Johnny On Davis Love Selecting Old Guys For Ryder Cup: "I'm not a big believer in doing anything historical, because historically, we suck in The Ryder Cup."

Johnny Miller today on the NBC/Golf Channel conference call providing this team room bulletin board material regarding Captain Davis Love's selection of, well it sounds like Jim Furyk, mostly.

I'm not a big believer in doing anything historical, because historically, we suck in The Ryder Cup.  I like new blood.  The bottom line is it shouldn't always be, you know, the ones ‑‑ I would say obviously Tiger and Stricker are really good, but besides that, you ought to just go with your gut feeling.  The U.S. just has not played well except for 2008.

I don't know if you can do anything historically.  People say, you have to pick people with experience; I don't want a guy on my team with losing experience.  I'd rather have a guy that's fresh and says I'm going to win.

I like the young blood personally.  I like it when the young guys sometimes get paired together instead of throwing them in with a veteran that's lost five straight Ryder Cups.

It's Ryder Cup time! This is why we love Johnny!

Comments

[Hawkeye]

Epic. But in fairness, Woods has only been part of four straight losing Ryder Cup teams.

[johnnnycz]

Well the US sure didn't suck at the RC before Seve & Co. were invited to the party...losing tends to affect long term memory or maybe Johnny is going a tad senile.

[Ryan]

...says the man who lost both of his Ryder Cup singles matches. Johnny shouldn't talk so much

[No Longer Used to be Former S & T Convert]

Actually, Johnny is right on this one. Ryder Cup captains always seem to pick older cronies, think Curtis Strange. The problem is older cronies come with older nerves. Johnny is saying young nerves trump experience for non-qualifiers, think Ricky 2 years ago.

[GolfFan]

Lately, USA USA USA does suck in the Ryder Cup, that's because Europe RULES!

Independent that: Playing a variety of courses more often rather than the similar pablum set up week in and out makes you a better golfer, try it. it works at all levels.

[BrianS]

For those extolling Ricky's performance, he was a part of 2 1/2 pts and one L, he didn't exactly tear the place up. DJ (who was a rookie then) was terrible also. I think a good mix of young blood and a few vets is the best, it seems this year we have that. I also think if the Captain was older - maybe in his 50's or so, there would be less of the tendency for him to pick his old buds, or at least for people to perceive it that way.

[Jeremy]

Johnny, the US played pretty damn well in 2010. Having it come down to the final match on the road is nothing to sneeze at.

[gov. lepetomane]

I think what Miller is saying is a legitimate idea.
Of course, Johnny will never be (and likely has no desire to be) Ryder Cup Captain. Even if he is in the inactive section he remains a member of the fraternity of pro tour guffers. But within that group I think he enjoys thinking of himself as the loner, the guy above the fray who says what has to be said, popularity with the other guffer lads be damned.
Not many people are neutral on him. Most either like him a lot or don't care for him at all. I suspect many who don't like him watch him, nevertheless - similar to a liberal regularly listening to Rush Limbaugh.
I don't always agree with him, but like listening to those thoughts come out of his melon head (Is there a bigger head size in sports? Paul Hornung?) and imitating his catch terms and phrases, e.g., calling a hot young golfer a ''gun'' or exclaiming after a great shot ''that was CRAZY GOOD.'' Additionally, his pre-broadcast preparation is (per Gary Koch) better than most. Seriously.

[hh morant]

If the USA did suck in the 70s and early 80s a whole lot of us (that is the tiny part of the world that excludes the USA and Mexico) would still be enjoying the 1.62 inch ball.

[Press Agent]

Hawkeye makes a very good point. If Johnny really had balls he would point out how poor Tiger's record is in the RC. He wouldn't say: "Obviously Tiger and Stricker are really good." Really Johnny?? how is that obvious? what's obvious is that everyone is still scared to call out Tiger.

[The O]

Why does Johnny Miller hate America? Does he hate our Freedom?

[JSS]

The O: You're an idiot.

[KLG]

JSS; You are irony-challenged.

[KCMG]

KLG, he probably is, but you know so many people -- on late night talk shows, Republican conventions and the like -- do say this very thing in earnest that normal people's first response is JSS's.

[elf]

The US lost the RC in 2010 - but they didn't stink, it was a close loss in an away match. Tiger and Stricker were the top US pts earners (3 a piece). He also earned 3pts despite the overall US shellacking in the '06 RC. Tiger's overall RC record is also better than his two contemporaries (Mickelson and Furyk). It's probably time to drop the TW stinks at team competition narrative. And Stricker has been one of the better team performers of the last few years.

One can argue Furyk, he is easy to pair and partner with, the guys like him in the team room & he's a true professional plus he went 5-0 and paired well with Phil (not easy) last year, but he hasn't won all year, and he has a poor RC record.

[tlavin]

Johnny is right in his view of recent RC experiences; the USA has really not played well. They are going to win going away this year, however.

