2021 Ryder Cup- Whistling Straits

benhogan

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Azinger did something similar when there were 4 captains picks in 2008. He said that each pod leader got to pick a player to add to their pod.
It would be fun if they brought back Zinger, but I'm pretty sure the US will cycle through recent tour players like Phil and Zach Johnson.
 

cshea

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Bryson goes with driver off 1 in the practice round. Hole is listed at 365 on the Ryder Cup website. He hit it pin high in the right rough, chipped to a gimme.

I'd much rather watch this Bryson practice round than listen to the panelists talk.
 

E5 Yaz

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I don't know if this has been suggested, but how about aggregate stroke play, all players, on Thursday? A single point can prove critical, it gets every player out there on the course, it addresses the Koepka moment about playing a round where players only have to worry about their own round, and gives TV another day.

I'd send them out in twosomes, but with someone on their own team so that they can help read putts, etc.
 
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Senator Donut

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How about one day they all play with just a seven iron? How quirky! Any other ideas to make the Ryder Cup more like the third-tier member tournament at my local club?
 

E5 Yaz

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How about one day they all play with just a seven iron? How quirky! Any other ideas to make the Ryder Cup more like the third-tier member tournament at my local club?
No one has suggested anything that low-level ... but thanks for playing
 

88 MVP

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How about one day they all play with just a seven iron? How quirky! Any other ideas to make the Ryder Cup more like the third-tier member tournament at my local club?
I would watch the shit out of a Ryder Cup 7-iron one-club challenge on a Thursday.
 

benhogan

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Nov 2, 2007
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I don't know if this has been suggested, but how about aggregate stroke play, all players, on Thursday? A single point can prove critical, it gets every player out there on the course, it addresses the Kopek moment about playing a round where players only have to worry about their own round, and gives TV another day.

I'd send them out in twosomes, but with someone on their own team so that they can help read putts, etc.
That's a legitimate idea

Something that's fun, I ran a tournament where we had 2-man teams: Play the best shot of both players. Lift, clean and place. (need to leave a ball mark/tee when partner hits) Combined with match play

birdie/eagle madness for the Pros (not for me & my buddies that suck)
 

cshea

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I don't think those were right, I think it was

Rahm, Lowry, Hatton, Fleetwood
Rory, Garcia, Westwood, Hovland
Casey, Fitzpatrick, Poulter, Wiesberger

It's not a clusterfuck on the Euro side though so they don't need to pod. They'll probably have new groups tomorrow. By the time Friday rolls around, they'll probably have shuffled around so much that they all played a round with each other.
 

RedOctober3829

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What celebrities will be entrenched with the US team? The usuals are Jordan and Barkley.
I don't think those were right, I think it was

Rahm, Lowry, Hatton, Fleetwood
Rory, Garcia, Westwood, Hovland
Casey, Fitzpatrick, Poulter, Wiesberger

It's not a clusterfuck on the Euro side though so they don't need to pod. They'll probably have new groups tomorrow. By the time Friday rolls around, they'll probably have shuffled around so much that they all played a round with each other.
Yep you’re right. I saw sky putting groups of 4 up there and thought those were it.
 

LogansDad

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Nov 15, 2006
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I’d add a sudden death 9 hole match format. Pick 10 players from each team. 10 players on each 9. Play sudden death every hole. Ties go to a chip off to determine who is eliminated. Winning team on each side gets 4 points ( or however many points makes sense)
Oh man, I LOVE this idea. The player who wins stays in for the next hole, and the captain for the team that lost the previous hole picks who to put in? So, in theory, someone could go on a run, and eliminate every player on the other team.

I say make it 18 holes, and play until all of one team's players gets eliminated. Would make for awesome theater, with Koepka being the final US player after hole 9 and needing to win 9 straight holes and a playoff to get the US their points.

Never going to happen in the Ryder Cup aside (for good reason, really), I would watch this event as a charity exhibition. Or maybe a Thursday of the Ryder Cup Charity Exhibition???
 

Doug Beerabelli

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Logan's Dad - a little different. 10 players (5 from each squad) play 1st hole. Person who finished last is eliminated, other 9 move on to second hole. If there's a tie for last, the players tieing for last chip from the same spot. Player whose chip finishes farthest away from the hole is eliminated. At the last hole of the side (9th if you start on 1st), only two players will be left. I guess that's kind of dumb if it turns out the last two are both on one squad. But it was kind of dumb to begin with!!!

