It goes without saying that were splitting hairs here.
These are the top 1% of the top 1% of professional golfers.
But this is the internet, and were in the business of ranking things, of making predictions.
But the U.S. has not won a Ryder Cup in Europe since 1993.
But the European team has some serious momentum and odds have tightened considerably in recent weeks.
Its officially Ryder Cup week.
Id be surprised if he gets more than two matches total.
80 will be a bonus.
Of course he did.
Is he having his best year?
No, he is not.
His iron play regressed considerably as he dropped all the way outside the top 120 in that statistic.
In addition to Scheffler, he gets along well with Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.
When people decry the boys club, theyre talking about picks like this.
A hot putter, however, would quiet the noise.
But his Germans perfect, too.
Boom, he was in.
Linked up with the team to play the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and picked up a top 10.
He wont be intimidated at all by the U.S. team, many of whom are his friends.
Theres no doubt about that.
Fowlers a top-tier vibes guy who mingles seamlessly with his teammates, no matter what generation theyre in.
At 34, hes no longer the Ryan Sheckler-look alike in all orange; hes the second-oldest (!)
player on this team and a steady presence who can pair with anyone.
He, too, is an above average putter on a team that needs them.
A setup like the one at Le Golf National was devised with a player like him in mind.
Will the Europeans do the same at Marco Simone, and will it have the same impact?
BUT, and its a huge but, he has a dismal Ryder Cup record to reconcile.
At 29, hes no longer a plucky upstart hoping to prove he belongs.
Hes missed just one of his last 15 cuts and has five top-six finishes in that span.
Ranked 12th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained tee to green and seventh in strokes gained putting.
Making his third consecutive Ryder Cup appearance.
ZJ trusted his pedigree and tenacitytwo major championships, 15 PGA Tour wins, the world No.
1 ranking, an excellent record in Ryder Cupsover current form.
Which, at the time of the pick, was pretty putrid.
After making the Tour Championship seven straight years JT missed the playoffs entirely this year.
But he maintained that making this team was always his No.
Such is life in the spotlight.
Selfishly excited to see if the European fans have thought up any creative chirps about his social media activity.
Wont get many headlines in the run-up but he wont give you holes and could be a handful.
5 in both the world rankings and Data Golfs ranking.
Pencil them in for Friday morning foursomes.
Took T3 at his national open in Ireland before a T18 at the PGA Championship.
His three most results on LIV since leave a ton to be desired: T38, T38 and T24.
Hes an other-sport guy who leans into the face-to-face combat nature of a week like this.
The lone American who played in a tournament last week.
Tall, well-built Swede wasted zero time proving he belongs with four top-25 finishes in his first seven starts.
That, plus his extraordinary driving statistics, caught the attention of captain Luke Donald.
But had he done enough to get the nod over someone more established?
Everyone talks about what a great driver of the ball Ludvig isand he is.
But I was really impressed with his wedge play…I was on the bandwagon before.
Im at the front of it now.
The question is whether Donald opts to throw him right into the fire with Friday morning foursomes.
Thats a huge luxury in match play, especially in foursomes.
18), which might disproportionately reward super-high finishes.
Hes squarely in his prime and playing the best he has in his entire career.
Still, hes an absolute horse tee-to-green and almost impossible to leave on the bench in any format.
Expect that partnership to continue.
Put up the sternest fight against Brooks Koepka before a fairway bunker ended his chances at the PGA Championship.
Data Golf pegs him as the worlds second best player and the eye test backs it up.
Aberg would seem the natural partner, but hes also close with Fitzpatrick.
Any of the other 11 would sign up to play with him in a heartbeat.
Prediction
Europe just has the mojo, dont they?
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