Europe Wins The 2012 Ryder Cup

[blugold]

True, but he's very inexperienced. He's ridden coattails for two RC's dude, in the team formats, and just gets owned in singles.

I'm sorry but watching this event shows how paramount making birdies is and why BVP was not on this squad is just mind bottling.

Bo and Rickie should have been on the team. That 's my opionion now in hindsight. Bo could have just stayed steady and really frustrated a Euro. He would have been the third corner in the ZJ Duff Bo triangle of boring yet effective golf. Rickie because the dude had massive stones in Wales and is pretty good under pressure. Plus, a little bit of energy would have been good. Jim's 5 Hour kind was not effective.

 

[McRock]

It needs to be said. Dear Team USA, there are 18 holes on a golf course. Obviously you forgot about the last two.

I felt for them, but Europe came through in the clutch in several matches, and USA did not. Their strategy of coming out hot with Donald in the first match I think helped the people behind him get a little fired up.

~Rock

 

[IceyShanks]

Poor Furyk. I just wanted to give that guy a hug. He had his moments of greatness, but the putts on 17 and 18 were almost unbearable to watch from setup to miss.

Yeah, when he was bent over on 18 after he missed that putt, he almost seemed so out of it he forgot to get off the green. Very heartbreaking for sure, I'm sure he either didn't sleep or wakes up feeling horrible this morning.

 

[blugold]

I will say this, I like the way Justin Rose goes about his business.

 

[TripleBogieTim]

Nah, that's what they all sign up for. SOme days the putts fall and some days they don't. No one man is to blame. WHy not blame Bubba for coming out and getting smoked?

Honestly, DL3's Singles lineup was awful. Starting out with 3 rookies really. I would've led off with Tiger or Dufner, period. Let one of those two guys set the tone.

Conversely, Olazabal's lineup was outstanding. He threw the woodshed at the American's early and it provided the spark they needed.

I agree...I would have sent Tiger, Dufner or ZJ out first......Front loaded the American squad and got a couple of points right off the bat....if those first two matches go RED then Kaymer, Westwood, Molinari and those guys would have just rolled over and died.

It was the emotion of those first 5 matches going to the Euro's that carried those guys at the bottom of the line up.

 

[TC]

I agree...I would have sent Tiger, Dufner or ZJ out first......Front loaded the American squad and got a couple of points right off the bat....if those first two matches go RED then Kaymer, Westwood, Molinari and those guys would have just rolled over and died.

It was the emotion of those first 5 matches going to the Euro's that carried those guys at the bottom of the line up.

Yep, DL3 should have set a lineup to go out and win it and win it immediately. Instead he set a lineup to charge up the crowd or whatever. Complete backfire! Watching Donald and IJP in this event and I can't help but wonder how either can't win a Major.

 

[Damaikis]

While the end was sad and I would have loved to see a USA victory, that was the best day of golf I've ever watched. From the first four dudes birdieing one to the last putt on 18. I can't freaking wait until 2014.

 

[tyno]

Furyk folded like a cheap lawn chair, as he has all summer - no surprise there.
Tiger winless again. This isn't 1999, this isn't Tiger - no surprise there either.
Stricker felt uncomfortable not being able to wear khaki colors.

And I would've sent the "O-fers" out first and the big guns out last, but that also could have backfired, so you never know...

DJ, Duff and Keegan rolled this weekend. Some magical golf was played by these guys and sort of goes quiet in the epic demise of Team USA due to a certain few aforementioned. oh well.

Team Europe played like Team Hackers all weekend. Sucking during team play and rolling during singles. Congrats to them.

was pretty frustrated yesterday with Team USA's performance....i almost burnt a flag over it.

 

[ddec]

Going off the questions in the home page article....

What were your thoughts on the 2012 Ryder Cup? I thought it was the most exciting tournament/event of the year. So much raw emotion going on out there, heck even Dufner got in to it.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Was it a choke? Without a shadow of a doubt. When multiple players are getting to 17 1up and then can't even salvage a 1/2 point, to me that's a choke. [/FONT]

Bad player moves by the captain? I don't think so. Sure you could argue that Phil/KB should have been out there Sat afternoon, but I liked the move then so I won't kill it now. The homer in me would have rather seen Hunter Mahan in this though, but his play was pretty putrid the 2nd half of the season.

Certain players step up when needed? I don't think that Steve Stricker did much of anything this weekend. You know if the putt doesn't lip out on 18 on Sat Afternoon it changes the entire outcome. His putting was just a touch off and it sure cost him. While TW played bad in the first match, I thought he played pretty well Friday PM and Sat PM. He didn't have his best yesterday, but down the stretch he played well.

US Players fall flat at a crucial time? Lefty, Furyk, Stricker, Simpson. These guys had it until they reached 17. Furyk had a huge lip out on 16 that would have had him 2 up 2 to go, but it wasn't meant to be. I thought Tiger needed to make that putt Friday afternoon on 18 to salvage a half.