[solar]

We are talking about the #12 pick on the team. There are 11 "better" players on the team. Rickie shoots in the 80's every so often and furyk was two bad swings from winning the us open and the bridgestone. And what good is it being captain if you can't pick tour friends. And since the whole us team sucks year after year, who really cares.

[Press Agent]

The Analysts have no problem talking about Lee Westwood's short-game short comings - even to his face - even when they know it's pissing him off. They'll talk about Sergio's putting woes. They'll talk about Donald's inability to get it done in majors. They'll talk about Rory's couple of fat shots, even after he's won the tournament. They'll talk about Ricky Fowler's (slightly) less than stellar performance in the Ryder Cup as a reason he shouldn't be picked.... But they won't talk about how Tiger does not perform well in the RC and how nobody is comfortable playing with him etc.... Do you get it?
Why you took the leap to something disgusting like spitting on people is beyond me, but you can figure out why your mind goes there on your own.

[elf]

@press do you ever wonder if they don't talk about those things bc they aren't true? That being said you're wrong - plenty has been said about Tiger's record in RC, having a suitable partner etc, conversely there is much less talk about Phil and Furyk having even more terrible RC records.

TV/media also frequently talk about Tiger's poor driving, or his wedge play, or his putting & ask him about it (in fact if anything they tend to overstate how poor it it).

So what you really seem to be saying is if someone says something positive about the guy who had (tied for) the best US record in the last RC, it's because they're afraid to say something negative.

[smails]

as usual, Johnny is answering a question that hasn't been asked--the guys Love picked are all hot now. Rickie got left off cause he isn't hot.

[Matt]

I think that Miller might have a point (and it is why I'm a little worried about the Euro team, despite it being filled largely with well established players).

Think of the unknown players who provided key points in Euro victories (Paul Way in 85, Darcy in 87, O'Connor Jnr in 89, Gilford in 95, Johannsen and Garrido in 97, McGinley in 02. I won't both identifying players in '04 and '06 because they were routs, but perhaps Ross Fisher last time.

I think some inexperience and youth is vital to energising a team.

[Hawkeye]

Matt is right. Many experienced "stars" feel too much pressure to perform, while up-and-coming rookies see it as a breakthrough opportunity.

[tlavin]

I also agree with Matt. Especially on the American side, there seems to be very little legitimate conviviality and good teammate vibe. It all seems rather forced, except among the younger players who are far less jaded than their more experienced teammates who all have G-IV's of their own. Right or wrong, it has always seemed to me that the guys playing for Europe all seem to get along with each other. There seems to be less lingering resentment and simmering dislike than one perceives on the American squad. For this reason, I definitely welcome new and young blood on the team. Not for nothing, the younger they are, the less removed they are from a lot of match play competition which they had as amateurs and, to a lesser extent, in college.

[ol Harv]

I remember back when the losing streak started or the Euros started really playing, the Curtis, Kite, Lanny captain days. There honestly wasn't near the amount of young players that had the games that so many of the younger players do now. I always thought, and still do to some extent, that way too much emphasis is placed on experience and the whole fist pump "he's an unbelievable competitor" bs. Larry Nelson has a great RC record and probably has never done a fist pump in 40 years. Bottom line is really who's game shows up. If a Nationwide player at the time was confident and dominating they could have beat Euros if they were struggling. In that regard I reluctantly agree with Johnny--the young guys have just as good a chance as anyone else and I would probably pick them as well, maybe only because they are a little more exciting or to give them a chance. There is no formula other than to play good golf and hope you don't run into another world class player who is playing better than you are.

[Press Agent]

@ elf, yes you are correct, although overall he has a losing record in RC, it's not really that bad, and maybe more than wanting Johnny to say something negative, I should have just said I was surprised by the open-ended praise. Also Phil does seam to stink it up in the RC, though I didn't actually check his record and that is just my gut feeling. This statement "I would say obviously Tiger and Stricker are really good" just struck me the wrong way. It seems more like something you'd say about someone with 24 wins and zero loses, than someone with his record. Matter of fact, I think Furyk has a similar record to Woods, and Woods and Stricker aren't new or young either, so it shoots a hole in Johnny's argument. Also it does a dis-service to the rest of the team who Johnny didn't include in his "obviously" statement.

[rb]

elfie...Tiger Woods record in Ryder Cups is pretty poor...Tiger has a losing record in his career, posting a mark of 12-14-2. ..sorry

[elf]

Tiger Woods RC record 13-14-2 - so mediocre (albeit his record is much better now than it was when he was younger) but
Jim Furyk: 7-15-4
Phil Mickelson: 11-17-6

And Tiger and Stricker are 6-2 as a team in international competition (which is I think where Johny's comments come from, not that I really feel like spending any more time defending Johny)

[Pepperdine]

@Press Agent -

You're right about spitting being disgusting. Your comments are generally in the same vein ... so, that's where I went with it. Didn't really have an agenda beyond giving you an idea of how your anti-Tiger rhetoric sounds outside your own head.