The Official Ryder Cup Thread,Celtic Manor Wales 2010

[ONeill]

Top golfers my hole. Kaymar and McDowell were crap major winners. Take Harrington out (who also won all 3 by default), you have to go back to 1999 to get a European major winner. Ryder Cup is like a charity soccer match or the GOAL challenge, hyped up.

[The Real Laoislad]

 

[Puckoon]

I know you are lookin for a bite O'Neill - but Martin Kaymer was good value for his win at whistling straits. He played some cracking golf to get in the lead and then wouldnt let himself be beaten.

McDowell in fairness won a poor US open - but he won it never the less and no one else could beat him.


I accept your point about Harry though - he is shite. And that bleedin' accent is what I expect Michael Flatley to sound like.

[The Real Laoislad]

Having said that I'll be glued to it for the three days after all its sport and its on the telly.

And really and the end of the day thats what it is all about,and we all still want the Europe team to win despite some finding it odd supporting a European team rather than a Irish team.
I would also say the players themselves once they tee up that first day will only care about one thing and thats winning,it won't matter then what the Ryder Cup has or hasn't been reduced to in people's minds,they are sportsmen at the top of their game and the competitiveness will shine through in all of them, whether the players really care about it or not is debatable though I believe the majority of them do,but they will still want to win it regardless.

[ONeill]

Tried to translate that into English on Babelfish but it didn't recognise the original.

[The Real Laoislad]

paddypower odds for a wildcard pick.


Padraig Harrington   
1/16
Paul Casey   
1/4
Luke Donald   
4/11
Justin Rose   
8/15
Edoardo Molinari   
9/2
Robert Karlsson   
13/2
Alvaro Quiros   
20/1
Henrik Stenson   
33/1

[Bogball XV]

paddypower odds for a wildcard pick.


Padraig Harrington   
1/16
Paul Casey   
1/4
Luke Donald   
4/11
Justin Rose   
8/15
Edoardo Molinari   
9/2
Robert Karlsson   
13/2
Alvaro Quiros   
20/1
Henrik Stenson   
33/1

Harrington is an awful, awful price.  He's in poor form, has a terrible ryder cup record, has stated previously that he's not that pushed about it and is playing in the US rather than trying to win a spot automatically (as are a few others). 
Karlsson is a great price imo as is quiros - would be interested to see what price quiros is to make the team either automatically or as a wildcard.

[magpie seanie]

The reason Harrington is 1/16 is there's not a chance in hell he won't be picked.

[venter]

Just to challenge the people stating that Harry cannot be picked because of his form and then turning round and saying that E molinari should be picked.

There is a theory that E molinari is in good form and deserving of a spot. People are generally selecting him at the expense of Harrington, based on Harrington's apparent abysmal form.

I think people perceive Harrington to be in terrible form because they expect better from him, but I think if you look at the stats he is every bit as deserving as Molinari.

Harrington is about 5 spots higher than Molinari on the qualification table because his form has been just as good ( and probably better in higher quality events), and this is borne out in their respective positions on the table.

2010 results

Molinari : 1 win & 4 top ten finishes. Best finish in a 2010 major : 29th (3 cuts made)
Harrington : No win & 7 top ten finishes. Best finish in a 2010 major : 22nd (1 cut made)

So if molinari is in good form, and he still cant manage to get past the awful Harrington, then leave him at home!

I know the Molinari bros did well to win the 2009 world cup, but they were equally as bad in the 2007 and 2008 world cups. The other thing is that the americans wont be sending thier world cup representatives John Merrick and Nick Watney (although he may have a case for selection) to the Ryder cup.

[The Real Laoislad]

Just to challenge the people stating that Harry cannot be picked because of his form and then turning round and saying that E molinari should be picked.

There is a theory that E molinari is in good form and deserving of a spot. People are generally selecting him at the expense of Harrington, based on Harrington's apparent abysmal form.

I think people perceive Harrington to be in terrible form because they expect better from him, but I think if you look at the stats he is every bit as deserving as Molinari.

Harrington is about 5 spots higher than Molinari on the qualification table because his form has been just as good ( and probably better in higher quality events), and this is borne out in their respective positions on the table.

2010 results

Molinari : 1 win & 4 top ten finishes. Best finish in a 2010 major : 29th (3 cuts made)
Harrington : No win & 7 top ten finishes. Best finish in a 2010 major : 22nd (1 cut made)

So if molinari is in good form, and he still cant manage to get past the awful Harrington, then leave him at home!

I know the Molinari bros did well to win the 2009 world cup, but they were equally as bad in the 2007 and 2008 world cups. The other thing is that the americans wont be sending thier world cup representatives John Merrick and Nick Watney (although he may have a case for selection) to the Ryder cup.

No one is saying Harry won't be sent as it's a fairly sure thing he will be,but anyone that has watched any Golf this year would question should he be sent on the form he showing at the moment.

No one could say he is or has played any sort of top quality golf in the last two years.

Also the Ryder Cup isn't a individual event it's a team event apart from the last day singles matchplay so maybe players should be picked on who they can be paired with,so thats why I think Molinari could be a good player for Europe.

Maybe it's because Harrington reached such heights in 07 and 08 that we expected he would have kicked on from it rather than in my opinion go backwards since then,what ever happens I hope he proves me wrong but I honestly think there are other players just as if not more deserving of a place going on form the last few seasons.

[Doogie Browser]

There is no doubt reputation rather than form will earn him a pick but I can't fault Monty, he can't afford to leave behind Europe's only currently playing multiple major winner (I think). 

[Geoff Tipps]

This Molinari boy fairly putting the pressure on Monty, birdie up the last will win tournament for him... Have to say I'm rooting for him now

Yeah same here. Not sure if it will be enough to get a wildcard though.

[Geoff Tipps]

The feeling is now that Harrington is going to miss out.

[ExiledGael]

Donald birdied the first six holes of his round today. Honestly don't think I'd even pick Harrington because of both form and his Ryder Cup record.

[Aaron Boone]

Harrington, Donald and E Molinari are the 3 wildcards.