If you had to pick your wildcards today for the RC....

soundsham

Just a bit of fun for the next 6 weeks,as it will possibly be different each week & closer to the main event,but as of today who would you pick......

mine.......
1 Ross Fisher (currently 11)
2 Paul Casey (17)
3 Padraig Harrington (16)

1 & 2 for their length,and matchplay records at Wentworth,WGC matchplay and the Volvo World Match Play Championship
2 & 3 for the fact that they've been there
3 for leadership skills and qualities having won 3 majors

those in position this week
1 Lee WESTWOOD
2 Ian POULTER
3 Graeme MCDOWELL
4 Rory MCILROY
5 Francesco MOLINARI
6 Martin KAYMER
7 Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ
8 Ross McGOWAN
9 Luke DONALD

10 Quiros
11 Fisher
12 Davies....hope he makes it without needing a pick it would be a great advantage to have the crowd digging in too

Johnny_Fontane

Casey and harrington are obvious choices, but Harrington is playing absolute stink at the moment and his ryder cup history is a shocker.

It must be a real worry for monty though.

For me Karlsson has to be selected, before even Casey. His form in the last ryder cup was phenomenal and he has the mental toughness for the event

soundsham

Johnny_Fontane wrote: »

Casey and harrington are obvious choices, but Harrington is playing absolute stink at the moment and his ryder cup history is a shocker.

It must be a real worry for monty though.

For me Karlsson has to be selected, before even Casey. His form in the last ryder cup was phenomenal and he has the mental toughness for the event

so your 3 are ???

Martin567

I can't ever remember a year where the competition for places was so intense. At the moment Harrington, Casey, Rose, Garcia, Stenson & Karlsson are not on the team. You could also include Fisher, Quiros & Edoardo Molinari. It won't be an easy decision for Monty.

Padraig really only needs one good week to clinch his place or else two decent weeks. If he doesn't manage this, I don't think he could have many complaints if he's not picked. Having said that, I still think he will be there one way or the other. If it was being picked today, I think he'd go for Harrington, Casey & Rose. However, I'm sure it will all change in the next few weeks.

On a side issue, the points system might want to be looked at for the next time. It's amazing that Ross McGowan is still in a qualification spot despite doing nothing in 2010. He had a couple of very good performances at the end of last year but it seems to me that the weighting for those events is too big in the overall context.

Adiaga 2

Didn't realise Casey was outside the automatic places too. It really is tough to pick. Hard to leave Rose out with 2 pgatour wins. I'd go with Rose, Casey and Harrington right now(sorry Rhys Davies). It's a big few weeks for lot of players as far as the RC goes.

soundsham

Jul 22Jul 25

• Nordea Scandinavian Masters
• Bro Hof Slott GC,Stockholm,Sweden

€1,600,000Jul 29Aug 01

• 3 Irish Open
• Killarney Golf & Fishing Club,Killarney, Co Kerry,Republic of Ireland

€3,000,000Aug 05Aug 08

• WGC - Bridgestone Invitational
• Firestone CC,Akron, Ohio,USA

$8,500,000Aug 12Aug 15

• US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
• Whistling Straits,Kohler, Wisconsin,USA

$7,500,00Aug 19Aug 22

• Czech Open 2010
• Prosper Golf Resort,Čeladná,Czech Republic

€2,000,000Aug 26Aug 29

• Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles
• The Gleneagles Hotel,Perthshire,Scotland

£1,400,000

nice money on offer for irish open bridgestone and pga

sweetswing

rose has to be there, to come back and win the next week after a blowout was unbelieveable , showed great strenth of mind.
quiros is a fine player , great length also great for team moral ,he is suppose to be a bit of a joker.
i also hope harrington plays him self into the team, i to think he will be there egging the lads on even if he doesnt make it.

JerryHandbag

Rose, Harrington, Fisher

Leave Sergio at home to sort his head out. And get a few putting lessons while he's at it.

