2012 Ryder Cup Key Player Profiles

With the 39^th Ryder Cup fast approaching, here is a look at five players from each side who I think will be key to their teams at Medinah Country Club at the end of September.

For the Europeans I have concentrated on some of the more interesting players to feature. Obviously names like Westwood, Donald, Poulter and McDowell are going to play a big role for Captain Jose Maria Olazabal, but those discussed here are players who I see as being the potential X factors in the team.

And, with the US team now set, here is a discussion of some of the team members that I think will need to perform if the US is to win on home soil.  

Europe

Rory McIlroy

At just 23 years of age and with only one Ryder Cup cap under his belt, Rory McIlroy is set to be the star for Europe at Medinah. With two major victories already to his name, the young man from Holywood, Northern Ireland, has shown that he is ready for the pressure that is going to come from such a role. With his impressive victory at this year’s PGA Championship, the number one qualifier on points has developed into the wunderkind that he has been made out to be for so many years. 

Justin Rose

The number two qualifier for Europe, Justin Rose, heads up an impressive list of Europeans who are in blistering form this season. The 2012 WGC-Cadillac champion finished tied third at Kiawah Island, and has seven top ten’s on the European Tour from ten events, to go along with a further seven on the PGA tour. Not only is the 32 year-old Englishman’s game in tiptop condition, his experience of playing a lot of golf in front of US crowds means that he is unlikely to be put off by their sometimes overzealous support.

Paul Lawrie

1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie, has been playing like a man possessed this season, finding some of the best form of his life. The 43 year-old Scot has won two events in 2012, including the Johnnie Walker Championship, the final qualifying points event. Both wins were by a four stroke margin and that, combined with seven top tens in 19 starts on tour, suggests that Lawrie will be a danger man for captain Olazabal.

Sergio Garcia

Sergio Garcia, like Lawrie, is a player who has got hot at exactly the right time. The man who many consider to be one of the best ball strikers in the game, has strung together two good seasons from the beginning of 2011, having struggled with his game for several years. Last season he notched up two wins on the European Tour and most recently achieved his first PGA Tour win in four years.  At only 32, Garcia also brings with him a wealth of Ryder Cup experience, having featured at the event five times, with an impressive record of 14-6-4. Also, his friendship with fellow countryman and captain, Jose Maria Olazabal, will do great things for the chemistry in the European locker room.   

US Team

Tiger Woods

Not much more can be said about one of the greatest, if not the greatest golfer ever, except that his game seems to be back and it couldn’t have come at a better time for US Captain Davis Love III. Maybe he’s not back to his very best, but the 36 year-old has amassed three wins this season, after three years of drought on tour, and finally is starting to look comfortable with his swing again.   

Bubba Watson

Bubba Watson, the number two ranked golfer on the US qualifying list, will have gained immense confidence in his game after winning his first Major at this year’s Masters, with one of the most creative and technically astounding golf shots that has been seen for a long time. It was a moment that simultaneously vindicated the 33 year-old’s ability to win and his style of play. And the US team will be hoping that that same Bubba shows up for them at a course which favours length, an attribute that everyone knows Bubba poses in spades.

Jason Dufner

Probably the most surprising name to fill an automatic qualifying spot, Jason Dufner, 35, looks ready to prove that his game is meant for the highest level. With his two wins this season both coming in high pressure situations, one by one stroke and one in a play-off, Dufner has demonstrated numerous times the calm, stoic demeanour which he has become known for out on tour. It is this which is his most powerful tool, and if he can utilise it through the most pressure filled week in golf, look for him to be the surprise package for the US.   

Matt Kuchar

The 34 year-old Georgia native may not have the most exciting game in the world, but the flat swing that he has built up has led him to be one of the most consistent players on tour in recent times. He has made 30 top ten’s in the last three seasons, including finishing as the PGA Tour’s leading money winner in 2010. And, his Players Championship victory this season along with eight top ten’s in 19 events in 2012, suggests that his consistency his still very much with him and having a reliable swing is invaluable in the intense atmosphere that only the Ryder Cup can provide.

Nick Gamble is a passionate golf writer & fledgling sports journolist who you can follow on Twitter via @NMGamble or visit his blog at http://threeofthetee.blogspot.co.uk/