The WORST Ryder Cup Picks in Golf History

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The WORST Ryder Cup Picks in Golf History

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From major champions choking harder than a Sunday hacker on the first tee to players turning golf’s most prestigious team event into their personal nightmare, these are the 10 worst Rder Cup captain’s picks in golf history. It might surprise you to see his name here, but believe me, this Ryder Cup pick was a huge mistake. In 2018, Jim Furick chose Phil Mickelson as one of his captain’s picks for the US Ryder Cup team, heading to League Golf National in Paris. On paper, it looked like a safe choice. Phil was a writer Cup veteran with incredible experience and had even won the WGC Mexico Championship earlier that year. But anyone who studied the course setup could see disaster coming from miles away. The Golf National was a nightmare for Phil’s style of play. The French venue featured brutally narrow fairways, thick rough that swallowed errant drives, and water hazards lurking everywhere. It was a course that demanded precision and rewarded accuracy. Two things that had never been Phil’s strengths. His wild aggressive driving style that thrilled galleries for decades was completely wrong for this setup. From the opening bell, Furick’s gamble backfired spectacularly. Phil was benched entirely on Friday and Saturday, a humiliating sign that even his own captain had lost faith in him. His only team appearance came in Saturday afternoon forsomes where he and Bryson Dashambo were demolished 5-4 by Sergio Garcia and Rory Mroy. The mismatch was painful to watch. Sunday’s singles provided the final insult. Sent out against Francesco Molinari, who was having the week of his life, Phil looked completely outclassed. The end came in ugly fashion when he hooked his T-shot into the water on the 16th hole, conceding the match and sealing Molinari’s perfect 5-0 record. Europe steamrolled to a 17 1/2 to 10 1/2 victory, and Phil’s zero point contribution said it all. The most damning part, afterward, Phil himself admitted what everyone already knew. The course exposed my weaknesses. Sometimes the most obvious pick is the worst pick. The 1995 Ryder Cup at Oak Hill became a masterclass in how not to make captain’s picks. US Captain Lanni Watkins didn’t just make one questionable choice. He made three catastrophic ones, including the most controversial decision of all, picking himself. Let’s start with Curtis Strange. The two-time US Open champion looked like a safe veteran choice until you examined his recent form. Strange hadn’t won a PGA Tour event since 1989 and arrived at Oak Hill with zero momentum. His collapse against Nick Faldo in singles perfectly summed up the disaster. Strange was two up with just five holes to play, then proceeded to hand the match away in spectacular fashion. Faldo didn’t win that match. Strange lost it. Ben Krenshaw’s selection was equally baffling. The Mast’s champion was struggling badly with both his form and his health, looking nothing like the player who had dominated Augusta earlier in his career. He contributed absolutely nothing all week, failing to earn a single point and appearing overwhelmed by the pressure. But the most outrageous decision was Watkins picking himself. At 45 years old, having played just once on tour in the previous 5 months, the captain somehow convinced himself he belonged on the team. Sure, he managed to win one match, but he lost two others and clearly wasn’t the force he once had been. It rire of pure ego. When Europe completed their stunning comeback to win 14 1/2 to 13 1/2, all eyes turned to Watkins picks between Strange, Crenshaw, and himself, they had produced almost nothing on the scoreboard. The controversy was so damaging that it helped push the PGA of America to completely rethink how captains and their picks were chosen going forward. Sometimes loyalty and ego make the worst teammates. Welcome to the analytics age where every stat is tracked and every trend is measured. Yet somehow Zack Johnson managed to ignore all of it when making his 2023 captain’s picks. His six selections became a case study in how choosing loyalty over logic can destroy a RDER Cup campaign. The most controversial pick was Justin Thomas, who had endured the worst season of his career. Think about this. Thomas failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time in his career, missing cuts left and right and looking lost on the golf course. Meanwhile, players like Keegan Bradley, a two-time winner that season, and Lucas Glover, who had just won back-to-back FedEx Cup playoff events, were left at home. Johnson’s justification, experience and team room presence. That’s code for picking names over performance. The disaster unfolded immediately at Marco Simone in Rome. Ricky Fowler went completely winless at 020, looking so defeated that he conceded the final singles hole early to Tommy Fleetwood, literally handing Europe the clinching point with a smile. Jordan Spe managed just 0 to2 to2, appearing completely out of rhythm and unable to make putts when it mattered. Sam Burns, supposedly picked for his team chemistry with Scotty Sheffller, contributed a measly 120. Even Thomas, the most talked about selection, could only manage one 12-1 despite his fiery attitude and desperate attempts to prove critics wrong. When the dust settled on Europe’s crushing 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 victory, Johnson’s captain’s picks had combined for just two wins all week. The snubbed players made their feelings clear. Keegan Bradley openly admitted he was heartbroken to miss out, while Lucas Glover’s late season surge made Johnson’s decisions look even more foolish. Zack Johnson didn’t just lose a RDER Cup. He cemented his legacy as probably the worst