Aidric

Harrington wouldn't be anywhere my team if he was relying on a pick. As Johnny said his Ryder Cup record is appaling.
Luke Donald, Justin Rose & Rhys Davies would be my three picks.

ipitydafool

Casey seems to be back to his best after his injury nightmare at the end of last year so i think he will play his way into team in next few weeks. Being an irishman it is hard not to pick harrington even if his game at the moment is not up to scratch:D. I would go with him, karlsson and fisher.

Hacker111

Garcia has to be there on experience and pure ability, good showing over last week shows he is well able to score at highest level. Casey and Rose playing very well and must be on team on past 6 weeks play. A lot of newbies being mentioned but have not been there and done it like Sergio. Wouldn't have Paddy anywhere near the team on his appalling record and head state, maybe he could bring some spirit levels and work out the slopes for the lads!

DH2K9

Monty will almost certainly pick Harrington. He was struggling to make the team in 2008 and then won 2 majors in a row. You cannot leave out a three-time major champion out of the Ryder Cup. To me he is Europe's best player and even though he hasn't the best of records in the Ryder Cup he has to be the number 1 player for Monty. It would be like the USA leaving out Tiger Woods.

Aidric

DH2K9 wrote: »

To me he is Europe's best player and even though he hasn't the best of records in the Ryder Cup he has to be the number 1 player for Monty. It would be like the USA leaving out Tiger Woods.

Get a grip. He is not Europe's best player and you can't keep ignoring his abysmal record at the Ryder Cup.This is a golden period for European golf and there are much better options out there.

sweetswing

Hacker111 wrote: »

Garcia has to be there on experience and pure ability, good showing over last week shows he is well able to score at highest level. Casey and Rose playing very well and must be on team on past 6 weeks play. A lot of newbies being mentioned but have not been there and done it like Sergio. Wouldn't have Paddy anywhere near the team on his appalling record and head state, maybe he could bring some spirit levels and work out the slopes for the lads!

garcia is as good as any player in the world tee to green, but the kid just cant putt , i wouldnt even let him watch the ryder cup let alone play in it.
just my opinion:D

Martin567

Aidric wrote: »

Get a grip. He is not Europe's best player and you can't keep ignoring his abysmal record at the Ryder Cup.This is a golden period for European golf and there are much better options out there.

This abysmal record you talk about is really just the last two events. His record in his first three is good. I don't think his form in 2008 was that surprising. He had just come off the season of his life and also played the full Fedex Cup. In hindsight, he should have taken a few weeks break before the Ryder Cup.

I agree that if he stays where he currently is in the rankings over the next 6 weeks, he may not be picked. However, he really only needs one good week to clinch a place on the side. If finishes in positions 10-12, he will almost certainly be selected as a wild card.

To Hacker111, you state that you wouldn't have Padraig due to his "head state" but that Garcia has to be picked. Where have you been for the past year? Sergio's head is all over the place, he hasn't had a top 10 finish all year. Also, his performance in 2008 was just as poor as Padraig's.

whatawaster

Harrington actually played very well at the K Club in 2006. Unfortunately he ran into Zach Johnson playing out of his skin in the fourballs and i think Stuart Cink doing likewise in the singles.

ipitydafool

Hacker111 wrote: »

Garcia has to be there on experience and pure ability, good showing over last week shows he is well able to score at highest level. Casey and Rose playing very well and must be on team on past 6 weeks play. A lot of newbies being mentioned but have not been there and done it like Sergio. Wouldn't have Paddy anywhere near the team on his appalling record and head state, maybe he could bring some spirit levels and work out the slopes for the lads!

Granted Sergio is a great match gameplayer, his best result of the year was in the accenture matchplay but apart from that he has played abysmal,His putting is for such a great ballstriker is shocking and he has slipped to 44 in world rankings, there is 16 europeans with far better form ahead of him. Also if you look at him on the course and in his interviews he looks about as disinterested in golf at the moment as is possible. If it came down to wildcard picks Monty would almost certainly pick harrington over him.

