PGA Tour: 2012 Report Card for Europeans: Notes from the Ballwasher

1).The opening chapter of the 2013/2014 PGA Tour season, the season after next!, was released.

In chronological order they will be, starting on Oct 10th, 2013:
Frys.com
Las Vegas
CIMB Malaysia
HSBC (if they have any money left after yesterday's fine) Champions
The McGladrey
Mayakoba, concluding Nov 17th, 2013.
No Disney tournament next year, perhaps never again.

2).But we'll have plenty of time to look ahead to 2013/2014, not to mention 2013. Let's look back first at 2012 PGA Tour action, and how the Europeans fared compared to the crystal ball(washer) which was peered into eleven months ago:

3).On a grade of A, B, C, D, F:

4).The A Team:
A++++ Rory McIlroy: Consensus Player of the Year. Far exceeded ballwasher expectations which figured Rors could have a tough time, what with scheduling, distractions, fatigue, etc, etc.
Fabulous year, Tiger-esque by the time late summer came around. As for the Ryder Cup: Keegan who?

A+ Justin Rose: Took his early season break but returned with a bang as he won the WGC Cadillac and threatened leaderboards most of the year. Also exceeded ballwasher expectations as he followed up with top tens at Honda, Augusta, New Orleans, Memorial, Bridgestone, PGA, and the Tour Championship. First in greens in regulation and among the top twelve in sand play and scrambling, despite an overall shaky season with the putter. Miraculous Ryder Cup singles win over Phil.

A+ Jonas Blixt: Expected Jonas to have a good year, but not this good. Shut it down with an injury for most of the summer but came back with a bang contending in Las Vegas, winning the Fry's, and with a gallery that illuminated the Tour scene. Shortish and not especially accurate off the tee, he made up for it with a brilliant short game, first in sand saves, second in "strokes gained - putting".

A+ Carl Pettersson: Didn't see this coming (but did say: "seems to rebound just as we count him out"). Which I did!
Two early season second places, won Heritage, slept through the summer until a Wyndham wake-up call and then contention at Kiawah. Dozed thru the Play-Offs. Good short game thru-out the year but the spectre of the anchoring ban looms over his head. With $19M of Tour money in the bank, and three more years to fill his boots, why should he worry?

A Luke Donald: About what we expected - won Transitions and enjoyed a raft of top tens, but not quite the level of 2011. Short game still fab, but not quite 2011's quality and, despite finishing 9th in the FedEx points a could-do-better type of year. My shot of the year at Medinah and a Bubbalicious win on Ryder Cup Sunday to get the singles train steaming out the station.

5).B's: Good but not great:
B Lee Westwood: A "boat load of top finishes" predicted but ultimately not the year he would have hoped for. Started off well with four top 5's in his first six events, but lost form during the summer only to somewhat redeem his year during the FedEx play-offs - finished 10th. For a golfer of his length, 140th in par 5 scoring was abysmal. Short game went from lousy to godawful despite decent work in the sand, but still one of the top ball-strikers on Tour. Uninspiring Ryder Cup.

B Greg Owen: Third million dollar year on Tour, but his first since 2006. One of the Tour's top iron players, but a short game decidely Westwood-esque; must be something in that Nottinghamshire water.

B- Sergio Garcia: Not quite the "flourish" we hoped for. An average year redeemed during ten August days when he won Greensboro and backed that up with a 3rd place at The Barclays. No outstanding performance stats, with his usually excellent ball-striking in decline. A decent Ryder Cup without any Sergio swagger.

6).C's: Just because this is what we expected doesn't mean these guys shouldn't be disappointed with their Tour years:
C for Harrington, Laird, McDowell, Poulter and Davis:
Four made the third round of Play-Off action but all struggled for season-long consistency.
Poulter: Three Major top tens, including that brilliant Sunday cameo at Kiawah highlighted a year that only really took off, spectacularly, at Medinah.
Great win in Shanghai. 2nd in scrambling, but only 168th in greens in regulation after being 39th in fairways hit. Didn't miss a cut.

McDowell: Followed Tiger (at a distance) home at Bay Hill and top twelves in each Major. Lousy Ryder Cup but hopefully his silly season win can springboard him to a winning 2013. Drives it straight but short game stats worse in aggregate than Westwood's, unbelievable! No sign of sparkle at the Ryder Cup.

Harrington: Glass half full, or half empty? A decent Major season, but no real highlights. Average stats, with the customary par 5 eccentricities.

