Are Six Captain’s Picks Too Many For The Ryder Cup Teams?
● Yes
Says Jeremy Ellwood
Perhaps I’m simply of my time, but I liked it when Ryder Cup teams were selected primarily or solely on performance over the qualifying period. The big names invariably had little trouble making it, but it gave players in the next tier down something to aim for: “If I have a really good season, I could just make the team.” In 1983, for example, all 12 European spots were decided on places on the European Tour money list after the St Mellion Timeshare TPC on September 18. A young Paul Way finished 2nd to overtake Manuel Pinero and claim the 11th spot. Way went on to play all four pairs sessions with Seve and win an impressive 3.5 points, beating Curtis Strange in the singles.
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That would still be my ultimate preference – everything based on merit and form. But the landscape has changed. Many top Europeans now ply their trade mainly in the USA. Without a change in the eligibility and qualification criteria, the whole event would be devalued with too many big names missing at Bethpage Black.
I understand that, but six wildcards rather than the two or three it was for many years just seems too many. Dare I say, it risks captains letting their heart overrule their head more often to pick older tour colleagues with Ryder Cup experience but little in the way of results over less experienced players in peak form.
Sometimes that has worked; often it hasn’t. But taking the potential Ryder Cup reward for good performance away from more players just seems wrong to me. I liked it more when you primarily made the team on merit via recent form.
My feeling is that six captain’s picks is too many. If you disagree, let me know why in the comments box below.
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● No
Says Fergus Bisset
As we tee up this week at Bethpage Black to take on the Americans in their own backyard, would you like us to field the best possible team? Yes? I agree. To do that captain Luke Donald must be able to select the right players.
The old days of points-only qualification meant players who weren’t on form could squeak in by virtue of performances long before the Ryder Cup. Those showing fine recent form were not guaranteed to make it into the top 12. You want a team made up of players who are all on form. By having six picks and six qualifiers, you make that more likely.
Those who are at the very top of the points list are just very good and will continue to be very good. The way the European points list is now set up guarantees that the top six players have been contending in Majors and significant tour events on both sides of the Atlantic and internationally.
With six picks, the captain can really look at players who have been firing on all cylinders most recently. For Marco Simone in 2023, Donald looked way down the points list to pick rookie Ludvig Aberg. The Swede teamed up with Viktor Hovland to win two crucial games, including a 9&7 thrashing of Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka.
The picks allow Donald to consider LIV players who may be on great form, those coming into form, or those, like Aberg, who are new to the scene. In the current landscape of men’s pro golf, it’s important for half the squad to be picked by the captain. Would you want the England football team picked off a points list or by a savvy and knowledgeable manager who can see who’s playing well and who isn’t? I know what I’d prefer but if I’ve missed an important point, let me know in the comments box below.