I like your idea better.
 

FL4WL3SS

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Logan's Dad - a little different. 10 players (5 from each squad) play 1st hole. Person who finished last is eliminated, other 9 move on to second hole. If there's a tie for last, the players tieing for last chip from the same spot. Player whose chip finishes farthest away from the hole is eliminated. At the last hole of the side (9th if you start on 1st), only two players will be left. I guess that's kind of dumb if it turns out the last two are both on one squad. But it was kind of dumb to begin with!!!

I like your idea better.
This is basically a horse race that is run at every club in America during their member-guest.
 

Doug Beerabelli

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This is basically a horse race that is run at every club in America during their member-guest.
Yep.

Our club has an annual tourney that is same weekend as Kentucky Derby, and is called The Derby. Uses that format for the playoff after determining top 10 teams from stroke play. They then pick names out of a hat to change up the teams for the playoff - so your stroke play partner is likely to be an opponent for the playoff.

IMO it would be fun seeing pros doing one of these. Again, it’ll never happen, and that’s fine.
 

Vegas Sox Fan

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They could do 3 4-man teams for each side and have them play 1 on 1 until someone loses a hole and gets eliminated then next man up. Ties move to the next hole. Then play as many holes as necessary until one team is eliminated. Then there would be 3 points on the line.
 

Average Game James

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One thing I have never completely loved about the Ryder Cup format is the home team setting up the course every day (even as this should meaningfully advantage the US this year). A neutral third party could be fine, but I feel like it would be more fun to see each side have the opportunity to do course setup. How about one team gets to do course setup for Friday/Saturday and one gets to do it for Sunday with the home team getting to choose? I feel like that would bring both a little more fairness and also a fun added wrinkle in seeing how a course setup can be utilized to play to different skill sets...
 

Average Game James

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One of the biggest aspect of American course setup involves growing very little rough, so their big hitters can bomb and gouge without really having to gouge. That's not a day-to-day thing.
That's completely fair. At the same time, feel like there is a good amount that could be done just with tee selection and pin placements. Would certainly be more interesting that 2016, if nothing else.
 

cshea

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That's a lazy take from Chamblee. I wouldn't play Bryson in foursomes but not because of driving accuracy. It's all about bombing off the tee these days. The players know it. Bryson led the tour in strokes gained off the tee but was 170th in driving accuracy. Rahm finished 2nd in strokes gained off the tee while being 61st in driving accuracy. Segrio 3rd and 94th, Rory 4th and 145th. Side note- there's a lot of talk about the US advantage off the tee, but Europe has 4 of the top 5 players in strokes gained off the tee, Rahm, Sergio, Rory and Hovland. On the US side, Brooks is 7th and 157. DJ 21 and 136. It goes on and on. Distance is far more important that accuracy, and these guys know it and are used to playing that kind of game. Considering how hard he swings and with such little loft, it's kind of remarkable how straight Bryson can drive it. He doesn't usually foul them off.

The problem with Bryson in fourballs, to me, is he's a hard to impossible partner to play with and his biggest strength is unavailable on half of the holes. His approach to the game is so dramatically different than the other 11 players that it seems impossible to find a partner that can work with him. It's probably telling that In 2018 he played with Tiger and Phil. The only peer he has played with was a single fourball match with Tony Finau at the Presidents Cup. Secondly, he'd only be hitting 8 drivers (seems you want the bombers to tee off the even holes). His biggest weapon is neutralized on 10 holes.

Leave him alone, let him play his game in fourball and try to make as many birdies as he can
 

RedOctober3829

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That's a lazy take from Chamblee. I wouldn't play Bryson in foursomes but not because of driving accuracy. It's all about bombing off the tee these days. The players know it. Bryson led the tour in strokes gained off the tee but was 170th in driving accuracy. Rahm finished 2nd in strokes gained off the tee while being 61st in driving accuracy. Segrio 3rd and 94th, Rory 4th and 145th. Side note- there's a lot of talk about the US advantage off the tee, but Europe has 4 of the top 5 players in strokes gained off the tee, Rahm, Sergio, Rory and Hovland. On the US side, Brooks is 7th and 157. DJ 21 and 136. It goes on and on. Distance is far more important that accuracy, and these guys know it and are used to playing that kind of game. Considering how hard he swings and with such little loft, it's kind of remarkable how straight Bryson can drive it. He doesn't usually foul them off.

