Official 2014 Ryder Cup Thread

The Ryder Cup begins this weekend! The golf fan in me had to make this thread. Here are a few stories/articles covering the event.
The 2014 event will be held in Gleneagles, Scotland, UK - Team USA vs. Team Europe.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...tson/16048939/
"GLENEAGLES, Scotland – Tom Watson and Team USA drove onto the sundrenched Gleneagles Hotel grounds Monday to complete its arrival for the 40th edition of the Ryder Cup.
So far so good.
"Our team came over in good shape," Watson said after the overnight flight to Edinburgh out of Atlanta. "They are trying to get their legs right now. They are getting a little food in them, getting their clothes fitted the right way and going out and chipping and putting and just having an easy day of it today.
" … We had a nice little conversation before we got on the plane and during the bus ride over here, just logistics, some things, trying to get all the superfluous stuff out of the way before they get down to business."
The business at hand against Europe in the biennial bout starts in earnest Friday morning at 7:35 a.m. (2:35 a.m. ET) when the first of four four-balls matches tees off. Before that, however, is a laundry's list of chores each team adheres to before the matches begin.
In addition to practice rounds to form potential teams and learn the PGA Centenary Course and face time responsibilities with various media, there are functions to attend each night as well as bonding sessions in the team rooms.
It's a long week even before the week's main festivities commence.
"Right now, it's just logistically getting all the housekeeping out of the way, for our team in particular, the jet-lag," Watson said. "I basically told them, don't worry about your golf swings for the next couple days. Get your body on time, just get a chance to see the golf course, and by Thursday or Friday, that's when that focus and that golf swing should start to occur."
Europe has won five of the last six matches, including the Miracle at Medinah in 2012 when it stormed back from a 10-4 deficit to win 14½-13½. While redemption is on the minds of the Americans, retention is on the minds of the Europeans.
Unlike the Americans who came over on one plane (all except for Phil Mickelson, who was already in town and greeted his teammates on the tarmac at the airport), the European squad came from all over the map. For example, Martin Kaymer came in from Germany, Henrik Stenson from Sweden and Sergio Garcia from Spain.
But they are all collectively here now.
"Everything is on schedule and we're raring to go," McGinley said"
http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/ry...r-confidential
Tour Confidential: Can Team USA Pull Off a Ryder Cup Upset? Plus, All-Male Clubs and Tiger's Next Coach
"1. After wild-card selection TV shows and uniform unveilings, it’s finally Ryder Cup week. Which side is your pick to win and why? And what will be the margin of victory?
Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated (@AlanShipnuck): U.S. 14.5-13.5. It's a risk-reward course and the U.S. side collectively is significantly longer and in better form. I think Watson will out-captain McGinley. And playing at home as heavy favorites adds another layer of pressure for Europe.
Joe Passov, senior editor, Golf Magazine (@joepassov): The U.S is going to pull off the upset, thanks to a long, roomy, American-style course that plays into U.S. hands and also due to the law of averages. The U.S. would have won on a similar-type course at Medinah in 2012 if Europe hadn't drained a series of the most improbable putts in Ryder Cup history. I don't think Poulter or Rose will putt as well this time, and I think with the pressure off the U.S., being that they're the decided underdogs, they will come through. A "changed," charged-up Bubba Watson will make the difference in the 14.5 to 13.5 victory.
Jeff Ritter, senior editor, Sports Illustrated Golf Group (@Jeff_Ritter): The U.S is set up as a scrappy underdog, which could galvanize the group. But the Euros just have more proven strength at the top of their lineup (Rory, Sergio, GMac, Rose, Poulter). My patriotic heart would love to call the U.S. upset, but this pick comes straight from my wallet, and the billfold sees a football Sunday filled with Oles! Europe by a touchdown, 17-11.
Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated (@GaryVanSickle): You have to like Europe's top five -- Rory, Rose, Kaymer, Stenson and McDowell -- over America's top five. Who is America's top five? I'm not even sure. That said, the Ryder Cup is effectively a putting contest, and if Webb Simpson and Phil Mickelson and two other players arrive with their A Games, the U.S. could win. Forced to pick, I'll take Europe, 15.5-12.5.
Eamon Lynch, managing editor, Golf.com (@eamonlynch): Of the nine Cups played since Tom Watson was last captain in 1993, Europe has won seven. With a lot of its players in form this year, call it eight of 10, but not by a wide margin, 15-13.
Josh Sens, contributing writer, Golf Magazine (@JoshSens): The U.S. If you look closely, they're not badly overmatched on paper. But Vegas has Europe as two-to-one favorites and the underdog narrative has swelled to such a point that it can only help the American side. U.S. wins 14.5-13.5.
Mark Godich, senior editor, Sports Illustrated (@MarkGodich): Europe wins, 15–13. The home team is just stronger at the top. It will be tight going into singles, but McGinley will front-load his lineup and the Oles! will begin early.
Cameron Morfit, senior writer, Golf Magazine (@CameronMorfit): I think the U.S. is somehow going to pull this out, but the more I'm asked to restate this prediction, the less sense it makes. I don't know if it's Europe looking strong as much as Team USA looking slightly bereft, i.e. no Horschel, no Tiger, no D.J., no A.K., no Dufner. Fowler and Spieth and Reed are intriguing, though, in that they seem young and fearless. And there's no telling what Jimmy Walker is likely to make of this event. I'll say the U.S. wins 15-13.
