Ryder Cup 2012: Why Team USA Has No Hope of Winning

It is no secret among golf fans that the USA has won just one of the last five Ryder Cup Championships. Despite his effort, Team USA’s captain, Davis Love III, will be unable to change that unfortunate streak in 2012.

The US team has been unable to make much headway in recent years in terms of beating its European counterpart, and this year doesn't look to be the year it breaks through.

We really cannot criticize Davis Love III for his selections though.

He has the absolute best talent that he could get in the United States, even if some of it is past its prime, or even not playing all that well.

The globalization of the sport of golf is really the guilty culprit, as the world has caught up to the U.S. in terms of talent. Besides that obvious fact, there are big reasons this U.S. team will fail to deliver in the 2012 Ryder Cup.

They are inferior talent, age and leadership.

Inferior Talent and Age

The truth is that this U.S. team doesn't have the best talent of the two teams. At first glance, it might seem that it does. However, big names do not equal the best talent in golf any longer.

Phil Mickelson is a big name, but to say that he is one of the elite golfers in the world anymore might be a stretch. He earned his way on the team, but his age will hurt the team as he will probably have to miss at least a match or two. The same goes for Jim Furyk, another big name who is older now and has suffered through some health problems.

On the opposite side, the Europeans have younger players that are part of the generation beginning to take over the sport. Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood are all young and talented.

The younger U.S. players are less impressive. Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Zach Johnson are all talented, but it's unlikely that they will be able to stand up to the Europeans’ talent.

Inferior Leadership

I'm not talking about Davis Love III here. Rather, I am talking about the man who should be the leader of this team: Tiger Woods. While Woods has played fairly well recently, we all know that it's nothing compared to how he played earlier in his career.

This man is not the same Tiger that existed four or five years ago. That Tiger could have beaten this European team with the supporting cast he has this year. However, he's now just another elite golfer, no longer the transcendent one he used to be.

The American team will need transcendence if they hope to win the 2012 Ryder Cup. It is the only thing the European team doesn't have. Thankfully for the Euros, its obvious edge in talent and youth makes up for it.

Love did the best he could with what he was given. Golf is shifting as a sport, away from the United States and more and more towards Europe. The recent Ryder Cup results have been evidence to that fact.

That is why the American players who actually have the talent to still win are getting too old, and their younger replacements just do not have what it takes. Unless something changes drastically, the Ryder Cup may remain in Europe for a very long time. For the 2012 version of it, it's already too late.