You know it’s bad when Willie Nelson’s on your Case…y

Have you ever felt really embarressed? Really low? Like the whole world hates you? Well don’t go crying to Paul Casey. I was just reading up on the furore about his anti-American comments, which were wildly mis-quoted, exaggerated and taken out of context in his defence when I found this glorious little nugget and I had to share it.

Here’s the background to what I mentioned in my last post. Casey, speaking of the U.S. Ryder Cup team before the 2005 World Cup, told The Sunday Times, “Oh, we properly hate them. We wanted to beat them as badly as possible.” He also spoke disparagingly of Americans in general, “the vast majority of [whom] simply don’t know what’s going on.” The tabloids simplified Casey’s statement as “Americans are stupid. I hate them” and it snowballed from there. This prompted Titleist to end his sponsorship and despite receiving support from American golfers who saw it had gotten out of hand, anti-Casey sentiment grew across the US and before the end of the year Casey had received over 300 death threats bearing US postmarks.

So, how bad would you feel if you were in the centre of an international PR and media disaster, had been sent over 300 death threats, lost sponsorship, were getting severely heckled at American tournaments and then found out that Willie Nelson of all people had gone up on stage and said this about you -

“This one goes out to that limey buck-toothed golfer, whose overbite extends considerably further than his drive”

Ouch. Willie frickin’ Nelson HATES YOU and he’s telling the world about it. That is a low, right there people. Could you cope with that? Waking up every day, knowing that Willie Nelson hates you? I’m pretty sure Paul Casey has probably spent quite a bit on his teeth (they’re quite white and quite a mouthful, if they charge by the square inch it would add up) which makes it all the worse. If Paul Casey can live with Willie Nelson’s ire, maybe he should be in the Ryder Cup team.

Runners and Ryders

Right, there is just under a month left until the European team for the Ryder Cup is finalised. That leaves four tournaments either to get the points require to get in automatically or to stake a claim for a wild card by sufficiently impressing El Capitan Nick Faldo – The USPGA, the SAS Masters in Sweden, the KLM Open in the Netherlands and the Johnnie Walker at Gleneagles. There are some big names that are struggling to make it this time around and it could end up being a very big call on Faldo’s part as to who he should leave out. You can look at the current points standings here. Let’s take a look at who the likely lads to be fighting over the two available wild cards are.

Sergio Garcia – World Points table 6th, European Points table 24th.
Automatic Qualifying Chances – Very Good
Sergio is one of the players who at the start of qualifying everyone thought would qualify fairly easily on world points. It hasn’t panned out that way as some guys with huge seasons on the European tour have outshone the guys over in America. Having played very little of his Golf in Europe this season, world points has turned out to be his only realistic chance of automatic Qualification. He is only a few points behind Robert Karlsson in the World table but he will have to be looking over his shoulder too as players like Ian Poulter and Justin Rose could play their way up there too. You have to back him to get a big result this week in the USPGA and make it, he loves the Ryder cup, has a ridiculous record in it and having won the Players Championship this year I think he’d be very unhappy if he required a wild card. You have to think though if he does need one, he’ll definitely get it. His Ryder Cup record is insanely good.
Wild Card Prospects – A certainty should he need it

Ian Poulter- World Points table 7th, European Points table 11th.
Automatic Qualifying Chances – Possible.
Another to have played very little on the European tour and suffered for it. His second place finish in the Open has shot him right up there in the points tables however. It amused me no end when Harrington joked with him in his Open winning speech that now they knew where they’d be come September. In fact Poulter was still some way from automatic qualification, Padraig mustn’t have realised how far back he was. Oops. Some good results in the closing tournaments now should see him get there through either table and you have to think his second place has given him a real boost in terms of Faldo’s wild card thinking. Whether he would be happy playing in a European uniform rather than his self designed threads could be a factor though…
Wild Card Prospects – Open puts him up there but doubts may remain. Faldo knows he can be a shanker…

Justin Rose- World Points table 8th, European Points table 10th.
Automatic Qualifying Chances – Possible
In a very similar situation to Poulter, he could conceivably qualify through either table still and currently occupies the final berth from the European table but is still far from secure. You’d have to say he had his chances in a number of tournaments this year but has converted few into good results, including the Masters where he broke down horribly with a few childish tantrums to play himself out of it. There’s no doubting his ability and if he qualifies then he’ll be a great addition to the team but I can’t see him getting a wild card in front of more experienced, more level headed players, or even Poulter who showed he can do it in a major, whereas Rose has unfortunately wilted, if you’ll pardon the pun. Would need something big in the coming weeks to get a wild card but if he does that then he’ll have already qualified anyhow!
Wild Card Prospects – Not as great as they should be, major flops and tantrums count against him despite high ranking.

