Ryder Cup: An old man’s game

Ryder Cup Captain Jim Furyk has his work cut out for him filling the remaining four spots on the American roster. What’s the winning formula for Furyk, veteran experience or young blood?

There’s no denying the youth movement in golf. It seems like every week there’s a fresh-faced 20 something racing up the leaderboard. Both in the US and abroad, the talent pool is skewing younger.

Meanwhile, Tour mainstays continue to hold their own and keep the new wave from taking over. The question facing Jim Furyk is simple: Go young or go old?

Let’s take the 2016 European squad as an example of what can happen when young players go abroad for their first Ryder Cup. Darren Clarke’s team featured three rookies under 30. Andy Sullivan and Matthew Fitzpatrick didn’t post a single point, but Thomas Pieters notched four, making him the most successful player in the tournament.

Going with the young guns can pay dividends, but does it outweigh the risks? Furyk has no way of knowing how a first-timer will react in front of an international crowd on foreign ground. So what is Furyk to do, roll the dice with Tony Finau and give the newly-bearded bomber a chance to become the next Ryder Cup hero, or rely on the steady consistency of Matt Kuchar?

It’s an unenviable position for Furyk, who needs to balance the value of experience against the momentum of the hot hand. While my heart wants to see the younger crowd have a shot to prove themselves, my head wants Furyk to go with the old guard.

One way to approach the issue is for Furyk to put himself in Team Europe’s oddly sized, aggressively stylish shoes. Is Alex Noren losing sleep over a streaky Kyle Stanley? Probably not. Does he worry about Zach Johnson taking a 2-up lead early and having the poise to keep it? That’s a bad example. Nobody’s worried about Zach Johnson. But you get the idea. When you need a miracle shot from the woods, Tony Finau’s monster drives don’t hold up against Phil Mickelson’s cagey shotmaking prowess.

As long as Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and the rest of the elite players maintain their stronghold on the automatic bids, the second tier players are stuck with a harsh catch-22: You can’t make the team without experience, and you can’t get experience until you make the team.

To warrant a captain’s pick a player needs to be performing at a high enough level that they simply can’t be ignored (DeChambeau), or have the reputation and history of success to justify inclusion (Woods). For the rest of the young players out there the message is clear: Earn or wait your turn.

We can count on Furyk to pick Tiger Woods, who nearly made the team on points despite playing a significantly limited schedule.  He also happens to be Tiger Woods, the most intimidating presence golf has seen in generations. After Bryson Dechambeau cruised to victory at the Northern Trust, we can expect he’ll be a lock, too.

DeChambeau, though young, reacts to a less-than-perfect shot with a level of incredulity usually reserved for AARP members dealing with a misdiagnosed “broken” smartphone. He has the benefits of an older man’s mentality and he finished one spot out of an automatic bid. There’s no reason not to expect the Professor to participate on the Ryder Cup Parisian lecture tour.

Mickelson continues to enjoy a resurgence this season and has earned a captain’s pick. He’s also earned the level of respect and reverence that I imagine Furyk will give Phil the option to play. Phil will wind up captaining this team down the line, so it may be in his best interest to give a future participant some experience. Being the confident competitor he is, I don’t see Phil sitting out.

That leaves one more spot. Kuchar fits the bill, Brandt Snedeker played well in 2016’s Ryder Cup and took Wyndham Championship this month and even Billy Horschel’s making a run at it. Last year Ryan Moore finished 20th in the points race and made the team. This year, Zach Johnson wound up #20, and he’s as reliable a performer as anyone on tour. Any of these guys could bring value to the team.

Unfortunately, DeChambeau could be the only Millennial among the captain’s picks. Let’s take a look at a few of the younger Americans expected to miss out.

• Xander Schauffele. Xander crumbled late at the British Open. He looked nervous and rattled standing over the ball, and he did so on European soil. Are we seriously discussing sending this guy overseas to intimidate Jon Rahm?
• Kevin Na. Na had a sneaky good first week in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Is he going to Paris? Na.
• Patrick Cantlay. Cantlay also had a strong showing at the Northern Trust, but you can’t spell Cantlay without Can’t, as in “we can’t send this guy to Paris.”

Regardless of who Furyk picks to fill out the roster, we can all rest easy knowing Brooks Koepka will be on our side.