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.

U.S. Open Prep

Update: Congrats to Graeme McDowell on his win. I was there with my prediction of Dustin Johnson through 54 holes. Johnson didn't exactly have a good start to his day firing a devastating 42 on the front nine.

Ah. Tomorrow's the day. The 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach commences and this year is the 110th such Open. Here's a few things that should catch your eye over the next few days.

1. Tiger Woods
A no-brainer that Tiger's game is under its biggest microscope ever. Woods has yet to bring his "A" game this year, but I think we can cut him a bit of a break. He's only started four tournaments in 2010. His best finish is T4 at The Masters. He also has a missed cut at Quail Hollow and Tiger had to withdraw from The Players due to his neck issues. You better believe the entire world will be watching Mr. Woods. Remember the lat time the U.S. Open was at Pebble Beach? Tiger posted a -12 and won by an incredible 15 strokes. Tiger also won at Pebble in February, 2000.

2. The "Can Lefty be #1" watch
There are four different scenarios where Phil Mickelson can leave Pebble being ranked as the #1. Class is in session, so pay attention.

• Lefty wins, OR
• Lefty finishes 2nd and Tiger finishes outside the top 4, OR
• Lefty finishes 3rd and Tiger finishes outside the top 18, OR
• Lefty finishes in a two-way tie for 3rd or better and Tiger misses the cut

Winning it all is the best of both worlds for Mickelson. He gets another major win, a major he has yet to emerge as the victor. We all remember the debacle at Winged Foot in 2006. That bore out the quote "I'm such an idiot" from Lefty. In 2000 when Tiger blitzed the field, Phil finished at +9, 21 strokes behind Woods. Mickelson has won at Pebble Beach three times (1998, 2005, 2007). Mickelson has 5 runner-up finishes at the U.S. Open and in each year of his Masters victories, Lefty has been the runner-up in the Open. By using that, Tiger must play some good golf or #1 will be gone.

3. Can Steve Stricker capture his first major?
Stricker now wears the title of "best player to not win a major". His best finish in a major is at the 1998 PGA Championship at Sahalee which was won by Vijay Singh. Another downer is that Sticker hasn't won at Pebble Beach. Personally, Stricker's too good a guy to have not won a major.

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.

PGA Player of the Year, FedEx Cup up for grabs this weekend

Golf will crown potentially three different winners this weekend: The TOUR Championship winner, FedEx Cup winner, and Player of the Year. The PGA tour will conclude its "regular" season with the TOUR Championship, the final event in the PGA's "playoffs", from East Lake Golf Club from Atlanta.

The PGA amended its playoff scoring system from the past two years, and the beneficiary is any of the top five players in the FedEx Cup standings. For those five (we'll cover them), it's simple. If you win this week, you win the FedEx Cup. Those five are:

1. Tiger Woods
The fact the Tiger is contending should surprise absolutely no one. He's won six times this year (including the at the BMW Championship at Cog Hill 2 weeks ago) while only entering 16 events.
2. Steve Stricker
Stricker has three victories this season. He'd could still be atop the FedEx Cup standings if not for a final round 77 at the BMW. That poor finish allowed Woods to overtake him in the overall standings.
3. Jim Furyk
Of the top 5 players, Furyk's the only one without a tourney win in 2009. He's made 19 cuts in the 21 tournaments he's entered and his consistency has gotten him to this point. Finishing 2nd last week didn't hurt either. He's a steady as they come and it always a threat to win a tournament.
4. Zach Johnson
Johnson has a couple of wins this year under his belt. He's not the longest hitter on tour, but his short game more than makes up for his lack of length. Pressure is a non issue as he's won a major, The Masters in 2007.
5. Heath Slocum
Heath has one win this year and it couldn't have come at a better time...the first event of the playoffs at the Barclays. The revamped playoff system has benefitted Slocum the most. It will be interesting to see how he performs with the pressure.

There are hundreds of scenarios where the 25 others competing at East Lake can win the Cup, but these five golfers hold their own fate. To check out these scenarios, go here at pgatour.com.

The Player of the Year debate is pretty much a two horse race, Woods and Stricker. Although Tiger leads the tour with 6 wins this year, some feel he must win this week in order to win Player of the Year. I'm not in total agreement. I think as long as Tiger finishes ahead of Stricker, Woods will get the nod. Of course, if Tiger wins, it really is a done deal and all the conversation that goes along with it is dead.

On the other hand, if Stricker pulls out a win this week and Woods struggles, it could be close. Stricker will have won the FedEx Cup and possess 4 wins. Two of those wins will have occurred in the playoffs and Tiger will have been in the field. Stricker will will have more victories in the playoffs (2) than Tiger (1). It could be hard pressed for anyone not to vote for Stricker under those circumstances.

Despite what events transpire at East Lake this weekend, it should create the most excitement outside of the majors.

I'm going totally outside the top 5 for my winner this week. I'm looking at Kenny Perry. He's made the cut in every tournament this year and a win at the TOUR Championship may make up for the disappointment of not winning the Masters. Here's one of those crazy scenarios. Perry can win the FedEx Cup if he wins and Woods finishes fourth or worse, Stricker finishes third or worse, and Furyk finishes third or worse.

Golf just got a bit crazier.