Ryder Cup: How Davis Love’s USA will shape up
You wouldn’t quite say it was a revolution, but Davis Love’s likely team for Hazeltine this month shows four changes from the 12 men who were humbled at Gleneagles.
Only one of them, Brooks Koepka, is a rookie, with Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed and Brandt Snedeker all looking forward to a return to the action.
Two years ago Johnson was taking a leave of absence from the game to deal with some “personal issues” having played in the previous two matches.
Almost certain to be standing down are Jim Furyk, Keegan Bradley, Hunter Mahan and Webb Simpson. With due respect, it does not appear that they weaken the team greatly.
Furyk, for all his experience and undoubted class, has an awful Ryder Cup record. In nine appearances dating back to 1997 he has lost 20 and halved four of his 34 games. Neither Bradley nor Mahan have shown any sort of form for some time while Simpson’s most notable contribution to the last match was skying the opening tee shot.
Following the Friday fourballs, he was not seen again before the singles. The return of Dustin Johnson gives Love another obvious leader. Playing alongside Matt Kuchar at Medinah, the pair won two fourballs together.
One man who will need a new partner is Mickelson. Benched for the whole of Saturday at Gleneagles, he has teamed up with Bradley for the last two Ryder Cups. Perhaps Love will charge him with looking after Koepka, not that the US’s only rookie is likely to need too much assistance.
Following his win at the PGA, Jimmy Walker may well be paired again with his good friend Rickie Fowler, while the Jordan Spieth/Patrick Reed combination was one of their few success stories at Gleneagles.
In what looks like an otherwise well balanced team, that just leaves a problem called Bubba Watson, who has lost eight of his 11 games to date and contributed precisely nothing to the American total at Gleneagles. Maybe, in a nod to Arthur Conan, Doyle, Holmes and Watson could be let loose on the Europeans. Now that would be something to watch.
Tom Irwin
Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.