DH2K9

Aidric wrote: »

Get a grip. He is not Europe's best player and you can't keep ignoring his abysmal record at the Ryder Cup.This is a golden period for European golf and there are much better options out there.

OK so if he is not Europe's best player who is better than him?

MAJORS:

HARRINGTON = 3 (07, 08 Open) (08 US PGA)
McDowell = 1 (10 US Open)
Westwood = 0
Casey = 0
McIlroy = 0
Poulter = 0
Garcia = 0
Donald = 0
Kaymer = 0
Jimenez = 0

danthefan

DH2K9 wrote: »

OK so if he is not Europe's best player who is better than him?

MAJORS:

HARRINGTON = 3 (07, 08 Open) (08 US PGA)
McDowell = 1 (10 US Open)
Westwood = 0
Casey = 0
McIlroy = 0
Poulter = 0
Garcia = 0
Donald = 0
Kaymer = 0
Jimenez = 0

The USA would be picking Jack Nicklaus by that logic. Harrington is just not playing well at the moment, he is not the best player in Europe on form. He hasn't won since the USPGA.

Jasonw

for me Casey, Rose and Davies. Hate to be leaving Donald out but I would doubt McGowan will be there for the final shakeup

Aidric

DH2K9 wrote: »

OK so if he is not Europe's best player who is better than him?

MAJORS:

HARRINGTON = 3 (07, 08 Open) (08 US PGA)
McDowell = 1 (10 US Open)
Westwood = 0
Casey = 0
McIlroy = 0
Poulter = 0
Garcia = 0
Donald = 0
Kaymer = 0
Jimenez = 0

The Ryder cup team is picked on form thankfully, not historical glories. Harrington is well off the player that won 3 majors. All of those players you listed, with the exception of Garcia, are better then Harrington on form.

Martin567

Aidric wrote: »

The Ryder cup team is picked on form thankfully, not historical glories. Harrington is well off the player that won 3 majors. All of those players you listed, with the exception of Garcia, are better then Harrington on form.

It's not going to be easy for Monty no matter what way you look at it. Before the 2008 Ryder Cup, Harrington, Garcia & Westwood were the three form players yet none of them managed to win even one match. Poulter, a controversial choice, was Europe's best player. Rose, who had had an abysmal 2008 and only just qualified based on his 2007 results, was the second best player. It's very hard to predict who will play well that week and good form leading into the event is no guarantee.

I think people are criticising Padraig's form a bit too much. Sure, he's been inconsistent and not at the level of 2008. However, he has had 5 top 10's this year and a few 64's and 65's. He just hasn't put it all together and had the one big week. What had Paul Casey done in the previous few months before the Open? What has Poulter done since winning the Matchplay?

DH2K9

danthefan wrote: »

The USA would be picking Jack Nicklaus by that logic. Harrington is just not playing well at the moment, he is not the best player in Europe on form. He hasn't won since the USPGA.

Aidric wrote: »

The Ryder cup team is picked on form thankfully, not historical glories. Harrington is well off the player that won 3 majors. All of those players you listed, with the exception of Garcia, are better then Harrington on form.

As somebody said earlier he has had something like 14 top tens and would have easily won WGC Bridgestone had it not been for his 8 at the Par 5. He won all his majors only 2 years ago, Jack 30 years ago so don't give me that bull. Put it this way if you wanted somebody to hole that winning ten footer on the 18th, Padraig is your man. Makes him the best and most reliable golfer in Europe. Exactly the same as Tiger not on his greatest ever form but best on USA.

danthefan

DH2K9 wrote: »

As somebody said earlier he has had something like 14 top tens and would have easily won WGC Bridgestone had it not been for his 8 at the Par 5. He won all his majors only 2 years ago, Jack 30 years ago so don't give me that bull. Put it this way if you wanted somebody to hole that winning ten footer on the 18th, Padraig is your man. Makes him the best and most reliable golfer in Europe. Exactly the same as Tiger not on his greatest ever form but best on USA.

