The Ryder Cup preview

by Michael Barwise
One of the biggest events in the golfing calendar is back as the 41st Ryder Cup takes place at Hazeltine, Minnesota this weekend.  

Team USA captain Davis Love III will be hoping his side can stop the rot, after three straight defeats in the competition. But do Team Europe have what it takes to make it four wins a row? Well former US Ryder Cup player Johnny Miller certainly doesn't think so, branding the team as the worst team they've (Europe) had in many years."

Whether this is true or not is up for debate, but there's no doubt that Captain Clarke's team has got it fair shares of problems. 

Firstly there's the issue of inexperience. In the world of golf,  The Ryder Cup is a tournament like no other. The chance to represent your country/continent, as well as playing in front of huge rowdy crowds, takes a player with a lot of nerve who can deal with the pressure. So the fact that half of the European team have never played in a Ryder Cup before, may well prove to be their downfall.

But in their squad they do have the current Masters champion (Danny Willett), Open champion (Henrik Stenson), Fed Ex Cup champion (Rory McIlroy) and Olympic gold medal winner (Justin Rose).  

Team America, on the other hand, have had a less successful end to 2016, with players such as Zach Johnson and Rickie going into this tournament badly out of form.  

But Davis Love III's team has much deeper problems than that. A big factor which has led to their three successive defeats has been the lack of real team spirit in the USA camp and fractured relations between players and captain, resulting in Phil Mickleson to publicly blame captain Tom Watson for the team's defeat to Europe at Gleneagles two years ago.  

What they do have in their favour is arguably the best player in the world right now in Dustin Johnson. He's had a fantastic past few months, winning his first ever major at Oakmont in June and narrowly missing out on the Fed Ex Cup last week. If Team USA are to stop Team Europe's winning streak, they'll need Dustin Johnson to be their catalyst.

Tour Championship

TOUR Championship

East Lake Golf Club, GA

Thursday September 22nd - Sunday 25th, 2016

by David Barwise

photo: heavy.com

Often overlooked by the general public, the TOUR Championship will be the most important and defining tournament of the year so far.

True enough I’ve said pretty much the same about each of the four majors this season as well, but the fact is that many of the big guns have been misfiring. For Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson, who both broke their major-championship ducks, 2016 will be remembered fondly. But for fellow big-shots Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day (among others), there seems to be a sense that the past few months held promise but didn’t deliver.

But all of that could yet change.

Just as winning the FedExCup underlined the brilliance of Spieth’s 2015 (five victories, two majors) and put him head and shoulders ahead of rival Jason Day, claiming the title could transform an underwhelming season into something special. In the nine previous outings to East Lake, the winner of the event has gone on to claim the FedExCup seven times – do well this weekend and you have a sizeable chance of winning the whole thing and saving your season.

In fact, should any of the top five find themselves with a win this weekend, they automatically win the FedExCup. McIlory, Spieth and Knox would also have a big chance of winning too.

Predicting the outcome of this tournament is difficult; East Lake is famously a putter’s course. If you’re not hot with the flat stick, you’re going to struggle out there. I’m seeing DJ and McIlroy as the slim favourites with most of the bookies, but they seem like too much of a gamble to me. I’ve been scared off Jason Day too by his back problems. He may well be the best putter in the world, but part of me can foresee him struggling more than usual to get on the “dance-floor” in the first place.

photo: golf.about.com

Nope. For me, there is a clear-cut contender this year – Jordan Spieth. Somehow, he’s been flying under the radar. I’ve heard the accusations...

“He can’t putt anymore.” (He’s second in SG: Putting)

“He’s been useless this season.” (He’s won twice, and was moments away retaining the Masters)

“He’s passed his prime.” (HE’S TWENTY THREE)

...and they are all groundless. Plus, considering he is the defending champion of both the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup, we know he can perform here.

Besides, I’d rather he peaked before the Ryder Cup than during it....