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Why Experience is Overrated for Ryder Cup Wild Card Picks

By: Golfshake Editor | Thu 06 Sep 2018


With the Ryder Cup from spectacular Le Golf National fast approaching, the teams have been taking shape with captains Thomas Bjorn and Jim Furyk making their wild card picks. For Europe, the Dane eleted to favour experience in the form of a seasoned quartet of Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson and most notably Sergio Garcia, while the Americans (who still have one pick outstanding) went for the legendary pair of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to join the in-form Bryson DeChambeau

However, when it comes to the effectiveness of wild card picks and the debate behind the importance of including veteran players with history of the atmospheric cauldron that is the Ryder Cup, here is a chance to delve into the facts to analyse especially if you like a flutter with golf betting.

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Europe

European Ryder Cup captains have consistently relied upon more experienced players when it comes to their picks, bolstering teams otherwise packed with rookies. 

Europe’s four best performing collection of picks – from 1987, 2004, 2006 and 2010 – each scored at least 5.5 points. They had another thing in common: a player who had previously appeared in four or more Ryder Cups. Three of those groups also included at least one player over the age of 37, and also a player who had won at least seven matches.

Stalwarts like Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia have been a foundation of Europe’s success in the competition since the early 2000s, so with that considered, it’s hard to disagree with Thomas Bjorn’s decision to select four players who have all played in at least four Ryder Cups.

Recent history would suggest, however, that the captain could have made a mistake by not finding room for an in-form rookie. Of Europe’s four most successful sets of wildcards, three had a player making his Ryder Cup debut.

That five rookies already occupy automatic places could explain Bjorn’s decision not to take another, but the 2016 Ryder Cup was an exammple that inexperience is not a sure reason to leave out a young golfer in fine form.



At Hazeltine, Darren Clarke selected rookie Thomas Pieters, and the Belgian top-scored with four points from five matches. Rafa Cabrera-Bello, another rookie who had earned his place automatically, delivered two wins and a half from his three matches.

Meanwhile, Clarke’s other picks – veterans Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer – earned just one point from a possible seven between them. Bjorn could have taken an apparent risk this time around and given Matt Wallace a chance.

The 28-year-old’s Made in Denmark victory was his third of the season on the European Tour, and August winners have a fine track record at the Ryder Cup.

In 2016, for example, Pieters triumphed in Denmark two days before he was included in Clarke’s wildcard picks, and was Europe’s best player at Hazeltine.

Additionally, that year, Clarke controversially left out Russell Knox, who had just won the Travelers Championship and climbed into the world top 20, in favour of Westwood, who failed to score a point.

Poulter and Casey are easy choices this year. The former has had a good season and is a formidable Ryder Cup player, while the latter is the world No. 16. Stenson hasn’t been at his best and is dealing with a long-term elbow injury, but two major finishes of sixth or better this season earned him a spot.



Garcia, however, has been in disappointing form since April. He has missed seven cuts in 12 starts with just one top 10 finish, and he failed to make the cut in all four majors. The Spaniard’s experience makes him the safe pick, but, given Wallace’s form, arguably not the right one.

USA

Jim Furyk has put his faith in the old guard of established names by selecting both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. The pair have played in a combined total of 78 Ryder Cup matches and earned 36 points, but have each lost more than they won. Their stature in the USA team is so huge that Furyk really had no choice but to pick both of them.

However, American captains have always been better off picking youth and form over big-name veterans.

In 2008, Paul Azinger’s picks – the only group to take 8.5 points for a winning side – included three Ryder Cup debutants.

Only five American players in history have been selected as a wild card and gone on to score less than a point. Four were over 40. Only five American wild cards have ever scored three points or more. Four of them were under 40.

The USA only need to look back two years for the template of a successful Ryder Cup, when Davis Love III used his selections to pick four players aged between 27 and 38. JB Holmes, Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar were all consistent players in their prime, while Ryan Moore, a rookie, was the man in form.

Moore took two points from three matches at Hazeltine after winning the John Deere Classic a few weeks earlier, and certainly Bryson DeChambeau fits that mould this year. The 24-year-old was certain to earn a first Ryder Cup call-up after winning back-to-back FedEx Cup events.



The remaining place will most likely be filled by Tony Finau – one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour this year – or rising star Xander Schauffele, who has three top-six finishes from seven majors and won last year’s Tour Championship.

Both have perhaps enjoyed steadier campaigns than Mickelson, who has earned just one top-five finish since March and hasn’t finished higher than 22nd at a major in two years.


The abundance of big names and experience in this USA side means Furyk could have taken a calculated risk by going with both Finau and Schauffele.

Picking on form rather than reputation helped the Americans earn a comfortable 17-11 win in 2016, a blueprint Furyk could have followed this year.

When it comes to captain's picks, it's a touch damned if you do, damned if you don't. Arguments can be made for either side, but the reality is the answer will be delivered on the week itself when the Ryder Cup comes round later this month.

 

This was written in collaboration with Betway Sports. The content is a reworked publication from this original article.

 


The Ryder Cup is unlike any other tournament in golf and the atmosphere is something that every golf fan should experience. The experts at Golfbreaks.com can help with all aspects of your Ryder Cup experience, from accommodation and ticket packages to hospitality and travel and playing some of the fantastic nearby courses.


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