How Team USA can Take Back the Ryder Cup in 2020

Although Team USA golf fans grasped onto some small level of hope during the Ryder Cup singles matches, Europe held off their opponents and reclaimed the chalice.

You win some, you lose some...but a thrashing should never have taken place.

"Our studs," said an anonymous someone in the U.S. team room, "didn’t play like studs this week."

The final Ryder Cup count was Team Europe with 17.5 points and Team USA at 10.5 points. Tiger Woods failed to thrill (but brought a large audience by just being on the team) and Mickelson, who is on-again, off-again about this being his final Ryder Cup appearance, was benched on Saturday and had a lackluster overall performance.

It is understandable why these two great golfers continually play in the Ryder Cup although it doesn't help Team USA secure a win. Mickelson, for example, according to RyderCup.com, "has the most losses than any player in U.S. history, though Tiger Woods is now only one behind after three straight defeats in France."

So, how can Team USA take back the Ryder Cup in 2020?

The first fix is fairly obvious; don't choose Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as captains pick for Team USA. Of course, if the captain agrees, this means a large loss of overall viewership, from the USA to across the pond (although I believe that the two, working together, would make interesting Team Captain/Assistant Captain). If either of the golfers makes it onto the team due to their own merits, this option will not work.

The second fix involves rescheduling the FedEx Cup finale... the Tour Championship, as it is possible for those players to be very tired going into the following week and performing at their peak. Perhaps the Ryder Cup needs to be moved ahead on the schedule one extra week to allow the players flight time and a short rest period before this stressful event?

According to several online blogs, Tiger Woods, looked "tired" and "listless" during all of his Ryder Cup matches and that is being blamed on his tight Tour Championship schedule which bled into the following week's matches.

Finally, how do you think Jim Furyk did as the Team USA Ryder Cup captain?

In my opinion, he did not utilize Patrick Reed to his best advantage - Reed sat on the sidelines during foursomes matches...and this is where he shines, and where he has been unbeaten.

"For somebody as successful in the Ryder Cup as I am, I don’t think it’s smart to sit me twice," Reed said when interviewed by the New York Times.

What do you think can be done so Team USA has a chance at the 2020 Ryder Cup? Comments are welcome in this golf blog and tag us with your ideas on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

3 Reasons Tiger Woods is on 2018 Ryder Cup Team USA

The final PGA Tour golfers are being selected for the 2018 Ryder Cup team;  Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Bryson DeChambeau have already made the cut. Do you agree with Jim Furyk's choices?

On this year's Ryder Cup Team U.S.A. are a few standouts who need no explanation as to why they were selected: Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson (both with three 2018 PGA Tour wins), Brooks Koepka (2 major wins), and young guns like Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth have proven themselves to be ready for the challenge.

LISTEN: Jim Furyk Interview about getting ready for Ryder Cup

So, why have Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods been added to the Ryder Cup roster?

Mickelson has had a pretty good year with a win at the WGC Mexico Championship and several top-10's; I think fans just require more from him in spite of his bouts with RA.

So honored to be a part of Team USA!
PHEELING PATRIOTIC
PHEELING PHIERCE! 🇺🇸🕺#RyderCup @RyderCupUSA pic.twitter.com/6NGa6ESXxU

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) September 4, 2018

Tiger Woods has also made a comeback that is worthy of a Ryder Cup pick. Again, golf aficionados remember the Woods of old and, should instead not make comparisons but review his current season before issuing negative comments.

1. Although Woods has no wins under his belt in 2018, he has several top-10's including placing second at the PGA Championship; this is still an accomplishment for any PGA Tour golfer but, because it is Tiger Woods we are discussing, our expectations are higher. In spite of many back surgeries, Woods is still in the 2018 tournament mix.

2. According to Jim Furyk, Tiger is a solid vice-captain who helps his teammates, which not only helps as far as strategy and boosts morale for the team.

3. The obvious reason, not stated by Furyk, is that both Woods and Mickelson will bring millions of viewers to the Ryder Cup. Woods has a huge impact on TV ratings. According to thebiglead.com, because Woods was playing:

"Quicken Loans National’s final round ratings was a 92 percent increase over last year and a 28 percent increase over 2016. Not only that, but the third round also saw a huge increase and was up 143 percent."

The 2018 Ryder Cup will surely prove to be an exciting team experience! The TV Schedule for the US is:

Do you agree with the 2018 Ryder Cup picks? Voice your opinion on Golf for Beginners blog and tag us on Twitter with your answer @Golf4Beginners.

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."

Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and follow on Facebook.

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

photo credit: ClubCorp.com

What Did YOU Learn from Watching The Ryder Cup? #golf

Every golf tournament can be considered a learning experience by players and fans; the Ryder Cup is no exception. Some writers looked into the seriousness of the individual golfers and teamwork displayed while others wrote about the validation of the USA "family".

It was said many times during the Ryder Cup that this tournament is like no other event in golf; the seriousness is there but the cheering and jeering elicits so many different responses in the players that they must seek out their zen place in order to close out distractions. In a recent article by Golf Digest, it was suggested that players do not try to block out pressure but, instead, embrace and channel it.

