U.S. Ryder Cup Team

The guessing game is over. Many were deliberating of US captain Corey Pavin and his four captain's pick for the Ryder Cup. One was way too obvious, Tiger Woods. The other three did have an air of mystery. The other three selected were Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson and Rickie Fowler. Let's take a bit of a close look at the 12 US participants.

Will it be thumbs up for Lefty?

Phil Mickelson - Appearances: 8th; World Ranking: 2nd; Ryder Cup Record: 10-14-6

Lefty has had the opportunity to unseat Tiger as the world's #1 will little success. Still, Phil will be the defending Masters champ come April. He followed that win with a 2nd at Quail Hollow. Earlier this summer, Lefty told of an arthritic condition he is battling. That does give a pause for some concern going forward. Take into consideration how the weather will be when the competition starts and things could get a little hazy. The experience factor Phil brings will serve the "newcomers" well.

Hunter Mahan - Appearances: 2nd; World Ranking: 13th; Ryder Cup Record: 2-0-3
Mahan played in all five matches in Valhalla in 2008 and that alone could serve him well in Wales. He's seen it all except for the foreign soil aspect. His record could have been 3-0-2 if not for that drive on the 18th during the singles matches.Mahan won at the WCG-Bridgestone Invitational and the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Both events draw excellent fields and knowing the he's won provides Mahan with confidence.

Bubba Watson - Appearances: 1st; World Ranking: 25th: Ryder Cup Record: none
Bubba will more recently be known for his errant tee shot and second shot on the final playoff hole of the PGA Championship. He's more known for his long (extremely long) drives. Bubba did break through in 2010 scoring his first PGA TOUR victory (an emotional one at that) at the Travelers. Watson also has three other top-3 finishes in 2010 (Bob Hope Classic - T2, Transitions Champ. - 3rd and PGA Champ. - 2nd)

Jim Furyk - Appearances: 7th; World Ranking: 5th; Ryder Cup Record: 8-13-3
It wouldn't be a Ryder Cup if Furyk weren't on the team. His record isn't the greatest, but Furyk's course demeanor always serves as a lesson for the others. He seems so even keeled. Furyk also took home two trophies in 2010, the Verizon Heritage and the Transitions Championship. The win at the Transitions put Furyk's name back on the front page and deservedly so.

Steve Stricker - Appearances: 2nd; World Ranking: 4th; Ryder Cup Record: 0-2-1
Hard to believe this will only be Strick's 2nd go around with the Ryder Cup. Two wins (John Deere Classic and Northern Trust Open) and no missed cuts shows exactly how consistent Stricker is on the course. I think we all know who he will be paired with...Tiger. The two teamed up for the President's Cup last year and won all four points possibles in their matches.

Dustin Johnson - Appearances: 1st; World Ranking: 24th; Ryder Cup Record: none
How can you not want Dustin to do well? After the two-stroke penalty on the 72nd hole of the PGA, every American will probably root for Johnson more than any other player. That being said, all the other players know of Johnson's ability. He is the two-time winner of the AT and T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (2008 and 2009). That tourney boasts a pretty stellar field. And Johnson made the cut in all four majors this year despite the gaffe at Pebble for the US Open and the penalty at Whistling Straits (Masters - T38, US Open - T8, the Open Championship - T14, PGA - T5).

Jeff Overton - Appearances: 1st; World Ranking: 47th; Ryder Cup Record: none
The most amazing fact about Overton is that he made the team on points and did not record a single victory this year. Five top-3 finishes propelled the 27-year-old onto the team (The Greenbriar Classic - 2nd, AT and T National - 3rd, Colonial - T3, HP Byron Nelson - T2, Zurich Classic - 2nd). And he's still alive in the FedEx Cup. His tenacity will bode well in matches.

Matt Kuchar - Appearances: 1st; World Ranking: 11th; Ryder Cup Record: none
The one-time phenom has couldn't have righted the ship any better in 2010. Kuchar has also played well in the four majors (Masters - T24, US Open - T6, Open Champ. - T27 and PGA - T10). Kuchar also picked up a win at The Barclays to vault to the top of the FedEx Cup standings. He also has not missed a cut since Quail Hollow.

Has Woods found his swing?

Tiger Woods (captain's pick) - Appearances: 6th; World Ranking: 1st; Ryder Cup Record: 10-13-2

Woods RC record isn't anything to boast about, but Tiger still has an aura. Granted, not like it was a year ago, but having Tiger here still plants a seed. After a horrendous showing at the WGC-Bridgestone, Woods has managed a T11 last week at the Deutsche Bank and a T12 at The Barclays. Working with Sean Foley a bit has improved Woods' swing and it shows. That should provide some confidence for not only Tiger, but the rest of the team as well.

Zach Johnson (captain's pick) - Appearances: 2nd; World Ranking: 17th; Ryder Cup record: 1-2-1
Every year since his big win at The Masters, Johnson wins a tourney every year. This year provided another big win as he scored top honors at Colonial. Most people thought Johnson's selection was imminent, but he's only posted one top-ten since Colonial (T3 at the PGA). Regardless, just like Jeff Overton has tenacity, Johnson exudes it. He will scrap for every hole and every point.

