I remember when Ben Crenshaw chose Steve Pate as a captains pick in the 1999 Ryder Cup. His reasoning is that Pate would run through a brick wall for the team. That team was full of brick wall guys: Pate, Sutton, Lehman, Stewart. I always liked guys like that. Lanny Wadkins was the ultimate run through a brick wall guy. What's the definition of a brick wall guy? He's a guy who will go out and get a point no matter what the circumstances. He's the type of guy that will scratch and claw his way to a point and the kind of guy the other team hates seeing on the first tee.
Every good Ryder Cup team has those guys. I'm looking at this roster and thinking "is Rickie Fowler this teams brick wall guy?" Damn, but lets look at the team.
Tiger Woods: I guess Tiger can be a brick wall guy but it seems like he might ask what his appearance fee on the other side of the wall is.
Phil Mickelson: I've never thought of Phil that way. It seems like he would ask what his insurance policy would cover just in case.
Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar, Steve Stricker: Seems like they wouldn't want to hurt the wall.
Hunter Mahan: Strikes me as the guy who wouldn't want to mess his shoes up.
Jeff Overton: I think Overton would run through the wall but I think it might be an accident.
Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson: Like everything else, they might ask if they can go over it.
Zack Johnson, Jim Furyk: They would go through the wall but they might feel bad and put the wall back together.
And that leaves Rickie Fowler. Who knows what he'll bring but he looks like a young Sergio Garcia to me. Sergio had more emotion and game at that '99 Ryder Cup than anyone out there. Corey Pavin was a brick wall player. He knew how to get that ball in the hole when it mattered most. I think Pavin sees a bit of himself in Fowler. I hope I'm wrong about these guys. I take a Ryder Cup loss as hard as anyone. Nothing would be better than going across the pond and getting this one.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Redemption.....well sort of
It's been a bittersweet summer for Dustin Johnson. First, the final round at Pebble which saw him take triple bogey on the second hole followed by a lost ball on his tee shot on three. His tee shot was found seconds after the five minutes had lapsed. Turns out, that wasn't the worst break he would get this summer.
But Dustin never gave up. We saw his character as he faced the media just minutes after the PGA heartbreak. Dustin only blamed himself for not knowing the ridiculous local rule that was in place that week. Maybe it's because Dustin knows it's just a matter of time before he hoists a major championship trophy. Only 26, Dustin has already won four times on the PGA tour. That pales in comparison to Tiger's pace, but we may never see a Tiger like pace again. Dustin is the best player under 30 in the game today.
Dustin Johnson is a new breed of golfer. Dustin is, first and foremost, an athlete. He could palm a basketball in seventh grade and was dunking with ease in high school. These types of athletes didn't choose to play golf 15-20 years ago. But Tiger made golf cool and a whole generation of athletes picked up a club. Dustin probably could have easily played any of the major sports and done quite well.
Tiger was once one of the longest hitters in the game. Augusta National even changed their course setup to combat the crazy spots that Tiger could drive the ball to. Well, now that guy is Dustin Johnson. Tiger calls him "stupid long". He drives the ball on driving lines that other players didn't know existed. And, he's got the game after that as well. At the urging of Phil Mickelson, he's now paired with Butch Harmon who's honing his game from 150 yards and in. Dustin has serious game and that showed up on Sunday.
Tied for the lead on 17 on Sunday, Dustin lofted a wedge to within a few feet for a birdie and a one shot lead. He then striped his drive on 18 and played a picture perfect iron shot to the center of the green. After a lag putt, Dustin had the best feeling in golf, a tap-in for the win. It came about a month later than he wanted but he'll take it. Off to the Tour Championship with some serious confidence, Dustin has a real shot at the ten million dollar payday that comes with capturing the FedEx cup.
Look for Dustin to play well at the Tour Championship and then take his game to Wales for the Ryder Cup. I'm betting Captain Pavin has had more than one player in his ear saying he and Dustin will make a great team. It wouldn't surprise me to see Dustin play all five sessions. Dustin moved up to 12th in the world rankings with his win. Look for that ranking to only go up.
But Dustin never gave up. We saw his character as he faced the media just minutes after the PGA heartbreak. Dustin only blamed himself for not knowing the ridiculous local rule that was in place that week. Maybe it's because Dustin knows it's just a matter of time before he hoists a major championship trophy. Only 26, Dustin has already won four times on the PGA tour. That pales in comparison to Tiger's pace, but we may never see a Tiger like pace again. Dustin is the best player under 30 in the game today.
Dustin Johnson is a new breed of golfer. Dustin is, first and foremost, an athlete. He could palm a basketball in seventh grade and was dunking with ease in high school. These types of athletes didn't choose to play golf 15-20 years ago. But Tiger made golf cool and a whole generation of athletes picked up a club. Dustin probably could have easily played any of the major sports and done quite well.
Tiger was once one of the longest hitters in the game. Augusta National even changed their course setup to combat the crazy spots that Tiger could drive the ball to. Well, now that guy is Dustin Johnson. Tiger calls him "stupid long". He drives the ball on driving lines that other players didn't know existed. And, he's got the game after that as well. At the urging of Phil Mickelson, he's now paired with Butch Harmon who's honing his game from 150 yards and in. Dustin has serious game and that showed up on Sunday.
Tied for the lead on 17 on Sunday, Dustin lofted a wedge to within a few feet for a birdie and a one shot lead. He then striped his drive on 18 and played a picture perfect iron shot to the center of the green. After a lag putt, Dustin had the best feeling in golf, a tap-in for the win. It came about a month later than he wanted but he'll take it. Off to the Tour Championship with some serious confidence, Dustin has a real shot at the ten million dollar payday that comes with capturing the FedEx cup.
Look for Dustin to play well at the Tour Championship and then take his game to Wales for the Ryder Cup. I'm betting Captain Pavin has had more than one player in his ear saying he and Dustin will make a great team. It wouldn't surprise me to see Dustin play all five sessions. Dustin moved up to 12th in the world rankings with his win. Look for that ranking to only go up.
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