Entering 2014, the United States was feeling incredibly confident in their chances to retake the Ryder Cup in Wales this September. Tiger Woods was coming off five victories last season, Phil Mickelson won the Open Champion and looked to be a Player Of The Year candidate, Jimmy Walker took a commanding lead in the FedEx Cup standings with three wins early, and Patrick Reed was on his way to being a top 5 player in the world. Meanwhile, the European Team was struggling and was finding ways to blow leads and get themselves out of contention.
Since then, however, fortune has not been on the American's side. Tiger Woods had back surgery in April and has not been healthy since. Phil Mickelson has struggled all season and hasn't posted a single top 10. Patrick Reed now has more missed cuts in the last 10 weeks then he does made cuts, and Ryder Cup veteran Zach Johnson couldn't buy a putt.
Over the past two weeks, life has gotten even worse for the Americans. Dustin Johnson was suspended from the PGA Tour and will not be playing in the matches. This week, both Jason Dufner and Matt Kuchar, who both looked like they were going to make the team, withdrew from the PGA Championship with back injuries. Kuchar insists that he is fine and will be ready to go once September hits, but Dufner has had a bulging disk in his neck for a while and it seems to have gotten worse, to the point where he doesn't know if he'll be back at all this season. If you consider him a scratch for the matches, that's another Ryder Cup veteran down for the Americans, who are now desperately lacking depth and experience.
To make matters even worse for the Americans, the Europeans have started playing great golf as of late. Martin Kaymer, who was off the team entering the year, won the Players Championship and US Open to secure a spot on the team. Sergio Garcia has got himself into position to win several times this year, as has rookie Victor Dubuisson and veteran Thomas Bjorn. Oh, and there is this guy named Rory that has dominated the past two months and now looks like he has a stranglehold on the world rankings. Suddenly, players like Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell, who are usually reliable players for the Euros, look like they might not make the team because of how well everyone else is playing. What a great problem to have for Captain Paul McGinley.
Right now, on paper, the Americans don't just look like underdogs. They look completely outmatched. From top to bottom, the Europeans have the superior team, as well as home field advantage, and they are the defending champions. The US hasn't won the Ryder Cup since 2008, and hasn't won in Europe since 1993.
While things may look dire for the Americans, it could actually provide them with some motivation. The Americans have nothing to lose. There is no pressure on them. They are SUPPOSED to lose the Ryder Cup in September, so if they walk in with that attitude and just decide to play loose, they may shock the world...I wouldn't bet money on that, though.
On a side note, Tom Watson named Steve Stricker as assistant captain for Team USA. As of this writing, Stricker is four shots back of McIlroy at the PGA Championship. With the way the US team is dropping, Watson may actually need him to pitch hit.
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