First of all, Tiger is on another level compared to Harrington (and pretty much everyone else to be fair) as a golfer.

As for the bolded bit, that's really your opinion and doesn't remotely make him the best golfer in Europe.

Look I don't have anything against Harrington, I wish he'd win a few more majors, but he's just not the best golfer in Europe. If he was he wouldn't need a captains pick.

JerryHandbag

Looks like Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley are gonna be named as vice captains today, so plenty of Irish representation at Celtic manor whether Harrington gets a pick or not....

http://www.rte.ie/sport/golf/2010/0720/clarked_ryder.html

Hacker111

Martin567 wrote: »

This abysmal record you talk about is really just the last two events. His record in his first three is good. I don't think his form in 2008 was that surprising. He had just come off the season of his life and also played the full Fedex Cup. In hindsight, he should have taken a few weeks break before the Ryder Cup.

I agree that if he stays where he currently is in the rankings over the next 6 weeks, he may not be picked. However, he really only needs one good week to clinch a place on the side. If finishes in positions 10-12, he will almost certainly be selected as a wild card.

To Hacker111, you state that you wouldn't have Padraig due to his "head state" but that Garcia has to be picked. Where have you been for the past year? Sergio's head is all over the place, he hasn't had a top 10 finish all year. Also, his performance in 2008 was just as poor as Padraig's.

Agreed Martin when it comes to Sergio's head state over past year he has been a disgrace. But it looks like his getting back to normal now, a lot chirpier over past 2 weeks and starting to hit ball very well. When it comes to pure ability and experience in Ryder cup he has to be there, top European of all time win rate. Not bad for someone who supposedly can't putt!!

Records of All Players With Minimum 15 Matches Played

Arnold Palmer, USA, 22-8-2, .719
Hale Irwin, USA, 13-5-2, .700
Tom Watson, USA, 10-4-1, .700
Julius Boros, USA, 9-3-4, .688
Lee Trevino, USA, 17-7-6, .667
Gene Littler, USA, 14-5-8, .667
Sergio Garcia, Europe, 14-6-4 .667
Jack Nicklaus, USA, 17-8-3, .661
Jose Maria Olazabal, Europe, 18-8-5, .661
Colin Montgomerie, Europe, 20-9-7, .653
Billy Casper, USA, 20-10-7, .635
Lanny Wadkins, USA, 20-11-3, .632
Seve Ballesteros, Europe, 20-12-5, .608
Tom Kite, USA, 15-9-4, .607
Darren Clarke, Europe, 10-7-3, .575
Bernhard Langer, Europe 21-15-6, .571
Lee Westwood, Europe, 14-10-5, .569
Hal Sutton, USA, 7-5-4, .563
Peter Oosterhuis, Europe, 14-11-3, .554
Nick Faldo, Europe, 23-19-4, .543
Ian Woosnam, Europe, 14-12-5, .532
Howard Clark, Europe, 7-7-1, .500
Bernard Gallacher, Europe, 13-13-5, .500
Tony Jacklin, Europe, 13-14-8, .485
Payne Stewart, USA, 8-9-2, .474
Brian Hugget, Europe, 8-10-6, .458
Fred Couples, USA, 7-9-4, .450
Phil Mickelson, USA, 10-14-6, .448
Sandy Lyle, Europe, 7-9-2, .444
Davis Love III, USA, 9-12-5, .442
Maurice Bembridge, Europe, 6-8-3, .441
Dai Rees, Europe, 7-9-1, .441
Tiger Woods, USA, 10-13-2, .440
Raymond Floyd, USA, 12-16-3, .435
Paul Azinger, USA, 5-7-3, .433
Brian Barnes, Europe, 10-14-1, .420
Peter Alliss, Europe, 10-15-5, .417
Stewart Cink, USA, 4-7-4, .400
Jim Furyk, USA, 8-13-3, .396
Neil Coles, Europe, 12-21-7, .388
Christy O'Connor Sr., Europe, 11-21-4, .361
Sam Torrance, Europe, 7-15-6, .357
Mark James, Europe, 8-15-1, .354
Curtis Strange, USA, 6-12-2, .350

There are sufficient "young players" in the team without wasting captain's picks on guys like Davies or picking Ryder Cup under acheivers like Paddy. Hopefully, casey and garcia will contend or win over next few weeks and make Monty's job easier....

