19th Hole Golf Show

Ryan Ballengee has me on the show to talk about the Ryder Cup. Brace yourselves.

Faldo: "He will be in."

I think reader Colm is correct in noting that Matthew Jones makes a strong case that Nick Faldo was picking Ian Poulter no matter what, citing an interesting exchange from Gary Van Sickle's late July golf.com interview with the Captains.

As for Poulter, he was none too pleased when asked after missing another cut in Boston last weekend if handling the pressure of trying to make the team was a sign that he would be able to handle the pressure of the Ryder Cup itself. "Do you know what? I'm sick and tired of this nonsense. I'm absolutely spent, I can't waste any more energy on this. If I get the call, I'm ready to play. And trust me, I'll do my job."

If the truth will never out, it now seems that by staying in the States and turning his back on the chance to qualify at Gleneagles, Poulter was certain he was going to be picked. If you're still not sure that a deal was done, consider this exchange between Faldo and Azinger on the golf.com website when the two captains were asked who they expected would score the point that clinched the cup at Valhalla.

Azinger: "Kenny Perry."

Faldo: "Poulter."

Azinger: "Ian Poulter? He's not even on the team. You just tipped your hand. You must be picking him."

Faldo: "He will be in."

That conversation took place in July. So, now you know.

Just a little more Louisville dinner conversation for the Euros!

"Faldo clearly didn't want anyone in the team room with the potential to rock his boat"

John Huggan on Faldo selecting Poulter over Clarke:

Nick Faldo did exactly what we should have expected of him when he named Paul Casey and, more particularly, Ian Poulter as his two finishing touches to this year's European Ryder Cup side. Faldo's oversized ego was never going to be comfortable choosing someone with Darren Clarke's strength of character. Nor, for similar reasons, did he shed any significant tears over not picking the dreadfully off-form Colin Montgomerie.

"Faldo clearly didn't want anyone in the team room with the potential to rock his boat," points out one former Ryder Cup player who prefers to remain anonymous. "The 2004 Ryder Cup was all about Monty and his divorce; 2006 at the K Club was all about  Darren and the tragic death of his wife; Nick wants Valhalla to be all about him."

I just love how the Euros are beating themselves up. At this pace we might even have a match.

"All he said was, 'Roc, I didn't pick you,' He didn't give a reason"

Some nice Ryder Cup reporting today, starting with Mike Dudurich talking to Rocco about not getting selected.

"All he said was, 'Roc, I didn't pick you,' He didn't give a reason," Mediate said. "I'm extremely sad and extremely disappointed."

Barker Davis takes exception with the J.B. Holmes selection, offering this:

Still, it's difficult to see Holmes' popularity in the Bluegrass State outweighing his lack thereof in the team room. If a random sampling of PGA players named the three least-liked guys on tour, Holmes might finish second to Rory Sabbatini. Why? Because the 26-year-old has no social skills. His boorish behavior and poor personal hygiene are running jokes on the PGA Tour. Given that Azinger was supposed to be a more connected captain than recent out-of-touch U.S. skippers Hal Sutton and Tom Lehman, the selection of Holmes seems almost comically misinformed.

"Personality matters," Azinger said at Tuesday's news conference. "If you have guys that are not getting along or whatever, it makes a difference."

Jill Painter isn't too wild about Hunter Mahan's selection after his critical comments in Golf Magazine.

The selection of Mahan would have been like Barack Obama making Hillary Clinton his running mate. She ripped him during her campaign, which makes it challenging to turn around and join his team. She supports Obama now, we get that. He won the Democratic nomination. Mahan can support the U.S. Ryder Cup, too. He just didn't need to be part of the team.

"I think we have all moved on from those comments," Mahan said on Tuesday's Cup conference call. "I'm just looking forward to the Ryder Cup. I'm going to enjoy every second of it."

How's he going to enjoy it if he feels like a slave?

On the Euro side, Larry Dorman notes this about Ian Poulter's selection:

Poulter will be under more pressure to perform at the Ryder Cup than any player in the recent history of the event. Everything he does will be scrutinized in light of his friendship with Faldo and the suspicion, vehemently denied by both, that Poulter had been assured of a berth on the team even before he decided to pass up the Johnnie Walker Championship last week at Gleneagles, Scotland, to play at the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston, where he missed the cut.