"You probably aren't playing in front of a 50,000-person gallery, but everybody will get to a shot that gets the butterflies going," related top PGA Teacher Randy Smith.

 "The trick is to practice drifting into the past, to access the good shots you've hit on that hole or in a similar situation. When you do that, you're reminding yourself that the situation isn't completely foreign. The nerves are there, but they're part of the experience."

The Golf for Beginners mantra is that we are always learning...and sharing our thoughts with golfers of all levels so, here are a few observations as to how to use Ryder Cup model to your advantage during a friendly competition with your mates.

1. Managing Emotions: As discussed above, emotions do play a role on the golf course but the key is how to use those feelings to your advantage.

Preventing a meltdown is easier said than done when you slice your ball so badly that it splashes into the green-side pond or when you have a few shekels on the line and miss that three-footer to go down by three in the match. Dr. Deborah Graham suggests using Dave Stockton's "2 Second Rule" as a quick fix to a possible emotional disaster.

Basically, give yourself two seconds to react to a bad shot - release frustration and then change your thoughts to something you can control and move on to the next shot.

2. Try a Different Format: Match Play format is sometimes the better format when going out and playing with friends. You can have a blowup hole without losing the match as in stroke play; the game also moves along faster because of gimmee putts and takes less time for when you need to finish in under five plus hours (ah, the publinks experience!)

3. Try Playing as Teams: The team experience can be very rewarding, creating a sense of cameraderie during the round.

About the idea of playing with a team, Karen Stupples mentioned that solo golf can be very "selfish" and said with regards to her experience in the Solheim Cup, "You have to be aware of what everybody else needs as well and you may have to make some sacrifices. You will definitely feel more pressure in this type of format because you don't want to let your team down."

I personally like the option of playing best ball and believe that the joint strategy offers less pressure because the team is shouldering some of the weight. Ham and egging it has its advantages!

What did you learn from watching the Ryder Cup matches?

Now that the Ryder Cup is officially in the books, we congratulate both teams for their incredible winning spirit. Next up in the way of team sports is the Solheim Cup slated for mid-August of 2017 and then the President's Cup at the end of September, 2017.

Are you a fan of team sports? What can you offer about your experiences playing with a team? Tag us on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and feel free to comment in our golf blog below.

Can Phil Mickelson Mentor a Young Ryder Cup Team to Victory? #golf

After Phil Mickelson's recent withdrawal from the BMW Championship, golf fans may be wondering whether or not Lefty still has the stuff of Champions needed to help lead Team USA on to victory against Europe.

Although Mickelson removed himself from the final FedEx Cup events and the remainder of the PGA Tour season (knowing he could not contend), he showed mental weakness as well. Was it a lack of passion, his age, physical issues, or a combination of maladies that forced Mickelson to withdraw? Will he be able to stand strong and carry his team in the face of adversity?

Because of his poor showing in the first two days of the BMW, The World Golf Hall of Famer chose not to buckle down, disappointing fans who came to see him play, a worldwide television audience and the tournament itself which relies on big names like Phil to help sell tickets.

At forty-four years of age and with twenty-plus years on tour, the jury is still out on Phil.

"My primary goal is to rest and prepare for the Ryder Cup," Mickelson said in a statement released after his W/D from the BMW Championship. "Without a chance to contend at the Tour Championship, the most important thing for me now is to prepare for the Ryder Cup."

Team USA Captain Tom Watson wanted to add value to his team picks by adding “players who can putt and close and have heart.” Phil can still crush his drives but short game and passion is what Watson said is needed to carry Team USA to victory.

"You Gotta Believe", the slogan  of New York Mets baseball relief pitcher Tug McGraw in 1973, has been adapted as the term "Redemption" by Team USA with Mickelson leading the charge.

As for Watson's other requirement, the short game, Mickelson has that going for him too, so says his long term instructor and golf guru, Dave Pelz, "He's one of brightest players I have ever known and probably the best I've ever worked with and he certainly has the best short game I've ever seen."

With the use of learning aids such as the Putting Tutor developed by Pelz for use on indoor putting greens along with games designed specifically for the short game, Dave and Phil work together using both scientific and golf evaluation to try to "measure where he's losing most of his strokes and where he could improve."

"The games were developed to help my students," Dave Pelz said, so even if you're not a top tour pro like Mickelson, you can still take advantage of the same expert guidance right inside your home.

Does Team USA believe in Phil and does Lefty think that he should have been a Ryder Cup pick?

"I don't know if I played well enough this year to deserve a spot," Mickelson said. "You want players that are hot, that are playing well. And I need to step up and start doing that."

Keegan Bradley, who also withdrew from the BMW Championship on Saturday due to doubt over the legality over a drop, was in 28th place with a chance at winning the Tour Championship and made a great pairing with Mickelson at the 2012 Ryder Cup but would the same pairing be a good fit this year?

After their win at the 2012 Ryder Cup, Keegan Bradley said, "...being able to walk down the fairway with Phil and do this is a dream come true. It's another moment in my life that I can't believe I'm a part of. It could be the best day of my life."

"I just love playing with Keegan." Mickelson said. "He's just played so good all day and it's just kept me up the whole time. It's been awesome."