There sure were some real bright spots for the US though. KB, Johnson and Johnson, Dufner all played extremely well and won their points. I think that shows a lot of promise for the US over the next few cups.

 

[IceyShanks]

A great event for sure, but as an American very disappointing!!!

What were your thoughts on the 2012 Ryder Cup?
Overall it was enjoyable to watch and we were glued to our TV and mobile coverage, but the end left something to be desired as the US just flat our choked.
Was it a choke?
A choke is caving under pressure. Not living up to the moment, collapsing under pressure and not living up to potential.
Bad player moves by the captain?
I really think both captain's did a good job and the moves I disagreed with from Captain Jose were actually good in the end.
Certain players step up when needed?
I'd say there were quite a few players that stepped up when needed especially on the US side the first two days and the Euros on the last, I was actually more surprised by those who didn't step up when needed.
US Players fall flat at a crucial time?
Absolutely, it seemed like when the pressure was on they just couldn't pull through, it's almost as if they needed their teammate there to support them and couldn't do it alone!

 

[INgolfer]

I woke up this morning still being dumbfounded by what happened on the course yesterday. What an epic meltdown. I don't know if the U.S. just got carried away by the big lead and just thought they had it in the bag or what, but most of them slowly just looked like they started getting more careless as the weekend went on. The biggest different I noticed Sunday was that Europe looked like they wanted to win. They had it in their eyes. Every American you saw Sunday looked scared to death, like they were just thinking all day "holy crap, what is happening?" instead of going out there with the fire they had going the first couple of rounds. They were playing not to lose instead of playing to win.

I was very impressed with Phil, Keegan, DJ, and Dufner this weekend. Those were the only Americans I saw yesterday that looked like they were playing to win, they had determination. Rose played well in the match with Phil to keep it close, both guys played well and it was a great match. Everyone else just looked lost. I think if the US had the excitement on Sunday that the Europeans had then they would have easily one. Next time they need to learnt to motivate each other a little better. Something tells me as the weekend went on Europe was really firing each other up, and that was a huge advantage.

 

[One-T]

Ugh, I am so bummed about this. COngrats to the Euros for fighting back, glad we had Strick, Woods, and Furyk. Thye were stellar players over the weekend.

 

[TC]

Ugh, I am so bummed about this. COngrats to the Euros for fighting back, glad we had Strick, Woods, and Furyk. Thye were stellar players over the weekend.

Win as a team, lose as a team little broski. Hey, you could be me in the last two Morgan Cups, LOL

 

[ddec]

Win as a team, lose as a team little broski. Hey, you could be me in the last two Morgan Cups, LOL

Does that mean Belbs is your Colsaerts?

 

[One-T]

Win as a team, lose as a team little broski. Hey, you could be me in the last two Morgan Cups, LOL

I know dude...My wife was asking why I was cussing at the TV.

 

[TC]

I know dude...My wife was asking why I was cussing at the TV.

Because you're a Patriot!

I actually will be perfectly honest: I thought everyone played good/decent golf except for Furyk and Stricker. It sucks that they were Captain's picks for DL3. You could really see Strick getting frustrated out there. I just can't believe the Euros dominated singles like that. That was a real shocker.

 

[ddec]

Because you're a Patriot!

I actually will be perfectly honest: I thought everyone played good/decent golf except for Furyk and Stricker. It sucks that they were Captain's picks for DL3. You could really see Strick getting frustrated out there. I just can't believe the Euros dominated singles like that. That was a real shocker.

I thought Furyk played well, until the last 2 holes. Stricker just didn't seem to have anything all week. It was a major bummer.

 

[Jskittle]

Biggest disappointments for me were Furyk, Sneds and Kuchar on Sunday. Just needed one of them to pull out a win. I knew the first 3 or 4 would probably go Europe's way. Kuchar's putting was flat out awful.

I think this will give Dufner and DJ more confidence and I'd bet one of them wins a major next year.

We saw flashes of the old Tiger, but he doesn't have the on switch like he used to.

 

[staticline]

What were your thoughts on the 2012 Ryder Cup?
I don't remember much from Brookline (’99) or Kiawah (’91). Heck, I don't remember much from the '10 RC. But, I think this was the most exciting golf event I have ever watched. The only comparision might be Jack’s ’86 Masters. The US has never been known as a "team" team. Their strength was supposed to be Singles. But, this year, they dominated the 4ball and 4some events. And, then they crashed and burned on Sunday. (TC called this in his KBS Shaft entry. NICE!)

Was it a choke?
I am not a fan of the word or concept of “choke”. It’s a 3-day event. There will be good shots and bad shots, great shots and hosel rockets (Hello, Webb. I’m talking to you buddy). Some players rise to the occasion and some don’t. I bet the first tee shot on Friday morning was more nerve racking that the last putt that guy made on Sunday evening. But, nobody calls you a choker if your first tee ball finds a bunker.

