Ryder Cup 2012: 4 Players Who Could Be the X-Factor in Medinah

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: September 18, 2012

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The 2012 Ryder Cup is set to begin September 28 at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. The big names and the usual Ryder Cup suspects will all be there—Rory, Tiger, Phil, Sergio—you get the idea.

But as a team competition, this sure isn’t just McIlroy versus Woods (although that sure would be fun to watch in singles). It may very well be one of the lessor known players who tips the scale in his team’s favor.

As I thought about putting together my initial Ryder Cup predictions, I couldn’t help but notice the strength of the European team. It’s a pretty bulletproof group, although I’m shocked that Padraig Harrington didn’t make the cut. By most accounts that was due to a personality conflict with European captain Jose Maria Olazabal.

Regardless, my initial inkling was “big win for the Europeans.” I’ve since backpedaled on that stance, in large part due to the course—Medinah is certainly American-style golf and at 7,658 yards it’s an absolute beast in terms of length.

With four par-fives, the course certainly plays into the Americans’ hands. While I’m still picking the Europeans to win, I think it will be closer than expected—and I think it may very well come down to one of the lessor known players acting as the X factor. Here are four guys that I wouldn’t be surprised to see make the difference.

 

For Team USA:

Keegan Bradley – Averaging 302.5 yards per drive off the tee on the PGA tour, Keegan Bradley has the length to tame Medinah. Normally I would discount a 26-year-old Ryder Cup rookie, but given that Bradley has proven he can handle major championship pressure (he won the 2011 PGA Championship), I’m reading that as guts of steel and the ignorance of youth. Nothing like reppin’ Vermont on an international stage.

Webb Simpson &nd...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Golf

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