Johnny_Fontane

soundsham wrote: »

so your 3 are ???

I'd go with Casey, Karlsson and Rose (but I expect casey to automatically make it) - sub in garcia or harrington then.


fwiw:

I think the world points leaders wont change much so it'll be down to money earned. At the moment, Kaymer thru to McGowan are in - but its so close. I dont expect mcgowan to be there tbh and I do expect casey to get some results as he's playing well (how costly was that miss on 18 to him on sunday!). Basically quiros, fisher, e.molinari, dyson, davies need to get some big results to make it. I wouldnt be surprised if one of them pulls it out. Harrington probably needs to win either the irish open or the bridgestone to automatically qualify and I cant see that at the moment (though last year he did very well in august)

5 Martin KAYMER 1554025.08
6 Francesco MOLINARI 1464537.75
7 Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ 1442489.69
8 Ross McGOWAN 1347432.30
9 Paul CASEY 1327184.29
10 Luke DONALD 1250274.88
11 Alvaro QUIROS 1239885.46
12 Ross FISHER 1168085.93
13 Edoardo MOLINARI 1096213.33
14 Simon DYSON 1096052.04
15 Rhys DAVIES 1091039.86
16 Peter HANSON 1085963.10
17 Padraig HARRINGTON 1054209.27
18 Oliver WILSON 989895.68
19 Sergio GARCIA 964769.13
20 Simon KHAN 915130.67
21 Darren CLARKE 894158.46
22 Alexander NOREN 885083.14
23 Fredrik ANDERSSON HED 803031.06

Martin567

Hacker111 wrote: »

Agreed Martin when it comes to Sergio's head state over past year he has been a disgrace. But it looks like his getting back to normal now, a lot chirpier over past 2 weeks and starting to hit ball very well. When it comes to pure ability and experience in Ryder cup he has to be there, top European of all time win rate. Not bad for someone who supposedly can't putt!!

There are sufficient "young players" in the team without wasting captain's picks on guys like Davies or picking Ryder Cup under acheivers like Paddy. Hopefully, casey and garcia will contend or win over next few weeks and make Monty's job easier....

If Sergio can show that he's coming into some sort of form, he probably will be picked. There's not much evidence of that yet though. He had a respectable performance at the Open, but no more. If you just go back a few weeks, Padraig was 5th in his last event before St Andrews and he has had 4 other top 10's this year. Sergio has no top 10 result in a strokeplay event all year. Performances over the next few weeks will decide. A couple of good weeks for Padraig and he will either qualify auotomatically or else be one of the wild cards. If he doesn't have any good results, he may not be picked.

As I said above, Padraig's Ryder Cup record is not that bad. He won his singles in each of his first three years (1999, 2002 & 2004). He also won a few matches with both Paul McGinley & Monty. He didn't play that badly in 2006 but ran into a couple of the form Americans. He played poorly in 2008 at the end of a long run of tournaments.

Dr.Silly

Rose and E. Molinari..

forget Harrington...he's playing like a good amateur at the moment! not what you need for a Ryder Cup

whatawaster

Hacker111 wrote: »

Agreed Martin when it comes to Sergio's head state over past year he has been a disgrace. But it looks like his getting back to normal now, a lot chirpier over past 2 weeks and starting to hit ball very well. When it comes to pure ability and experience in Ryder cup he has to be there, top European of all time win rate. Not bad for someone who supposedly can't putt!!