Laird: Fine start to the year with runner-ups at Kapalua and The Players, but fell off the Tour radar in the summer, bizarrely took the autumn off. Out of the owgr Top 50 and next year's Majors as he turns 30. Ball striking not what we're used to and can't disguise a pretty average short game. Another who must be dreading having to use a proper putter.

Davis: Four six-figure cheques in five spring weeks, fourth at The Travelers, then missed seven cuts out of eight to finish the season in golfing freefall, even contriving to be eliminated after two Play Off events. Increasingly handicapped by lack of length, the number of courses he can expect to compete on decreasing as the years go by.

7).D's: Disappointments and should do betters:
Stenson: 3rd place in Puerto Rico can't hide a year full of dismal efforts - in 11 made cuts, he reserved his worst round for last SEVEN times, suggesting his Ritalin prescription runs out on Saturdays. All stats point to a good Tour performance, except his 171st in final round scoring when he's going through the motions.

Christian: B for his first seven months, F! for the last few weeks. After reaching the Top 125 and qualifying for FedEx's Play Offs, Christian turned promising positions after round 2 into Saturday disasters in four of his final six events, missed the cut in the other two and slumped to 130th. Then flunked Q-School. Good iron play but needs to use a sand wedge instead of bucket and spade from the bunkers. Has a bright future . . . . as a golf commentator.

Knox: Opposite of Christian and he made a valiant effort to recover lost ground towards his Tour card in the Fall Series. But sadly too little, too late and hopefully he'll bounce back from his web.com assignment. Only made 4 cuts in first 15 tournaments, but played the weekend in his last seven. Super iron player, 6th in greens hit, and good overall stat's; all he needs is time and he could become a top Tour player.

Jacobson: Break-out season in 2011, but started 2012 crocked and never really looked like getting going. Decent defence (8th) at Hartford was his only top ten. Freddie has a renowned short game but ALL his 2012 stat's were dismal.

8).F: Failed!
Casey: Started the year with "conditional status" and a snowboarding shoulder injury, left it with only two cuts made and into the dark hole of Past Champion status - can you say "Mississippi"? If he cares, he can rebound. If not, his Tour career is over.

Karlsson: High hopes for Robbie and he amassed well over $200K in his first four events - unfortunately he flunked out after that and only banked $393K for the year. Apparently a good mate of Westwood and perhaps they'll spend some quality time together at the short-game practice area. Rebounded at Q-School and fingers crossed that he's got past whatever ailed him and he can give the Tour one last crack.

9).Cameos: The best that can be said about these guys is:
Cejka: In limited starts from a Medical exemption, finally reached 150 career cuts, earning "Veteran Status". Just missed retrieving his Card" at Q-School; plans for 2013 tba - Europe? web.com with occasional PGA Tour starts?? Who knows, but his short game no longer compensates for lack of distance off the tee.

Chopra: His driving continues to be a health hazard to spectators, a sometimes magical putter usually successful only in turning bogeys into pars. Still has "Past Champion" status but otherwise it's overseas or the web.com.

Johnson: Richard S looks to have reached the end of the road. Short driving and a lousy year on the greens added up to just 3 cuts made and catastrophically bad Q-School "effort". Europe?

Parnevik: Started out the year so badly he tried to cut off his fingers. Made a hapless visit to Q-School, but probably will have some Medical Exemption to see him through to Champions Tour action.

Olazabal: Europe won the Ryder Cup.


10).And news that Thursday will see the appointment by the PGA Of America of the 2014 US Ryder Cup Team Captain.
Despite the Fred Couples lobby (by the Press) and the Tom Watson lobby (by Tom Watson at the presumed instigation of the Press), I'd be shocked if David Toms was not chosen for Gleneagles.

Fair enough overall but much as I can't stand him a C is harsh on Poultry. A (weakened) WGC win, a surge up the rankings, decent majors and a stellar RC.
Given his career to date I'd say what he did this year was certainly a B to B+ by comparison.

Hi Digs,
Unfortunately for Poults I restricted this to PGA Tour only.
Ryder Cup not a PGA Tour event and the HSBC Champions was not fully recognised - though it will be next year.
For his full body of work, worldwide in 2012, I would have given Poulter an "A", but feel a "C" reflects his overall Tour performance, compared to expectations and previous.