Paul Casey – World Points table 16th, European Points table 15th.
Automatic Qualifying Chances – Very Unlikely
Paul Casey has had a poor year by his standards but a good 8th place finish in last week’s Bridgestone invitational has put him right back up there. Automatic Qualification should still be beyond him, he’d need to get lucky with other guys playing poorly you’d imagine but he can play his way back into the wild card race with a good show of form. Anyone who has heard Faldo rambling on about Casey’s muscular forearms know he’s a player Faldo has a lot of time for, so if any surprise picks are to made I think Casey would be a decent outside bet. He still has an awful lot to do though.
Wild Card Prospects – Would be a controversial choice over perhaps more deserving people unless he does something big in the remaining weeks

Nick Dougherty – World Points table 18th, European Points table 13th.
Automatic Qualifying Chances – Very Unlikely
It’s hard not to like Nick Dougherty, especially in the light of the recent death of his mother, something he has handled admirably. Despite not having the most eye-catching of seasons he is still in a creditable position in the tables and being only 26 is still one for the future, even if it does seem he has been around for donkey’s years. The only concern I have is that he could be another Andrew Coltart if he is picked.

Remember that? When Mark James picked Andrew Coltart to blood him for future competitions despite others having better claims and then never playing him, Jarmo Sandelin or Jean Van de Velde until the singles? Disaster, though they still only lost by one point but still. Coltart never got a sniff of the Ryder Cup after that…

There are too many bigger players out there to justify giving Dougherty a pick and whilst I reckon he’s a far better player than Coltart was, I think it would be a lot of pressure on his shoulders to pick him in front of someone like Monty, Poulter or Clarke and would create a lot of stink in the media no doubt. Dougherty is one of the first big talents to come from Faldo’s academy system; he is very close to him and likes him a lot. Will he pick him on that basis? Would he open himself up to questions of favouritism and the controversy of not picking others? I t would be a huge distraction and may unsettle things. To my mind he should let him sit this one out; he will qualify for later ones I’m sure. Players should qualify at least once before they get a pick to my mind, it’s only fair.
Wild Card Prospects – The best bet for a controversial pick but would have to play very well this month not to cause a real stir in the media.

Colin Montgomerie – World Points table 33rd, European Points table 16th.
Automatic Qualifying Chances – Can’t see it happening at all…
How do you solve a problem like Monty…? It was always going to be the story as soon as Faldo was announced as Captain. Would Faldo pick Monty despite the feud which has played itself out in the media between the two? Faldo criticised Monty on a couple of occasions for never going to America and staying at home in the “comfort zone” of the European tour, mocking his collection of Order of merits as meaningless without a major. The problem for Monty is that on current form, Faldo would look more than justified in not choosing him. 15 over par in the Bridgestone Invitational is not a good omen for the Ryder Cup…

But then this is Monty we are talking about, the man who has exemplified what it means to be a great Ryder Cup player over the last decade. Would you reckon anyone would fancy taking him on if he was picked? No, neither do I. If I was Faldo I probably would pick him, just to stop any stories unsettling the camp and make life easier for everyone, he will get the job done if he plays. Expect an attempt to get him on board as a vice-captain, he might go for it, he’s desperate to be captain some day.
Wild Card prospects – A strong case can be made for either possibility but it makes a lot of sense to me to take Monty with you unless Faldo wants to protect his points record! Prepare for controversy if he’s left out

Darren Clarke – World Points table 20th, European Points table 23rd.
Automatic Qualifying Chances – Would need a minor miracle…
Poor Darren has had an uphill battle. Without the exemptions he received last year because of his wife Heather’s passing, the reality of his low world ranking kicked in. He has yet to play in a major this season, making qualifying incredibly difficult. He did get his first win in a few years early in the season however, and had a very encouraging sixth place at the Bridgestone Invitational this weekend. Another boost is an invite to this week’s USPGA, finally giving him a chance at a major this season, and another good result would make him a strong candidate for the wild card. If anything else, he would be an excellent guy for Faldo to choose over Monty if he is on form, he can point to his experience and his great record with Westwood and Jimenez and it would be a harsh man who would argue he didn’t deserve a break. There’s no doubt he’s still one of the most naturally gifted golfers out there, and if he keeps up the form of last weekend, where he was arguably the pick of the players, he may well be a pick of Faldo’s.
Wild Card Prospects – Probably the only guy this low in the standings with a realistic chance.