Records of All Players With Minimum 15 Matches Played

Arnold Palmer, USA, 22-8-2, .719
Hale Irwin, USA, 13-5-2, .700
Tom Watson, USA, 10-4-1, .700
Julius Boros, USA, 9-3-4, .688
Lee Trevino, USA, 17-7-6, .667
Gene Littler, USA, 14-5-8, .667
Sergio Garcia, Europe, 14-6-4 .667
Jack Nicklaus, USA, 17-8-3, .661
Jose Maria Olazabal, Europe, 18-8-5, .661
Colin Montgomerie, Europe, 20-9-7, .653
Billy Casper, USA, 20-10-7, .635
Lanny Wadkins, USA, 20-11-3, .632
Seve Ballesteros, Europe, 20-12-5, .608
Tom Kite, USA, 15-9-4, .607
Darren Clarke, Europe, 10-7-3, .575
Bernhard Langer, Europe 21-15-6, .571
Lee Westwood, Europe, 14-10-5, .569
Hal Sutton, USA, 7-5-4, .563
Peter Oosterhuis, Europe, 14-11-3, .554
Nick Faldo, Europe, 23-19-4, .543
Ian Woosnam, Europe, 14-12-5, .532
Howard Clark, Europe, 7-7-1, .500
Bernard Gallacher, Europe, 13-13-5, .500
Tony Jacklin, Europe, 13-14-8, .485
Payne Stewart, USA, 8-9-2, .474
Brian Hugget, Europe, 8-10-6, .458
Fred Couples, USA, 7-9-4, .450
Phil Mickelson, USA, 10-14-6, .448
Sandy Lyle, Europe, 7-9-2, .444
Davis Love III, USA, 9-12-5, .442
Maurice Bembridge, Europe, 6-8-3, .441
Dai Rees, Europe, 7-9-1, .441
Tiger Woods, USA, 10-13-2, .440
Raymond Floyd, USA, 12-16-3, .435
Paul Azinger, USA, 5-7-3, .433
Brian Barnes, Europe, 10-14-1, .420
Peter Alliss, Europe, 10-15-5, .417
Stewart Cink, USA, 4-7-4, .400
Jim Furyk, USA, 8-13-3, .396
Neil Coles, Europe, 12-21-7, .388
Christy O'Connor Sr., Europe, 11-21-4, .361
Sam Torrance, Europe, 7-15-6, .357
Mark James, Europe, 8-15-1, .354
Curtis Strange, USA, 6-12-2, .350

There are sufficient "young players" in the team without wasting captain's picks on guys like Davies or picking Ryder Cup under acheivers like Paddy. Hopefully, casey and garcia will contend or win over next few weeks and make Monty's job easier....

Why is Harrington not on that list?

His record is 21 played, 8.5 points, or a .40 average?

As i said already, he's played better in recent cups than his record suggests.

I feel all this discussion is moot, because i think Monty will definitely pick his old partner.

Martin567

Hacker111, I've also checked Padraig's Ryder Cup record and it is 7-11-3. Therefore his win % is 0.404 and he should have been on your list just a few places below Tiger. His % was actually 0.625 for his first three events.

whatawaster

Dr.Silly wrote: »

forget Harrington...he's playing like a good amateur at the moment! not what you need for a Ryder Cup

Top 20 in the world rankings, has challenged strongly in WGC's and the USPGA championship in the last year despite his "slump," nearly won the fedex cup last year and has had plenty of top 10s this year.

Hardly playing like an amateur. I think he'll do well at the PGA again this year.

Trampas

If any players doesn't make the 1st 9 then he shouldn't complain about not receiving a wild card spot.

I would choose
Molinari. Him and his brother are winners at doubles and it is a team event.
Davies as he is a super putter and home crowd and played well in Celtic Manor.

Probably give the last stop to Casey but it is a close call with Rose, and Donald.

As I said already in the other RC thread if a player fighting for a place on the squad and doesn't turn up at some events he aint getting selected.

Like what Faldo did last time but giving Poulter a spot even though he took the last week off

Dr.Silly

whatawaster wrote: »

Top 20 in the world rankings, has challenged strongly in WGC's and the USPGA championship in the last year despite his "slump," nearly won the fedex cup last year and has had plenty of top 10s this year.

