Yankee Failure at Ryder Cup Leads to New Selection Format

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Yankee Failure at Ryder Cup Leads to New Selection Format
November 12, 2006

Two things seem certain when it comes to America's Ryder Cup matches with Europe. First, great fanfare occurs after the selection of the roster, as if the Yanks finally have figured out how to select talent that will unseat the Europeans.

Then comes the Ryder Cup. The Yanks lose, often by big margins and immediately begin to think about the selection process.

It does make some sense, if you are inclined to excuse making, as in we can't seem to pick the right guys for the matches so let's look at how we select. It is in fact much easier than tackling the issue of why the people that are selected manage to fail year after year to play at the level necessary to top the British team.

So it was not a big surprise to learn when Paul Azinger was named team captain for the 2008 Ryder Cup that once again the selection format was going to be adjusted. A new point system was to be introduced that would help the Zinger determine who to offer team roster slots to.

The goal is to have the strongest possible team when the Cup rolls around. Complicating the matter for the Americans is the sheer number of quality golfers available. That said, the question becomes how to ensure the most competitive team possible at the time of the Ryder matches.

The new point system is said to focus more on the hottest players, i.e. those with their game in full gear when the Ryder Cup rolls around. Second, the new formula is to lean more to the current year as well, as in have you won a PGA Tour tournament this year. Once again, the goal is lessen the importance of the current overall standing of the golfer selected, especially if that golfer had a strong year the year before and is holding on to their current standing by virtue of stronger play from the year prior to the matches.

The new formula will stress current year earnings as opposed to top ten finishes. And instead of a straight two-year money list like the one the Americans use to select the Presidents Cup team, where a player receives a point for every dollar earned, the new Ryder Cup selection formula will use that concept but with several twists. First, one point will be awarded for every one thousand dollars earned in one of the majors during the 2007 year. Then a point will be awarded for every thousand dollars earned in regular PGA Tour tournaments during 2008 (the next year of Ryder Cup matches) but double the point allotments for performances in majors during 2008. Adjustments have been made to reduce the points for those tournaments opposite majors, giving only half a point per thousand dollars there. That is prbably the smartest move given that the overall competition is dramatically reduced at those events.

The new Zinger points system would have produced a different team for 2006, albeit not very different. The eight players with automatic berths in order of qualification under the new system would have been Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Chris DiMarco, Chad Campbell, David Toms, Arron Oberholser, and Zach Johnson.

So what difference would that point system have had. Well, it appears not much. The only player different would have been Oberholser, who at the time of selection was 22nd in the point standings. Oberholser would have benefited from his strong performances in the majors while J.J. Henry would have dropped out.

However, that wouldn't have seemingly created a vastly different enough roster to change the trouncing the Yanks have received at the last two Ryder Cups. Not one roster change unless somehow that person is one who can fire up the Yanks to make them more into the event.

In fact, the key is likely that motivating the team once it is constructed is more of a critical aspect. There is ample talent coming out of the USA but the Europeans seem to see the Cup as a major event while the Americans seem to approach it with a slight level of disdain. That fact and the reality that the European contingent is also extremely talented has made for the current failure of the Yanks at this event.

But still we try, new points systems and all.

1:01 AM