David DeNunzio, senior editor, Golf Magazine (@daviddenunzio): It was going to be tough from the get-go for the American side, what with the Europeans fielding the No. 1 (McIlroy), No. 3 (Sergio), No. 4 (Stenson) and No. 6 (Rose) ranked players in the world. And that was before losing Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson, as well as failing to sign the second-hottest golfer on the planet, Billy Horschel, to team Stars and Stripes. And don’t discount the home-field advantage. It’s over early Sunday. The other guys win.
Michael Bamberger, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: U.S. in a landslide. Any other prediction is un-American.
2. Which player on each team has the most to prove?
MORFIT: Captain's pick Hunter Mahan has a lot to prove for the U.S. side, not just for how the 2010 Cup at Celtic Manor ended but also for how he played those last three FedEx Cup tournaments. Yes, Mahan proved his mettle in match play in winning the WGC-Accenture in 2012, but because of those vivid memories of Celtic Manor, and because he still hasn't won a major, he's going to have to do it all over again at Gleneagles. Lee Westwood, another captain's pick, will have to prove himself a worthy addition to the European side after a less than great season.
BAMBERGER: For Team USA, Patrick Reed. He's been a great talker, but now he needs to show something on the world's stage. For the Euros, I suppose Rory -- to put a meaningful exclamation mark on an all-time year.
LYNCH: Expectations inevitably fall on high-profile captain's picks who didn't earn their berth. Step forward Poulter and Westwood, neither of whom has shown much pedigree this season. On Team USA, the man with most on the line is Tom Watson. Yes, he won't hit a shot, but his surprise captaincy at age 65 is a break with tradition that will be second-guessed if his team loses. Players won't warm to a captain just because he's a legend with multiple major wins -- see: Faldo, Nick. Since Watson was announced as skipper there have been murmurings about how well he can relate to younger team members, a hum not quieted by his selection of Ray Floyd and Andy North as vice-captains (along with the semi-retired Steve Stricker). If Watson hoists the Cup on Sunday, his selection will look like genius. If he doesn't, expect cracks about how America's team leadership looked like a Cocoon reunion.
DENUNZIO: Europe: Rory. It’ll be his team for the next seven Ryder Cups. He needs to secure his seat at the head of the Ryder Cup table now. For the American side, it’s a tie between Phil and Furyk. Phil has a history of succeeding when Tiger’s looming shadow is out of the picture. Furyk must play like the highest-ranked player on the American squad, which he is. If Phil and Jim go flat, it could get ugly, especially considering the rest of the team has logged a combined total of 12 Ryder Cups.
SENS: On the U.S., Webb Simpson, a captain's pick who seems to be the consensus soft spot among to both the pundits and the public. Stephen Gallacher on the European team because he put up a stinker recently in the Wales Open. Throw in the fact that he's the lone Scotsman on the team, and he's going to feel all the more pressure to rise to the moment.
GODICH: I believe you have to look at the captain's picks, since they didn't play their way onto the team. Whichever captain loses will most likely be second-guessed on his three choices. I'll take Webb Simpson on the U.S. side. I thought the selection was a bit of a reach, because Simpson hasn't exactly been lighting it up, and Gleneagles is a track that favors bombers. For Europe, I'm taking the captain. McGinley can't win here. The Euros are a prohibitive favorite, so if things get tight, Watson will be praised and McGinley's every move will get scrutinized. And with five vice-captains -- count 'em, five! -- he may have too many voices in his ear.
PASSOV: For Europe, I believe Lee Westwood needs to show vestiges that he was a World Top 3 player not long ago and that he deserved the captain's pick ahead of Luke Donald, who, by every account, is the superior chipper and putter, helpful attributes at Ryder Cup time. Webb Simpson might seem the obvious choice for the U.S. team, considering he was the most controversial pick, but for me, it's Keegan Bradley. The emotional center of the 2012 squad seems to have R-Y-D-E-R C-U-P flashing in neon on his forehead, almost using his unbridled enthusiasm for making the team as an excuse as to why he didn't win in 2014. Okay, now that you're here, prove that passion equals results.
VAN SICKLE: Stephen Gallacher, as the hometown Scot and a Ryder Cup rookie at 39, will probably feel the most pressure to perform. Other than that, I don't think any other Europeans have anything to prove. For the U.S., well, half the team has something to prove. Furyk, who hasn't been able to close wins; Fowler, for the same reason; Simpson and Bradley because they were picks; Patrick Reed, a kind of outsider in a way. The list goes on.
RITTER: The captain’s picks on both sides (Poulter excluded). Can Mahan erase the bitter memory of 2010? Can Keegan team with Phil again to become the toughest U.S. pairing? Can Webb Simpson make us all stop pining for Billy Horschel? On the Euro side, Westwood hasn't done much this season to warrant the pick, and Gallacher is unproven. Those guys could be under the microscope in the early sessions.
SHIPNUCK: Phil and Westy. This should be Mickelson's team, and it will be if he can summon the passionate play from the PGA. But if he looks like the Phil of every other week this year, he will be a lead ball around Uncle Sam's ankle. Westwood is the most second-guessable of the captain's picks, and if he lays an egg Luke Donald loyalists will be rioting in the streets.
Read more: http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/ryder-cup-predictions-st-andrews-and-tiger-woods-tour-confidential#ixzz3E5Tr9lk6"