by a score of 14.5 t0 13.5. Team Europe will most likely include Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald but the final decisions are to be made after the Johnnie Walker Championship.

Tiger Woods may not have won a major and may have struggled this season to regain his form but he still shows signs of progress and remains a strong contender for Team USA. Mickelson will once again have to prove to himself, more than to his loyal fans, that he still has what it takes to compete against the up and coming golfers on the PGA Tour.

The four final spots for Team USA 2012 Ryder Cup will be chosen on September 4th with Captain of the Love boat considering Hunter Mahan, Steve Stricker (one of my personal favorites and the golfer who almost bumped Mickelson off the Ryder Cup team) and Jim Furyk who Love said were "high on the list." The Wyndham Championship this week may be a deciding factor for Brandt Snedeker and Bill Haas. Love said, "we want to see how they play. Obviously, we don't have to go tell them that they are under the gun."

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photo credit: ClubCorp.com

Is money still a motivator for Tiger Woods, Mickelson at PGA Championship?

Since I could not attend (via telephone) a recent press conference held by Golf Channel with Brandel Chamblee and Frank Nobilo (aka @FrankNobiloGC), I received the transcript in which the analysts spoke about Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson’s dwindling chances to win the 2012 PGA Championship.  Woods has certainly bounced back strong this season from debilitating problems on the home front but his mindset may not be ready for the majors. And what about Phil Mickelson’s chances…Is his crippling illness forcing him out of the game?

 

 

With regards to Tiger Woods’ likelihood to win the PGA Championship, Chamblee spoke about the unpredictability of the Ocean course and Tiger’s past weakness opening the doors to a lot of different players. Frank Nobilo noted that “he's at least been able to contend” and that the Ocean Course, “gives him a little bit of leeway and it's a big golf course.”

 

As for Mickelson, analyst Frank Nobilo pointed to Phil’s arthritic condition forcing a slowdown and having Lefty take life at a more leisurely pace with his family. With regards to Mickelson’s level of play, Frank noted, “there's been more time away from the game this year than ever before.  And you know, physically, he just doesn't look 100 percent. Obviously his game is not sharp.”

 

Chamblee also made mention of Mickelson having to adjust his golf game in light of his slowed swing speed (down from 120 to 116 mph over the past couple of years.) The average golfer’s swing speed, as noted by Livestrong.com, states that Tour professionals average a swing speed of 105-110mph, LPGA Tour golfers “are measured at between 90 and 100 mph” and that, “the average female golfer swings between 60 and 70 mph.” Mickelson still has a healthy swing speed and, as long as his tempo remains fluid, I think he can manage his game.

 

The Golf Channel moderator then asked,

“How long do you think that he (Phil Mickelson) can stay motivated into his 40s, given what he's accomplished, and what's left to accomplish?

 

Brandel Chamblee said that Mickelson is motivated to win a career Grand Slam and still has a chance to win the U.S. Open.

 

Finally, does winning a major championship to these two veteran golfers, and to the rest of the field, have the same meaning as it once did?

 

Chamblee bluntly answered, no, not from a monetary standpoint but yes from a historical one.

 

Historically, for example, “when Shawn Micheel walks by, the first thing you think about is the 7-iron he hit to the final green winning the PGA Championship.”

 

Monetarily it may not mean that much to the higher ranked players, “Anywhere on the Money List, you're making deep seven figure incomes,” said Chamblee pointing out that Luke Donald earned twenty-five million dollars in the past two years without ever winning a major.”

 

Frank Nobilo disagreed, “that's what Tiger Woods is chasing right now.  And guys realize that it is their meal ticket.  People look at Adam Scott not winning, it's cost him about $20 million.”

 

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photo credit: sportributor.com

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