American pride is back, thanks to Azinger

Americans 16 1/2
Europeans 11 1/2

That's a pretty good start for renewed and refreshed Ryder Cup play. The American team has its pride back, and I give much of the credit to my friend Paul Azinger. I first met Paul when I coached him at Brevard Community College in Cocoa, Fla., and I can tell you that it takes someone like Paul to create team chemistry. Three moves made the difference: 1. He had the courage to ask the PGA for four picks instead of two; 2. He had the insight to play poker with the media by continually saying Team USA was the underdog.; and 3. He created the inspiration by telling the crowd that they were his 13th man.

Nobody knows the power of a great attitude better than Paul Azinger. He beat cancer so how hard could beating a great European golf team really be? If you want to take the measure of this man, think about him in downtown Louisville at the Thursday night pep rally leading the cheers in front of 15,000 screaming fans. Then think about Paul riding with Payne Stewart's son during the final round on Sunday. What a great gesture on his part.

Yes, the captain doesn’t hit any shots for their team, and the American players are the ones who won this Ryder Cup. But you can’t put a finger on the importance of the right coach. In 2008, Paul Azinger was the right coach for this team loaded with rookies. He inspired them and gave them the confidence that they needed, while at the same time, he kept them loose enough to bring out their true talents. All the players agreed that Paul was a great captain. As a spectator, it was fun to see somebody who I had watched grow up take the sport to the highest level. It would be great to see more events like the Ryder Cup, where the crowd can be more of a factor.

When looking for a coach in 2010, the PGA should look at some of the great character qualities that Paul displayed in this Ryder Cup. You know, Paul got it wrong when he said the crowd was the team’s 13th man. He was the 13th man. Good job, Paul! He still calls me coach, and if I taught him anything it was to be his own man and to always believe in himself.

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Jim Suttie, Ph.D., is director of instruction at the Jim Suttie Golf Academy at Twineagles in Naples, Fla.

Let’s hope ‘Lords of Augusta’ watched the Ryder Cup

The passion of the Ryder Cup brought out the best golf we've seen in a long time. I hope the members of Augusta National were watching all those birdies being made at Valhalla. Birdies bring cheers and roars and that has been missing lately at the Masters.

The excitement of this year’s Ryder Cup used to be on display every spring at the Masters as the best players in the world matched each other birdie for birdie. With Augusta National toughened up, the Masters has been more of a grind for the players and the fans. I hope this gripping Ryder Cup convinces Augusta National to not be so stingy with scoring holes next spring.

The game became younger this past weekend too. Anthony Kim is a star and made Sergio look "old." Hunter Mahan played like a veteran, and J.B. Holmes was awesome. These American kids outplayed and brought more passion to the event than the Europeans (although Oliver Wilson has a bright future).

Holmes and Mahan were captain’s picks and I don’t think you can give enough credit to U.S. captain Paul Azinger. He simply outcoached Faldo. Paul had a better plan for Singles than Nick; we only needed 5.5 points to win so Paul stacked his best players early with solid picks in the middle. This left the Euros with some of their most inexperienced players going up against a hot player in Boo Weekley and fan-favorite Holmes. Two of the hottest Europeans were Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter; they needed to be off early and get their points to stop any U.S. momentum. Nick was overly optimistic in the quality of his team and the U.S. Team just had too many good players playing well and feeding off the gallery. Zinger was great at resting players as well as going with the hot players and riding them, like he did with Justin Leonard

Two years seems a long way off to wait for more excitement but it looks evident that golfers like Kim, Weekley, Holmes and Mahan will be on many future teams.

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Brian Mogg is director of instruction at the Brian Mogg Performance Center at Golden Bear Golf Club at Keene's Point, Windermere, Fla.

Tide may be turning for Team USA

I can understand why Nick Faldo wore those big sunglasses on Sunday -- the future does look bright for Team USA.

