ESPN Golf Online: North: Team USA primed for victory


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North: Team USA primed for victory

By Andy North
Special to ESPN Golf Online
September 23 2:55pm ET

The United States has not played very well in recent Ryder Cup matches, but I suspect that is going to change this week when the Americans take on the Europeans at Brookline.

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Each week Andy North will answer three user questions. If you have a question, send it to Andy and check back next week to see if he answers it.
How important are the pairings in the Ryder Cup when you're dealing with the best players in the world?
-- Erin Morton, Bethesda, Md.
North: In best ball, it's important to put friends together where there is a real familiarity with your partner. But deciding how to pair players up is tough. Do you want to put two bombers together, or one bomber and one accurate guy? In alternate shot, you want to put two guys who are very much alike. You don't want to put an accurate guy with a bomber who tends to be all over the place. That would put them in situations and hitting shots they aren't used to hitting. But the American team is so good there are so many guys that drive it straight and long. Ben Crenshaw will have a whole bunch of options.
Do players in general prefer playing best ball, alternate shot or singles at the Ryder Cup?
-- Pete Ryan, Elmwood, Pa.
North: It doesn't really matter to most as long as you're paired well. At this point, most guys don't care what they plat. Since everybody plays singles, you just want to play well on Sunday. You never know who you're going to play, but if you play well you can beat anybody. If you don't play well, anybody can beat you.
What do you think are the chances of small tour events like last week's B.C. Open surviving in today's world? It seems the tour doesn't care about golf for the masses, just money, money, money.
-- Mark Wasser, Endicott, N.Y.
North: It's going to be very difficult. The New York community has done a great job rallying behind the B.C. Open, and everybody in Endicott seems to be involved at some level. But it gets harder and harder to exist without a major sponsor. There are only a few tournaments left without a major sponsor. There is a place for events like that and in Milwaukee, because they give players two different experiences.

If I have to make a prediction, I think our boys will win 18-10. If they don't do it this year, they may never do it. The Americans have the experience and are on their home turf, so everything seems to be pointing in their direction.
But they must get off to a good start. If they fall behind on the first day, it could put a huge amount of pressure on them and take them out of their games. On the other hand, if they get off to a good start, it could snowball.
Eleven of the 12 Americans have been through this before, and that is important. And one of those guys is Tiger Woods, who has demonstrated over the past three or four months that he is the best player in the world. With one year of experience under his belt, this is the year for Woods to take over as leader of the team.
He's not a rookie, and he can be the leader this time. Woods knows he's going to be out there for all five matches, and a big part of being the leader is going there prepared and going out and winning matches. He's been there before, seen what it's about and can share his opinions in team meetings.
You simply can't do that as a rookie. And even though other guys have been through this before, they will turn to Woods because of his talent. I would suspect if you walked in the Bulls locker room over the past several years, Michael Jordan was running the show.
Woods has to take that same approach at the Ryder Cup. He's got to walk in there with some swagger, lead by playing terrific golf and make sure the other guys are doing that.
It's a big deal to keep everybody on the team emotionally and mentally strong, but that can be tough.
One of the reasons the Ryder Cup causes so much pressure is that in everything else these players do, the focus is on them as individuals. All of a sudden this week, you're not just playing for yourself. You look out there and see your guys doing everything to help you win, so you want to win your matches for everybody. Sometimes guys try to hard. There's a real fine line between playing too hard and being just where you want to be.
The United States has a really strong team, and they have been playing well this summer. Obviously, Woods is playing really well, and Hal Sutton won last week in Canada. Phil Mickelson played a really good round Sunday at the B.C. Open -- a final-round 64 -- and that will give him confidence.
The only real question is Davis Love and his health. But it looks like he is ready to go.
On the other side, Europe has a lot of first-timers on the squad. There may be one or two who will play terrific, but it's a tough experience the first time out, so having so many first-timers is a factor.
Europe won't have Faldo, Seve, Langer or those guys that they've ridden to the hilt. Those guys would play five matches every single year and make other players better. People don't understand the influence a guy like Seve can have. He's taken guys and made them play so much better.
That said, the European team is much better than most people think. All of these guys can play. They are not as experienced, but that doesn't mean they can't win. The format is easier for an underdog to win, and Europe has owned the momentum the last few years.

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