A Presidential selection
Posted: Wednesday December 09, 1998 05:40 PM
Ah, yes, the Mailbag. It's like slipping on a favorite pair of old blue
jeans.The start of the '99 season will have a Metamucil-like effect on the 'Bag
-- we'll become regular again, every Thursday. Until then, this'll have to tide
you
over.
Hey, does anyone over there actually care about the Presidents Cup? Why do I
get the feeling this is more like the Major League Baseball tour of Japan and
less like the Ryder
Cup?
—Ken Flint, Sylvania,
Ohio
Ken, there's a very simple way of determining how important the Prez Cup is.
We're doing a special Mailbag on the tournament. Therefore, it's
big.
Are there any choke holes to look out for at Royal Melbourne like No. 18 at
The Belfry, where the Americans found a watery grave in the 1989 Ryder Cup?
I predict a three-point U.S.
win.
—Jon Erkkila, Bloomington,
Minn.
Judging by their individual performances at the Ryder Cup last September, this
U.S. team -- nine of whom played at Valderrama -- has a number of choke holes.
Eighteen of them, in fact. Royal Melbourne is an old-school Alister
MacKenzie design that is long on subtlety. There are no signature water
holes or anything as overstated as that. Just a lot of little ways to make
bogey. Melbourne is also reputed to require serious course knowledge, just as
Valderrama did. Not a good sign for the Americans. As for predictions, we'll get
to that in due
time.
Don't you think David Graham would be the perfect permanent captain for the
U.S. in future President's Cup
competitions?
—T. Miller, Monmouth,
Ill.
F.Y.I., T., D.G. is an Aussie, so he's S.O.O.L for as the U.S. captain.
O.K.?
So, Alan, is it possible that since this year's Presidents Cup team is so
laden with veterans that this competition, in essence, will set the tone or
spirit of the 1999 Ryder Cup matches? If the Americans win, do they feed off of
that high all year to launch their Ryder Cup effort, or is it all immaterial in
a sport where individuals try to play as a
team?
—Dan Carpenter, Stafford,
Va.
Let us briefly consult the historical record. The U.S. won the inaugural
Presidents Cup in 1994, and then blew the Ryder Cup at Choke Hill in 1995. The
U.S. won the Prez Cup in 1996, then got gored in Valderrama in 1997. You tell
me, Dan, if there is any carryover from winning the Presidents
Cup.
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Nicklaus and his charges are out to redeem the reputation of American golf following last year's Ryder Cup debacle. Will Burgess/REUTERS |
Did Jack Nicklaus take the easy way out by picking Nos. 11 and 12 on the
points list (Fred Couples and John Huston) as his captain's choices? Should he
have selected Tom Lehman or Lee Janzen instead? I would have taken Lehman! What
would you have
done?
—Dave, Findlay,
Ohio
I would have found a spot for Janzen because of his sterling play at the '97
Ryder Cup and how well-suited his controlled game is for Royal Melbourne. So
Jack lucked out with Hal Sutton's withdrawal. As for Lehman, he is unavailable
due to the shoulder surgery he had the day after the Skins Game. More generally,
I think captains in the Ryder, Prez and Solheim Cups are increasingly going to
pick the 11th and 12th players on the points list instead of pulling wild cards
out of their sleeves. It's fair to the players, who grind for two years to earn
points, and it also reduces the potential second-guessing of the captain (too
bad about the latter -- it's one of my favorite parts of the
competition).
Should Nicklaus pair the world's No. 1 and No. 2 players (Tiger Woods and
Mark O'Meara)? And if by some freak of nature they should lose, how much of a
jolt would that be to the
Americans?
—Karen McDonald, West Covina,
Calif.
Jolt? O'Meara and Woods have a long history of stinking up the joint. They
looked horrible in losing both a foursome and a four-ball at Valderrama, and
they combined to blow the Dunhill Cup this fall. Just because they enjoy the
occasional $5 Nassau back home in Isleworth doesn't make them an effective
partnership. Jack would be wise to resist the urge, which he has hinted he will
do.
The
Prediction
O.K., time to peer into the crystal ball: The problem with the Internationals is
that their roster is so top-heavy, which spells trouble in a team golf event.
While the top five Internationals are every bit as good as the Americans' five
best, the bottom seven are a bunch of ducks. Still, playing on their
(quasi-)home turf, I expect a gallant effort, just not enough to overcome a very
deep American team. Call it 17.5-14.5, U.S.
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