Ryder Cup Picks

The Ryder Cup is here, and oh man is it going to be good! This time around the Americans are traveling abroad to try and win for the first time on European soil since 1993. Here is who we are going with this week.

DMoney

On paper, this U.S. side might just be as deep as we have seen in a very long time. Sure, the Ryder Cup isn’t played on paper, but at the same time, it has to count for something. That’s why I am picking the American side to break the “curse” this week. Need further proof this American side is loaded right now? Three of the four FedEx Cup Playoff events were won by guys that had to get on this squad via captains picks. This team also includes this year’s Masters winner, U.S. Open winner, AND PGA Championship winner. Oh yeah, and let’s not forget about a couple guys named Dustin, Justin, and Jordan. It might not be a route like some people think, but the U.S. will come back home with the cup come Sunday.

TSS

The US should win this thing by a large margin considering the quality of play the team has had not only recently, but all season long … however, between the US team members, they only have eight rounds at Le Golf National. Meanwhile, the European team has a combined 70 starts and 236 rounds as well as a win at the French Open this year by Alex Noren. The US hasn’t won on European soil since 1993 and has only won four RCs since. Le Golf National is no Hazeltine and it will be a very difficult course for most of the Americans competing.

That doesn’t exactly bode confidence going in as a fan of the US side.

But, I digress … the US team is loaded and as my compatriot pointed out, has the Masters winner and Captain America himself, Patrick Reed, the US Open/PGA Championship winner in Brooks Koepka, and won three of the final events of the season. Not to mention, the majority of the US team has played in a Ryder Cup before. There are only 3 US rookies compared to the 5 on the European side.

Despite having more experience, this US team has a record of 57-62-20 compared to the Euro’s 61-39-23. I think this will come down to a singles showdown and while many would imagine that Rory and Patrick will be facing off against each other again this year after their epic match in 2016, I see it coming down to a Reed vs Poulter finals match. Poulter is a Ryder Cup force with a 12-4-2 record and is 4-0-1 in singles and is just as vocal on the course in the Ryder Cup as Reed is. Both teams will feed off of these two.

I honestly don’t know who will win this, but on paper, looking at this season, the US should.

Author: Dan Hauser

Dan is the co-founder of The Stiff Shaft and the website's Senior Writer. A South Florida native, Dan has been covering golf since 2013 and playing it his entire life. He is still waiting for his first hole-in-one.