Fair play Diggers, as usual though his American performance was probably what let him down in Kwinis assessment although probably the most consistent Brit in the majors and not a single missed cut since mid 2011.
Perhaps as good a year as he could realistically hope for.

Ah, fair do's , my bad.

Kwini - yet more potentially bad news for Pompey!
Not sure Laird actually anchors the putter does he? Certainly a long putter but think he has it away from body.
I'm not sure if Lee might have lost a few yards during the year. May be relative to others rather than absolute distance but have seen him playing second shots first in quite a few 3 and 2 balls this year. Was monstered recently with his driver versus Phil Mickleson with a 3 wood!

Can't be bothered to go check, but how many times did Poults actually play a regular tour event, non-Major and non-WGC? I remember him having a good finish in Florida in the spring and that's it.
Lots and lots of speculation on Twitter that Toms has been overlooked, or not contacted yet, or snubbed entirely, etc; all sorts of wild names being thrown around instead. But I suspect it's people looking for a story that isn't there, I'd be surprised if Toms didn't get the nod, and astonished if it was a CT player (Couples, Watson and so on) unless it was one with very recent main tour connections - Perry?

Poults played 15 tournaments.

3rd at Bay Hill, 3rd at Kiawah 9th at Lytham and 12th at Crooked Stick - next best was a 25th at The Players.
Time will tell on Toms.

puligny,
I had thought Laird was an anchorer but you could well be right.
Pompey need fifty six points this year - hopefully everything else will look after itself. That's my pipedream anyway!
Westy 29th in driving, 3rd in greens, 4th in ball-striking.

Poults's is a bit of an odd report card, but I more or less agree with the assessment I think.

He failed to qualify for the RC team by right.

But then certainly didn't embarrass the captain or the team once he was picked.

I also thought that Laird uses a belly length putter without it being anchored, but don't know for sure.

Sky,
The thing with Poults is that he just doesn't seem to commit sufficiently to the PGA Tour to derive the benefits available to the top players - he tries to play close to the minimum number of events and seems to lose the consistent a heavier schedule would allow.
One would speculate from his stats that his iron play all year has been terrible, he drives it straight and a reasonable distance, but is in the lowest 15% on Tour in greens hit. His scrambling is fantastic but his putting just so-so.
Then he strikes out at the FedEx Play Offs year after year. As far as I can see, he's never qualified for the Tour Championship which, for a player of his undoubted ability, is incredible.

Shocked to read that 9-time LPGA Champion, Colleen Walker, has died at 56 years old.

Golf Channel seem to think Watson will get chosen. Or Fred.

Let's face facts - neither would recognise Paul McGinley if they fell over him on the first tee. McGinley's advantage, I'd think.

Although the players might embrace Fred, I can't honestly see Watson getting the same reception; he's of a different era and one would think there'll be resentment, among the veterans at least, one of their own hasn't been honoured.

The PGA say they're looking to try something different - well, Tommy Gainey would be different. Hat-trick Europe.

kwinigolfer wrote:Golf Channel seem to think Watson will get chosen. Or Fred.

Let's face facts - neither would recognise Paul McGinley if they fell over him on the first tee. McGinley's advantage, I'd think.

Although the players might embrace Fred, I can't honestly see Watson getting the same reception; he's of a different era and one would think there'll be resentment, among the veterans at least, one of their own hasn't been honoured.

The PGA say they're looking to try something different - well, Tommy Gainey would be different. Hat-trick Europe.

For heavens sake, I hope Diggers doesn't see that.

I agree though, I don't think any player simply because of status or standing in the game deserves captaincy simply because of who they are. It's like making Roy Keane manager simply because he was a top player. It's too big a competition these days to go for the Hollywood figure in the captains role or use it as some sort of crowning reward for a career.

It's a bit of a lean time in terms of available and suitable candidates on both sides who fit the "status" status if you will so probably going to get a couple of lower profile players in 2014, nothing wrong with that. America though, ought to be more concerned with getting their own house in order than worrying about who Paul McGinley is, their Ryder Cup record is nothing short of wretched (as hysterical as that is)
I'll be there at 2014.

Captains pick SR? Could be in with a shout from McGinley as you've been championing his cause.

Not really, just don't see why his lack of a high profile should exclude him from the job which seems to be something which people are holding against him for getting it in the first place.

