Ryder Cup 2014: Analyzing Top Breakout-Star Candidates for USA, Europe
Every player who has the fortune of qualifying for the USA and Europe Ryder Cup teams carries considerable clout in the golfing world.
However, not all of these elite players are household names, such as the most prominent figures on each side in the USA's Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler or Europe's Rory McIlroy. Before many viewers tune in to this treat of team golf, the majority may not be well acquainted with everyone teeing it up.
That's why it's worth delving into some of the top candidates to be breakout Ryder Cup stars at Gleneagles in Scotland. A number of rookies, the few that there are, appear poised to burst onto the scene among these stacked squads.
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Here is a closer look at two members each from the USA and Europe who have the makings of rising to the occasion and staging memorable 2014 Ryder Cup performances.
Jimmy Walker, USA
One could argue that Walker has already broken out. The 35-year-old blossomed into a Ryder Cup-caliber player on the PGA Tour in 2013-14, where he won three times early in the season and posted top 10s in three of the four majors.
The big stage hasn't fazed Walker all year, and it shouldn't at Gleneagles. He has worked hard with swing coach Butch Harmon to pay his dues and get to the apex of his career. Now he gets to cash it in with a Ryder Cup appearance.
Alan Shipnuck of Sports Illustrated is confident in Walker's game:
Paired with another Harmon pupil in Rickie Fowler, the setting is ideal for Walker to have instant success in the second match of Friday's fourball against Thomas Bjorn and Martin Kaymer.
Yahoo Sports' Shane Bacon went even further in praising the partnership USA captain Tom Watson assembled:
Team camaraderie is vital in the Ryder Cup, and judging by this photo from the PGA Tour, it's evident Walker and Fowler have a rapport, perhaps developed by sharing the same teacher:
As for the pure golf side of things, Walker is longer off the tee than you'd expect, but the key to his success has been on the greens, as he ranked 11th in strokes gained putting on the PGA Tour. That helped him rank third in birdie average (4.18).
With that kind of firepower, match play is an ideal format for Walker to become even more aggressive than he normally would. That should translate to even more birdies, presuming he's up to handling the unique atmosphere of the event.
Victor Dubuisson, Europe
The quiet French star has a polite way about him. Dubuisson looks like he's enjoying himself on the course all the time, he never gets too high or low and he has a ton of game at age 24.
Bjorn commented on Dubuisson's mystique and thinks the young man is in line for a big showing in Scotland.
"Does anybody really know Victor? Well, he is brilliant," said Bjorn, per The Telegraph's Oliver Brown. "In the team room he is a little more open than people think he is. I have a funny feeling that by the end, this guy might stand up and be a great hero."
Witnessing Dubuisson pull off two of the greatest up-and-downs in golf history—and that's no exaggeration—to stay in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship final against Jason Day was stunning.
When his wayward iron shots put him in impossible positions, Dubuisson showed nerves of steel. It was almost a knowing smile when he encountered these treacherous hazards. When he completed the short-game wizardry with his flat iron, he walked off the green as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
The hype is real, but don't count on Dubuisson buying too much into it. Just to get through the WGC match play field was an achievement in and of itself. Furthermore, Dubuisson's resilience down the stretch was nothing short of remarkable.
It's that type of cool under pressure that will see Dubuisson thrive in his first of likely many Ryder Cups to come.
Patrick Reed, USA
Reed's immense self-confidence can be off-putting. That attribute was on full display when he proclaimed himself a top-five player in the world during a sit-down interview with NBC earlier this year.
However, the fiery youngster plays with plenty emotion and won't back down, no mater the stakes. As long as Captain Watson can harness Reed's energy and attitude into something positive, this could be a perfect storm of circumstances in Scotland.
Watson is going bold out of the gates, placing Reed with 21-year-old American prodigy Jordan Spieth in a match against Europe's Stephen Gallacher and Ryder Cup nemesis Ian Poulter, who owns a 12-3 individual record.
This is a historic U.S. pairing as it turns out:
Uncharted territory can be a good thing sometimes. Both Reed and Spieth have proved they can handle a lot at such a young age, and they even elevate themselves to another level in the spotlight.
Now for the bad news: They've combined for four top-10 finishes since the Players Championship in May. If they get along well, perhaps the two Americans can feed off each other as underdogs and get a point on the board early.
As is the case with Team USA as a whole, how Reed starts is critical to how he'll fare the rest of the way. With three PGA Tour victories under his belt already, though, he has the stuff it takes to finish.
Jamie Donaldson, Europe
It took Donaldson a long time to break through across the pond, but he finally did with his maiden European Tour victory at the 2012 Irish Open. He's won in both calendar years since, including recently at the Czech Masters.
Analyst Steve Elling weighed in on Donaldson's rise:
After that win, Donaldson managed to finish seventh and tied for fourth in his next two starts. The Welshman is sporting good form entering his first Ryder Cup, to say the least.
That explains why European Tour golfer Simon Dyson was rather surprised that Europe captain Paul McGinley elected not to play Donaldson in the morning fourball session on Friday:
The snub ought to only fuel Donaldson's fire even more. Similar to Walker, he took a long time to come into his own. Now that he has, the self-made Donaldson will prove he's worthy of his top-25 world ranking.
Any one of these four analyzed rookies is capable of etching their name into Ryder Cup lore. The Europeans are the clear-cut favorites, so for the USA's sake, Walker and Reed had better come up huge. If the Americans are unable to match Europe's intensity as the host nation, the outcome could be all but decided very early.
Europe's chances to retain the Ryder Cup and win this competition for a third straight time will be all the more enhanced if it can get strong play from Dubuisson, Donaldson and others whose expectations aren't as high.
Golf's top-ranked player in McIlroy and the Ryder Cup phenomenon that is Poulter will be the primary points of focus, leaving plenty of room for other stars to shine through on the European side. As Bjorn suggests, Dubuisson might outdo all of them if the Ryder Cup comes down to the wire.
Note: Stats and information courtesy of RyderCup.com and PGATour.com.
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