Stewart Cink (captain's pick) - Appearances: 5th; World Ranking: 35th; Ryder Cup Record: 4-7-4
Since capturing the Open Championship last year, Cink has struggled logging only one top-5 finish in 2010, but that was at the WGC-Accenture Match Play. He RC record isn't impressive either, but Cink clawed is way from behind during last year's win at the Open and that may be all captain Corey Pavin needed to see.

Rickie Fowler (captain's pick) - Appearances: 1st; World Ranking: 33rd; Ryder Cup Record: none
This pick is not a surprise at all. Consider Fowler's Walker Cup record in the equation. Out of four possible points Fowler could receive in last year's competition, Fowler netted...four. His closest match was a 1-up win in the Saturday foursomes match. In his singles matches, Fowler was completely dominant in a 7-and-6 win on Saturday and followed with a 2-and-1 win on his Sunday match.

There are a couple that were left off the team and have you maybe scratching your head. Anthony Kim, J.B. Holmes, Lucas Glover, Ben Crane, Nick Watney and Bo Van Pelt all made Pavin's choices difficult.

Holmes and Kim played during the 2008 win at Valhalla and both posted winning records (Holmes: 2-0-1, Kim: 2-1-1). Kim paired with Lefty for the first three sessions and went 1-1-1 before lifting the hammer for the US on a 5&4 win over Sergio Garcia in the first singles match out on Sunday. Kim does struggle in coming back from a wrist ailment and has missed four consecutive cuts.

Holmes, a big hitter in his own right, also scored a singles win over Soren Hansen to go along with a victory in a pairing with Boo Weekley during the Saturday fourball matches. He has failed to register a win over the last two years on tour.

Are these the right guys to select? Considering their RC records, I'm inclined to say no. But we all know how crafty Pavin is. He already has a plan laid out.

PGA kicks off year without Tiger

All is still quiet with golf's #1, Tiger Woods.

As the PGA commences another season at Kapalua in Hawaii with the SBS Championships, many may wonder how the PGA tour will hold up with out Tiger's presence. I, and I may be in the minority, think it will be fine despite what past numbers have shown.

In the past, there's no question that Tiger's absence has had ramifications on the numbers of viewers. If you watch golf just for Tiger, then you're missing out. I can give you (easily) another ten players worth watching in 2010.

1. Phil Mickleson (left). Lefty is currently #2 in the world rankings. He has a knack for being extremely creative on a golf course. Want to improve your short game? Watch Phil. Want to see a player interact with the galley? Watch Phil. He's probably the most popular player. The story of both his wife and mother dealing with breast cancer helped bring even more awareness in '09. Phil is the guy until we see Eldrick again.
2. Sergio Garcia. Is this the year Sergio breaks through and wins a major? He had a down year in '09 both in the U.S. and Europe. He's won at Sawgrass in Tiger's absence in '08 (and promptly thanked him for that). Want charisma? Watch Sergio. It oozes from his pores.

3. Jim Furyk. He didn't win an "official" tournamnet in '09 but won Tiger's tourney at Sherwood. That might be just the boost Furyk needs going into 2010. There's not many that play a more steady game than Furyk. The only knock, don't even try to emulate his swing. Just emulate his steady play.

4. Steve Stricker. You can group Strick with Furyk. He's steady and for some reason, nothing seems to get to him. He's the Tour's best putter, so watch him on the greens.

5. Boo Weekley (right). There's no player that is more down to earth than Boo. You might be able to call Boo the PGA's version of Yogi Berra due to his quotes that have to rattle aound in your head a bit before they can even come close to making sense. That's what a "Booism" is. Weekley's known as the player from the '08 Ryder Cup playing "giddy up" on a club. No better personality on Tour.

6. Bubba Watson. Watson doesn't exactly strike you as a golfer, but nobody lauches a drive like Bubba. He may not be very accurate (53.05% in '09), but he hits the ball a mile (311 yds. on average in '09, 2nd on Tour). The rest of his game is starting to take shape.

7. Rickie Fowler (left). He's going to get a lot a press as one of the Tour's future stars. He might be one of the guys that can make us temporarily forget Woods, especailly if he's got the game he showed at Q-School. This kid can play. He has all the shots.

8. Padraig Harrington. He's as gritty and gutsy as they come, and Harrington pushed Tiger in a few events last year.

9. Kenny Perry. Is there anyone out there that doesn;t like this guy? Perry will turn 50 in August of this year, but by no means let his age fool you. He has no thoughts of playing on the Champions Tour just yet and he can still "hang with the big boys". Could this be the year Perry gets his first major after coming so close at the Masters in '09? Hard not to root for Kenny.

10. Geoff Ogilvy. In my opinion, I can't remember watching a sweeter swing since Fred Couples, and Couples still has a spectacular swing. I know Ernie Els has a beautiful, easy swing, but Ogilvy's swing is as elegant as they come. It just doesn't seem that such an easy looking swing can launch a ball so far. And he's won a major.

See, I told you there's a lot more to watch than just Tiger.

I saw an interview on ESPN with Jerry Kelly. Kelly made a comment to the effect that the game of golf will be here with or without Woods. Kelly's been on the Tour since 1989, so he's been around before the "Tiger Era" began.

PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem hopes Kelly is right. I think Kelly is.