Watching Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson play golf during the PGA Championship, fans could also feel the camaraderie between these two players, so it seems likely that Mickelson is a good candidate for team cheerleader.

Will Team USA gain redemption with Mickelson at the helm? Should be an interesting Ryder Cup for both captains and mates!

Voice your Ryder Cup Opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners. In the market for backyard putting green kits? Ask SYNLawn for their opinion on Twitter @SYNLawn_golf.


Photo credit: SYNLawngolf.com, TaipeiTimes.com, Crunchtimenews.com



Disclosure: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Will Tiger Woods sit out the Ryder Cup?

Although Tiger Woods' "wildcard" spot on the Ryder Cup USA Team is assured, with his uncertain record, will Corey Pavin utilize him as a player or as the team cheerleader?

“I am going to treat every player the same. The objective is to try to win the Ryder Cup and if in my judgment I think Tiger is to play five matches, or should play four or three, then that is what I will do — that’s my call as captain” Pavin told BBC radio on Sunday.

Tiger Woods has not won a single event nor placed himself into contention this entire PGA Tour season. With his less-than-stellar performance yesterday at the BMW Championship, Tiger Woods has removed himself from obtaining the FedEx Cup and the Tour Championship.
Bad for Tiger Woods but very good for Bo Van Pelt...

Furthermore, Woods' Ryder Cup record is intermittent at best, winning less than half the number of points (11 out of a possible 25) during his entire professional career. Even so, wasn't it Phil Mickelson who lost it for Team USA back in 2008?

I personally believe Tiger Woods should have sat out the entire 2010 PGA Tour season but, since he is now representing Ryder Cup Team USA, we can only hope that he pulls his golf game together with the help of Sean Foley.

GO TEAM USA!

More golf stories at Golf for Beginners blog and follow Golf4Beginners on Twitter.

Tiger Woods in the Ryder Cup? You Can Bet On It! #golf

In the game of golf and online sports betting in general, there is almost always a wager that warrants conversation. The latest golf events and odds that have caught our attention refer to whether or not Tiger Woods will be playing with Team USA in the 2016 Ryder Cup ...yes, you can bet there are odds on this!

The internet is a buzz with odds on winning the Ryder Cup, FedEx Cup and more and why not? Gambling on golf has been inherent in the game since it's beginnings. Whether you're betting a fun two dollar Nassau with your mates or selecting Fantasy picks for the Italian Open, golf is one of the sports in which gambling is accepted, welcomed and woven deep into the fabric of the sport.

In a recent article from BusinessDailyAfrica.com, "Golf and gambling go hand in hand under strict rules of the game."

Even "the USGA does not object to informal gambling or wagering among individual golfers or teams of golfers when the players in general know each other, participation in the wagering is optional and is limited to the players."

True, there are some inherent do's and don'ts <...Phil Mickelson> but it is everywhere online and has not been condemned (five million Google results online for golf gambling online) so, if you plan to make a wager, bet with your head, not over it.

That being said, let's take a look at the Ryder Cup odds as they currently stand.

Golf Digest has Tiger Woods as a long shot to be added to Team USA roster by Davis Love III, but he is still in the running. I believe that Jim Furyk would also be a great pick for the team.

As outright winners, which team will win The Ryder Cup?

According to Oddschecker.com, here are the betting odds to lift the Ryder Cup trophy:

As far as deciphering these odds, I only partake in on-course wagers so I am unfamiliar with these odds; please feel free to comment below in this golf blog to help explain!

It is rumored that the PGA Tour is considering permitting sports gambling on golf tournaments. Do you think this is a good idea? Tweet and tag us on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and comment below on our Golf for Beginners blog.



This golf blog does not promote or encourage gambling or betting to any individual under the age of 21 years. Please be thoughtful if gambling on any event and we urge you not to play over your limit.

Ryder Cup anchors Woods, Stricker, Furyk sink ship for Team USA

Team USA fell to pieces on Ryder Cup Sunday as its three anchors, Jim Furyk, Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker, lost their putting skills on the final two holes at Medinah, handing over the cup to a jubilant Team Europe.

 

 

Jim Furyk, devastated by his loss to Sergio Garcia was in obvious denial commenting, “I’m pretty sure Sergio would tell you that I outplayed him today”.  

 

My thoughts?  Jim Furyk, although a great golfer, probably should never have been chosen by Captain Davis Love III in the first place, with Furyk known this season by the way he fizzles down the stretch in the finale.

 

Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods were placed in the clean-up position by Love, in spite of the fact that they lost every team match. Captain Love made mention that he wanted experienced talent just in case it was needed to win the cup but did Love take into consideration both Woods’ and Stricker’s season strokes gained putting average before making his final decision?Did Love forget the beating Stricker and Woods took by Adam Scott and KJ Choi at the Presidents Cup?

 

Poor putting under pressure ultimately lost the Ryder Cup for Team USA.

 

With all of the pressure falling squarely on Stricker, who is 65^th in strokes gained putting average on the PGA Tour this season,  the eighteenth hole was hardly the time for a “mis-read”.  And, Tiger Woods should never have missed a 3 1/2 foot putt…never.

