The President's Cup

[tuq]

Bitcho,

"If this was in South Africa again, Weir wouldn't even be on the map of players to pick."

el dee oh

[SonOfWestwood]

[ QUOTE ]
Regarding Couples, I have no clue as to his ranking but obviously pedigree is a factor. Which it should be - let's get names we've heard of with some history in the event, and let the noobs have to earn their way into the party.

I mean seriously, Vaughn Taylor, Brett Wetterich, JJ Henry? Among the best golfers in the world to be sure, but I'd prefer to see the auto-picks pared down to 6-8 and defer to the captain for the rest. Winning one tournament in two years and earning points by playing in every. single. event. does not a sexy Ryder Cupper make.

I don't mind the perma-captains by the way. For one thing, if you rotated captains in BOTH events you'd be running out of guys after awhile. For another, it gives the event two very recognizable names, which is great for that event as it's the Ryder Cup's little regarded sister IMO (despite having better golfers and better recent drama) and needs all the props it can get.

[/ QUOTE ]
I didn't bring Couples up, meaning I was against his selection. I was pointing it out as a prior example of someone who probably wasn't ranked as high as Weir currently is, and still getting selected. And that selection worked out really well, because of his great singles match with Singh.

Same with the captains. I don't have anything against it. Just wondering if there was some particular reason for it, such as them being a big part of the creation of the event or something.

[Weir]

look at mike weir's major championship record.

then look at his improvement heading into the president's cup before his injury.

He battled a back injury all last year and has done a significant overhaul to his swing and was just beginning to see the results of the change.

If not for another neck injury at bridgestone, he likely would have made the team without a captain's pick.

[shemp]

Nelson never got his turn to coach a team is what I meant. There are folks with credentials who don't get their chances. This is going to happen to Europe, in that there are basically too many deserving guys. Off the top of my head, Lyle, Olazabal, and Monty, say, takes you to 2012. To the extent there's a dearth in the US (I disagree, but stipulating it), it is a comment on the 90s era US "stars." I really don't have a problem with Jack getting this honour and I think it helps the event that he has accepted it-- but there are other folks, too, is my only point there.

As for Captains picks, it just paves the way for the old boy network and cronyism. To whatever extent DLIII, for example, might be sexy, give me a fresh face. If the selection process gives too much weight to a top 5 at the Reno-Tahoe and finishing T47 at the John Deere, then that is another problem that needs to be addressed-- and not by coming up with a work around that doesn't mainly involve earning your way on the team.

[tuq]

Weir, if your username is named after the player I'm gonna guess you'll have a hard time being objective on this matter.

shemp, since I watch the tour weekly I to tend to know who the Wettericheses are so they're not total nobodies to me, but at the same time I don't mind the "old boy's network" in this case. I'd rather see The Mechanic play in the RC before some random Scot I've never heard of even if the random Scot is better at the moment, I'll be the first to admit it. Granted, the problem this leads to is fewer noobs that can create their own legacy and which could be a bigger problem down the line, but if a guy is good enough he'll get in.

[shemp]

Here's where I usually win the argument: take #9 and #10 off the recent US teams and replace them-- and tell me where the replacements were in the standings if you can.

Then tell me if you've really done anything to change the character or talent of the team as opposed to simply making the process less an objectively earned honour.

I do think the points list, which Azinger overhauled, does need to get better, btw.

[tuq]

shemp,

Current standings.

I'd toss Mahan, Cink (personal bias) and Glover and replace them with Calc, DiMarco, and John Daly. But that's just me. And the flaw I can see with tossing Mahan and Glover is that they are young and talented and could be on the roster for years to come.

I'm not saying this will make for a better team. It will probably be worse, but marginally so ("these guys are good"). It's just one I would prefer watching is all, which is why I want more captain's picks given out arbitrarily. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

And yeah I know Daly would never get the call, at least not where he is in the standings at the moment LDO.

[shemp]

You just replaced two Captain's picks with two of your own, dawg. And John Daly is so laughably absurd. Gotcha, you want enough Captain's picks that maybe the Captain will eventually get around to considering as his Captain's picks some of the guys you wish he would have initially taken with his Captain's picks. And then you want a floating mulligan that says the Captain gets one more extra pick if the previous process hasn't selected John Daly or Derek Jeter.

Am I working with chimps, here?

[tuq]

shemp, stop being so results oriented. And change your avatar.

[shemp]

Okay. I've given your reply some thought. I chuckled; gave it some more thought; and chuckled again. Turns out that I don't understand it, but I'm pretty sure that I now have to accept that six Captain's picks is about right-- which catches me completely off guard. But you won fair and square.

I'll have to think still more on the avatar.