re: Current US Ryder cup team isn’t very inspiring

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i got ya. Interesting. Good to know a guy that is outside the top 30 in world rankings and not even close to making the team this year will play in more Ryder Cups than almost any American in history. More than Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus if he is a fixture for the next 15 years. Good projection.

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A. It wasn’t my projection

B. You can’t pick up on hyperbole that’s a bummer for you and a real tell of your intellectual abilities

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A. It wasn’t my projection

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You replied to me, I replied back, it’s kind of what we do on tigerdroppings.

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B. You can’t pick up on hyperbole that’s a bummer for you and a real tell of your intellectual abilities

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He made a half-apology about damaging the locker at Oakmont. The same old "I regret what I did", "I let the emotions get the best of me", yadda, yadda, yadda. He's not sorry that he did it, he's sorry that he got caught. He wants to move on and hopes that people forgive him. He needs at least a fine and be required to pay for damages.

Just saying.....USA USA

Do you go by the list for 3 picks and save 3 picks for the guys who have performed best the last 8 weeks or so?

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KB sounds like he is gonna go with his gut. Not sure who that will be. Most of the no brainer picks are in the top 6.

Morikawa is currently 7th. He is probably in unless he goes ice cold down the stretch (he had a MC this week).

I like Ben Griffin (currently 8th) but he is no lock to be on the team

This team wss suppose to have young guys like Matt Wolff and Gordon Sargent but they turned out to be duds. Dunlap has his head up his arse. Luke Clanton isnt ready yet. Maybe Gotterup is gonna be the young pony, or maybe we go with some extra old heads like Lucas Glover and Billy Ho.

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That gap of guys in the 21 to about 26 or 27 age range is a chasm for the U.S. right now. A whole whole bunch of guys in that age range haven't elevated (or regressed) - Wolff, Sahith, Zalatoris (who I know is technically 28 but still throw him in with that cohort), etc.

Akshay, Dunlap, Sargent, Davis Riley, Clanton, and Thorbjornsen are all still pretty young (all 24 or younger) and have flashed at times, but none of them has made the leap yet that guys like Spieth or Justin Thomas made at those ages.

Europe has a ton of guys in that age range right now who could be real weapons for them - Hovland, the Hojgaards, Ludvig, Norgaard, Neergaard-Peterson, and even some a little further down the list like Martin Couvra, Eugenio Chacarra, David Puig, Jose Luis Ballester, etc.

Looking down the U.S. list, I think right now it's:
Locks:
Scottie
Xander
Spaun
Russ Henley
Bryson
Justin Thomas
Morikawa

Likely on barring a collapse:
Ben Griffin
Keegan (who should pick himself and I wouldn't have said that 3 months ago)
Harris English (Ryder Cup experience, decent course fit, can pair well with just about anyone)

So two more spots:
Berger would have been in that group a few months ago but isn't in great form again. Spieth has actually also been playing decently well this year but I think that injury is going to sideline him.

Sam Burns is 11th in datagolf, has played well this summer, and is Scottie's guy. He is likely on.

Cantlay is 15th in datagolf and is a major power broker on the Tour. He is also likely on.

That team is actually sneaky really, really good - much better than I think most of the U.S. fans might give it credit.

That's datagolf #1, #3, #6, #7, #8, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #17, and #24.

As a comparison, the European team for all the hype this year about how strong they might be - and it's deserved at the top of the roster - is sneakily kinda shitty towards the bottom of the roster:

Rahm is #2, Rory #4, Fleetwood #5, Hatton #9, Viktor i#18, Sepp is #19, Bobby Mac #20, Ludvig #29, Lowry #30, Fitz #34, then it's pretty wild after that:

Aaron Rai is 31st but is a terrible course fit and would be a first time Ryder Cupper.

Neegaard-Petersen probably gets one of those slots at #46. Rasmus will likely get another given their philosophy of bringing on the youth but he is #92 in DG. Puig could be interesting sitting there at #51.

Hovland hasn't played that great outside of the U.S. Open. Ludvig is having a down summer. Ditto Lowry. Fitz has been up and down.

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He is not near the top 12, but he is definitely on KB's radar now. He needs another win or a strong run of top 10s.

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Gotterup seems to be in good form.

Would a top 10 in Open keep him in convo for a captains pick?

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Gotterup seems to be in good form.

Would a top 10 in Open keep him in convo for a captains pick?

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Yes, and he will shoot up the rankings too. Big points available this week. But all 6 of the guys in the auto qualifying spots made the cut, so it will be hard to catch any of them. Morikawa and Griffin did not; those two are starting to slide. Koepka's chances are probably super slim now.

Gotterup is looking like a real possibility. I think a couple top 10 finishes could be enough to earn a spot.

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Looking down the U.S. list, I think right now it's:
Locks:
Scottie
Xander
Spaun
Russ Henley
Bryson
Justin Thomas
Morikawa

Likely on barring a collapse:
Ben Griffin
Keegan (who should pick himself and I wouldn't have said that 3 months ago)
Harris English (Ryder Cup experience, decent course fit, can pair well with just about anyone)

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Agreed on Keegan picking himself and Harris English being on the team.

I am picking Sam Burns and Brooks Koepka. Brooks is not in great form at the moment, but he's won a major at Bethpage and won 3 majors overall in the state of New York. I think that counts for enough.