 

To further show that Tiger has lost pride in his performance, here is Woods quote after his Ryder Cup tie with Molinari, “You come here as a team and you win or lose as a team, and it's pointless to even finish. So 18 was just, hey, get this over with."  Pointless? Tiger Woods, for certain, has gone soft.

 

I think Tiger should have sat out on Sunday and contemplated Furyk’s Ryder Cup statement, “It’s the lowest point of my year.”

 

Congratulations to Team Europe. They deserve the accolades!

 

Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend us on Facebook

 

photo credit

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

#Golf Infographic Showcases Diversity of Ryder Cup

The 2016 Ryder Cup will be held on U.S. soil for the first time since Europe sneaked up from behind in 2012 to beat a stunned American team at Medinah Country Club in Illinois. The biennial tournament, held at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota this year, will commence on Friday, September 30th, with the winners being announced on Sunday to the usual fanfare, jeers and cheers. But, as we know and have come to expect, it's all in the name of good, clean fun...

"The Ryder Cup is played in even-numbered years between twelve-member teams from the United States and Europe. It consists of five match-play sessions played over three days."

Which Ryder Cup Team are You Rooting For?

While there’s currently a great deal of debate surrounding who will take this year’s trophy, the tournament stands as the quintessential showcase of American and European golfing talent, where twenty-four of the most gifted players go head-to-head for one of the most prestigious chalices in the sport.

The jury is still out as to who will round out the final spots for each team; Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson are still candidates as captain's picks for Team USA while Team Europe has finalized their choices with Westwood, Kaymer and Pieters.

A Damp History of Ryder Cup

The last golf tournament was held at Gleneagles in Scotland in 2014, where the weather was infamously rather glum, however, this wasn’t the first time the British weather has rained on the Ryder Cup parade. In 2010, the tournament was suspended for the first time in its history, due to poor weather conditions at the Celtic Manor resort in Newport, Wales.

Do you think players prefer the windy, damp conditions of European golf or sunny, more inviting US weather? Slower, wet greens vs lightning fast greens, playing the wind vs very hot, humid conditions?

Aside from the notorious weather, other stereotypes tend to find their way into the competition.

Whether it's the critters on the course (alligators or squirrels), the golf attire or the grub that the players tuck into, suffice it to say that our customs and environments vividly differ.

For a full roundup of USA vs Europe comparisons, including golf attire, surroundings, and clubhouses, you can visit this fun infographic from Online Golf.

Feel free to write your thoughts below in the comments section of our golf blog and follow us on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Author Bio: 
Lauren Barker is a content specialist for Online Golf, the largest internet-only golf retailer in Europe.

Why Tiger Woods Would Not Make a Good Ryder Cup Captain

Coming off of a disappointing loss for Team USA at the 2012 Ryder Cup, Tiger Woods commented that he would, some day, like to Captain the Team.  Although this move would make the Ryder Cup one of the most watched events in all of golf with television viewership reaching record numbers, would this be a good move for the Americans?

 

Here are a few reasons why Tiger Woods should probably leave the honor to someone else.

 

1.       LACK OF FOCUS: Tiger Woods has become vulnerable to distractions, whether it is from outside distractions or within his own game. Tiger would need to focus his attention on the entire team and how they work best together. For that, Woods needs to regain focus on his own game, from putting to the mental game, without losing his cool. Can he do it?

 

2.       LACK OF CARING: Woods asked all of the rookies to a personal apology session after the Ryder Cup to say “sorry” for not doing more to win. The decision to give up the final ½ point during his final match because he didn’t think it mattered spoke volumes to the Team and to his fans.

 

3.       LACK OF PRIDE: (See above) Tiger Woods was known never to give up; he always fought back, whether it was from a bad drive or to make the last putt on eighteen regardless of his position.

 

4.       NOT A TEAM PLAYER: Tiger Woods is best known as a singles player, but not much of a team player. His focus is predominantly on his own game, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but would he truly understand the intricacies of putting together teammates who work well together? For example, would Tiger have paired Keegan Bradley with Phil Mickelson?

 

5.       If Tiger Woods can’t figure out how to personally win at the Ryder Cup where a Cup and pride is at stake, how is he going to figure out how to lead a team to victory? Is Woods a better player only where money is the motivator?

 

Tiger Woods has a great understanding of the game of golf, of this there is no doubt, but his willingness to accept defeat is also becoming a lot easier. This might come from his own personal experiences but it certainly is not a good trait for a team captain.

 

Woods' intense determination to win, his ability to go out believing he was going to win every tournament before it started when he was a younger golfer has been tempered by doubts creeping into his self conscious. Accepting defeat has gotten a lot easier.

 

Maybe Tiger Woods should leave the Captaincy to someone else...Phil Mickelson perhaps?

 

Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend on Facebook.

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Do You Think Tiger Woods Should Represent the USA at the Ryder Cup?

Corey Pavin recently said that Tiger Woods would have to earn his way onto the U.S. Ryder Cup Team.

"I'm not going to treat Tiger any different than any other player," Pavin stated. "He's certainly not going to be an automatic pick. He's just going to be treated like everyone else. I'd love to have him on the team, but I want him to be playing well."

