The biggest decision Padraig Harrington will make this week at the Ryder Cup is his selection for the opening foursomes tomorrow.
The foursomes is Europe’s strength in this match and doing well in the morning session tomorrow and Saturday will be key to our hopes of retaining or winning the match.
I’m convinced if we can get our noses in front we’ll be in the match until the final matches on Sunday but if we struggle on the first day then we’ll struggle all weekend too and it could make for unpleasant viewing.
The reason the foursomes is crucial for Europe is because it is the format where we have historically been strongest. It’s different gravy from fourballs and singles where players can effectively play on their own.
In the foursomes format you have to work together as a team by hitting the same ball and I’m not doing the Americans a disservice in saying they have struggled to do that over the years.
But there are so many variables for Padraig to consider along with his vice-captains in picking his pairings.
It’s little nuanced things from looking at two players and doubting whether they are compatible, assessing how the course is playing and who is better suited to going first on the odd holes or even holes.
He will also have pondered what he will do in the fourballs in the afternoon session and that too will determine his thinking.
He will have arrived at Whistling Straits this week with an idea of his pairings in mind but nothing is ever set in stone. The practice rounds will have given him some insight into whether those pairings he had in mind are the way to go but he will also have seen some guys gel better than he had anticipated.
It is why predicting the pairings is such a tough task. It will not be decided until the last minute and it will not happen without a consultation process with the players themselves.
For what it’s worth I know which players I’d have in mind to get us under way but I’m making a judgement from outside the camp.
The partnership which seems the most obvious is Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia. Two Spaniards, Jose Maria Olazabal and Seve Ballesteros 2.0.
Then there’s Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry. I’d have to go with them at some point too.
Lee Westwood has been raving about Viktor Hovland so that could be an indication of another pairing too while I’d be tempted by the prospect of Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick teaming up as well.
Tommy is a great driver while Matt is a straight hitter and a very good putter. Sounds like the makings of a solid duo to me.
But whatever happens I’d be keen to get my rookies out on the course as soon as possible.
The quicker they can get a feel for what this match is all about the better in my book.
Rory must play
There has been much debate about whether Rory McIlroy will play all five sessions.
My answer to that one is a resounding yes. I’d say the same goes for Jon Rahm too.
To win on US soil we need a couple of guys to win four out of five or five out of five matches. If we can get that then we’re more than halfway there to achieving our aim of winning the match.
It sounds simple but we all know the Ryder Cup is rarely a blowout these days. It is three of the most intense days of golf you will ever play and to say you are emotionally and physically spent at the end is an understatement.
Rory has spoken of how jaded he has felt from playing in all the sessions in the past but if he is feeling up to it then Padraig Harrington has to leave him in there.
As for the Americans, it’s hard to escape the contrast in the line of questioning in the build-up to the match with the focus very much negative on the US team.
It seems to me the whole focus has been on the simmering rivalry between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.
How’s the mood between the players? Will they play together? What is the atmosphere like in the locker room between them?
That’s the questions the hosts have been facing on a daily basis and it must be distracting.
For Europe, we’re flying under the radar and I’m sure that suits Padraig Harrington and his team just fine.
Old guard will want to go out in style
The match has been billed as Dad’s Army versus the Young Guns but the decision to go with experience in the European team is the correct one. They key to winning away from home is keeping the home crowd quiet. We’ve got the right combination to do just that.
While the hosts have six rookies we only have two and it will be interesting to see how that dynamic plays out in the next three days.
But for Europe much will depend on the old guard. Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia will be looking at this week and thinking it could be their last hurrah.
If it is they will be determined to go out in style and it would be a fitting farewell, if that is what this week ends up being, for the fabulous trio to go out with a bang.
The stage has been set for the likes of Jon Rahm. Tommy Fleetwood, Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton to take on the mantle of being the team leaders. What better way to do so than by playing a part in another famous European win.
