Just In Case: Euro's Importing 400 Rainsuits!?

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Anticipating either colossal storms or a vast shortage of GORE-TEX in the state of Illinois, European Ryder Cup supplier ProQuip will have 400 rainsuits shipped to Chicago, reports Bernie McGuire. Apparently they heard about that AmEx bill the PGA of America racked up at Celtic Manor buying suits last time out.

To kit out the 12 players in Olazábal’s team, plus caddies, ProQuip has supplied 90 pairs of waterproof trousers, 60 full-zip jackets and 60 half-zip playing tops.

ProQuip will only reveal the slim-fit garments feature an exclusively developed, highly technical, lightweight fabric that is super-quiet and supremely soft, enabling the players to perform their best in all weathers.

Olazábal and his four vice-captains also receive rain suits, as well as backroom staff, the six boys and six girls that make up the Junior European Ryder Cup Team, plus board members and Official Partners of Ryder Cup Europe.

Gee, and I thought the PGA of America was shameless when it came to having too many hanger-on types!

Consensus: No Surprises In U.S. Ryder Picks; Much Surprise Hunter Mahan Left Off The Team

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The reviews are in and Captain Davis Love earned mostly shoulder shrugs, a few rave reviews and one outright blasting for his four Ryder Cup selections of Furyk, Stricker, Johnson and Snedeker.

John Strege even noted that no one should have been surprised based on the Monday night Twitter speculation.

There were no surprises, even the choices of Dustin Johnson and Brandt Snedeker to round out Davis Love III's four captain's picks.

"Everyone assume it's Furyk, Strick, DJ and Sneds?" Joe Ogilvie asked on Twitter in advance of the announcement.

On Monday night, Steve Flesch posted that, "DL3's picks are no-brainers. Stricker, Furyk, Snedeker, and Johnson. Consistency, experience, clutch putting, and fearless power."

Rex Hoggard takes us behind the scenes to reveal that as of 6:45 ET Monday, Love still had not made up his mind and that it was Snedeker who was the final choice.

Arguments for and against each candidate filled the room, Snedeker’s form (runner-up at The Barclays and sixth-place finish at last week’s Deutsche Bank Championship) and putter (first on the PGA Tour in strokes gained-putting, one-putt percentage and total putts) were impossible to ignore; while Mahan’s resume (he is the only active American player with a winning Ryder Cup record and his two victories this year make him the only U.S. player with multiple wins not on the team) hung in the conference room like a red, white and blue elephant.

In a makeshift war-room in the bowels of the Renaissance Hotel just down the street from Times Square, the captain and his assistants debated for well over an hour.

When the dust and ShotLink reports settled it was Snedeker who got the nod, but Love’s night was far from over.

Without questioning the pick of Furyk, Bob Harig suggested this about Furyk's role. Which is kind of like questioning the pick of Furyk.

Furyk has been a part of every U.S. Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup team dating to 1997. He was 5-0 last year at the Presidents Cup, but is 8-15-4 including a horrible 1-8-1 in four-ball (best ball) matches. His leadership and putting are keys, but what about those collapses at the U.S. Open and Bridgestone? He is the only player on the U.S. team without a victory this year.

The view here: Sit Furyk in the four balls, leaving him for three matches.

Farrell Evans says the inevitable and overrated team bonding begins Wednesday at Crooked Stick.

On Wednesday, Love will meet his full team for the first time at the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick, outside of Indianapolis. He has already started talking to players about possible pairings, team chemistry and scheduling. They will talk more about that Wednesday night.

Jim McCabe on why Hunter Mahan didn't make the cut.

You probably don’t, given that there have been 372 tournaments since then – or so it seems – and that hits at the heart of the problem for Mahan. You know how in college football if you’re going to lose a game, you best lose it in September? Well in Ryder Cup years if you’re going to win tournaments, you best win them late. Mahan didn’t and it seems like light years ago when he started the season with two wins and three top 10s in his first seven tournaments.

Since then? Mahan in 14 tournaments has one top 10, a stretch of pedestrian play that dropped him out of the top eight, where he had been firmly entrenched (even leading it at one point) most of the year. Worse yet, since his last top 10, Mahan has played in six tournaments and finished no better than T-19, his cumulative score for his last 20 rounds a stunning 15-over.

And when you say you want the hot hand, you’re also saying you don’t want the cold hand, which is why Love – painful as it might have been because Mahan is genuinely liked by the nucleus of the American team – bypassed him.

Jeff Rude says it's a nice team on paper and based on recent play, better with Mahan left off.

