Ryder Cup 2014: Predictions for Day 1 Match Play and Pairings
Resolution to the final storylines left unsolved heading into the 2014 Ryder Cup came Thursday morning, as United States captain Tom Watson and European captain Paul McGinley announced the opening pairings for the biennial match play spectacular.
Though it's tradition to have the official announcement held off until the opening ceremony, a majority of the pairings had been "leaked"—whether by sheer assumption or by the players themselves.
Phil Mickelson let his re-partnering with Keegan Bradley slip from his lips during his Wednesday meeting with reporters. A look at the practice range could see Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth practicing together.
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A similar story could be told for Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson. The biggest mystery was how McGinley would be splitting up Stephen Gallacher, Jamie Donaldson, Thomas Bjorn and Lee Westwood. Which, frankly, is a little strange given that the announcement of the pairings comes well before players hit the first tee Friday.
There might be some weird mental advantage here, but I'm just not seeing it. But with the early pairing questions out of the way, we can actually get to, you know, talking about the actual golf. Let's check in with a quick preview of what to expect from Day 1 from Gleneagles.
Day 1 Preview
The Europeans come into the weekend as heavy favorites—and with good reason.
Europe has won five of the last six Ryder Cups and 10 of the last 14 dating back to 1985. The United States' reign of terror over the competition basically ended the moment they stopped restricting the event to Great Britain and Ireland.
Since adding all those other countries? A whole heaping pile of trouble.
While it's true most of the results have been close—Europe has won by the thinnest possible margins 14.5-13.5 in 2010 and 2012—there is little reason for optimism on the American side.
Tiger Woods, in the midst of a terrible and injury-riddled season, will be sitting at home rather than standing on the first tee. While Woods' Ryder Cup record is less than stellar, it's clear his absence only makes Europe's talent advantage grow wider.
Four of the top five top-ranked players in the event are on the European side. Jim Furyk, who is only 44 but seems like he's been around since the inaugural Ryder Cup, is the highest-ranked American.
While the depth of the United States roster becomes more apparent as you look down the rankings Rolodex, the top-heavy Europeans are heavy.
Rory McIlroy enters his third Ryder Cup with a so-so 4-3-2 record but playing the best golf of his life—perhaps the most dominant golf period since Woods' prime. The Northern Irishman is the clear No. 1 player in the world, having taken the year's final two majors and narrowly missing out on his first FedEx Cup title.
His presence is far from lost on those making the trip overseas. Watson admitted that taking down McIlroy early would be a momentum shifter for his team. Watson told reporters:
"You knock off the big dog and that gives a boost to your team, without a doubt. If you look at the players right now, the No. 1 player in the world is Rory McIlroy, and that's somebody that we'd like to see on the losing end of a match.
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And not all quotes have been quite as respectful. Mickelson, clearly joking, made a not-so-subtle allusion to the ongoing civil lawsuit between McIlroy and Graeme McDowell's management company.
"Not only do we play together, we don't litigate against each other and that's a real plus, I feel, heading into this week," Mickelson told reporters while extolling the virtues of his teammates.
All is fair in litigation and Ryder Cup matches, apparently. Then again, Mickelson's jab might be a response to a recent interview in which McIlroy said Lefty and Tiger were on the "back nine" of their careers—a totally fair assessment that nonetheless rustled some jimmies (people are still saying that, right?).
I honestly doubt there's much relation there, but it'll nonetheless add a layer of intrigue to a relatively quiet Ryder Cup buildup.
Outside McIlroy, Europe boasts a blue-chip roster of Ryder Cup veterans. Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood have a combined 65 Ryder Cup matches under their belt at a 60 percent win rate.
The Ryder Cup has been one of the rare events wherein Garcia seems to relish in the moment rather than buckle under pressure.
Oh, right. Ian Poulter is here, too. The highly-strung Englishman is one of the best Ryder Cup players in history; his 12-3 record gives him by far the best winning percentage of anyone in the field. In fact, his 80 percent clip is the best by a European player in the event's history.
Poulter told Derek Lawrenson of The Daily Mail:
"I've missed it so much, I really have. I just can't wait to get that buzz again at Gleneagles. Everything else just feels like a disappointment by comparison. Even though I played well at the back end of last year it wasn't the same, not even close.
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For their part, Team USA seems just as excited to knock off Poulter off his throne as he is to maintain it. We're less than 24 hours away from the opening tee. Get excited.
| 2:35 a.m. | 7:35 a.m. | Bubba Watson & Webb Simpson | Justin Rose & Henrik Stenson | Rose & Stenson |
| 2:50 a.m. | 7:50 a.m. | Rickie Fowler & Jimmy Walker | Thomas Bjorn & Martin Kaymer | Fowler & Walker |
| 3:05 a.m. | 8:05 a.m. | Jordan Spieth & Patrick Reed | Stephen Gallacher & Ian Poulter | Gallacher & Poulter |
| 3:20 a.m. | 8:20 a.m. | Keegan Bradley & Phil Mickelson | Sergio Garcia & Rory McIlroy | Garcia & McIlroy |
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