The key to the Americans' first Ryder Cup win since 1999 was the new guys. This was a different U.S. Team. Missing in action were longtime American Ryder Cup players like Davis Love III, Fred Couples, Brad Faxon, Scott Verplank and David Toms -- the old-guard guys, who for whatever reason couldn't get in done in previous Cups. The U.S. won this weekend at Valhalla because of the guys with little or no Ryder Cup experience: Hunter Mahan, Boo Weekley, Kenny Perry and, especially, Anthony Kim and J.B. Holmes.

Kim and Holmes are the best examples of the sea change that's happened on the American side. They are proven winners who played together as amateurs on the winning U.S. side in the 2005 Walker Cup. We watched a true changing of the guard, and now we've got a bunch of guys who can handle the pressure of this event. By contrast, the U.S. players on this team who lived through the bad old days were average at best. Phil Mickelson couldn't even beat Justin Rose on Sunday.

On the other side, the European team's DNA has been completely altered with the absence of Colin Montgomerie, Darren Clarke and Jose Maria Olazabal. [Olazabal was at Valhalla as an assistant.] And, Europe's big dogs, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood, didn't get it done. I won't put Padraig Harrington in this group because he's never been a Ryder Cup standout, but Europe needed big wins from Garcia and Westwood, and they didn't get them. By contrast, Ian Poulter made me reconsider his ridiculous-sounding claim that he and Tiger Woods are the two best players in the world. Poulter was a monster and probably the best player this week on either side.

Speaking of Tiger, I expect he'll be stoked to play with Holmes, Kim and Mahan in Wales in 2010. The idea that not having Tiger was good for the U.S. is ridiculous. We won because of who was there, not who wasn't. You always want the best player in the world on your team. Our problem is that we never found the right partner for him. Based on what I saw this week, I think Mahan-Tiger would be a great team. No doubt Tiger will assume his usual defining role when he comes back to the U.S. team, but he'll like the new players and the new winning attitude around him.

Ryder Cup format is perfect match for Azinger

I had a good feeling about the Americans going into this year's Ryder Cup, mainly because of the man who's leading them. I coached U.S. captain Paul Azinger in college, and I can tell you that he is a match-play genius. You saw that genius at work yesterday with his pairings: Mickelson and Kim, Campbell and Cink, and especially Mahan and Leonard. He knows who will play well together. I've known this about Paul ever since he won a pair of shoes almost 30 years ago. Let me tell you that story.

Paul came to my golf team at Brevard Community College in Cocoa, Fla., from Sarasota. Paul has always been a very competitive person and is definitely a winner, but when I had him in college, he was just another player. His scores always seemed to be about 75 or 76. At the time, he was about the No. 10 man on our team.

But I knew he had a competitive streak, so I organized a match-play tournament. I offered a pair of shoes to the winner. Guess who won? Yes, that's right, Paul won the tournament (and those shoes). I think that's one of the moments when he started to gain confidence in himself and become the great player he is.

Paul's personality allows him to relate to all kinds of people. He can read people, their needs, their desires and their personalities. Players are very comfortable around him, something that is clear in the way the U.S. team is playing this year. They are cohesive and they have personality. A great team needs chemistry, and Paul has definitely brought this team together.

Jim Suttie, Ph.D., is director of instruction at the Jim Suttie Golf Academy at Twineagles in Naples, Fla.

(Photo: Kohjiro Kinno/SI)

The Americans can't win because they can't putt

I often get asked why the Americans can’t win the Ryder Cup anymore. The simple truth is that the U.S. team is not getting outplayed from tee to green, they just have failed to make the putts that you need in order to win. The old saying is still true: you drive for show but you putt for dough. Putting is a game within a game, and this is where the U.S. Ryder Cup team has lost its matches.

The Ryder Cup is a pressure cooker and the dials are turned all the way up when you are behind. Putting in this environment is like shooting two free throws at the end of a basketball game. If you’re down by two with eight seconds left in the game the pressure is enormous. But if your team is up by two with eight seconds to go, you need to make the shots, but the pressure is different. Most players don’t tense up as much in this second situation, and they have much better feel of the basketball when they shoot it.