captain in golf history. Picture this. It’s 4:00 a.m. and Web Simpson is awake, frantically texting US captain Tom Watson, pleading his case to make the RDER Cup team. That’s not the sign of a player whose form demands selection. That’s desperation in digital form. Heading into Glenn Eagles, the hottest players in American golf were Chris Kirk, fresh off winning the Deutsche Bank Championship, and Billy Horchel, who was in the middle of a late season tear that would culminate in a FedEx Cup victory. Both were playing lights out golf and riding waves of confidence. Instead, Watson chose Simpson, who had struggled through most of the summer and barely squeaked into the FedEx Cup playoffs. Watson’s reasoning centered on Simpson’s past RDER Cup and President’s Cup experience, but experience means nothing when your game isn’t sharp. That became painfully obvious from the very first T-OT at Glenn Eagles when Simpson nervously topped his opening drive about 200 yd down the fairway. The moment was replayed endlessly as a symbol of everything wrong with Team USA’s approach. Simpsons week never recovered from that embarrassing start. He played just twice going 01-11 and contributing virtually nothing to the American cause. In Friday morning’s fourball, he and Bubba Watson were outclassed. Then he managed only a half in Saturday’s action. While Europe cruised to a comfortable 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 victory, Simpson became the poster child for picking reputation over results. The optics were terrible. a player who had to beg for his spot via text message, then delivered one of the most cringe-worthy opening shots in Rder Cup history. Sometimes the most desperate plea is the clearest warning sign that a pick is doomed to fail. Golf’s self-proclaimed mad scientist brought his single length irons, mathematical approach, and revolutionary theories to Legolf National in 2018. Unfortunately, he forgot to bring any actual results. Bryson Desambo’s Rder Cup debut was a masterpiece in how innovation can spectacularly crash when it meets the sport’s most intense pressure cooker. Furick’s decision to pick Desambo looked bold on paper. Here was a young player reshaping how golf could be played. Armed with unique equipment and an analytical mind. But the narrow, waterladen French course demanded patience and precision. Two qualities that didn’t mesh well with Bryson’s aggressive, sometimes erratic style. The meltdown began immediately. Paired with Phil Mickelson in Saturday Forsomes, the two Americans were blown apart 5-4 by Sergio Garcia and Rory Mroy. It was a clinic in how not to play alternate shot. With both players looking completely out of sync, Furick tried a different experiment the next day, throwing Desambo alongside Tiger Woods. Surely that partnership would work. Wrong again. They suffered another humiliating 5 and4 defeat. this time to Franchesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood. By Sunday singles, Desambo was desperate to salvage something from his disastrous week. Matched against Sweden’s Alex Nuran, he fought hard and dragged the match to the 18th hole. But when the pressure peaked, Nuran delivered the clutch putts while Bryson couldn’t find the magic. A one-down defeat completed a perfect storm of failure. The final tally, 0 to3 to zero, zero points, and a writer cup debut that looked more like a science experiment gone horribly wrong. Six major championships, three Masters victories, three open championships, one of the greatest European golfers of all time. And somehow Nick Faldo managed to be a captain’s pick disaster, not once, but twice. The numbers tell a brutal story. Across his two appearances as a captain’s pick, 1985 at the Belelfrey and 1995 at Oak Hill, Faldo scraped together just 2.5 points from eight matches. That’s an average of 1.25 points per RDER Cup when chosen by his captain. For a player of his stature, it’s almost incomprehensible. In 1985, Tony Jacquine took a massive gamble on Faldo, who was winless that entire season and struggling to find his form. The faith wasn’t rewarded. Faldo went 0 to2 to1 at the Belelfrey, contributing nothing while Europe finally broke their 28-year Rder Cup drought. His teammates carried him to victory. A decade later, the story repeated itself. Bernard Galler used a pick on Faldo for Oak Hill in 1995 despite the Englishman’s inconsistent play. This time, Faldo managed one win. But even that came with an asterisk. He beat Curtis Strange in singles only after Strange collapsed from two up with five holes to play. It wasn’t Faldo brilliance, it was American capitulation. The pattern was clear. When Faldo had to earn his spot through current form, he delivered. When he was picked based on reputation and past achievements, he crumbled under the weight of expectation. His 121 record in 1995 and overall captain’s pick average became a cautionary tale about the dangers of choosing legend status over present-day performance. One putt, 3 ft. A moment that swung the entire 2016 Ryder Cup and perfectly encapsulated why loyalty picks can be disastrous. Lee Westwood’s missed short putt on Saturday’s 18th green at Hazeline became the symbol of Europe’s crushing defeat and the clearest example of why form should always trump sentiment. Darren Clark faced a simple choice that summer. Pick Russell Knox, who had won the Travelers Championship and was sitting comfortably in the world’s top 20, or go with veteran Lee Westwood, whose game had been in steady decline. Clark chose loyalty over logic, leaning on Westwood’s experience and team room presence instead of Knox’s red-hot form. The decision backfired from day one. Westwood looked uncomfortable on Hazel Teen’s demanding layout, which required sharp putting and precise iron play, two areas where his game had deteriorated. By Saturday afternoon, the