Strange I'm standing up for a tatty muncher though.

s_r,
Hope you do go to Gleneagles - Ryder Cup a sporting experience like no other.
I hope Europe chooses McGinley - he won't have to have won eight Majors to match up well against Watson, or whoever it is that is chosen, ticks all the Captaincy boxes except his playing record.

Registered my interest on European Tour a while back, Major wins means nothing in regard to how good a Ryder Cup captain you'll be, so I'm looking forward to it. In fact, doesn't seem to matter who Europe put in charge in recent years.

Let's hope Toms gets the nod from the USPGA because it means we can crowbar some Space Oddity lyrics in:

The scoreboard is all blue and there's nothing you can do

Golf Channel seems dead certain that Watson is the Man - going from Major Toms to Grandad overnight.
There's Clive Dunn and one or two others, of course, but I prefer Jake Thackray's version, (not sure it suits Tom Watson though, apparently he once was a "rabid dypso").

No doubt David Feherty will be thrilled but what about America's veteran players?
Watson was one of the most outspoken player critics of Tiger's shenanigans, Phil and David Toms have been good mates, Davis Love clearly supported Toms, etc, etc.

There's bound to be more about Larry Nelson having been overlooked for about the tenth time, but the younger generation

So: If Watson wins in Gleneagles, presumably will come out in favour of 65-y-o (in 2014) Tom. Then:
2016; Watson
2018: Watson
2020: Watson
etc.

If/when Watson loses:
2016; Toms
2018: Furyk
2020: Phil
2022: Woods?

One last thing: The US press reckons Watson would be a natural because "he's revered in Scotland".
Is that true - outside The Open of course?
And - does that count for anything at the Ryder Cup?? He'll be at least a generation removed from most of the fans and won't help things if he brings in Nicklaus and Palmer (or Feherty?) as vice captains.

Kwin -

Wonderful report, and I would have only added a couple more + signs for young Mr. McIlroy. Amazing to watch him when he gets on a roll.

I attended the Ryder Cup in Oakland Hills and it's one event I will always watch on TV before I go there in person again. 1.) They blacked out the TV screens when any group was playing through nearby. 2.) Enough matches finished early that it was hard to know where to camp out. 3.) When there's just a few groups left it was a massive free-for-all.

Super - Fully agree with you that the Captaincy selection seems to be overrated.

Similarly with BBC - their story this morning was that Toms would be captain. They changed the article sometime during the morning, relegating the factual blurb about Toms to the end.

Sr,
Went to Muirfield Village, Kiawah and Oak Hill, and all were pretty good for spectators if one was prepared to scamper around a bit. Couldn't get to the 18th green at Oak Hill so camped at #17 watching les denouements on someone's Watchman!
Definitely a younger man's gig now though!
Hoping to go to at least Hartford and Oak Hill in 2013 . . . . .

GolfWorld reports that Martin Laird is definitely an anchorer! Still not completely sure, and I've followed him round several times, always assumed he DID anchor!

It would appear that he was anchoring in 2010....:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO2EmsojNa4

Ned,
You had the scoop on Watson - what do you reckon on that, assuming he's getting the nod?

NedB-H wrote:It would appear that he was anchoring in 2010....:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO2EmsojNa4

Intrigued me sufficiently to undertake extensive research (i.e. 20 second Google search). Found this although can't comment on accuracy -

http://www.mydigitalpublication.com/display_article.php?id=1119250

Relevant extract as follows:

Belly putting: No anchor

Laird is one of many players who use a long putter. However, he doesn’t anchor the putter against his stomach. Laird found that anchoring the putter in his stomach made it too easy for him to lean his weight into his putter. This put too much weight on his toes, which caused Laird to take the putter back on an outside path and pull putts.

“We don’t want any weight on the toes,” McCann said. “We want it from the balls of the feet to the heels. He’s pretty balanced that way.”

To ensure that he assumes a proper address position, Laird’s putter brushes against his shirt . The longer putter – because of its weight and length – still gives the benefits of a belly putter without actually being anchored.

“It still has the ‘anchored’ feeling,” Laird said. “It gives me that feeling that I can release it better.”

Poulter's report card seems a bit academic, knowing he had a stellar RC and a WGC win. But I still get your point.

If Toms gets the nod, I think we can start celebrate already now. He simply hasn't got the format to lift an American team - which presumably will look quite similar to this years (taking Furyk out, adding Fowler, DJ or Watney).

Seems like the PGA Of America have told Larry Nelson and Major Toms, "Thanks, but no thanks".