When the U.S. Ryder Cup team gets behind, the players often start trying too hard, which produces tension, tightening and loss of touch of feel. This tension is going to show up the most in putting. Cranking a drive 280 yards in play under pressure is a lot easier than making an 8-foot breaking putt that requires touch, feel and trust in your intuition.

The U.S. Team made putts left and right at Brookline on the final day, and the result was the biggest come-from-behind victory in Ryder Cup history. If our guys can start having some fun on the greens and make some putts like the Europeans have the last few times, this could be a great Ryder Cup to watch. If you truly want to see how well a pro can handle the pressure, just watch how they roll the ball when the heat is on. Two of the greatest putters I have watched under pressure are Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods; maybe that’s why they have so many majors.

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Glenn Deck is director of instruction at the Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast, Calif.

Azinger vs. Faldo: Who’s the better captain?

If the Ryder Cup were decided by which team has the better captain, this week’s throwdown would be no contest: Azinger gets the big edge. The Europeans have more strength on their team, but Nick kept to himself so much on Tour that I don’t know if Team Europe will play its hardest for him like they have in the past for Tony Jacklin, Bernard Gallacher, Ian Woosnam, etc.   

Azinger is really one of the guys, and he’s also one of the most competitive people I've ever met. He will motivate his team and blend the right amount of leadership with getting the best pairings possible. When it’s all said and done, Zinger may be the reason the Americans come out with a victory on Sunday afternoon.

Other thoughts on this Ryder Cup…

* The potential heroes for the U.S. side are Steve Striker and Hunter Mahan. Hunter can get it going and make lots of birdies, while Steve can be deadly with his short-iron play. For the Europeans, look out for Graeme McDowell and Paul Casey. Graeme is not well known in the United States, but he was an outstanding collegiate player at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Casey has been around many leaderboards in the majors and is a very solid player. What makes the Ryder Cup so much fun is that heroes are born here. At the right time, one shot can make the difference and win the Cup.

* Tiger's injury obviously hurts the U.S. Team because he is without question the best player in the game. However, Tiger might have been a safety net for the Americans in past years. Now each guy will have to look in the mirror and step up his own game to make up for Tiger’s absence. Also, American players have a chance to feel like they are the “star," not having to play in Tiger’s shadow. It’s possible that they will come out with more passion and firepower than ever before. I was disappointed Tiger said he would not be showing up at Valhalla to fire up his teammates because I think he would be a great motivator.

* Six rookies is a lot, but fielding so many Ryder Cup newbies might work to the Americans’ advantage because none of the six have experienced losing or gotten accustomed to what’s become our biennial drubbing.

Brian Mogg is director of instruction at the Brian Mogg Performance Center at Golden Bear Golf Club at Keene's Point, Windermere, Fla.

U.S. needs strong opening pairs to win Cup

The Americans must get off to a good start in the Ryder Cup if they're going to win. In recent years, they’ve fallen behind early and have been unable to make up the deficit. Paul Azinger's captain’s picks, and his decision to play alternate shot first, show that he gets this. These are the teams that will give the Americans the best chance to get ahead early.

First Match: Kenny Perry and Steve Stricker
Kenny is the local hero and will have a strong gallery. He's having a career season and is a great choice to hit the opening tee shot in the alternate-shot format. Stricker is a Ryder Cup rookie, but the guy is a veteran who has been around, and I predict he’ll be one of the stars this week. Steve may be the best wedge player in the world, so they'll need to strategize: Stricker should take most of the short-iron shots while Kenny, the better driver, should be on the tee when finding the fairway is crucial.

I believe Nick Faldo will counter with his strongest team of Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood. They have been awesome together in past Ryder Cups, and Nick will want to start with his best team.

Second Match: Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim
A veteran and a rookie with a twist -- Kim has been the best American player the past few months. Phil has a lackluster Ryder Cup record (9-8-3), but in past years he tended to take off the last third of the season. The FedEx Cup playoffs have extended his season into September, so maybe he'll be in better form than in previous Ryder Cups. They should motivate each other, and Kim's youth and passion could make for a dream pairing. The best strategy would be to take advantage of Kim’s length off the tee and Mickelson's short game precision and creativity.

