SI: Furyk Not A Lock; Davis Has A "Man Crush" On Rickie
/Alan Shipnuck spent the Barclays week fitting in
Read MoreWhen you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Padraig Harrington Was A Tough Call For Captain Ollie; Well Not Really
/Oh, the phone call was painful, implied European Ryder Cup Captain Jose Maria Olazabal but Harrington was not even on his radar
Read More"That essentially leaves Love having to look at five players - maybe more - for two spots."
/It wasn't that long ago that Captain Davis Love appeared to have a wealth of attractive options for his four Ryder Cup Captain's picks, but as Doug Ferguson lays out, Love now faces a tough decision made tougher by Nick Watney's win Sunday.
Working on the premise that Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk are locks and leaving two more picks, Ferguson writes:
Watney was enduring a lost season until winning The Barclays. That doesn't make him a frontrunner, but he is a big blip on the radar at the very least. Brandt Snedeker already was under consideration - a winner at Torrey Pines, a contender at the British Open and a guy who can putt. He showed that at The Barclays, making a 15-footer for par on the 17th and a birdie putt from about that length on the 18th to finish alone in second.
Dustin Johnson, who has won every year since his rookie season in 2008, tied for third at Barclays. His sheer power and talent is difficult to ignore. Fowler showed up on the leaderboard until Saturday, when Bethpage Black became Bethpage Brown and sent scores soaring. Not to be forgotten is Hunter Mahan, who was poised to make the team on his own until he finished toward the bottom of the pack at Firestone and missed the cut at the PGA Championship and the Barclays.
The list can get even longer depending on the Deutsche Bank Championship, especially if Bo Van Pelt or someone like Bill Haas were to win.
No one will be under greater pressure than Mahan. He won twice this year, but has only one top 10 over the last five months. And he is the opposite of Furyk, who has qualified for every team. Mahan has been a captain's pick twice for the Presidents Cup, once for the Ryder Cup.
No love for Rickie?
I'd go with who is playing (and putting) well, meaning Watney and Snedeker. You?
2012 European Ryder Cup Team Set
/An unbylined Telgraph story on nearly unrecognizable (he shaved!) Jose Maria Olazabal announcing captain's picks Nicolas Colsaerts and Ian Poulter.
As protocol demands, Captain Ollie made the tough phone calls Sunday night, none tougher than the one to old sparring buddy Padraig Harrington.
"It's never an easy decision," he said. "Obviously there's a few more players in the mix every time. I talked to the vice-captains quite a bit regarding the picks. We studied different possibilities. We had a few discussions regarding that. The last time we talked was on Friday this week.
"It's not an easy moment. They are all disappointed. I know they really wanted to be in the team. I talked to the next four or five guys on the list – I talked to David [Lynn], to Rafa [Cabrera Bello], Alvaro [Quiros] and Padraig [Harrington]. I made those phone calls. It's not easy. I've been in that equation. They took the news well. That's the way it is."
While he's the only rookie, Bob Harig explains how the long-off-the-tee Colsaerts should have little problem with Medinah's length. And Alistair Tait says this was a long time coming for Colsaerts, a former party animal.
A Guardian slideshow of the 12 players. Besides Colsaerts and Poulter, the others: Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Paul Lawrie, Graeme McDowell, Francesco Molinari, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Peter Hanson and Martin Kaymer.
Olazabal also talked about the state of Kaymer's game.
Captain Ollie Adds Mechanic To Team Europe's Elite Cart Driving Squad
/
“Miguel’s announcement means that I now have four world-class golfers as my vice captains – all with tremendous experience of playing in the Ryder Cup which is absolutely invaluable," Olazabal said in a statement.
Now, if The Mechanic would just lead the European squad in a pre-round team driving range warm-up session, we'd be in for a fun week.
Captain Ollie Fights Back Against Padraig Bias Claim: "A load of BS just to put it gently."
/A Sky Sports post-round interview
Read MoreFinally! A Playoff Storyline Worth Paying Attention To: The Race To Make The European Ryder Cup Team
/We saw signs of potential cracks in the
Read MoreCaptain Olazabal: Padraig Needs "At least" A Win
/
From a European Tour story, European Captain Jose Maria Olazabal reacting to Padraig Harrington's opening 64 at The Barclays.
Olazábal was reminded that two weeks ago he said Harrington needed to do something extraordinary to make the side.