I agree with Pavin that Woods should be treated equally with regards to his past Ryder Cup record.: 10-13-2 is not as great an accomplishment as another option for the team, namely Tom Watson, who has a 10-4-1 record. Problem with Watson is he may have already mentally defeated himself by saying, "I've never played the golf course before. That's where the Europeans have out-smarted us."

Woods has only been on a winning Ryder Cup team once in 1999 and didn't even play when Team USA ended it's losing streak in 2008.

With Woods' limited play this year, inconsistencies in his game may translate into lazy play against Team Europe. Pavin doesn't want to risk a loss.

Tiger Woods is one of the greatest golfers to have ever played the game and is extremely close to tying Jack Nicklaus' all major record of 18 (Tiger is only four events shy of this feat.) Jack Nicklaus believes Corey Pavin would need a "brain scan" if he left Tiger off the team but the negatives may outweigh the positives in this instance.

And so I ask the public, if you were Captain Corey Pavin, would you ask Tiger Woods to play in the Ryder Cup?


Ask Team Europe and I'll bet the answer will be a resounding "NO!"

Italy's Quiet Golf Champion – Francesco Molinari

A year ago Francesco Molinari put the seal on a remarkable twelve months with one of the most sensational tournament displays ever seen in Asian golf, when he and Lee Westwood finished streets ahead of a world-class field at the WGC-HSBC Champions. Tim Maitland reports.

When Francesco “Chicco” Molinari briefly raised his hands in the air and gazed momentarily up the cheering Shanghai crowds in the grandstand at Sheshan last year, you would have had little clue from his body language that he had just gone eyeball to eyeball with the hottest player on the planet and won. 

Even now, when he looks back at the best performance, the biggest victory, the most spectacular year of his career and a season unparalleled in the history of Italian golf, his voice – a deep baritone – rumbles along at exactly the same steady, careful, unflustered pace. 

"It was very, very good. It was probably the best golf I’ve played so. When you’re playing against the number one in the world it doesn’t get any tougher than that, especially the way he was playing. It was just a great week for my confidence and my self-belief to see that I could compete against the best in the world," the 28-year-old explains, his tone showing no hint of the kind of excitement of someone describing the day and the week where he delivered a performance that he had strived for most of his life.

There’s no hint of exhilaration when he considers the culmination of a remarkable twelve months in his life. It started when he won the Omega Mission Hills World Cup for Italy with his older brother Edoardo in Shenzhen and continued when he twice played alongside Edoardo as his brother won his first European Tour events in Scotland. If that wasn’t enough the brothers, who were born a little under two years apart, paired up again to help Europe win the Ryder Cup and, circling the globe, Francesco returned to China to claim the biggest prize of his career taking his season earnings to within a few Euros of 2.8 million.

 The vanquished in this case is far more effusive than the victor.

“Last year’s event was great! Myself and Francesco ran away from the field! We played a different golf course that week!” exclaims Westwood, who was starting his first of what would be 22 weeks at number one.

“It was pretty much flawless golf,” Molinari muses modestly.

As the quiet champion, Molinari is perhaps destined to be filed in the same place that the 2006 Shanghai winner Yang Yong-Eun occupied until he became Asia’s first male Major Champion and his 2009 PGA Championship cast his previous achievements into a new light. Both are symbolic of the arrival of relatively new golfing nations to the sport’s top table and, at the times of their win, neither golfer had the same superstar status as some of the other names on the HSBC Champions roll of honour like Phil Mickelson (2007 & 2009) or Sergio Garcia (2008).

They have one other thing in common: to win both produced a performance so perfect that they remain a regular reference point.

“I try to revive the feeling I had that week. I played with such poise. It was my perfect tournament,” Yang said the week before he enshrined himself as a legend of Asian golf.

Molinari’s emotions are he’s exactly the same.

“Definitely! What is left for me from that week are the feelings that I had on the golf course; being competitive, being really in the moment and just the attitude I had on the golf course, rather than the game itself,” he says.

It’s hard enough to believe Francesco would need such a reference point, so unchanging is his demeanour: even people close to his family say that while brother Edoardo rides a more typically Italian emotional rollercoaster, Francesco never deviates.

What’s almost impossible to believe is his claim that, as a child, learning the game in Turin, his dentist-father frequently banned him for ‘throwing the toys out of the pram’.

“I used to throw clubs as a kid and swear and if my Dad saw me from other holes throwing clubs he wouldn’t let me play for a couple of weeks. That was the punishment for not behaving on the golf course,” Francesco explains.

“I think I was lucky to learn the lesson as a kid. When you turn professional you try really hard think about what you’re doing and not about what happened or what is going to happen. I think that’s what I did really well in Shanghai.”

Patience has proved a virtue in other ways too. At the insistence of their parents, both Edoardo and Francesco had to complete degrees at the University of Torino (Edoardo studying Engineering and Francesco choosing Business) before starting their golf careers.

Although the younger Molinari initially singles out improving year-on-year rather than his victories, there have been plenty of highlights in his professional life.

“The World Cup and the Ryder Cup were two of the biggest moments in my career. The win in Shenzhen was great, playing against Rory (McIlroy) and G-Mac (Graeme McDowell) in the last round and winning by one shot at the 18^th is always something special. Being the first World Cup success for Italy alongside my brother Edoardo was just something really unbelievable.