Patrick Kidd talks to Sam Torrance, who explains (with examples) why Captain Faldo is making a huge mistake only carrying one vice-captain.

"I was a wee bit surprised that he has only gone with himself and Olly [Jose Maria Olazabal, the only named vice-captain]," Torrance, the 2002 Europe captain, said. "He wants to gain all the information himself about the players but he can't do that, he won't have the time.

In an unbylined Sporting Life piece, Darren Clarke tries to absolve Ian Poulter of blame but makes sure to note that Nick Faldo changed his selection criteria.

Elaborating on his belief that Faldo did not hold true to his initial plans for his captain's picks, Clarke added: "Earlier in the year, Nick had stated that he wanted his players to be on form, he wasn't going to pay particular attention to the rankings.

"I thought I was on good form, my record this year has been a couple of good wins and lots of top 10s, but unfortunately he changed his mind, and you know, I've got to bank with that.

"He has played six matches in his two appearances and won once."

Even picking Chad Campbell over Rocco or Woody could not excite the scribblers. They clearly are feeling sorry for Captain Azinger, and you can't blame him for being "subdued" as Bob Harig noted in running through the choices and considering the Captain's options.

Gary Van Sickle writes, "you didn't think Paul Azinger was going to let Nick Faldo one-up him when it came to making surprising wild-card picks, did you?" Then Van Sickle goes on to say Azinger pretty much had no choice but to pick the four he selected.

Tim Rosaforte sums up the misery best:

While Nick Faldo had five obvious contenders for his two picks, the general consensus coming in over the weekend was that Zinger had no players for four picks, with even rookie Kevin Streelman jumping into the late mix.

Steve Elling says there was one bright spot to the funeral:

...in the moments before Azinger announced his four captain's picks, officials scrambled to replace a press release that listed the veterans who had already qualified for the team as having compiled a combined career record of 18-334-15 in the matches. No question, after losing five of the last six cups, the American anchor men have failed, but not quite to that spectacular degree.

John Hopkins wasn't quite so kind about the Campbell selection, point out that he has "a dire Ryder Cup record. He has played six matches in his two appearances and won once."

But Brian Hewitt finds a bright spot, if there was one:

American Ryder Cup players occupy seven of the first 11 and nine of the first 14 spots in the point standings. Those numbers speak directly to the importance of current form especially in light of the criticism that not one of the six 12 members on the American squad with Ryder Cup experience have winning career records in the event.

Riding Wave Of Deutsche Bank T7, Campbell Named To Ryder Cup Team

Doug Ferguson reports...

Chad Campbell made one last impression on U.S. captain Paul Azinger and was rewarded Tuesday with a spot on the Ryder Cup team, joining Steve Stricker, Hunter Mahan and J.B. Holmes as captain's picks.

Thoughts?

Update on Tuesday, September 2, 2008 at 09:54 AM by Geoff

Azinger's transcript is here. Not too many revelations, though the course setup stuff is all over the map and therefore entertaining to read.

"Nobody's heard from him"

Doug Ferguson considers all of the selection candidates for Paul Azinger and says he could pick four rookies. I'm looking for Stricker, Mediate, Mahan and Holmes to get picked.

How anyone could possibly know is hard to say since Azinger isn't talking as Steve Elling notes:

Four of the players on Azinger's supposed short list said they haven't spoken with the captain in weeks -- if at all.

"I don't even know if he has my phone number," American veteran Scott Verplank said.

The buzz all week at the Deutsche Bank Championship has been about the final formation of the two teams -- it's the first time the U.S. team hasn't been set at the PGA Championship -- but the phones have certainly not been buzzing.

"Nobody's heard from him," said Steve Stricker, who is 10th in the world rankings and considered the closest thing to a lock to make the team. "I don't know if it's a good thing or bad thing."

"I have to say I was quite surprised myself"

Lawrence Donegan talks to Darren Clarke about his Ryder Cup selection snub:

"Half of the guys have been in touch over the last day to say how disappointed they are for me, and to say how surprised they are that I won't be going with them," the Northern Irishman said last night. "I have to say I was quite surprised myself."

Update on Monday, September 1, 2008 at 09:15 PM by Geoff

In Mark Lamport-Stokes' story talking to players about the Clarke exclusion, including not so positive remarks from Sergio Garcia, he points out a strong point from John Hopkins' report about the biggest snub in all of this, that of Carl Pettersson.