So what now constitutes extraordinary? "At least a win," Olazábal replied with a smile.
Considering the chemistry these two have, Americans should be pulling for Padraig to win this week!
Sergio On Padraig: "He wouldn’t be a sure pick for me!”
/
Brian Keogh with a terrifically entertaining look at the bad blood between European Captain Jose Maria Olazabal that appears to pale compared to the general dislike Sergio Garcia has for the Irishman dating to the '07 Open and '08 PGA losses. Padraig Harrington shares the feeling.
Though Sergio at least is honest in his assessment of Harrington's chances to make the Ryder Cup team as a Captain's pick.
“I don’t think he’s a sure pick personally. He wouldn’t be a sure pick for me!”
Monty: If I Were Captain, Padraig Would Be Selected!
/Okay, I officially feel like an idiot.
Merely trying to stir up a little Ryder Cup discussion and maybe a nasty Tweet from Ian Poulter, I suggested Padraig Harrington would make a great Ryder Cup captain's pick even though he has the yips.
Well, now European Captain Emeritus Monty has endorsed Paddy, reports Brian Keogh.
“I would encourage Jose to pick as many experienced players as possible but that is not my position right now.”
I feel ashamed, yes.
Updated European Ryder Cup Standings, Final Week
/Entering the final week of qualifying on points at the Johnnie Walker, the team as it stands according to Reuters: McIlroy, Rose, McDowell, Lawrie, Molinari, Donald, Westwood, Garcia, Hanson, Kaymer.
Who are you captain's picks? I would lean toward Colsaerts and Harrington. One rookie, one veteran.
Flash: Olazabal Names Clarke To Vice Cart-Driving Role After Assurances He Will Not Repeat Past Buggy Crashing Antics
/Alistair Tait says the naming of Thomas Bjorn, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley as three of four vice captains for September's Ryder Cup at Medinah will be rounded out by Miguel Angel Jimenez, assuming the Spaniard does not make it on points and the team hotel has smoking rooms.
Clarke has a bit of history behind the wheel, getting out of a speeding ticket by flashing the Claret Jug and more of a concern for potential European players, rolling a buggy at his home and sustaining minor injuries.
"You know Darren, I'll just catch a ride from Oly or Miguel or Thomas or Paul, if you don't mind," could be a popular refrain at Medinah.
American captain Davis Love recently rounded out his foursome of Senior Ego Masseurs, adding Scott Verplank and Jeff Sluman to the previously announced Mike Hulbert and Fred Couples.
Love Strengthens Ryder Cup Assistant Ranks With Veteran Cart Driver Sluman
/Besides Jeff Sluman, the former Presidents Cup assistant captain to Jack Nicklaus, Davis Love has tabbed a rookie to be behind the wheel of those snazzy two-row EZ-GO's Club Cars: Scott Verplank.
The Captain's picks that matter will be on September 4.
Ryder Cup Captains Continue To Disappoint After Another Honest, Earnest Press Conference
/Sigh...Jeff Rude on another stellar press conference performance by Davis Love and Jose Maria Olazabal, the 2012 Captains, doing nothing to kindle the buffoonery of their predecessors.
How am I, as a blogger, to work with this kind of no-nonsense talk, starting with Davis Love:
As for Mahan, he is a two-time winner this year and has played on the last five U.S. international cup teams – two Ryder, three Presidents. One person close to Love said Mahan would be on the team if he doesn’t qualify on points.
For his part, Love on Tuesday was incredulous that someone who has two 2012 victories would be outside the automatic-qualifier line.
“How can that even happen?” Love said. “You’d think he’d be in.”
Meanwhile, Olazabal provided this tip on where he's leaning with one of his picks, not that I would agree based on Colsaerts' play this year.
European captain Jose Maria Olazabal will make his two picks Aug. 27, a day after the automatic 10 qualifiers are decided at the Johnnie Walker Championship. If the standings remained the same, his most likely choice would seem to be Ian Poulter. The Englishman is 12th on the European Team World Points list, right behind Nicolas Colsaerts.
Poulter has a 9-2 record in three Ryder Cups. He went 4-1 in 2008 and 3-1 last time.
European Ryder Cup Team Shaping Up Nicely
/I had not looked at the standings in a while but GolfChannel.com's Will Gray took the two points lists and merged them into the current European Ryder Cup team's likely ten with a couple of nominations for possible Captain's picks.