I believe Faldo will pair Robert Karlsson with Paul Casey; they were very good at Ireland’s K Club in 2006.

Third Match: Jim Furyk and J.B. Holmes
Another veteran-rookie pairing. Jim has such a solid all-around game that adding J.B.’s length to the equation could create one of the strongest teams out there. Again, they'll want to maximize the effect of J.B.’s length and Jim’s approach shots. J.B.’s Kentucky roots should draw a large gallery. My only concern is that Furyk's usually stellar putting has faltered this year, and J.B. is streaky.

Nick’s move will be to pair the Irishmen, Padraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell. Padraig has been the hottest player in the world the last few months, and Graeme has won twice this year in Europe.

Fourth Match: Stewart Cink-Chad Campbell/Boo Weekley
Stewart is the most solid American and the leader on the team, so pairing him with Campbell or possibly Boo Weekly in the last match of the morning would be a good fit. Chad and Boo are extra strong tee-to-green to go along with Stewart’s all-around game

Nick will counter with Justin Rose and Ian Poulter, two young guys who are great friends. Wouldn't you like to play for your country with your best friend as your partner? Poulter has been inconsistent this year, but he notched several great finishes, including second at the British Open. Justin has played great but just can’t seem to break through for a win.

U.S. Players Left Out
Hunter Mahan, Boo Weekley, Ben Curtis, Justin Leonard
Hunter will be great for the best-ball format and will make lots of birdies. Weekley is solid and can play any format. Curtis is more suited for alternate shot, but his smooth tempo and calm demeanor could be a perfect addition at any time. Leonard has a lower ball flight that isn’t ideal for Valhalla, but his experience and history of making clutch plays will make him an easy add-in for Zinger after the morning matches

Europe Players Left Out
Miguel Angel Jimenez, Oliver Wilson, Henrik Stenson, Soren Hansen
Jimenez and Stenson are two solid veteran players. If they sit out, that says more about the top-to-bottom talent of Europe than about their personal skills. Jimenez and Stenson will play two or three of the four matches before singles. Wilson is a rookie who played quite well to make the team, and Hansen has had multiple top 10s lately, but to bring these two into the fold with 10 veterans will be hard for Faldo.

How the U.S. can win the Ryder Cup

For the first time I can remember, the Europeans will be the overwhelming favorites to win the Ryder Cup on U.S. soil this month at Valhalla. Rightfully so. The top 12 European players are clearly better than the top 12 Americans. However, Paul Azinger’s captain’s picks for the U.S. team show that he might have the right strategy to win.

Azinger understands that the U.S. will need to have a lead on Saturday night because the Europeans will have the advantage in the singles matches on Sunday. The U.S. must win in alternate shot and best ball to have any chance to win, and this squad is suited to the task.

Steve Stricker was an obvious choice for the team—it’s hard to think of a more solid guy. Hunter Mahan is somewhat of a surprise, but the kid is a birdie machine, which will help in best ball. Chad Campbell and J.B. Holmes are two guys whose games are perfectly suited to alternate shot. Campbell because he’s such a great ballstriker, and everyone likes to play with a guy who hits fairways and greens. No one would turn down Holmes as a partner either, not when his team will regularly be 60 yards closer to the hole than the competition. Azinger needed a long hitter like Holmes, although I’m sure Bubba Watson got a close look too.

That said, this strategy only gives the U.S. a fighting chance. Many will consider it a moral victory if the U.S. players keep it close, but I think they may surprise some people. Playing without Tiger Woods hurts, obviously, but his absence also takes away the U.S. safety net. Without Woods to count on, the Americans may play with more fire and passion.

Also, the Europeans, who always seem to make the clutch putts, will have more pressure on them this time. Maybe the burden of being the favorite will rattle them on the greens, and the underdog Americans will be able to sink a few of those clutch putts.

