Pick Phil and Sergio? It might be kinder not to
Two years ago, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson squared off against one another in arguably the greatest Ryder Cup singles match of all time. Now, their fortunes have declined so markedly, their respective captains must decide whether giving them a wildcard for the match in Paris later this month would represent a blessing or open them up to a fate far worse than being left out.
Lending intrigue is the fact Europe skipper Thomas Bjorn and his American counterpart Jim Furyk know only too well the crushing anguish of falling victim to the condition known as ‘a Ryder Cup too far’.
Bjorn’s came in 2014 at Gleneagles, and was at least tempered by the fact Europe still won. Nevertheless, there was little joy for the Dane, as he contributed just a half-point from three matches. ‘There’s no greater feeling in golf than a Ryder Cup when you contribute to a winning team but equally, it’s no place to be if you’re struggling,’ he said.
Furyk’s meltdown at Medinah in 2012 against Garcia, ironically enough, has become part of Ryder Cup lore. one up with two to play, he bogeyed the last two holes to lose a singles match that proved pivotal. For two years he played great golf and turned up at Gleneagles seeking redemption, only to find it counted for nought, as his nerve failed him once more. Furyk, therefore, re, might be the only starry y veteran to play in two Ryder Cups too many.
So, imagine what must have been running through his mind the last few days as he contemplates the form m of 48-year-old Mickelson. .
Naturally, Phil is telling ing everyone he should be picked, cked, and everyone expects him to be named alongside Tiger woods and Bryson DeChambeau when Furyk announces three of his four wildcards this evening. But, if we strip away the Emperor’s clothes, what do we find?
A player who has had one top-10 finish since the beginning of March, and that was in May; someone whose most notable contribution at the majors this year was hitting a moving ball on the 13th green at the US open. A golfer so close to the end of his distinguished career he could only play three out of five matches, at best.
Sure, there are grounds for still choosing him for an unprecedented 12th Ryder Cup, given his blistering early season form meant he only missed out on automatic qualifying by a couple of spots, and his remarkable record of never having needed a pick before. Plus, a fun 63, albeit one from the back of the field going into the last round of the Dell Technologies Championship yesterday, showed he can still perform when the spotlight is elsewhere.
He is also a popular presence in the team room, which certainly counts for something, while two games in Paris would take him past Sir Nick Faldo’s record for either side of 45 matches.
A two-point haul would see him tie Billy Casper’s all-time American record of 23½ points. But would all that count for very much against a hungry EurEurope side if you are out of forw form? Certainly, no one wearing blue and yellow would feel any sense of fear if he does get the nnod.
Bjorn has a similar ddilemma, of course, with GGarcia, before he names his four wildcards tomorrow rowtomorrow afternoon. The only teenagteenager to play in the Ryder Cup, Garcia is 38 now, with a record so good he needs but a half-point to go past Seve Ballesteros’s total of 22½ points. Three points and he would go beyond Faldo and become the all-time leading points scorer.
Even as recently as two months ago, when contending on the final day to win the French open played over the Ryder Cup course, the idea of leaving him out was unthinkable. But that was about his only decent performance during a shocking year where he missed the cut in all four majors.
Still fresh in the Europe memory bank is what happened to Lee westwood last time, another rock of Ryder Cups past, but one who found he simply could not deliver at Hazeltine.
Playing in front of westwood and Ryan Moore in the singles in 2016, Garcia and Mickelson shared an astonishing 19 birdies, with the Spaniard holing a characteristically gutsy 15ft putt at the last for a richlydeserved half.
How long ago it must seem now for both men.