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Steve Stricker has been paired with Tiger Woods for all four sessions of the 2009 President’s Cup where they have accrued a record of 4-0. However, Stricker hasn’t settled for just playing a backup role to Tiger. Stricker has been consistently solid throughout the President’s Cup until the second session on Saturday – where he took over the match and was dominant.
In the most intriguing match of the session, Stricker and Woods were paired against Ishikawa and Yang, who had also gone 3-0 in the first three sessions of the competition. The match was all square for the first two holes. On the third hole, Stricker birdied to give the U.S. a 1-up lead. However, on the very next hole the International team got the match back to all square.
It is at this point that Stricker took over the match. He birdied six of the next eight holes to put the U.S. team 6-up after 12 holes. Stricker seemed to have everything clicking – hitting fairways, great iron play and making putts. And it was clearly one of the best individual performances of President’s Cup history.
In the later stages of the match, Ishikawa and Yang put together a run by taking the 13th, 14th and 15th holes, but Woods closed the door on the 16th with a great 2nd shot (hole was conceded). Stricker and Woods ended up winning the match easily 4 and 2. For Stricker, he again proved that he belongs in the conversation as one of the premiere players on tour.
The TOUR Championship begins on Thursday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Only the top 30 FedExCup points earners will tee it up for a chance to claim the FedExCup and a major payday. As most everyone would expect, Tiger Woods enters the final FedExCup playoffs event as the points leader. But with the points being reset, he is by no means the only one that can win it. Here are my predictions for this week.
Tiger Woods
Woods has been playing some really solid golf in the FedExCup playoff tournaments and the week off will serve him well. He has been putting very well and I don’t know how anyone can pick the field over Woods with so much on the line. Woods is my pick for winning The Tour Championship and claiming his second FedExCup.
Padraig Harrington
It could come down to Woods and Harrington to decide yet another tournament in 2009. And if that happens, we are in for an exciting weekend of golf. Without a doubt, Harrington has proven that he can hold up to the pressure and has the best chance of overtaking Woods to claim the FedExCup.
Steve Stricker
A win by Stricker would cap off a fantastic season. He has played some of the best golf on tour this year. The key to Stricker winning the FedExCup is to keep his emotions in check on Sunday. Also, Stricker can wrap up Player of the Year honors, if he hasn’t already, by finishing ahead of Woods this weekend.
Jerry Kelly
Kelly is my long shot pick to win The Tour Championship, but he really isn’t that big of a long shot. Kelly worked his way into 29th in the FedExCup points standings, and he has played very well in four of his last seven tournaments. He has the ability and could bring it all together this weekend.
Why are golf fans not excited about the FedExCup playoffs? Granted, the FedExCup is not now, and never will be, equivalent to the NCAA basketball tournament, the NFL playoffs or the MLB playoffs. But look at it this way, it isn’t college football’s BCS system. Here are the reasons I like the FedExCup.
And although I am not ready to promote it to the year’s fifth major, I do enjoy the four straight weeks of watching the Tour’s best battle it out. Plus, it is an excellent bridge to get us to the President’s Cup or Ryder Cup.
The FedExCup is great for golf, and even better for golf fans.
The captains for this year’s President’s Cup – Fred Couples for the U.S. Team and Greg Norman for the International Team – announced their selections for the final two spots on their respective teams Tuesday.
Couples selected Lucas Glover and Hunter Mahan to join the ten automatic qualifiers on the U.S. Team that include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickleson, Steve Stricker, Kenny Perry, Zach Johnson, Stewart Cink, Sean O’Hair, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim and Justin Leonard.
The pick of Glover makes sense because he was the only 2009 major winner that was not an automatic qualifier. I really like the pick of Hunter Mahan, as you may remember was one of my picks to contend for the PGA Championship title, to round out the U.S. Team. Brian Gay was ranked ahead of Mahan on the President’s Cup points list, but Mahan is currently 14 spots higher than Gay in the world rankings. Plus, the experience of the 2007 President’s Cup for both Glover and Mahan, who were rookies, will prove invaluable.
Norman tabbed Adam Scott and Ryo Ishikawa to join his International Team qualifiers of Geoff Ogilvy, Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els, Angel Cabrera, Mike Weir, Robert Allenby, Y.E. Yang and Tim Clark.
The International Team selections made by Norman were not nearly as easy to understand. Scott was ranked 14th on the President’s Cup points list, behind Rori Sabbatini, Jeev Singh and Shingo Katayama. Plus, Sabbatini’s world ranking is 43rd currently, while Scott’s is 53rd. Scott’s best finish in 2009 was second place early in the season at the Sony Open in Hawaii and has only had one other finish in the top 30. What does appear to be in Scott’s favor is that he has participated in three previous President’s Cups where as Sabbatini has only appeared in one (2007). Plus, Norman is probably more familiarity with Scott as they are both Australian.
The most controversial pick was that of Ryo Ishikawa. Ishakawa has won three times on the Japan Golf Tour. However, that success has not translated to the PGA Tour, where he made six appearances and missed the cut four times. In addition to those already mentioned, a President’s Cup veteran K.J. Choi was passed over for the 17 year-old Ishikawa. If Norman was looking to make a splash with a potential star of tomorrow, why not select Alvaro Quiros who is ranked 41st in the world and has a dynamic game that entertains the fans.
Norman may be looking to the future with Ishikawa by getting him a taste of the President’s Cup competition in 2009. But as far as giving the International Team the best team to compete for this year’s cup, he may have been better served with Rori Sabbatini and Shingo Katayama.
Either way, the U.S. Team from top to bottom appears to be the stronger team and should defeat the International Team to capture its third straight President’s Cup.
Prediction:
U.S. Team 20.5
Int’l Team 13.5