The two picks should come from this list of people. That’s assuming that Luke Donald is still unfit with his wrist injury and it sounded as though Faldo would require some convincing of his form even if he was fit. If one of the guys currently in the qualifying mix does drop out of it, I can’t see the wild card going to them. It would be an indication that they are out of form, and the picks are there to get some of the big boys in, you’re not going to choose Martin Kaymer or Oliver Wilson. Their names wouldn’t exactly strike fear into the likes of Jim Furyk and Co. would they…

My money would be on Sergio if he needs it, but I doubt he will, then Poulter would be next, then Clarke or Casey who are both real birdie merchants, perfect for matchplay. Monty will need to play well if he is to get in. If Garcia is there, I personally would like to see Clarke and Poulter make it, not only are they two of my favourites to watch but they are big characters, well known and liked in America and thrive on the big occasion. Paul Casey isn’t quite so popular after that “We properly hate the Americans” comment a few years back, might be best for his health if he waited ‘til its back on home soil, it does get rowdy…

He’s no glory Hunter, a Mahan can only take so many dinners…

Oh dear, I guess the saga of Sepp Blatter’s assertion that Cristiano Ronaldo’s situation amounts to modern slavery never reached American shores. How else could you explain a golfer one week later coming out saying this.

“You’ve got dinners every night – not little dinners, massive ones. As players, that’s the last thing we want. We want to prepare ourselves. You’re just a slave that week.“

This was Hunter Mahan in an interview with Golf Magazine, a 26 year-old up and comer on the PGA Tour, whose diet must be especially important to his game, cause the prospect of a big meal every night for a week seems to really put the wind up him. I’ve never been one to be especially politically correct but for a millionaire golfer to say a weeks golf where you have to attend a few dinners is akin to slavery is pretty hard to listen to. What was he thinking? Granted, these things probably do go on for hours but sorry pal, you’re getting the chance to make your name on the biggest stage in golf, suck it up!

What bothers me more about this, cause plenty of people make misguided comments like that- see good ol‘ Sepp, is how the Ryder Cup is so low on his list of priorities. I mean in terms of viewing figures, after the World cup and Olympics, the Ryder cup is the third biggest sporting event in the world for crying out loud, how could you not want to be there every single time? Here’s Hunter again to further explain…

“From what I’ve heard the whole week is extremely long, from what I’ve heard the Ryder Cup isn’t fun. The fun is sucked right out of it. That’s the word I hear a lot. At some point the players might say, ‘You know what – we’re not doing this anymore, because this is ridiculous’. Don’t be surprised if it (a refusal to play) happens. It’s just not a fun week like it should be. Is it an honour to play? Yes, it is. But (the players’) time is valuable. This is a business. I just feel like the players don’t have much control over it and I don’t think they like that. I wouldn’t like that.

I think Europe really, really takes it seriously. I think the US does too, but not like Europe. For one, every place they hold a Ryder Cup in Europe is a place on the European Tour schedule. That’s really smart because right away they have an advantage. The PGA of America could care less about winning it, honestly. They pick a site where they’re going to have the Senior PGA, the PGA and the Ryder Cup, which means less money they have to pay out to get more money.“

I do like the last point, why are the USPGA not picking sites from the main tour, giving the US players the advantage the Europeans enjoy when they host, greater course familiarity? It might not mean much but at least they may build some confidence on the course if they play well on it on the regular tour. Picking a venue to serve three tournaments may be cheaper, but it kind of cheapens the main event too doesn’t it?

But lets back up, who are these dudes crying to Hunter. They’re not having any fun? Well of course they haven’t Hunter, they’ve been pummeled three times in a row, what sort of masochist enjoys that? As for who it is actually saying it, Mickelson, is that you? It’s understandable…

Maybe if the US team got past the fact that they are not getting paid for the event, which a lot of the guys have spoken out about in the past, they would improve. Even the ridiculously rich Tiger Woods has had a moan about it being unpaid, which must raise a few hackles of a guys who played and won in the past for the US and never approached the earnings of these guys. Are the trophy wives spending their money that quickly? If they were then surely they’d be keeping the American economy afloat all by themselves and we’d have nothing to worry about. Maybe if they realised it’s about playing for honour they would get a kick out of it. Isn’t America the home of patriotic fervour? How has this not translated to an American team with a bit of fire in the belly. Perhaps those big dinners Hunter’s moaning about put it out…

Here’s the qualification standings as of this morning, August 4th

#1 Tiger Woods      11,365.627 points
2 Stewart Cink      4,952.065
3 Phil Mickelson    4,880.000
4 Kenny Perry       4,480.950
5 Jim Furyk         4,328.792
6 Anthony Kim       4,003.797
7 Justin Leonard    3,348.523
8 Boo Weekley       2,627.546
9 Steve Stricker    2,603.571
——————————————————————————————
10 Woody Austin      2,422.733
11 Hunter Mahan      2,304.517
12 DJ Trahan         2,294.416
13 Rocco Mediate     2,246.810
* top eight qualify plus four wildcards
# Woods is out injured

Hunter is dangerously close to automatic qualification, but would he have the guts
to be the first man to refuse to play? I think it's highly unlikely that Azinger will think
he's worth a wild card after all his chat, so maybe a few weeks with your feet up is
in order Mr Mahan. Finishing 10th at the Bridgestone Invitational did you no
favours...

I'll be returning to topics such as these quite often I'm sure in the next few weeks.
It does my heart good to laugh at moaning professionals, especially well paid
American ones.