Poulter’s inclusion is not the only talking point. Pettersson’s exclusion deserves to be examined closely, too. In one way it is a sign of the strength of Europe’s professional golfers that a Swede, who has won three tournaments in the US in the past four years, can be excluded. Yet there is an unpleasant whiff of xenophobia about it. If Pettersson were British, he would be a nailed-down certainty to be included.

Faldo Insists Sarah Palin Was Never Considered For Euro Ryder Cup Team

The British press is having fun now. The early verdicts on the Poulter selection...

Lawrence Donegan offers probably the most sympathetic perspective:

The irony is that there really was a strong case for choosing Poulter over Clarke, or Casey for that matter. For one thing, he is a fabulous competitor. More crucially, he is a fabulous putter - the most important attribute any player can bring to a Ryder Cup. He finished 12th in the qualification rankings and, at No23 in the world, was the highest ranked player who had not played himself into an automatic spot.

Most people could marshal these facts, and a few others, to make an insurmountable case for Poulter, but not Faldo.

Remarkable for someone who makes his living as a TV commentator these days, the Englishman is uncomfortable under the glare of the cameras and, thus far into his captain's role, has made the famously tongue-tied Ian Woosnam sound like Winston Churchill. Yet on this occasion his hesitation might have had more to do with the fact that he was hiding a deeper truth - that his selections may have had little to do with form and a lot to do with personality.

And shares this about Monty:

Faldo was sympathetic to those left out, especially when it came to Clarke. "Darren made a massive, massive charge, a big effort the last few weeks. It's a tough call - some will agree, some will disagree. I briefly spoke to Darren and you could sense he was disappointed," he said.

"Monty, I only managed to leave a voice message - apparently he was watching football or shopping. My run came to an end and the first one you miss it stinks. Monty's had an historic career, but unfortunately his summer wasn't great and he's finished down the list."

Derek Lawrenson reports that Bernard Gallacher suspects the pick was a mistake.

'I am shocked,' said Gallacher. 'A lot of people were very surprised that Ian didn't come back and fight for his place, and I think team morale will be a bit lower for picking him over Darren, who tried so hard to make it.

'I felt Darren and Paul Casey were certainties to be his picks. But Nick's always been a bit controversial and he's certainly lived up to that.'

James Corrigan in the Independent doesn't sound too high on the selection:

In ignoring the seemingly irresistible claims of Darren Clarke and picking Ian Poulter alongside Paul Casey as his two wild cards, Faldo left himself exposed to criticism, from both inside and outside the team room.

Poulter may have finished second in the Open at Birkdale in July but elsewhere he has recorded just one top 10 finish all season and that came in Abu Dhabi in January. He has not shot a single round under 68 since then. In fairness, the flamboyant Englishman has been consistent in racking up the top-30s and, as Faldo pointed out: "He was the highest ranked player who had not already made the team." Undeniably, Poulter is a brilliant putter and a confident competitor. He is also a friend of Faldo's, however, and that inevitably assisted in filling the whispers here.

Lewine Mair in the Telegraph notes the cozy ties between Faldo and Poulter.

It was back at the PGA championship that he spoke of being in constant contact with Faldo. "We've been friends for the last few years so I've just been keeping in touch and he's always been supportive of me over the last year," he said at the time.

"I'm in a situation where I'm close to making the side and where I think I should be in contact with him. I want to know what's going to happen and what the team could be doing."

The above, in itself, resulted in nothing more than a few raised eyebrows. But when, in withdrawing from the Johnnie Walker, he made another mention of having spoken to Faldo, it was hardly surprising that so many put two and two together.

John Hopkins in the Times notes that the dreaded Clarke-Westwood pairing is not an option now:

Yet Faldo stands accused by some of having made an error already in selecting Ian Poulter ahead of Darren Clarke and Carl Pettersson. Clarke, 40, has won two tournaments since mid-April, the more recent eight days ago. His partnership with Lee Westwood has yielded an enormous dividend for Europe. Clarke and Westwood have beaten the world No 1 and No 2 in three of the recent Ryder Cups - Woods and Duval in the four-balls at Brookline in 1999, Woods and Mickelson in the foursomes at Oakland Hills in 2004 and Woods and Furyk in the four-balls in 2006. To discard such a potent partnership seems to be brave at the very least.