“The Ryder Cup is an unbelievable experience; different from any other emotion you can feel on the golf course. The first morning we were not even playing and when we went to the tee they started chanting “There’s only two Molinaris” and it was just a lot of fun. I thought it was one of the best chants of the week. It’s a lot of tension and a lot of pressure but at the same time it’s also a lot of fun because you don’t play for money, you don’t play for world ranking points… you just play for winning and the team.”

As for the steady improvement, Molinari admits that the law of diminishing returns applies as you get into the jet set of tour society. This year he has strived for a little more distance and in the process lost some of the pinpoint accuracy.

That’s not the only change. This year Molinari has played fewer events to make room for the Majors and other WGC tournaments that his HSBC Champions win has allowed him to add to the cream of the European Tour’s events.  The results haven’t been bad – top 10s in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, Volvo World Match Play Championship and the BMW Italian Open and, the highlight, a third place finish at the WGC-Cadillac Championship – but they haven’t been as consistent as previous seasons.

The other big adjustment has been the arrival of his first child, a son Tommaso, born this year on February 5^th.

“Life changes after a baby. You have to adapt to the new condition of being a parent, but it’s fun. As soon as he smiles you forget about anything that happened – good or bad – on the golf course. It gives you a different perspective,” Molinari reveals.

So, Molinari returns to the HSBC Champions not quite on the crest of the wave that swept him to the biggest win of his career, but looking forward to defending his title on what he describes as “a phenomenal” 18 holes of golf.

“It’s going to be different! We won the World Cup in China and now I’ve won in Shanghai; obviously I really like playing in China! It’s going to be fun to be back there another year. The HSBC Champions was just the climax of a fantastic year for me. I’m really looking forward to going back there this year and try and do the same,” he says.

How he’ll be received will be interesting. Perhaps like “YE” Yang Yong-Eun it will only be a Major championship that will make a nation relatively new to the sport re-evaluate the near-perfection he displayed last year.

If Francesco Molinari doesn’t get the recognition from the golfing public, the player he vanquished believes the Italian certainly has got it from his peers; the people that matter most.

“I think he did by all the players. That’s who you want recognition from,” Westwood says.

“He played very nicely,” the Englishman adds.

It’s a comment that sums up Francesco Molinari perfectly; simply because it is so understated.

Francesco Molinari Profile:

Personal

Nationality: Italian

Born: 8^th November 1982, Turin (Torino) Italy

Height/Weight: 5ft 8in/11st 5lb (172cm/72kg)

Family: Wife Valentina (m. 2007). Son Tommaso (b. 2010)

Lives: London, England

Education: Degree in Business, University of Torino (Università degli Studi di Torino/UNITO)

Other interests: Snowboarding, Football (Supports Inter Milan and West Ham United)

Career

Professional wins:

2010 WGC-HSBC Champions, Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai China

2010 Ryder Cup, Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Wales

2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup, Mission Hills, Guangdong, China (with Edoardo Molinari)

2006 Telecom Italian Open, Castello di Tolcinasco G & CC, Milan, Italy

Other Professional Landmarks:

November 2010: career-best 5^th place in the European Tour’s “race to Dubai” order of merit

October 2009: reached top 50 of the Official Golf World Rankings for the first time

2004: Turned pro after earning his European Tour card at his first attempt at Q School

Amateur wins:

2004 Italian Amateur Stroke Play Championship; Italian Match Play Championship; Sherry Cup, Spain

2002 Italian Amateur Stroke Play Championship; Italian Amateur Foursomes Championship (with Edoardo Molinari)

2010 HSBC Champions victory:

Became the first wire-to-wire winner in the history of the HSBC Champions

His first European Tour victory since the 2006 Italian Open – a gap of four years and 185 days and 125 European Tour events between victories

His first WGC victory of his career, in his fifth WGC appearance

Moved into the top 15 of the Official World Golf Ranking; his highest career position

Marked the first time since the WGC events started in 1999 that European Tour members had won three events in the same year (Ian Poulter (WGC – Accenture Match Play), Ernie Els (WGC – CA Championship)

Became the 17th different winner of a WGC event, while Italy became the ninth different country to win a WGC event

The Molinaris joined Seve and Manuel Ballesteros, who in 1983 both won, as the only brothers to win in the same European Tour season. (1983 Seve – PGA Championship, Irish Open and Trophée Lancôme; Manuel – Timex Open. 2010 Francesco – WGC-HSBC Champions; Edoardo – Barclays Scottish Open and Johnnie Walker Championship)

Voice your opinion on Twitter @ Golf4Beginners and friend us on Facebook

Read more articles by Tim Maitland

 

Jim Furyk may not sweat the Ryder Cup thanks to his new fashion line

Click here to listen.

I met up with Jim Furyk at a photo shoot for the launch of the golf clothing collection from New York clothier Hawke and Co., and received an education on the differences between cotton and moisture-wicking polyester. I also learned how this upscale company's products distinguish themselves from typical "off the rack" golf apparel right down to the subleties of the hawk symbolically stitched into every shirt and the recurrent colors of brown and orange which help golfers distinguish this clothing from the average lineup.