Mahan won twice early this year but has but one top-10 finish since April Fool’s Day, and that’s no joke. Like Mahan, Fowler looked like a lock in spring, for from late April to late May he had four consecutive top-10 finishes (including his breakthrough victory at the Wells Fargo Championship). But since then, he has had none and shot in the 80s three times.

The reason is, he views the Ryder as the “coolest experience” in golf. And he was “extremely” motivated to make the team two years after he flubbed a chip, lost the deciding match and broke into tears afterward.

“I feel I wanted to redeem myself because you feel somewhat responsible,” said Mahan, a member of the past five U.S. international teams, Ryder or Presidents.
Mahan said when Love called with the news, he didn’t ask the captain questions because he “didn’t want to know too much.” He said that he will try to somehow get motivated to play the last two FedEx Cup playoff events because “they don’t feel as important right now.”

Ty, is that statement conduct unbecoming? Dissing the Reset Cup like that?

Let me know. Yours in algorithms, Geoff.

Michael Collins unleashes a bold commentary suggesting Captain Love passed up Mahan for friendship reasons, may have cost the U.S. the Ryder Cup and that Mahan was "shafted." His issue is with Jim Furyk's selection.

Randall Mell was present for Mahan's presser today at Crooked Stick and shares this:

American Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III called Mahan Monday night to tell him he wasn’t among the four captain’s picks that will tee it up against Europe at Medinah in suburban Chicago Sept. 28-30.

“It is difficult not to be a part of it,” Mahan said Tuesday after a practice session at Crooked Stick in preparation for the FedEx Cup’s BMW Championship. “It hurts not to be a part of it, and it feels a little empty right now.”

And John Feinstein wonders if the Sea Island mafia played a part in Love's decision to select Snedeker.

Which leaves Snedeker, who has to be the closest thing there was to a surprise pick. He has certainly had a solid year and played well the last two weeks – second at The Barclays; sixth in Boston. He’s an excellent putter, which is never a bad thing to have on a Ryder Cup team.

That said, the choice inevitably will raise some questions. No one would ever accuse Love, one of the game’s good guys, of playing favorites but it’s worth pointing out that Snedeker and Love are both represented by the same company. Snedeker is part of what is known on Tour as the “Sea Island mafia,” – players like Love, Snedeker, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Jonathan Byrd who all live in Sea Island, Ga.

Robert Lusetich wonders if Snedeker has the credentials to have been selected.

He has had two chances to win majors and faltered at both the 2008 Masters and this year’s British Open, when a late rally helped him to a third-place finish.

His three wins have all featured big come-from-behind Sunday rounds, which isn’t the same pressure as playing with the lead.

And who knows what message Woods was giving when he was asked about Snedeker last week and brought up the lowest point of his career, a four-putt from 11 feet at the 2009 BMW Championship on the final hole that cost the 31-year-old a place in the Tour Championship?

“Unfortunately I played with him a few years ago when he made that mistake at Cog Hill on 18,” Woods said, before going on to add that “he putts it good.”

Reminder: Watch Davis Love's Ryder Cup Picks At 10:15 AM ET

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TJ Auclair reminds us that we can watch Captain Love announce his four picks at 10:15 a.m. ET at this page on the official Ryder Cup website.

Golfweek's Sean Martin compiles an excellent breakdown of the candidates and their records this year, in various cup matches and what they're doing statistically. The staff also weighs in with their selections. Will Jim Furyk's 8-15-4 Ryder Cup record work against him? It's not that the others have stellar Ryder records, if they have one at all (Snedeker).

The SI Confidential gang has a lot to say this week but you can bypass the Tiger's state of mind talk for the Ryder Cup chatter and Captain's picks, where there is little agreement on the final two or so spots.

And of course, most important all were your votes. Whereas of post time, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker were overwhelming choices while Jim Furyk was a lukewarm fourth choice. You can still vote here.

Poll: Let's Help Davis Love Make His Ryder Cup Picks

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I do not envy the task of Ryder Cup Captain Davis Love as he faces some tough decision with his four selections for the 2012 Ryder Cup team.

Here's a nice breakdown on Sky Sports of the dilemna he faces and a John Huggan infused take on the state of the teams heading into Tuesday's announcement press conference.

I voted first and went with Stricker, Watney, Snedeker and Johnson, going with the youthful guys who are playing well. Furyk is a tough veteran to leave off, but it's time to give a younger guy some more experience and let Stricker do the Tiger babysitting.  

You can select up to four...

Make four Captain's selections for the 2012 Ryder Cup team:
  
pollcode.com free polls 

Medinah Rounding Into Shape, Slowly

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Sean Jensen visits Medinah for an update where the fairways are finally getting a break from being played "aggressively" by members and guests according to director of golf course operations Curtis Tyrrell.

