Sport360° view: Europe favourites but USA a bigger threat without Tiger

Joy Chakravarty 13:47 25/09/2014
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  • Captains collide: Paul McGinley (l) and Tom Watson pose with the Ryder Cup trophy.

    That the Americans will return empty-handed from this week’s Ryder Cup seems to be the foregone conclusion in the minds of most fans and experts here at Gleneagles.

    After all, the odds are stacked heavily against them. They are playing on European soil, and the last time they won here was way back in 1993.

    In fact, they have won only twice since then. They have lost three of their top stars – Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson and Jason Dufner – for reasons other than golf.

    And two of their most in-form players – Billy Horschel and Chris Kirk – started their run after the team was finalised. Their most experienced player – Phil Mickelson – struggled so much that he even threw in the towel and pulled out a tournament.

    The other most experienced star – Jim Furyk – has been consistent but hasn’t won in the last four years. The three wild cards – Hunter Mahan, Webb Simpson and Keegan Bradley – have been out of form since the day captain Tom Watson picked them.

    The Europeans have players like Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Martin Kaymer and even rookie Jamie Donaldson who have played consistent, and often dazzling, golf.

    Even the choice of the two non-playing captains seem to favour the Europeans. Many believe that while the legendary Watson can motivate the side based on his own achievements, the extraordinary connect that Paul McGinley has with his team members, and the strategic approach he has towards the job, make him a better leader.

    However, there are certain factors that do work in the favour of Team USA. Europe pulled off the Miracle of Medinah, so there is no reason the American can’t create their own ‘Glory in Gleneagles’.

    While most American players and Watson would lead us to believe that the presence of Woods will be sorely missed, I think it could become the one major catalyst in the resurgence of Team USA.

    They have relied too much on Woods in the past, hoping that the great man would deliver, but the best individual player in the world has shown time and again that he is not such a force in team events.

    There is a real possibility that his absence would be the jolt that will shake the Americans out of their Ryder Cup reverie.

    And the presence of youngsters like Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed, plus the much-improved Jimmy Walker, all of whom were not scarred by Medinah, will also work well for America.

    Then there is the golf course itself. Gleneagles is similar to what the Americans would play back home. The thick rough, which is almost ankle-deep in some places, was not part of McGinley’s plan.

    Having said that, the course will be the same for both teams, but this must be the first time in the history of the tournament where the home team has not tried to lay it out to their advantage.

    And then there is Watson himself. Two things about the five-time Open champion – one, he knows how to win in Scotland, and two, he commands utmost respect for all that he has achieved in the game. If ever there was a leader who could rally his troop just on the basis of his own reputation, it is Watson. 

    Europe have the upper hand, but it would be utterly naive to think the Americans will roll over.

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