Bad player moves by the captain?
Hindsight is 20/20. Screw hindsight. Captains get too much blame and not enough credit. On Thursday, Friday or Saturday, I never heard one pundit take shots at DL3 for his pairings. They sure were backing him (and Phil) up about players who play all 5 matches, statistically don’t do well in Singles. But, now on Sunday night and Monday morning, they’re all over DL3 for being “too nice”. B.S. Davis (and the team) had a strategy. The players should have executed it.

Certain players step up when needed?
USA:
Bradley: He could become the USA’s Poulter. Love watching him in the 4ball & 4some events.
Mickelson: Pushing Bradley. He will be a multiple RC captain.
Dufner: Mr. Reliable. What else is there to say.
DJ: He was my sleeper pick for the US. With his play in Aug/Sept. I was surprised he didn’t play 4 matches.


EUROPE:
Rose: Like I mentioned above. Those 2 putts on 17 and 18 were the biggest of his career. He might never do better than that.
Donald, on Sunday. Huge win right out of the gate.
Kaymer: Getting rid of the ghost of Langer. That was huge.

US Players fall flat at a crucial time?
I don't think the US fell flat. The Euro's just played great. When Tiger shoots -7 on Saturday and loses to Colsaerts -9, is that falling flat? Mickelson, on Sunday shoots -4. But, Rose nails the 2 most important putts of his golfing life on 17 and 18. That's not Phil falling flat. That's Rose executing the impossible. The only other person to make a birdie on 17 or 18, on Sunday, was Poulter, and that was a conceded birdie.

Part of me likes the RC Sunday format of turning in an envelope of your players and their order of play, w/o knowing the other Captain’s order. But, I sure would’ve loved to have seen Poulter vs Bradley. I was glad DJ played Colsaert’s…power vs power.

 

[TC]

Good post static!

 

[Howzat]

I am happy for Kaymer. I think this is just what the Dr. ordered to get him out of his slump.

 

[lambro2]

It's weird to say it but I both hated and loved every minute of the last hour of coverage. I typically don't get emotionally involved in watching sports on television but the Ryder Cup had me eating out of the palm of its hand. There was tons of drama and players stepping up their game and others choking. I couldn't have been more disappointed in team USA on how they finished but thought it was great television and a eve t ill never forget.

 

[TC]

I just wanted to put my thoughts to the questions on the homepage up.

What were your thoughts on the 2012 Ryder Cup?
Unreal, just unreal. While the outcome wasn't what I wanted, I believe we witnessed something historic.
Was it a choke?
I don't believe it was a choke. To me, that's just golf. Some days the putts fall, some days they don't. To call it a choke would be to discredit the efforts of the Euros.
Bad player moves by the captain?
Yes, I believe that DL3's lineup for Sunday was pretty poor. I think he was trying to ride hot hands but they were inexperienced for that situation.
Certain players step up when needed?
I think so for sure. For two days, the US squad just flat out dominated the team formats. The Euros were really quite lucky to be only 4 points down heading into Sunday. IJP and Justin Rose were just clutch heading into Sunday. Without those two, man, it may have been over.
US Players fall flat at a crucial time?
It's easy to say that they did, but I would rather put the blame on the Captain. I just think his thought process of who to send out when on Sunday was right, but it just didn't work out.
In the end, one of the most memorable Ryder Cups I can remember. I mean, as Americans we always go back to 99' and how tremendous our resolve and fight back was, so I think as a fan of the game of golf, it's important for me to recognize how tremendous the European comeback was, especially on US soil.

 

[lindy72]

What were your thoughts on the 2012 Ryder Cup? Europe pulled a Team Hackers and took this thing.

Was it a choke? To the nth degree.

Bad player moves by the captain? Yes. Should have left Keegan and Phil out there and sat Eldrick and Stricker in the fourth round.

Certain players step up when needed? Europe kicked ass.

US Players fall flat at a crucial time? Couldn't seal the deal.

Sit Tiger for 2 sessions on the same day??? Not gonna happen..The powers that be, the sponsors and the networks would have sh*t fit..Love was questioned by the madia why he was sitting Tiger for the 3rd session and even though he is the Captain he had to justify himself, saying he didn't want anyone playing all 5 sessions..This was probably why he sat Mickelson and Bradley....And if you think sponsors and PGA, USGA and R&A have no say in things, I'd say you'd be sadly mistaken....But it was a good Ryder Cup, fun to watch..And if you didn't catch the Morning Drive, they were criticizing Molinaro for not conceding to Tiger when they were in the fairway after the cup was won and also for not giving Tiger his first putt..Unbelievable...I think Tiger giving Molinari the putt to win the hole was a nice gesture..I don't hate Tiger, I just hate the way the media fall all over themselves when it comes to Tiger...

 

[interlooper]

I agree with what a lot of people have posted. Something I would like to say though is that "fan momentum" clearly was on the Euro's side on Sunday. For some reason, after the first Euro point on Sunday, it seemed like the Euro crowd had expanded 10-fold. They were loud and cheered for long periods at a time. The US crowd was a little more "what have you done for me lately" type mentality, sometimes only cheeering when good things happened. Seemed like the Euro players were able to feed off the Euro crowd and vice versa. Ugh.