Gleneagles

Its here! Its here! The 2014 Ryder Cup is scheduled to start tomorrow! The pundits have made their predictions, the experts inched out onto a limb and the fanatics have all chosen sides. The PGA® Centenary Course, at the Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland, is ready for the horde of sporting enthusiasts to descend on their peaceful community like a plague of locust! The only problem with this whole scenario is that many of us will have to experience the highs and lows of every play from afar! Going to a Ryder Cup is on my bucket list and someday I will be one of those amazed fans rooting for my favorite team.

Let the Games Begin at the 2014 Ryder Cup!

Each team has been dissected, probed and over-analyzed. The captains have been second-guessed to the nth degree, but they have stood fast by their decisions. Everyone is ready for the matches to begin and history to be made at the 2014 Ryder Cup!

theScore, written by Adam Sarson, has profiled the US Ryder Cup Team. Sarson says:

Team USA will be looking to win their first Ryder Cup since 2008 and their first on European soil since the last time Watson was the captain back in 1993. Key players like Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson won’t be playing this week, but Watson still has a solid group of established PGA Tour players on his side.

BBC Sports, has highlighted the European Ryder Cup Team. They have not provided the same detail as theScore, but shows how each player qualified.

In all, nine nationalities and three debutantes are included in the team which will bid for Europe’s third successive Ryder Cup victory.

Each team has its strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, which ever team is hot at the beginning of the event will likely ride the wave of adrenaline to victory. When the teams were first selected on 2 September, everyone was leaning towards the European team as hands down favorites. However, over the past couple of weeks, the attitudes of many experts seem to have shifted. The four sites selected (and there are thousands more) provide some very persuasive reasons for their picks. They are worth checking out if you are still on the fence.

The Ryder Cup is an exciting event. There are many head-to-head battles that capture the golfing world. It is very likely that all golfing enthusiasts will tune in to hear the shot by shot account of the action. In anticipation for the matches, here are a couple of things to watch for:

Tom Watson’s strategy of matching players. For the US team to win this will have to be perfect!
Phil Mickelson playing like the Phil of old. Again a must if the US is to have any chance.
Rickie Fowler playing head to head against Rory McIlroy and playing to a draw.
Rory McIlroy not losing a match.
Ian Poulter’s fiery eyes will be matched by Keegan Bradley’s.
Sergio Garcia sinking the winning putt on Sunday!

To make it clear, the European team will win. This selection is made with my head and not my heart. I am a huge Phil Mickelson fan and rarely cheer for the other team, but the European Team is just too strong. They are peaking at the right time and have demonstrated resilience all year. Playing in Scotland will only fuel their desire to win the 2014 Ryder Cup!

What do you think? Who are you cheering for? Why?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Phil Mickelson is usually a beast on the golf course. He is steady, focused, and a fierce competitor! So what is wrong with Mickelson in 2014? Is he sick? Are there outside influences affecting his mental game? Is he getting old? Is he trying too hard? Does anyone have the answer?

Currently, Mickelson is struggling to make the cut at the Valero Texas Open, he only has 4 top 25 finishes in 25 events and his stats do not have him leading in any category. He has had sparks of greatness, but nothing consistent. With approach shots like below, he may be starting to turn things around just in time for the Masters!

Phil Mickelson is an enigma. His style of play is loved and hated by the golfing pundits. As a younger player he was fearless. Unfortunately, some of his devil-may-care attitude cost him tournaments. As he matured and learned from some mistakes; Mickelson understood the importance of picking the moments to press a situation, but never to shied away from the tough shots – as seen by his shot in 2010 Masters from behind the tree. It truly was legendary!

So what is wrong with Phil Mickelson in 2014? The short answer is nothing! He has had a tough start this season; he is not playing to his potential, but in all fairness he has not placed the same emphasis on the PGA Tour’s Western Swing as in year’s past. He adopted new strategy to focus on the Majors and many experts are questioning his decision; however, only success in the Majors will be the true test of his 2014 strategy.

In years past Mickelson played around 20 events a year. Likely, he will play around the same amount this year. As a golfing pundit, I predict he will win two events this year: the US Open and one other. Additionally, much to the disagreement of my European friends the US will win the Ryder Cup at GLENEAGLES, Scotland, on 23-28 September 2014.

2014 will be a banner year for Phil Mickelson. It may not seem that way right now, but just wait, the season is just starting. What do you think?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!