Furyk, who recently signed a long term sponsorship deal with the contemporary outerwear and sportswear maker, gave me his preferences on the performance-oriented collection.

Heat exhaustion before Hawke and Co.?

We also had a chance to talk about the upcoming Ryder Cup as well as whom Furyk would choose as his compadres if he was captain instead of Azinger. Tiger Woods came up in conversation as Azinger mentioned early on that Team USA were considered "underdogs" without the world's number-one in the mix. Considering the Americans have lost the past three Ryder Cup competitions, Tiger Woods' absence just might spur on a sense of unity among the beleaguered Americans.

Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia's names were also tossed around because of their stellar performance at the 2004 Ryder Cup where between the two of them, they scored an amazing 8.5 points!

Furyk's practice schedule was also discussed, where he's tuning up and golf tips were offered up for all of the amateurs out there.

For golf tips from one of the best golf instructors in the world, check out our recent interview with Tiger Woods coach, Hank Haney!


Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes.

Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free!

Get to know us on MySpace!

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by St. Andrews Golf Tours, 800-348-4902.

Photo Credit: © BBC Sport.

Montgomerie Warns Westwood That Tiger Woods Will Bite Back

Europe’s winning Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie has warned his star player Lee Westwood to expect a backlash from Tiger Woods when he takes away his position as the world’s number one golfer.

The Englishman, who was the bedrock of Europe’s victory at Celtic Manor last week, is projected to take over the top spot in the Official World Rankings when the world’s leading players arrive in Shanghai for the WGC-HSBC Champions in the first week of November.

 

credit

 

With Lee Westwood resting his injured calf and Tiger Woods not scheduled to play before China either, the 37-year-old from Worksop will overtake the American superstar by virtue of losing fewer points from the back end of the two-year period that the standings are calculated from.

However Montgomerie says that Westwood has got to expect an immediate response when Woods gets to Shanghai.

“He won’t like being number two at anything and he’ll come out fighting, which is great for the tournament, fantastic for the event,” said the 47-year-old Scotsman, talking at a HSBC Charity Golf Day in Hong Kong to raise money for the children’s charity UNICEF.

“Knowing Tiger as I do he’ll probably go out and win the HSBC World Golf event, you’ve got to think that" continued Montgomerie. "He came out and played superbly in the (Ryder Cup) singles match. He was two down after two (holes) against Francesco Molinari and then was nine-under for the next 11 holes.  It was incredible golf! When he’s spurred on like that there’s nobody better. I think it’s great for the tournament, great for the tournament, having to have Woods win. I think he won’t be far away from doing so, but it’s a great, great, strong field again.”

Westwood will first have to complete his recovery from an unusual injury high in his calf which forced him to withdraw from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational this summer and has made him schedule another break this month. 

Westwood took the rest of August and September off trying to shake off the injury, which causes swelling in his ankle and lower calf as fluid from the injured muscle drains down his leg. Having returned for the Ryder Cup, he announced after last week’s Alfred Dunhill Link Championship in Scotland that he was going to rest for the remainder of October. His goal is to return in time for the WGC-HSBC Champions from November 4^th-7^th, a target made more likely by the fact that specialists have told him the injury is not one that can escalate.

“Hopefully, he’s back playing again. It’ll be fantastic to have the world’s top three players, and Martin Kaymer will be there – he’s fourth – it’s fantastic! Fantastic for golf!” said Monty, before pausing to consider how he’d respond should Westwood ask him for advice on how to handle being the world’s number one.

“The only thing that Lee Westwood can do is come over to Shanghai and win! Lee’s playing as well as anyone in the world of golf right now, and as number one you’ve got to prove it.  I was number two to Greg Norman for a number of weeks back in 1996-97 and it’s a big deal when you’re up there. The expectation is that you are the best player in the world and you’re expected to go and prove it.

“Sometimes it’s not easy to do and Lee’s never been there before. I’m sure Lee’s nature and Lee’s personality will come through and he’ll be as anxious to win in Shanghai as Tiger… and as Phil, because if Phil wins in Shanghai he could probably go to number one. It’s very close and if Martin Kaymer has won a couple more events before then as well, he could be number one. It’s all go and it’s fantastic for the event,” said Monty, whose own personal goal, after dedicating the last two years to the Ryder Cup, is to get back into the winner’s circle in his own right and with it become the oldest ever winner on the European PGA Tour.

 

Thanks to Tim Maitland for sharing this great golf story with Golf for Beginners!

 

Follow Golf4Beginners on Twitter

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Did PGA Tour Championship or Fed Ex Cup mean more to Jim Furyk?

A dejected Luke Donald concluded that the double bogey on the 15th hole on Saturday was why he lost out on a $10 million Fed Ex Cup prize to Jim Furyk. Furyk, on the other hand, was busy trying to lift both the PGA Tour Championship and Fed Ex Cup trophies, while trying to decide which meant more to him.

Pointing to the Fed Ex Cup Furyk said,

"They both mean a lot, to be honest with you, but this one is a season. ... I focused all week on trying to win this one (pointing to THE TOUR Championship trophy) and hoped this one (the FedExCup) could come true."