Hardly playing like an amateur. I think he'll do well at the PGA again this year.

4 cuts missed out of last 11 events is it ?
Yup...he'll do well alright this year :rolleyes:

Hacker111

Martin567 wrote: »

Hacker111, I've also checked Padraig's Ryder Cup record and it is 7-11-3. Therefore his win % is 0.404 and he should have been on your list just a few places below Tiger. His % was actually 0.625 for his first three events.

TBH not sure why he was not on that list, I didn't compile it. That being said .4 is pretty poor.

Padraig Harrington (1999-2002-04-06-08)5217-11-33-2-02-4-32-5-08.5.40

More defeats than wins and halves combined. Far from impressive. A lot of excuses being made here for a guy who is way out of form. looked crap at the Open. Why people are suggesting Molinari, Davies etc I have no idea. If these guys cannot play their way into team with no expierence why would they be picked over proven performers? At least with Garcia his turning the corner and his past form is outstanding:

http://www.rydercup.com/2010/europe/history/all_time_records.cfm

BTW Harrington appears no where on any table....

Martin567

Hacker111 wrote: »

TBH not sure why he was not on that list, I didn't compile it. That being said .4 is pretty poor.

Padraig Harrington (1999-2002-04-06-08)5217-11-33-2-02-4-32-5-08.5.40

More defeats than wins and halves combined. Far from impressive. A lot of excuses being made here for a guy who is way out of form. looked crap at the Open. Why people are suggesting Molinari, Davies etc I have no idea. If these guys cannot play their way into team with no expierence why would they be picked over proven performers? At least with Garcia his turning the corner and his past form is outstanding:

http://www.rydercup.com/2010/europe/history/all_time_records.cfm


BTW Harrington appears no where on any table....

If Padraig doesn't qualify automatically and doesn't get a wild card I'm sure he won't have any complaints. Still don't see how you reckon that Sergio is turning the corner. T14 in the Open and never a factor on the Leaderboard. Sure he was a lot better than Padraig last week but Padraig has been far better than him overall in 2010. Sergio was very poor also in the 2008 Ryder Cup.

Padraig's Ryder Cup record is only slightly behind Tiger. I'm sure that the Americans won't considering leaving out Tiger if he fails to qualify automatically which is still quite possible. As I said before, Padraig has had 3 very good Ryder Cups, one unlucky (2006) and one very poor (2008).

soundsham

Dr.Silly wrote: »

Rose and E. Molinari..

forget Harrington...he's playing like a good amateur at the moment! not what you need for a Ryder Cup

monty has 3 picks........so do you !!


the 2 Irish guys and the fact that monty was harringtons ex playing partner make him a lock in my opinion.....form does count but so does experience

aside from that seems like most guys here are agreeing on the casey,rose,karlsson,harrington,donald and davies fighting it out to the end....even though i suspect 2 of these may get there automatically......interesting all the same aside from the ph overkill

Just an afterthought......what about picking Robert Rock and playing him in the last group each day with Padraig ..........just to get up the yanks nose ................only kidding I'd rather give up the point than watch that banker

Trampas

Edoardo 2nd in Scandinavian Masters. Really making any effort to make the cup

Only one Keano

I know we are getting close but with big events coming up thick and fast (US PGA, WGC, Irish Open, Johnny Walker in Gleneagles), I think it's too early to call.

What you think now will have changed come the time for picking the team. You could easily see Padraig or Sergio challenging for USPGA or WGC or alternatively you may see a guy like Rose, Quiros or Donald miss 2/3 cuts in a row etc.....

With the compeition for places so strong and with so many quality players now in Europe I would tend to go with form rather than experience for my picks as I believe the new breed of players go into these events with no fear and are likely to play better than any veterans (remember JB Holmes, Boo Weekly, Kim etc.... for the Yanks last time round).