In one of the biggest pieces of double speak since Romney lost the election, the Pres of the PGA had the nerve to say:
"There's nobody more deserving of a captain's spot than Larry." . . . . . as he said that he'd contacted Nelson when, actually, he hadn't, and he'd already hired Watson.


I don't get the feeling the Tom Watson choice is going down too well with American PGA Pro-dom of a certain (40's and 50's, and some 60's) age!

I really don't understand the interest in who is captain of the RC team, and find it even more dull that there could be a system of entitlement to the process. So what, Toms had an ok career and is about ten years older than the team. How exactly did that make him (or anybody else) think he "deserved" the position?

Tom Watson is probably the third best player in the last 40 years, so if he wants to be captain then surely he is a much better fit on the entitlement scale than Toms.

As for Mcginley, will half the European fans even know who he is? We have to remember the ryder cup attracts a lot of fans who only watch the ryder cup. He is also thick as pig Poopie.

Mac, the same goes for Mark James, Gallacher and partly Torrance I guess.

I think Faldo's captaincy pretty much explains why people are so interested in who's captain. It started all kinds of discussions and speculations on which impact the captain in reality had: Whether he could bring down a great team, or whether he could raise a mediocre team. Fact is, that you never really know who'll win. When Europe on paper have had the weaker team, they've won, and vice versa. Faldo argueably had a the stronger team on paper, yet we failed big time.

McLaren wrote:I really don't understand the interest in who is captain of the RC team, and find it even more dull that there could be a system of entitlement to the process. So what, Toms had an ok career and is about ten years older than the team. How exactly did that make him (or anybody else) think he "deserved" the position?

Tom Watson is probably the third best player in the last 40 years, so if he wants to be captain then surely he is a much better fit on the entitlement scale than Toms.

As for Mcginley, will half the European fans even know who he is? We have to remember the ryder cup attracts a lot of fans who only watch the ryder cup. He is also thick as pig Poopie.

How do you know he's thick Mac? Would you say your demi-god Woods is thick? He doesn't come across very intelligent given that he can't hold a press conference without dictating the questions asked, but I'd bet you'd say he was.

super_realist wrote:

Strange I'm standing up for a tatty muncher though.

Really!!! Very crass comment, usually reserved by the blue team in Div 3 follow-followers...........

What's it got to do with pikey football fans in the West of Scotland? I'm talking about Ireland for heavens sake.

Watson it is.

Will O'Grady counter with John Jacobs?

I'll be interested to see who, if any, speak out against Watson's appointment; looks like Woods is toeing the party line, for now anyway.

Azinger seemed determined to sit on the fence, but haven't read anything outright critical yet.

Would think Watson might tweak the selection criteria also, so that'll be something to watch.
He says he's been "waiting for this call for twenty years", but hasn't actually attended a Ryder Cup in that time. Sounds a bit hollow to me.

kwinigolfer wrote:Ned,
You had the scoop on Watson - what do you reckon on that, assuming he's getting the nod?

In a word - astonished! It's a hell of a call from the PGA of America, breaking with all common knowledge on the captaincy role. Watson is probably (no, definitely) my favourite person in American golf, so I hope he does well, but I suspect there'll be uproar if he doesn't. I guess (as always) it'll depend on who makes the team. I could see him doing a lot better with a dozen uncertain young guys than a roster of Ryder Cup vets.

Sky - interesting link. That raises a few questions... if there are players who like their long putter to "brush their shirt" but not be anchored, surely the Tours are going to have a hell of a job working out what's breaking the rule and what isn't? If they see a putter nestled into the shirt fabric, I guess the default view will be that it's anchored, but what do they do if the player argues it's not actually anchored to anything but just "brushing"? Grab the putter shaft and give it a quick shove, see how much give there is in the guy's stomach?

Tom Watson is terrific. I was at Turnberry when he nearly won and I have never seen such a pleasant, respectful and down right nicer guy on a golf course. I watched him on the range and everyone had a word or a nod for him, that bloke his held in very high regard.

I hope he comes a very close second :-)

Incidently Azinger was on the range at the same time and had a similar 'aura'?!

Surprising decision, no doubt, many pluses but also some minuses that come with it.... A great man with arguably the best American CV when it comes to Scottish golf, but will he be able to connect with the much younger players and motivate them...?

