Watson can turn his collection of individuals into formidable team
Where once it was a matter of how much the dominant US teams would win by, home or away, this week the US team go into the biannual match hoping to secure their first victory on foreign soil since 1993.
A tall order then… but don’t tell that to the US captain Tom Watson, as he was also the victorious captain back then.
So why is the 65-year-old eight-time Major champion back at all? It’s hardly a patriotic gesture but you can understand why the PGA of America would want him there.
Perhaps it’s because he was never a member of a losing team in the Ryder Cup and it galls him now, knowing that the US has suffered defeats in seven of the last nine contests. Perhaps he’s a man who just cannot step away despite the fact most of his contemporaries are long retired and his legacy in the game is already secured.
So what does he think he can offer that will make a difference to his US team? Quite frankly, he will offer brutal honesty but to win this week, he will need much more. Already we have heard him speaking about having a team with guts — players who are capable of closing the deal — and he will have to bind them together with his never-say-die DNA. If he can do that, then he will fully expect them to win.
Although his own man, hopefully he will have talked to and studied Paul Azinger’s success with the US team at Valhalla.
There the focus was on infusing his team with a level of unity and ease under pressure. At this level it is sometimes difficult to blend the journeyman player on the team with the leading superstars and multiple Major winners but with Tiger absent once again, as he was in Valhalla, that job should be all the easier, given Phil Mickelson’s demeanour and laid-back approach.
In the end at Valhalla, Azinger’s rookies, free of the scars of battles past, delivered in some style, notching up victory after victory all the time energising the crowd with their unbridled enthusiasm.
Watson’s defining role this week will be to have his players ready for battle. His team has come to Gleneagles to win back the Ryder Cup and nothing else matters. Redemption is their singular focus. The verdict on his leadership will be determined exclusively by the final scoreline.
And what about the fourball pairings?
Europe’s strategy has always been to lead off from a position of strength and Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson not only have a higher world ranking than their opponents Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson but they also have form on their side. That, coupled with the fact the Americans are used to being beaten by them on their own turf, suggests anything other than a point would be seen as a setback for Europe.
This is a very interesting match and form favours the Americans, but there is an awful lot of firepower in the European team. I expect this to be a colossal match as America will expect the points here but if Bjorn and Kaymer gel, then they could give Europe the type of start they would have been hoping for. That said, the US are favourites to secure the point.
This is the most intriguing match of the morning, with three rookies and Ian Poulter. The fact that we have three rookies out suggests that their form is good and given that Gallagher knows Gleneagles extremely well then I would favour the Europeans, only if Poulter can find his form and putting touch. Advantage Europe.
The final match of the morning session is by far and away the most glamorous but if the Europeans play to form then they should easily account for the American pairing of Mickelson and Bradley. If Garcia and McIlroy can gel, then this is an inspired pairing as the Spaniard will relax in McIlroy’s company and that could mean some unbeatable golf.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
