United States Will Set Ryder Cup Tone If Talented Rookies Can Slay Ian Poulter
GLENEAGLES, Scotland—All the talking (and boy, has there been a lot of talking) is over. Now we can look forward to the action, to business finally getting underway.
On Thursday evening, following an opening ceremony notable mostly for its pleasing brevity, the first fourball matches at this week's Ryder Cup were announced.
Both captains offered up some surprises in their selections, although in some instances they seemed to be thinking on similar lines—with the two pairings most anticipated would being asked to lead the line actually anchoring the opening session.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson against Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy is the marquee match of Friday morning—we might not see a more exciting four-man match all week.
"You like all the contests, but the last contest, that's the striking contest," US captain Tom Watson acknowledged following the announcement.
"It's kind of the main event in the first round. You all know that. But again, every match is really important. Every point is really important."
| 7:35 a.m. | Rose/Stenson | Watson/Simpson |
| 7:50 a.m. | Bjorn/Kaymer | Fowler/Walker |
| 8:05 a.m. | Gallacher/Poulter | Spieth/Reed |
| 8:20 a.m. | Garcia/McIlroy | Mickelson/Bradley |
That fourth game is indeed the one everyone will be concentrating on, with Bradley and Mickelson winning all three of their matches as a pairing last time at Medinah, and McIlroy and Garcia so clearly the best pairing European captain Paul McGinley could put together.
The burgeoning friendship between the Spaniard and Northern Irishman, one McGinley said saw both men ask to play together earlier in the year, means no place for Graeme McDowell—although both captains strongly suggested the four players not picked for the morning session will play in Friday afternoon's foursomes.
On form, and with the home crowd at their back, McIlroy and Garcia should perhaps win with a little something to spare. But Bradley and Mickelson are among two of the closest players on tour and swept all before them as a brilliantly efficient unit two years ago.
Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson were similarly solid together at Medinah, and so they were perhaps an obvious option to kick off the competition for the visitors as soon as Watson made his decision to put the other two last.
They will face Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, a pairing that did not necessarily look obvious based on the practices this week.
It is another evenly poised meeting, with Watson and Stenson providing the big hitting and Rose and Simpson perhaps the more reserved partners offering a safe option on each hole.
The second game, 15 minutes later on the first tee, sees Thomas Bjorn and Martin Kaymer face Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker.
The talk around the course is that Bjorn is out of form, and we perhaps might not see him too many times before Sunday's singles (fourballs being a better format to cover any deficiencies he might have). That puts a lot of strain on Kaymer, however; the German a player who is generally consistent rather than a rapid compiler of birdies.
They would appear to have their hands full with the US opponents, with Fowler—one of the in-form players in the world judging by his major results in 2014—and the big-hitting Walker offering an interesting mix of styles.
If Fowler can find fairways and keep the score ticking over, Walker has the length to take advantage of some of the PGA Centenary Course's risk-reward holes.
That leaves one final game, the most intriguing of the lot. Few people, if anyone, expected Watson to throw two rookies into the fray together, but that is exactly what he has done with Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed.
They face a daunting prospect—the unrelenting determination of Ian Poulter and the massive home support for Stephen Gallacher (who is also a rookie).
"I think it's great [for Stephen] to be on stage and to be announced the first morning," McGinley said. "He has a big atmosphere guy on his shoulder, and he'll enjoy that. Who wouldn't, with Ian Poulter on your shoulder and playing at home."
Poulter added: "I can't wait to smash it down the middle."
Europe, however, should be wary of over-confidence. Spieth has drawn rave reviews from Watson—"he's an A-1 player"—and his team-mates this week, while Reed's bullet-proof self-confidence is already the stuff of tour legend.
It is a match-up that actually works well for the Americans; much has been made of Gallacher's record around Gleneagles and his experience in the wind that is expected to blow on Friday morning, but Spieth is similarly at ease when it is blowing a "hoolie"—a product of his Texas upbringing—and, unusually for the modern player, likes to shape his shots in a way that would appear to suit the layout.
If the two new boys—with a combined age of 45, just a year older than Mickelson—can slay the proverbial Poulter dragon on the first morning, that could really change the dynamics within both squads.
"We’re going to really lower their morale, I feel like," Spieth said. "I think our match is very important in the morning. We'll get out and get plenty of rest and be ready to go."
The two youngsters have played alongside and against each other from their junior years, giving them an understanding to go with an unflappability that they will need in such a fiery environment.
"I can't wait to get out there and I couldn't have a better teammate," Reed said. "I've played a lot of golf with him. I think it's a comforting factor for us and I think we'll go out there and kill it."
All eyes will be on the final match on Friday morning. In reality, however, it might be the third match that causes the biggest stir—and perhaps sets the tone for what is still to come.
"I told them I'm going to throw you in the ocean without a life preserver," Watson revealed. "You're on your own. You go out there and you get it done.
"[Spieth] is a very strong-willed young man. Patrick, when he gets it going, he thinks he can beat the world. I like that attitude."
The rookies face a daunting task. But only a fool would write off their chances.
All quotes obtained first-hand.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