Meanwhile, an apparent boost for McGinley's chances in Europe following the election of Molinari and Peter Lawrie (replacing Clarke's stablemate Finch) to the player's committee...

http://www.independent.ie/sport/golf/lawries-ryder-cup-boost-for-paul-mcginley-3325018.html

"Will O'Grady counter with John Jacobs?" -

Two years ago I spent the good part of an afternoon with Tom Watson at a charity function. Truly a class act.

Shotrock wrote:Two years ago I spent the good part of an afternoon with Tom Watson at a charity function. Truly a class act.

He seems, like Mickelson to be a true gent.
Incidently, he's the last USA Ryder Cup captain to win Away from home in 93'.

Hi Kwini, long time no speak. How are things? Been very busy with work recently, which is good. However, not been able to watch as much golf or on here as a result. Looking forward to Kapalua already!

Cant argue with your grades much but maybe you have Westwood and Sergio round the wrong way?

Will Laird et al require sensors on the end of their putters?? Its really the other end he really needs to sort out.

and am I alone in having a dislike for Tom Watson??? I'm fed up seeing his crinkly face perma grin walking around golf courses. He strikes me as a little sanctiminious, particularly with the way he commented on Tiger's troubles.

Lairdy wrote:Hi Kwini, long time no speak. How are things? Been very busy with work recently, which is good. However, not been able to watch as much golf or on here as a result. Looking forward to Kapalua already!

Cant argue with your grades much but maybe you have Westwood and Sergio round the wrong way?

Will Laird et al require sensors on the end of their putters?? Its really the other end he really needs to sort out.

and am I alone in having a dislike for Tom Watson??? I'm fed up seeing his crinkly face perma grin walking around golf courses. He strikes me as a little sanctiminious, particularly with the way he commented on Tiger's troubles.

Nothing wrong with that, and perfectly legitimate comment most people will agree in regards to the nine chinned baldy one

super_realist wrote:

Lairdy wrote:
and am I alone in having a dislike for Tom Watson??? I'm fed up seeing his crinkly face perma grin walking around golf courses. He strikes me as a little sanctiminious, particularly with the way he commented on Tiger's troubles.

Nothing wrong with that, and perfectly legitimate comment most people will agree in regards to the nine chinned baldy one

It was just a bit rich asking Tiger to be more public about his troubles when Tom was very secretive about his own. Probably no comparison in what actually happend to both guys but doesnt seem right to me.

Hi Lairdy, Great to hear from you.

Regarding Westwood and Garcia, I just thought the expectations (and certainly mine!) were higher for Westy than Sergio, plus Sergio scored a win.

Still not sure how Martin Laird's putter is going to be adjudged - he's in a very grey area I would think.


As for Tom Watson, completely agree that he's been more than a bit two-faced about Tiger's troubles vs his own marital and alcohol "difficulties", plus of course others we may not know about.

Shotrock says he may be the classiest act around but, as Shotrock doesn't say!, that won't necessarily make him the right Ryder Cup Captain of Teams that are one and, mostly, two generations behind him.
Hope to god that won't provoke the Europeans to retailiate with Montgomerie.

Kwini - You are exactly correct ... I have absolutely no idea (or even point of view) if he will add any significant value to the American team.

I also find Watson a bit fake, pseudo-gentleman-like, what you only see in America. But I think he's the better choice amongst Couples and Toms. I would love beating the yanks again in 2014, as it will then completely devestate them - and then go for Nicklaus or Palmer in 2016.

Pedro - Perhaps what you only see in America, but I assure you the phenomenon is alive and well throughout the UK and much of the Western world. How do I know? I've experienced it.

Dont see it as a surprise at all. Age and number of Ryder cups attended in the last 20 years have nothing to do with getting a team to play well. (I bet sir Alex could get a team more fired up to win a ryder cup than any past golfer) I have no idea if Tom W or D Toms are better at motivating people, but at least we know Tom W as achieved this once before.

When a role exists that in theory is filled by some of the greats of the game do not be shocked when lesser figures like D Toms are overlooked for players with a wider reach. If Jack Nicklaus made it known that he would be willing to captain the 2016 team then have no doubt that he would get it over people like couples, Toms and Furyk.

pedro wrote:I also find Watson a bit fake, pseudo-gentleman-like, what you only see in America. But I think he's the better choice amongst Couples and Toms. I would love beating the yanks again in 2014, as it will then completely devastate them - and then go for Nicklaus or Palmer in 2016.

Palmer in 2016?
I doubt the old spunker will even be alive then.