The PGA's Kerry Haigh recently paid a visit and is only concerned with the fairway conditions, which should thrive with cooler weather and minimal play since the course was closed on August 20th.

The fairways are his only concern because of a combination of wear and tear, as well as weather. Tyrrell said the different types of grass at Medinah ideally grow at a soil temperature of around 50 to 65 degrees. But with a hot June and July — including a stretch of 45 days when the soil temperature was over 80 — the fairways, in particular, took a beating.

‘‘Rain would help and some cooler temperatures, and if we have one of those great Chicago Septembers, we’ll be just fine,’’ said Michael Belot, the director of the 2012 Ryder Cup. ‘‘The course will be in phenomenal shape.’’

Added Tyrrell, ‘‘The fairways are really filled in.’’

A nice video report features Tyrrell talking about tree removal and Rees Jones' renovation of Medinah.

"That essentially leaves Love having to look at five players - maybe more - for two spots."

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It wasn't that long ago that Captain Davis Love appeared to have a wealth of attractive options for his four Ryder Cup Captain's picks, but as Doug Ferguson lays out, Love now faces a tough decision made tougher by Nick Watney's win Sunday.

Working on the premise that Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk are locks and leaving two more picks, Ferguson writes:

Watney was enduring a lost season until winning The Barclays. That doesn't make him a frontrunner, but he is a big blip on the radar at the very least. Brandt Snedeker already was under consideration - a winner at Torrey Pines, a contender at the British Open and a guy who can putt. He showed that at The Barclays, making a 15-footer for par on the 17th and a birdie putt from about that length on the 18th to finish alone in second.

Dustin Johnson, who has won every year since his rookie season in 2008, tied for third at Barclays. His sheer power and talent is difficult to ignore. Fowler showed up on the leaderboard until Saturday, when Bethpage Black became Bethpage Brown and sent scores soaring. Not to be forgotten is Hunter Mahan, who was poised to make the team on his own until he finished toward the bottom of the pack at Firestone and missed the cut at the PGA Championship and the Barclays.

The list can get even longer depending on the Deutsche Bank Championship, especially if Bo Van Pelt or someone like Bill Haas were to win.

No one will be under greater pressure than Mahan. He won twice this year, but has only one top 10 over the last five months. And he is the opposite of Furyk, who has qualified for every team. Mahan has been a captain's pick twice for the Presidents Cup, once for the Ryder Cup.

No love for Rickie?

I'd go with who is playing (and putting) well, meaning Watney and Snedeker. You?

2012 European Ryder Cup Team Set

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An unbylined Telgraph story on nearly unrecognizable (he shaved!) Jose Maria Olazabal announcing captain's picks Nicolas Colsaerts and Ian Poulter.

As protocol demands, Captain Ollie made the tough phone calls Sunday night, none tougher than the one to old sparring buddy Padraig Harrington.

"It's never an easy decision," he said. "Obviously there's a few more players in the mix every time. I talked to the vice-captains quite a bit regarding the picks. We studied different possibilities. We had a few discussions regarding that. The last time we talked was on Friday this week.

"It's not an easy moment. They are all disappointed. I know they really wanted to be in the team. I talked to the next four or five guys on the list – I talked to David [Lynn], to Rafa [Cabrera Bello], Alvaro [Quiros] and Padraig [Harrington]. I made those phone calls. It's not easy. I've been in that equation. They took the news well. That's the way it is."

While he's the only rookie, Bob Harig explains how the long-off-the-tee Colsaerts should have little problem with Medinah's length. And Alistair Tait says this was a long time coming for Colsaerts, a former party animal.

A Guardian slideshow of the 12 players. Besides Colsaerts and Poulter, the others: Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Paul Lawrie, Graeme McDowell, Francesco Molinari, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Peter Hanson and Martin Kaymer.

Olazabal also talked about the state of Kaymer's game.

Captain Ollie Adds Mechanic To Team Europe's Elite Cart Driving Squad

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Miguel Angel "The Mechanic" Jimenez hopes to have an extra large ashtray in his six-seat Club Car as he whizzes around Medinah next month looking important.

From the wires and posted on GolfChannel.com, a confident sounding Team Europe Lead Driver Jose Maria Olazabal:

“Miguel’s announcement means that I now have four world-class golfers as my vice captains – all with tremendous experience of playing in the Ryder Cup which is absolutely invaluable," Olazabal said in a statement.

Now, if The Mechanic would just lead the European squad in a pre-round team driving range warm-up session, we'd be in for a fun week.