Perhaps Furyk now has another trophy in his sights, namely the Jack Nicklaus Trophy as the PGA Tour's Player of the Year.

Jim Furyk is now moving on to the 2010 Ryder Cup and, if 2008 Ryder Cup action is any indication of how he'll perform, I suspect Team USA will be taking home the trophy once again!

Here is last year's picture of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods with their respective Tour Championship and Fed Ex Cup trophies. Doesn't this take you back to a time before all of the Tiger Woods drama?

WGC-HSBC Champions Puts Exclamation Mark on Europe’s Miraculous Year

The day before his 28^th birthday, Francesco Molinari put the finishing touches on four days of incredible golf, becoming the first wire-to-wire winner of the WGC-HSBC Champions and emphatically proving that world golf in 2010 belonged almost exclusively to Europe, Tim Maitland reports.

For the first time Europe Tour members claimed three of the four WGC titles (Ian Poulter won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and Ernie Els took the WGC-CA Championship) to add to three Majors (Graeme McDowell/US Open, Louis Oosthuizen/Open Championship and Martin Kaymer/PGA Championship) and the small matter of the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor.

“I'm a European Tour Member, I'm proud to be a European Tour golfer, and it's a great moment for European golf and I'm really happy to give my contribution to that,” said Molinari, who also capped an unprecedented year for Italian golf too, by adding his name to that of his brother Edoardo and teenager Matteo Manassero on the season’s list of winners.

Positioned first and second each day and separated only by one shot at the close of each round on the further-toughened Sheshan International Golf Club track, Molinari and new world number-one Lee Westwood put on a stunning display throughout.

 

On the final day both shot five-under-par 67s (a score bettered only by Katsumasa Miyamoto), despite being in the pressure-cooker environment of the leading group. Neither had a bogey in their final round, and Westwood’s cards were unblemished throughout the weekend as the two of them left the rest of a world-class field miles behind; Luke Donald and Richie Ramsey tied for third, ten shots adrift of Molinari’s 19-under total of 269.

“I think the difference in score between us and the rest of the field shows you how good [sic] we played, and I'm sure it was a great show for everybody who was watching here on TV, as well,” said the Inter Milan fan, who apart from winning the Omega Mission Hills World Cup for Italy with his brother in 2009, was probably best known for being on the wrong end of a Tiger Woods master-class on the final day at Celtic Manor.

“I'm obviously amazed the way I played, and you know, to have the number-one player in the world trailing you by one shot, it's not easy.  I was under pressure all the time, pretty much from the first round. It's great, not only the way I hit the ball, but the way the mind was working.

 

I managed to stay calm, play my game, and holed putts when I had to hole putts. I think the experience of playing with Tiger Woods in The Ryder Cup definitely helped me in the last couple of days. Obviously they [Woods and Westwood] are different players, but when you are playing against the number-one golfer in the world, it is not easy to always stick to the game plan and do your own game,” Molinari said.

 

For the first time in the history of golf, the world number one ranking was up for grabs at an Asian tournament.

 

Westwood, in defeat, won the four-way battle with Woods, Kaymer and Mickelson. Tiger Woods was sixth on 7-under, Kaymer 30^th on minus 2 and Phil Mickelson, twice a Shanghai winner, 41^st and one-over par for the tournament. Having arrived at the HSBC Champions as the newly-crowned world number one, ending Tiger’s five-year monopoly of the position, Westwood delivered a display worthy of that ranking and further strengthened his grip on it.

“No negatives in a performance like that!” Westwood declared. “The rankings come as a consequence of playing well, and I'm playing well and I know I am.”

As well as Westwood winning the skirmish for the number one ranking, the Englishman proved that he had taken up another of Tiger’s mantles. The world number one has now been in contention in the final holes on the final day of the HSBC Champions three times. Just as Tiger Woods did in 2005 and 2006, in 2010 the world number one also came second.

All the other battles within the battle went to Europe too. In the first encounter of the game’s great and good since Celtic Manor four members of the winning Ryder Cup team were in the top five – Molinari, Westwood, Donald and Rory McIlroy. Only one American team member – Woods – made it into the top 20 in Shanghai, against eight of the twelve in the European side.

The other winners were the tournament itself and golf in China and Asia. After a successful debut as a WGC event in 2009, 2010 confirmed that the concept of a World Golf Championship event on the other side of the world to golf’s heartlands is a success. Crowds were close to 2009’s record-setting figures with over 31,000 attending the event, and the record-breaking TV coverage increased again, particularly with highlight shows on terrestrial channels in Asia.

To put the rise of the HSBC Champions in perspective, two-time US Open champion Retief Goosen struggled to think of another event anywhere in the world during his career that has risen to prominence the way the Shanghai tournament has since its inception in 2005.

“Good question. Not too many,” said ‘The Goose’. “I’m thinking about the event at Quail Hollow in America; that became very popular within five years: a great golf course, good field. But for an international event this is definitely the number one!”

 

Thanks to Tim Maitland for a tournament wrap-up of the WGC-HSBC Champions Tournament!

 

Golf for Beginners blogs

 

Follow the conversation! Join Golf4Beginners on Twitter

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous