To Pick Or Not To Pick?

Although never viewed with the same awe as the Ryder Cup, for those who play the President's Cup it is a highlight of the year. It allows international players the chance to experience something of that team golf feel that the Ryder Cup split denies them. One of the great shames in golf is that legends such as Gary Player, Peter Thomson, Bobby Locke, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh never played a Ryder Cup, and for the new generation - Jason Day, Adam Scott, Charl Schwartzel - the same applies. Two greats will face off as captains this year, with Fred Couples and Greg Norman taking the reigns.

The big story of the match so far is Fred Couples' selection of Tiger Woods as one of his two wildcards picks, which he both decided and announced publicly several weeks in advance of the due date. Both the pick and its manner drew much criticism, not only from the media, but also from Couples' own team, with senior man Phil Mickelson protesting on behalf of 2011 U.S. PGA winner Keegan Bradley, who can count himself unlucky to miss out on a seat on the plane to Australia.

Bill Haas took Couples' second pick, and after a playoff FedEx win which involved two incredible par saves before taking it at the 3rd hole, it's tough to say he doesn't deserve it.

What about Tiger? Can Couples justify picking a man in such poor form, who hasn't been playing much golf? The arguments against are obvious. Since that famous car crash in 2009, shortly after the last edition of the President's Cup, he has shown little form at all, his best finishes coming through a couple of hard-fought major top-10s. Respect amongst his peers is not what it was, and he has certainly lost the aura that he had when winning 14 majors. As players like Day, Schwartzel and Graeme McDowell have shown, youngsters today are no longer afraid to take him on down the stretch.

So why do Fred Couples and I think he should be on the team?

He is the greatest player of the generation, and arguably the greatest player of all time. No one has exerted the dominance over quality opposition in the same way as Woods. While that dominance may be at an end, he showed flashes of brilliance over the last year that tells us that he is not yet done. Matchplay is the perfect format for Tiger at the moment - he can afford a couple of errors as long as he can come back strongly, and no one has a mental approach like him.

He took the maximum 5/5 points from his last President's Cup appearance, when he played the four team games with Steve Stricker, and there is no doubt that the U.S. have finally found the perfect partner. Corey Pavin kept the partnership together at Celtic Manor last year, and was rewarded with Tiger returning 3 points from 4.

That Ryder Cup appearance came after the revelations, after his slump in form, after that disastrous performance at Firestone; the lowest point of his playing career. In the team scenario, he was able to pull himself together and build a telling partnership with Stricker, before taking out Miguel Angel Jimenez in the singles. Couples is banking on a similar performance in Melbourne - it is a strange reversal of the days where those said that Tiger couldn't play good team golf, that singles was where he belonged - a good dose of team golf might be just what he needs.

We all know that Tiger is not what he once was. We all know that an era is over. We disagree on his future - I remain convinced that he has another green jacket with his name on it, and maybe some of the other top prizes as well. The imminent drop out of the top-50 in the world should not be seen as too diabolical an omen - he will be back. To what degree, not even he knows. But he will be back, and this vote of confidence from Fred Couples might be just the fillip to get him going again.

One more reason to pick him? Who can wait now for the President's Cup?

Leading the Way

The world is marvelling at Northern Ireland’s success in majors. How can such a small country produce so many fine golfers? Three out of the last six major championships belong to Northern Ireland, including two U.S. Opens, that most fiercely guarded of American titles. The quality of golf course in Northern Ireland is a factor, as well as the style of game – you don’t grow up playing Royal Portrush without becoming an inventive and intelligent golfer. But let’s forget for a moment the individual players who have triumphed recently, and look at a general trend. There would seem to have been a power shift in modern golf, back across the Atlantic, for the first time in nearly a century. In the early days of the game, the Scottish dominated, up until the late 19th century, when Harry Vardon and J.H. Taylor, to name but two, brought the titles to England. By the time the 1920s had drawn to a close, however, Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones had firmly swung the needle towards America, where it would remain. Major championships were hoarded, Ryder Cups were rarely competitive, and the American dominance grew and grew. It took nearly 50 years for a European to win the U.S. Masters (the great Severiano Ballesteros) and, while that victory did lay the foundation for a fruitful period for European major winners (Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam and Jose Maria Olazabal) it was difficult to say that the momentum had shifted completely. Perhaps it might have, had there not followed another barren period after these, during which the European could win Ryder Cups to beat the band, belying their lower world rankings, but could still not claim golf’s greatest honours. Then, Padraig Harrington happened. Of all of the players on Tour in the early 2000s, Harrington would not have been many’s first choice to break the major duck. No one could argue with his determination, but a host of 2nd-places was still fresh in the memory, and he had nowhere near the talent of Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey and Darren Clarke. But grit and determination proved to be key. In 2007 he picked up the Open Championship. Many (particularly across the pond) spoke of this win as something of a fluke, citing the final-hole debacle. Try getting up and down from 80 yards to save a major and call it a fluke. When he successfully defended his title the following year (the first European since James Braid [1905, 1906] to do so), all they could mutter was that he was well-suited to links golf. And so Harrington deprived them of any argument by going to Oakland Hills and stealing the U.S. PGA Championship from their back garden. As he holed that 15-footer on the last to win, Ewen Murray spoke the words “Padraig Harrington joins the legends of the game”. Three major championships in the last six confirmed Harrington as a great. Since then, it is not only the Northern Irish who have triumphed. European Tour members picked up the last four majors, with Martin Kaymer citing Harrington as the man who showed them the way. Four Europeans lead the world rankings, with three of them having shared the top spot in the last year. There is no longer a fear factor in the majors. Europeans now believe they can win in any field in the world. A lot of credit must go to Harrington for this. In the same way that Seve opened the door to Augusta in 1980, Harrington has guided this new generation to the top. Of course they are brilliant golfers, many of them better than Harrington, but it was his doggedness that led to Europe believing in itself again. No more can Europe be damned with the faint praise of “being a great team” (although they still are), but unable to take the individual honours. How long will Europe hold the aces? Hopefully not too long. It’s healthy for the game to have top players from all around the world, and the game today looks like it has just that. Jason Day has shown that he’s willing to take on anyone in the final round of a major, and Charl Schwartzel is ready to take mentor Ernie Els’s place. Y.E. Yang has brought major success to Asia, and he won’t be the last. Americans will still have their say – just try and keep Dustin Johnson and Nick Watney away from the majors for much longer. As for Harrington? He’s not done yet. He heads to Killarney this week to the Irish Open, another tournament that he opened up for home winners again in 2007, but I reckon he might have had enough of other Europeans thanking him for their success. He wants another taste. And he’ll get it.

Blue Monster

Another week, and another World Golf Championship. This week the setting is the Blue Monster at Doral, for the Cadillac Championship.

Just as any preview in the last 10 years began with a look at Tiger Woods, so too does any current preview start with Martin Kaymer. The German is the best player in the world at the moment, and is justifiably the favourite for every event he plays. He lost to Luke Donald in the final of the WGC Matchplay, and was undoubtedly beaten by the better man – Donald was almost unplayable that whole week. Even in losing though, it was impossible to watch Kaymer without marvelling at the steadiness and confidence of every facet of his game – he has a classy swing, a beautiful putting stroke, and a wonderful temperament. There’s never going be the dominance of the Tiger era at World No.1 again, but Kaymer will be in and around it for a long time to come.

This week, how are his chances? Excellent. He’s the best player in the world. He also finished T-3 here last year; even when you’re the best, a liking for the course does wonders. It was his first real statement to the Americans that he was the real deal, and after his PGA success last August, he’ll be eager to add to his global tally.

Doral’s greens rank among the easiest on tour, and players are rewarded for aggressive iron play and putting. Who springs to mind? Who else but U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell. Admittedly I tipped him last week as well, but he came good in the final round – a course record 64 giving him the perfect boost coming into this week, and a tournament where he finished T-6 last year. He’s a fantastic iron player and he makes his clutch putts. He loves the big events, and he loves winning them – only Martin Kaymer has won more tournaments (5-4) in the last 12 months. Even without the U.S. Open win, he won at Celtic Manor, Valderrama, and took out Tiger in his own backyard. G-Mac has a bundle more tournaments coming his way, some of them majors, and a couple of WGCs wouldn’t do him any harm at all.

Tiger Woods update – he says he’s making great progress with Sean Foley, and is feeling better about his game. I’m confident he will return to winning ways soon enough, but it’s unlikely to be this week. It’s always great to see him on the course though, and I look forward to watching him back in action.

Last year Doral hosted the South African show – a battle between legend Ernie Els and his protégé Charl Schwartzel. Ernie hasn’t been in great nick so far this year, but he’s won this championship twice, and despite losing in the 2^nd round in the Matchplay looked to be putting well, which is all I ever really look for – with a swing like that, you’re not going to go too far wrong.

Schwartzel is playing some great golf at the moment – he’s got a string of top-10s across the world and shot three rounds under par in the Honda last week (a feat matched by only 3 others). He’s a horses for courses man, and will have fond memories of last year. You can bet your life that Ernie will want to beat him again, but if the Big Easy’s out of the running he’ll be giving Schwartzel any help he needs.

My last player to focus on is my favourite for the last 12 months or so. Matt Kuchar has played as well as any American over the last year, winning the 2010 money list despite only picking up one victory. His consistency is incredible, helped by a great putting stroke and easy-going personality. He’s going to contend everywhere – he let a good position slip in round 3 last week at the Honda, but I’d expect him to be in the mix come Sunday afternoon this week – he finished top-10 last year and has come on leaps and bounds since then.

Who am I leaving out – Westwood, McIlroy, Stricker, Furyk, Poulter – I’ll be honest and say I don’t see them winning or, aside from Westwood, even challenging. Luke Donald is certainly a good prospect – when he gets into a run of form he rides it well. Phil Mickelson is Mr. Unpredictable this year, following his 2^nd place to Bubba with some underwhelming performances in the last few weeks. As ever, you never know what he’s going to pull out of the bag.

As you'd expect when the world's top 50 players are in action, a great week of golf is in prospect. With the Europeans growing ever stronger, don't be surprised if they make it one more at Doral.

Partners in Crime

With everyone watching Tiger, it's easy to forget that there are two guys who have to play their own game right beside him for 5 hours.

We were all waiting to see who'd be given the task, embraced by some, feared by others. It's fallen to two of the PGA Tour's in form players, KJ Choi and Matt Kuchar, in the penultimate group of the day.

In the early 2000s, playing with Tiger cost players an average of a stroke or two on their round, whether from the noise of the crowds, the man himself, or whatever. Guys are acclimatizing a little better these days, but there's no doubt that the atmosphere will be electric tomorrow.

Choi has declared himself delighted, and he's the sort of player who might well feed off the pomp. Kuchar played with Woods in Augusta back in 1998 - both men have changed since then, but Kuchar's been one of the solidest players this year - don't expect him to crumble.

Straight out of the blocks will be Louis Oosthuizen, one of my long shot picks for the week. With 6 top-15s in a row in Europe, including a 2nd and win in his last two starts, the young South African's red-hot and will be anxious to join Els, Goosen, and Schwartzel in the charge.

Padraig Harrington and Schwartzel join up with Stewart Cink in the 4th-last group, which is one of the grandstand pairings of the day. Ian Poulter and Steve Stricker follow them, before Tiger hits the 1st tee.

At 10.13 local time, the strongly-fancied Ernie Els will play with last week's winner Anthony Kim and teenage sensation Ryo Ishikawa, in what should be another entertaining trio.

There's going to be some great golf to watch as always, and from the look of the weather forecast it's never going to play too big a part.

The par-3 competition is about to get underway today - no player has done the double yet, and indeed I've seen players walk off the final hole if they think they're going to win the par-3 and curse themselves. Golf is a game for superstitious people, but maybe, on the 50th anniversary of the first par 3 tournament, a little history can be made.

Masters Tale of the Day

1968 - final round - 17th hole. Argentina's Roberto De Vicenzo, reigning British Open Champion, made a birdie 3. After signing his scorecard however, he discovered that his playing partner Tommy Aaron had written down a 4. The higher score had to stand, leaving him one shot behind Bob Goalby, and missing out on the 18-hole playoff the following day.

Most golfers know a good deal of misery, and you have to applaud de Vicenzo for his acceptance of his loss. His charming "What a stupid I am!" has gone down in the legends of the game.

For anyone who wants a happy ending, in 1970 he was awarded the Bob Jones Award for outstanding sportsmanship in golf.

Masterclass

It's that time of year again.

It's not too much to say that when Masters week gets close, I'm like a child looking forward to Christmas. It's my favourite 4-day stretch of the year, and it never disappoints.

Whether it's players getting trapped in the azaleas and rhododendrons, the par-3 contest everyone tries desperately to lose, Sunday at the 16th, or the incredibly stilted presentation ceremony, the Masters makes golfers happy. And it's on BBC - so no ads!

This year we all know where the focus is, but all that means is that a few of our tips can slip in under the radar. The main man gave his first press conference yesterday, and the golfing world was glad to see him back.

Ok, I'm not going to say he's not going to win, because you can't say that. Let's be honest, you will never see Tiger priced at 5/1 for any tournament again, so I still say it's not a bad bet. Realistically though, no matter how good your practice is, there's no substitute for match practice, and that's where the difficulty is. On the other hand, he's not going to play unless he believes he can win. The most important thing to remember is that he's the greatest golfer in the history of the world.

Augusta is a course for horses - out of 73 Masters 15 guys have won 42 (roughly), so you can never expect the rookies to triumph (no one since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979). Looking at the rookies this year though, there's plenty of great form coming in. Bill Haas already has a win this year, and in Francesco Molinari and Charl Schwartzel are two of my outside bets. The younger Molinari's about 150/1 with the bookies, and 17/1 to register a top-10. Schwartzel posted another top-5 last week in Houston, and has really got his putter hot this year, which is what Augusta demands. At 50/1, Ernie Els's protege is great value for a punt.

Little Tim Clark has a track record here, and at 100/1 he's grossly overpriced. At 70/1 you can pick up Vijay Singh and Robert Allenby.

My favourite overall is about 22/1, and it's Retief Goosen. He's had a host of top-5s here in the past, and he's in superbly consistent form this year.

But enough about the betting tips. Masters week is there to enjoy, not to make money. Maybe I'm still bitter about Kenny Perry blowing a lead with 3 to play and costing me an 80/1 bet last year, who knows?

Keep an eye here as the week goes by; I'll be back with more musings each day.

Masters Tale of the Day

1935 - final round - 15th hole. Gene Sarazen turns to his caddy, a tall, black man known only as "Stovepipe", and asks him what he needs to win. "4 threes, Mr. Gene". In other words: eagle, par, birdie, birdie.

Sarazen takes a 4-wood, hoods the face, and hits it 235 yards. Into the hole. For an albatross 2. 3 pars later he was into a playoff with Craig Wood, which he would win.

To this day, ask any true golf fan about "the shot heard around the world".

Falling Stars

Another day, another host of birdies, eagles, upsets, and all-round great matchplay golf.

Top seed Steve Stricker went out yesterday, and the favourites continued to fall today. Indeed, of the 16 players left in the field, only Paul Casey and Ian Poulter remain from the top 12 seeds at the beginning of the week. Casey continued his blistering progress with a second consecutive 5&4 win, while Poulter produced another gritty performance to defeat Adam Scott on the 17th. With Stricker, Harrington, and Robert Karlsson gone, the Bobby Jones bracket looks well set up for Poulter, and you can bet your bottom dollar he won't settle for a semi-final spot.

Defending champion Geoff Ogilvy had a unusually comfortable victory yesterday, and it clearly doesn't suit him. The Australian was outclassed by fiery Camilo Villegas, and his stellar record at this event takes a big hit. Villegas looks in the mood to rattles some cages, and will fancy his chance tomorrow against Ben Crane, who dealt with an out of sorts Y.E. Yang in round 2.

Luke Donald continues to be my fancied pick for the week - he played another glorious round to defeat Robert Allenby 6&5, and faces fellow Englishman Oliver Wilson in the third round. Wilson lost a 2-hole lead against Rory McIlroy, but held his nerve to close out the match on the 20th hole, sending home another of the pre-tournament and crowd favourites.

Lee Westwood has never had a great record in this tournament, and Nick Watney kept the US hopes alive by beating Westwood 2&1. Watney played solid golf, making 5 birdies, and Westwood never really got into the game on the back nine.

Sergio Garcia produced a great fightback to beat Anders Hansen by 2&1, but the Spaniard still looks far from convincing. Tim Clark will face him after a 3&2 win over Martin Kaymer, and I think Clark's clever game will be too much for Sergio.

Another fantastic match should be Charl chwartzel against Stewart Cink - the Open Champion came up wit another fast finish to recover from 2 down and beat Sean O'Hair, while Schwartzel played some beautiful golf to beat Jim Furyk. The young South African lost a lead on the back, but kept his composure and won 3&2. Don't be surprised if the winner of that match makes it to at least the semi-final.

It would be wrong not to mention Thongchai Jaidee, who, after beating Padraig Harrington yesterday, crushed a lack-lustre Robert Karlsson in round 2. He faces Ryo Ishikawa in the third, after the Japanese teen survived another close finish against Ross McGowan. It may not be the 3rd round we expected, but that's what matchplay's about.

The final match to finish was a clash of the titans - Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, each trying to resurrect his game and relive the glory days. It wasn't a display of great golf, but enthralling nonetheless. Nip and tuck till the finish, Els looked to have let it slip before he holed a beautiful birdie putt to take it to extra holes. Ernie had to do the same on the 19th, before Goosen played the shot of the match to set up a winning eagle on the 20th. He's not going to beat Nick Watney with golf like that though, and I'm sure he'll give himself a talking to tonight.

It's getting tough to pick winners now - we've seen enough upsets to be cautious of making any predictions, but I still can't resist. Here's my call for the 3rd round - whether I'm right or wrong, it's sure to be another great day of golf.

Jaidee to beat Ishikawa

Poulter to beat Singh

Clark to beat Sergio

Donald to beat Wilson

Watney to beat Goosen

Villegas to beat Crane

Cink to beat Schwartzel - match of the round, could go all the way

Casey to beat Gay

Off To The Desert

And so, the European Tour bids farewell to South Africa this week and heads over to the Gulf, where it will take in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Dubai.

One man will be disappointed to leave - Charl Schwartzel registered back-to-back wins in his homeland to give him the perfect start to the 2010 Race to Dubai. In the last edition of this blog Schwartzel was mentioned as a player who's always threatened to become a prolific winner but hasn't quite got it going. It looks like he does now. He may not have faced the strongest field in the world in Joburg last week, but nobody would have beaten him, as he raced away from the field to take a second title. Still only 25 years old, Schwartzel looks set to take on the world as the year continues. He leapt to 35th in the world after his victories and will aim to make gains in the majors and WGCs this year. He has a beautiful long game, and when he gets the putter hot, it's tough to stop him.

It was wonderful to see a resurgence from Darren Clarke in Joburg last week as well. Clarke played solid golf all week to tie for second place with local boy Keith Horne. We all know how good Darren is when he's at his best, and hopefully he can keep this form going this week. He's identified his primary goal for the year as the Ryder Cup in Wales, and he's got off to a good start. Competition is huge this year though, and he knows it - in 2008 he won twice on Tour and still failed to qualify. Always a favourite with the fans for his exciting runs of form, it would be nice to see a bit of consistency from the Ryder Cup hero. Let's be honest - we all want to see him teeing it up alongside Lee Westwood in Celtic Manor on 1st October.

This week, however, there's plenty to look forward to. Some of the biggest names in golf have decided to start their year in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, including Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, and 2009 Race to Dubai winner Lee Westwood. Defending champion Paul Casey is also joined by Australian Geoff Ogilvy, who won the SBS Championship in the States to kick off his 2010. It's a first appearance in Abu Dhabi for the relaxed Aussie, but that doesn't matter - he'll just smile and make some birdies.

Casey had quite the year last year - he produced the best golf I've ever seen him play to win this event, including phenomenal putting, before he won again at Wentworth and on the PGA Tour. Having risen to World Number 3, he then suffered a rib injury to miss some time later on, and he never recovered his early form. No one can doubt that he's now a major player though, and if he putts like he did last year, he'll win.

Westwood, McIlroy and Kaymer are all going to make noise this year. No majors between them yet - check in 5 years time and they might have 10. Westwood has moved to another level of golf, beyond that he reached in 2000, despite his No. 4 rank at the time. He's more mature, more focussed, and has one of the best games in the world. He's going to win at least 3 or 4 this year, and don't be surprised if one of them's at Augusta.

McIlroy and Kaymer are two incredible talents - both future No. 1s, and in my mind definites for Celtic Manor, they too should grab a few victories this season, and they're close to majors. They're both calm, confident, and have an awesome game. If you want to know the leaders of European golf in 2020, there's my prediction (and who'll remember if I'm wrong?). They might let Ross Fisher in as well.

As for a couple of lower-profile picks, watch Louis Oosthuizen (2nd last year), Danny Willett (plenty to come from him this year) and Soren Kjeldsen (don't rule him out of a Ryder Cup berth).

The Gulf swing never fails to disappoint, and in a Ryder Cup year, every European wants to get off the marks early. Expect some low rounds - there're birdies to be had.