Ryder Cup: The American Rookies Have Made The Difference

Other than the fact that they have lost the last three Ryder Cups in a row, the main reason why the American team entered the 37th Ryder Cup as the underdog was due to the number of rookies on the squad. 

We are all well aware of how Ryder Cup pressure can overcome even the most experienced professionals.

We have heard the stories of player’s hands shaking, hearts pounding, and even being unable to clearly see the ball on the first tee of their first Ryder Cup match.

In the past, Ryder Cup experience has always been an invaluable advantage. 

However, this year’s Ryder Cup matches have displayed the exact opposite.

The underlying fuel that has been feeding the American team’s fire during the first two days of play has been the Ryder Cup rookies. 

Hunter Mahan has been playing incredible golf and has also contributed to the resurgence of Justin Leonard.

We're seeing the Leonard of the days of his British Open victory and his miraculous 45-foot putt on the 17^th hole of the 1999 Ryder Cup, which ensured a victory for the American side.

Anthony Kim has yet to display his best golf game, but he has contributed to the American team’s success in a way that cannot be measured by any statistic. 

Over the past few years we have become accustomed to that recurring vision of Phil Mickelson removing his visor, shaking his head and slowly running his hands through his hair after yet another disappointing meltdown. 

We have not seen a spark in Mickelson’s eyes since he won his second Masters back in 2006. 

Mickelson has spent the past few years focusing almost solely on the majors.  His routine of visiting the host courses many weeks and months before the majors and tactically breaking down every inch of the golf course has been widely publicized.

But Mickelson’s recent obsession with the majors has made him appear more stressed and on edge than at any other time in his career. 

Mickelson no longer looks like that ultra-talented, bright-eyed young golfer who used to thoroughly enjoy being on the game’s biggest stages.  Recently he has looked more like a CEO about to address a room full of angry shareholders.  That was, until he met his 2008 Ryder Cup partner, Anthony Kim. 

Although Anthony Kim did little to contribute to he and Mickelson’s success in their early matches, he has done something that all of Mickelson’s coaches, trainers and psychologists have been unable to do over the past few years.

Kim has made Mickelson enjoy playing the game of golf again, which has resulted in better play from Phil than we have seen in years. 

Kim’s youthful energy has infected every member of the American team and Mickelson caught it halfway through their morning round on Friday. 

Since being paired with Anthony Kim, Mickelson has smiled more, laughed more, has been far more animated on the course, and most importantly, has played significantly better than he has at any of his previous Ryder Cup appearances over the past 13 years. 

Then we have Boo Weekly and J.B. Holmes. 

When Holmes and Weekly took to the course on Friday afternoon it immediately looked as if they were being followed by 10,000 of their closest friends in the gallery.

In his first ever Ryder Cup appearance, Weekly took only a few holes to get the frenzied Kentucky crowd into the palm of his hand. 

The pairing of Holmes and Weekly has become the epicenter for the rowdy, boisterous members of the gallery.  Their ever growing number of fans can only be compared to the Cleveland Browns' Dawg Pound or the Green Bay Packers' Cheeseheads.

Weekly’s stellar play along his rowdy gallery sending off chants of "Booooo" that could be heard from every corner of the golf course got into Lee Westwood’s head on Friday resulting in a tie and a half point.

Just when Westwood thought he might have seen the last of Boo Weekly and his rowdy gallery, he had to go out and face the Weekly/Holmes pairing again on Saturday afternoon. 

Weekly and his gallery, which had grown significantly since the previous day, were more than Ryder Cup veteran Lee Westwood could overcome on Saturday afternoon.

Weekly and Holmes were able to finish the match 2&1 on the 17th sending Westwood into the locker room, where he likely kneeled down, looked up towards the heavens, and prayed that wouldn't have to face Weekly in tomorrow’s match play event.

Although the rookies have so far handled the pressure better than could have ever been expected, tomorrow’s match play will present another challenge. 

It is one thing to endure Ryder Cup pressure when you know that you have a teammate there to pick you up when you hit a wayward shot.  Singles match play is a completely different animal. 

All the pressure is placed solely on you and when the matches begin to conclude, several Ryder Cup rookies could very well find that they have the American hopes of regaining the cup placed squarely on their shoulders.

The European team still only needs seven out of tomorrow’s available twelve points to regain the cup, which is very possible if the momentum swings their way.  But, if the first two days are anything to go by, I wouldn’t bet the farm on the likes of Anthony Kim, Hunter Mahan, or Boo Weekly folding under tomorrow’s pressure.

The American team’s rookies have been exciting, fun to watch and most importantly they have given off an infectious youthful energy that has spread throughout the American team, the gallery of fans and even a country that can all but taste a Ryder Cup victory for the first time since 1999.