A few thoughts looking ahead to Hazeltine 2016:
1. First and foremost, the first call the PGA of American HAS to make for its 2016 captain is to Fred Couples. Make him tell you no. If he won't do it, give Azinger another shot. He seemed to have a good recipe for success in 2008.
2. Time to phase out some of the veterans. I don't think guys like Furyk, Z Johnson, Mahan, Simpson and Kuchar are necessarily the problem, but they've consistently come up short in crucial situations and don't seem to be wired for the event. With our current point system though, you can bank that a few of those guys will be back on the team because it rewards consistency over a long period of time. Those guys are among the most consistent players on Tour.
3. America has some very talented young players that will hopefully take the next step in the next two years. We've seen from Spieth, Fowler and Reed that success in NCAA Tournament match play, USGA amateur match play events and Walker Cup can translate to success at the Ryder Cup. Some guys I'll be keeping a close eye include: Billy Horschel, Russell Henley, Justin Thomas, Patrick Rodgers, Peter Uihlein and Brooks Koepka.
4. Bubba Watson and Keegan Bradley were disappointing, but I'd still like to see them on the 2016 team. They seem like good home team players who can feed off the crowd.
5. With McIlroy, Garcia, Kaymer, Rose and Stenson, you could make the case that Europe had the best five players in the tournament this week. The WGR rankings may not technically show that, but I would pick any of them over any American. We REALLY need Tiger and DJ healthy and in good form in 2016 to help match that firepower.
This would be my initial hope for the 2016 squad:
Tiger Woods
Phil Mickelson
Jordan Spieth
Rickie Fowler
Jimmy Walker
Patrick Reed
Bubba Watson
Keegan Bradley
Dustin Johnson
Billy Horschel
Russel Henley
Justin Thomas
1. First and foremost, the first call the PGA of American HAS to make for its 2016 captain is to Fred Couples. Make him tell you no. If he won't do it, give Azinger another shot. He seemed to have a good recipe for success in 2008.
2. Time to phase out some of the veterans. I don't think guys like Furyk, Z Johnson, Mahan, Simpson and Kuchar are necessarily the problem, but they've consistently come up short in crucial situations and don't seem to be wired for the event. With our current point system though, you can bank that a few of those guys will be back on the team because it rewards consistency over a long period of time. Those guys are among the most consistent players on Tour.
3. America has some very talented young players that will hopefully take the next step in the next two years. We've seen from Spieth, Fowler and Reed that success in NCAA Tournament match play, USGA amateur match play events and Walker Cup can translate to success at the Ryder Cup. Some guys I'll be keeping a close eye include: Billy Horschel, Russell Henley, Justin Thomas, Patrick Rodgers, Peter Uihlein and Brooks Koepka.
4. Bubba Watson and Keegan Bradley were disappointing, but I'd still like to see them on the 2016 team. They seem like good home team players who can feed off the crowd.
5. With McIlroy, Garcia, Kaymer, Rose and Stenson, you could make the case that Europe had the best five players in the tournament this week. The WGR rankings may not technically show that, but I would pick any of them over any American. We REALLY need Tiger and DJ healthy and in good form in 2016 to help match that firepower.
This would be my initial hope for the 2016 squad:
Tiger Woods
Phil Mickelson
Jordan Spieth
Rickie Fowler
Jimmy Walker
Patrick Reed
Bubba Watson
Keegan Bradley
Dustin Johnson
Billy Horschel
Russel Henley
Justin Thomas