2012 USA Ryder Cup Team: New Faces on Team Must Rise to Occasion

Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker, Webb Simpson and Jason Dufner have a tall task. The four Ryder Cup rookies are going to be expected to come up clutch in the prestigious event.

Fail to do so, and the United States will surely lose for the 10th time in the past 14 years. 

While Ryder Cup mainstays like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker will highlight the team, this is still a very inexperienced United States bunch. 

Jeff Shain of the Orlando Sentinel has more on just how inexperienced the side is:

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Now comes the biggest crucible: the Ryder Cup, at which that Sunday back-nine feel will prevail from Friday’s first hole at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago. It’s where Bradley and a cadre of young guns will aim to reverse recent U.S. misery.

Four men on U.S. captain Davis Love III’s roster are Ryder Cup rookies. Three more will tee it up in their second Cup. Of the seven, three have won majors, and a fourth has won The Players Championship. All are 35 or younger; three are in their 20s.

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The United States appears to be the stronger side, however, and that includes the young guns. The aforementioned seven are all ranked in the Top 18, after all.

Sometimes, a bit of fresh blood can be just what a side needs, especially one that side seems to historically struggle at a particular event. Maybe the fresh faces will inject some new life into the United States.

Okay, okay, so this is golf, not basketball. Ultimately, all that matters is how these players individually perform under pressure, which is pretty much an every-putt experience anyhow. Fresh blood pretty much goes down the drain once that first drive is sent off the tee.

Then, it's just another set of holes.

But how the new guys play is going to determine whether or not the United States wins this tournament. We know what to expect from Woods—great play early in the week before he fizzles out—and after this season, we shouldn't expect much from Mickelson at all.

If the new guns come out firing, the United States wins. If not, it's just another loss, which will quickly become an American habit in the Ryder Cup.

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