writing was on the wall, but nothing prepared anyone for what happened on the 18th green. Standing over a three-foot putt that would have secured a crucial halfpoint for Europe, Westwood had the chance to keep momentum on his team’s side. Instead, he pushed it right, handing the Americans the full point and a massive psychological boost heading into Sunday. The crowd erupted, the US team celebrated, and you could see the life drain out of the European side. Sunday’s singles provided no redemption, matched against Ryan Moore. Ironically, America’s own lastminute captain’s pick, Westwood lost one down, finishing his week with an embarrassing 03 record. Europe suffered their heaviest defeat in decades, losing 17 to1 11, and Westwood’s struggles were front and center. Two trusted veterans, two legends of European golf, two captains picks that bombed spectacularly. At the 2012 Rder Cup at Medina, Jose Maria Olazabal’s faith in loyalty over form nearly cost Europe one of their greatest comebacks in history. The first mistake was Sergio Garcia. Ola Zabal had mentored him for years and believed the fiery Spaniard would rediscover his magic on golf’s biggest stage. Instead, Garcia delivered the worst Rder Cup performance of his entire career. He went 031, missing crucial short putts and looking completely out of sorts. The man who had been Europe’s emotional heartbeat in previous Rder Cups couldn’t even contribute half a point. His singles loss to Jim Furick was the final nail in a coffin of disappointment. Then there was Patrick Harrington. The three-time major champion had plummeted to 63rd in the world rankings and shown little form all season. But Olazabal couldn’t resist the pull of past glories. Harrington’s 120 record was equally underwhelming. One forgettable win overshadowed by two lifeless defeats that suggested he was simply past his RDER Cup prime. What made their failures even more glaring was the context. Europe was facing one of the strongest American teams in years, and they desperately needed every pick to perform. Instead, Garcia and Harrington combined for just 1.5 points from seven matches, woeful production that nearly derailed Europe’s chances before the miracle at Medina even began. Only Ian Poulter’s heroics and one of the greatest Sunday comebacks in sports history, saved Olabal from a legacy defined by sentimentality over strategy. Garcia and Harrington proved that even the most trusted names can become liabilities when picked on reputation rather than recent results. Sometimes a player isn’t ready for the biggest stage in golf, no matter how much potential they show. Costantino Rocka’s Rder Cup debut at Vorama in 1997 was a perfect storm of inexperience meeting impossible pressure. And it wasn’t pretty to watch. Sebie Ballister saw something in the Italian that made him use a captain’s pick on a relative unknown. Roa had been enjoying success on the European tour and represented the kind of continental expansion that Sevy loved promoting. On paper, giving a rising star his RDER Cup debut seemed like inspired captaincy. In reality, it became a cautionary tale about throwing players into the deep end too early. From his very first match, it was clear Roa was drowning. Paired with Colin Montgomearie, one of Europe’s most reliable RDER Cup performers, Roka looked completely overwhelmed by the intensity. His driving was all over the place. His putting was shaky, and his body language screamed panic. Even worse, Montgomery began showing visible frustration with his partner, something that rarely happened to golf’s ultimate professional. The matches became painful to watch. Roa couldn’t find fairways when he needed them, couldn’t hole putts when they mattered, and appeared to shrink under the weight of expectation with each hole. His confidence evaporated so completely that you could almost see it happening in real time. The final numbers told the brutal story, 0 to three, including two singles defeats by identical four and three margins. While Sevy’s other risky picks helped Europe claim a narrow victory, Rockqa contributed absolutely nothing to the cause. the greatest golfer of all time, 15 major championships, the most dominant player the sport has ever seen, and somehow Tiger Woods managed to become the most disappointing captain’s pick in Ryder Cup history. Yes, you heard that right. The GOAT is also the biggest captain’s pick flop of all time. The numbers are staggering. Across two appearances as a captain’s pick, 2010 at Celtic Manor and 2018 at Legolf National, Tiger averaged just 1.5 points. For context, that’s worse than every other player on this entire list. The man who struck fear into the hearts of competitors for two decades became a liability when captains chose him over form. In 2010, Cory Pav couldn’t resist picking Tiger despite obvious red flags. Woods was in the darkest period of his career, reeling from personal scandals, winless all season, and clearly not the intimidating force he once was. The result, a 1-3 record at Celtic Manor, with his lone highlight being a singles win over Franchesco Molinari. Even Tiger’s presence couldn’t mask the fact that he was playing on reputation alone. Fast forward to 2018, and Jim Furick made the same mistake. Sure, Tiger had just won the Tour Championship, but he looked exhausted, and Lolf Nationals tight layout was all wrong for his aggressive style. This time, the collapse was complete. 0 to4, including partnership disasters with both Patrick Reed and Bryson Desambo, capped by a singles loss to John Rom. Two different captains, two different decades, same catastrophic result. When you’re picked as Tiger Woods, the legend, rather than Tiger Woods, the current player, even the greatest talent in history can’t deliver. And here we have another great video for you to watch right in the middle of the screen.