Brian Mogg is director of instruction at the Brian Mogg Performance Center at Golden Bear Golf Club at Keene's Point, Windermere,  Fla.

How to hone your match-play killer instinct

The Ryder Cup teams are set, and now we get to see the best players in the world play the way the rest of us do: match play. It’s a different game from stroke play and requires a different strategy. The best match play golfers have a killer instinct. You need that same instinct to win your match this weekend, just as Mickelson and Furyk will need it at Valhalla.

What makes match play so exciting is that there’s no doubt about what you must do. Your normal mindset goes out the window as you try to play your round with one eye on your opponent. This can be very unnerving, and something as simple as hitting the green with a pitching wedge can feel like a challenge after your opponent has gone out of bounds with a tee shot. It's almost like playing the last hole of a tournament over and over again!

My advice is to refocus your efforts on the elements you can control. Focus on your golf and on the shots you need to hit to play a nice game. Pick your targets to fit the situation and then go at those targets with a vengeance. Go for the jugular and get as many holes up as possible early. You never know what will happen later, so take advantage of your good play early on.

Recognize that the momentum can change easily, so don't let your opponent get any breathing room. If you can put him away on the 12th hole, do it. He would happily do the same to you.

Take Rocco, please!

I don’t envy Paul Azinger. Next Tuesday he has to choose from a lot of worthy players to fill those four captain’s picks for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. But if I were Azinger, one of those picks would definitely go to Rocco Mediate.

One of the most important elements of a Ryder Cup team is chemistry. These guys have to spend seven days together, and how they relate to each other is very important. Rocco is so personable and fun that he would really lend himself to that. You want your players to be relaxed, not tense, and Rocco would lighten the team’s mood.

Rocco would also help deflect some of the media spotlight from the other American players. In a major tournament with a hundred-plus players, any guy not named Tiger or Phil can find some refuge from the cameras. But at the Ryder Cup, the scrutiny is inescapable. Everyone is watching your every shot. Rocco’s worked at The Golf Channel, and he knows the media. Azinger will definitely be the team spokesman, but Rocco’s easy-going humor will disarm reporters and give the rest of the team some air to breathe.

Of course, chemistry and media-savvy are nice traits, but the most important criteria for Ryder Cup selection is: Can he play? With Rocco, the answer is a resounding yes.

All great teams have a spark plug, a player who is ready to take charge and be an on-field leader. When I think of great spark plugs in sports, I always think of Dodgers shortstop Maury Wills. For the younger generation, great spark plugs are guys like Tom Brady. They don’t have to be most talented player, just the one willing to stand up and lead. Rocco is that kind of player.

I’m not Rocco’s coach, but I did work with him at Bel-Air Country Club, where I teach, last year. I also saw him briefly at the PGA Championship this year in Michigan. He was in good spirits and his back appeared healthy. I know Rocco’s performance has been just average as of late (he missed the cut at the Barclays and shot a final-round 85 at the PGA Championship), but over the past two years he has really played himself into position to make this Ryder Cup team. In addition to his epic U.S. Open runner-up finish to Tiger Woods, Rocco tied for sixth against a tough field in this year’s Memorial and was second to Vijay Singh at Bay Hill in 2007.

It is his performance at Torrey Pines on the largest stage imaginable in this game that makes me think Rocco would be a great addition to the U.S. team because he showed he can isolate himself from the situation and perform under great pressure.

Another thing to remember is that the Ryder Cup format (better ball, alternate shot and singles) requires different skills than a stroke-play tournament. Match play with a partner is like a marriage. You have to complement each other. Rocco would blend well with any of the players on the team now.

Do I think we can win? That’s a tall order against a tough European team, but I think being the underdog is an advantage for us. One reason we haven’t done well recently is that we expect too much of ourselves. I just keep thinking of 1999, when we rallied on the final day and erased a 4-point lead. That’s what happens when you stop putting pressure on yourself and start playing golf. I hope I see a repeat this year.

(Photo: Robert Beck/SI)