Upon hearing that Clarke had not been selected, Paul Azinger may have let out a sigh of relief. “I thought he was a lock,” the US captain said.

Mark Lamport-Stokes reports that even Jim Furyk was shocked by the selection.

"I think everyone kind of felt like Darren was going to get the nod," Furyk told reporters after shooting a two-under-par 69 in the third round of the Deutsche Bank Championship.

"All of his team mates and actually our guys respect him. He's a good friend of a bunch of guys over here and I know the guys on their team love him.

"He's great behind the scenes, a good team guy, so I think I'm a little surprised Darren wasn't a pick.

"From a personal perspective, Darren is a friend and I feel badly for him that he's not there," added Furyk, who like the Northern Irishman has played in the last five Ryder Cups.

As for the rest of the team, GolfBrief.com offers AP team capsules.

With One Top 10, Poulter Was A No Brainer For Euro Ryder Cup Team

Now the fun really begins as we await the European press reaction to Nick Faldo inexplicably picking Ian Poulter over Darren Clarke. Or is it inexplicable? As reader Chris noted, check out this buried in an unbylined golf365.com story:

Faldo's first words to Poulter, though, revealed how close a relationship they have developed.

They regularly speak to each other in the voice of a character from 'Only Fools and Horses' and on the phone Faldo said: "Raquel, go and put your overcoat on. It's time to go to the Ryder Cup."

Lordy. Let's get these two some tickets to see a Bette Midler concert.

"Faldo would have soaked it up. If he was here. Which, of course, he was not."

An unbylined Scotland On Sunday story (Tom English?) takes Captain Faldo to task for not appearing at Gleneagles for Saturday's third round.

Yes, Faldo would have soaked it up. If he was here. Which, of course, he was not. A face in the crowd at the tennis at Flushing Meadows earlier in the week he was believed to be at a corporate day at Wentworth yesterday. No doubt he had his reasons and we'll be mightily interested to hear them when he announces his wild cards a little after 6pm this evening. Quite honestly, he's got a bit of talking to do today.

Meanwhile Bill Elliott in The Guardian sums up the issues Faldo faces in selecting two players, one of which is not going to be Monty.

Bernard Gallacher tells Faldo to pick Paul Casey and Darren Clarke and reminds him to call the bums he leaves off the team. Thanks to reader Chris for this story.

I'm liking the American's chances the more the Europeans keep kicking each other around!

"All I can think of is that he's been given the nod"

As bad as it looks for Paul Azinger, things may not be quite so peachy in the Euro team room after Nick Dougherty voiced what appears to be the prevailing mood on the European Tour: Ian Poulter is playing the Deutsche Bank this week because he knows he's getting one of Faldo's two Captain's picks. James Corrigan reports:

Nick Dougherty was brave enough to articulate what most were thinking here on the range yesterday as the news circulated of Ian Poulter's late withdrawal from this week's Johnnie Walker Championship. "All I can think of is that he's been given the nod," said Dougherty. And so the great Ryder Cup conspiracy theory gathered momentum. True or not true it has given the build-up to Nick Faldo's wildcards announcement on Sunday night a fascinating edge.

The golfing world has only come up with two answers: first, Poulter has raised the white flag; and second, Poulter knows something the rest don't. Many here have already widely agreed that the flamboyant Englishman, the golfing street-fighter, is as likely to raise a white flag as he is to start wearing beige and, to them, that leaves only one explanation. And it is one that could just land Faldo in the middle of a storm when he eventually turns up at Gleneagles on Sunday lunchtime.

Not that Dougherty is ready to lambast the six-time major champion. Indeed, Faldo is his mentor. The young Liverpudlian was merely saying what he, and others such as Oliver Wilson – the player currently in the last qualifying spot – take to be the logical justification for Poulter's baffling actions.

"When I saw Ian's name down, I was impressed he was coming back," said Dougherty, who is himself in with a squeak of taking Wilson's place should he finish in the top two this week. "I've always thought Ian made his plans depending on his conversations with Nick."

Meanwhile it seems Azinger has settled on two of his picks, according to Tim Rosaforte at GolfDigest.com's Local Knowledge blog. And if you really want to know who might be picked, Steve Elling polls the writers and comes up with this tally.