The problem with Bryson in fourballs, to me, is he's a hard to impossible partner to play with and his biggest strength is unavailable on half of the holes. His approach to the game is so dramatically different than the other 11 players that it seems impossible to find a partner that can work with him. It's probably telling that In 2018 he played with Tiger and Phil. The only peer he has played with was a single fourball match with Tony Finau at the Presidents Cup. Secondly, he'd only be hitting 8 drivers (seems you want the bombers to tee off the even holes). His biggest weapon is neutralized on 10 holes.

Leave him alone, let him play his game in fourball and try to make as many birdies as he can
You're kind of saying what Chamblee said last night on TV. With the lack of accuracy off the tee and the number of opportunities to put it in a pot bunker for his partner he is not a great player for foursomes. Sure, his length off the tee is a weapon and pairing him with a really good iron player could work out. But, I think they have 3 pairings that could be really good for foursomes in JT/Spieth, DJ/Morikawa, Xander/Cantlay, and then maybe Koepka/Scheffler. Now, if BDC comes out Friday afternoon and wins in a rout and a group struggles in the morning then you might put him out there Saturday morning and see what happens.
 

cshea

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You're kind of saying what Chamblee said last night on TV. With the lack of accuracy off the tee and the number of opportunities to put it in a pot bunker for his partner he is not a great player for foursomes. Sure, his length off the tee is a weapon and pairing him with a really good iron player could work out. But, I think they have 3 pairings that could be really good for foursomes in JT/Spieth, DJ/Morikawa, Xander/Cantlay, and then maybe Koepka/Scheffler. Now, if BDC comes out Friday afternoon and wins in a rout and a group struggles in the morning then you might put him out there Saturday morning and see what happens.
My point is that using accuracy to rule out Bryson is a lazy take because if you applied it as a rule of thumb then you'd have to disqualify the majority of the team. JT and Spieth, counted to be the leading pair, are 169th and 180th in driving accuracy. Neither has the length of Bryson. They're likely to put each other in bad spots. In fact, I think that argument would actually be a point in Bryson's favor because, and I have not seen the layout of each hole, Bryson is far more likely to carry a troublesome fairway bunker than the other 11 guys. Courses have not caught up to his length, there are bunkers that will be in play for everyone but Bryson.

We're reaching the same conclusion, I just think using driving accuracy to disqualify Bryson makes no sense. Driving accuracy in today's game is pretty meaningless. It's all about distance and he's the distance king.
 

RedOctober3829

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Wait a minute--one of the Sky Sports commentators said there are clubs in the UK that on certain days of the week don't allow foursomes to each play their own ball? That's crazy to me. She said that on certain days if you want to play as a foursome there are only two balls allowed to be played so you had to play alternate shot.
 

cshea

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1. Rahm/Sergio vs. JT/Spieth
2. Casey/Hovland vs DJ/Morikawa
3. Westwood/Fitz vs. Brooks/Berger
4. Rory/Poulter vs. Xander/Cantlay
 

cshea

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I’m expecting the usual beat down of the US team.
But it’s enjoyable to watch, even if they get beat. NBC is the downside. Horrible golf coverage. It will be DVR only
Yes, a preemptive, hearty fuck you to NBC for their inevitably horrible coverage.
 
Wait a minute--one of the Sky Sports commentators said there are clubs in the UK that on certain days of the week don't allow foursomes to each play their own ball? That's crazy to me. She said that on certain days if you want to play as a foursome there are only two balls allowed to be played so you had to play alternate shot.
I don't personally know of any club that does this myself, but I do know that if you go to play at Muirfield as a visiting foursome, and you plan to play 36 holes (with the club's justly famous lunch in between), you're supposed to play alternate shot in the afternoon after lunch.
 

luckysox

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Steve Stricker is funny as hell. I can overlook some of the morons on the US team just to root for him. He's a class act. He teared up when introducing his daughters during the opening ceremony, and he also told the home crowd that he's a Bear fan...gutsy and funny and sweet. Go Strick!