Looking at both potential teams this could be a cracking Ryder Cup! There hasn't been a really tight contest since Brookline or the Belfry & even though really want Europe to win, I would love it to go to the wire!

soundsham

Now that the fish looks good my 3 picks if it had to be chosen today would be
Casey
Harrington
Rose

I must say the Molinari situation is really getting to be intriguing at the moment too...........

Aidric

soundsham wrote: »

I must say the Molinari situation is really getting to be intriguing at the moment too...........

His putting is a big worry but there is no doubting himself and Eduardo would be a formidable team.

heavyballs

Aidric wrote: »

His putting is a big worry but there is no doubting himself and Eduardo would be a formidable team.

they may have won the world cup and i think they're great players but i think they're too similar and both(mostly Fran)have their putting issues



off topic:i'm going over to the RC btw and was wondering what's the general feeling on the course,will it be a similar set up to this year's CM open, when i saw it first hand a couple of years ago i thought it was made for the yanks,if it's narrowed further maybe the Moli bro's could do a job

the groutch

I reckon Langer should be picked

Jarzinho

As it stands I think the top-9 (4 from World Points and next 5 from European point) is as follows:
Lee Westwood
Rory McIlroy
Graeme McDowell
Luke Donald
Ian Poulter
Ross Fisher
Martin Kaymer
Francesco Molinari
Miguel-Angel Jimenez

One definite for me is Harrington, has got to be there. His game is coming around, although his driving might keep him out of the foursomes at the moment! He may well still qualify outright and a good showing next week at the USPGA should probably get him in and it would be great not to need to give him a Wild Card but at the moment he's in for me.

Garcia is next, one of the best records in the Ryder Cup and in particular in the foursomes. He may not be playing great this year but he is completely different in the Ryder Cup, including his putting - he seems to forget how he is doing things and just lets them happen in these sort of events. Clarke and Westwood weren't in great form in 2006 in the run up to the K-Club and we all know what happened, Garcia should be afforded the same this time around.

The last Wildcard is a difficult one - would be a tough call between Karlsson, Stenson, Edoardo Molinari, Rose and Paul Casey. Casey was looking good until he pretty much collapsed in the Open when chasing Oosthuizen down the stretch. Karlsson was superb in Kentucky two years ago although has been pretty much off the course until recent enough and Stenson is the sort of player that can turn it on at any stage but is a bit too inconsistent this year. Rose has been in great form Stateside and probably merits a pick but the fact that Francesco is in the team would result in me going for Edoardo, they would be a great pairing as they showed in the World Cup of Golf and I think they would also bring even more passion to the team which seemed to be missed two years ago.

AGC

Really think Davies is close to a pick if he doesn't qualify him. Monty has played with him in several events in the first 2 rounds this year and am sure has been asked to.....Then when Clarke becomes vice captain guess who he plays with straight away?? Keeping a close eye on him.

Picks at the minute:

Harrington
Casey
Davies

I think Casey and Harrington will qualify and I also think Sergio could be picked.....He brings an energy but would be very difficult to pick on current form although he has had a couple of better weeks at the Open and last weekend

blackwaterfish

right now, if i was monty, id be eating pies and thinking about picking.....
ROSE
HARRINGTON
LANGER!

f22

+1 for Rhys Davies, although he needs to get a little spark back in the coming weeks. The chap is an unreal putter when he gets going.

aster99

Was disapointed with Davies in killarney, will need to pick it up again in the coming weeks to be considered

blackwaterfish

aster99 wrote: »

Was disapointed with Davies in killarney, will need to pick it up again in the coming weeks to be considered

if the format gets changed to crazy-golf he's a dead cert

the groutch

blackwaterfish wrote: »

right now, if i was monty, id be eating pies and thinking about picking.....
ROSE
HARRINGTON
LANGER!

glad I wasn't mad in thinking that Langer is a viable option, just helped myself to a few quid @ 28/1 on betfair

copacetic

Harrington
Stenson
Garcia