Golf's President's Cup is a made for TV event that takes place every other year that pits 12 American golfers vs. 12 golfers from an International team (non-European players). It is a money grab for the PGA and their TV partners created to piggyback off the success of the Ryder Cup, but unlike the Ryder Cup that has history and fan support the President's Cup has neither. An International squad that has no country featuring players from Canada to New Zealand is both hard to root for and against. The event has become an "exhibition" in the truest sense as evidenced by rolling over captains and changing the rules mid event when one Cup was ended in a tie which was against the rules at the beginning of the competition. The event becomes even more of an afterthought when like this year it is being played across the globe (Australia) in November. With the golf season long over and American sports fans focused on football and the holidays the ratings for the Cup will be lower than the ratings for any random Kardashian/random overrated NBA player's weeding. Maybe that is why US captain Fred Couples decided to name Tiger Woods to this year's team, hoping that his name only might attract a few more eyes. This would be the same premise as the Baltimore Orioles signing Barry Bonds, so why doesn't Couples just say that. Instead, he tried to explain the move logically, so let's analyze his quotes and how illogical they are.
"There is no reason for me to wait until September 26th to pick Tiger Woods": Couples is right if the "team" is all about Woods, but in a points system where the top 10 are automatic and Woods is 28th on the list aren't these next five weeks critical in finding the best players? Outside of the majors the PGA tour has tried to make the Fed Ex Cup the biggest stretch of the season and these so called playoffs start this week for the next four weeks. Why select anyone at this stage when there is so much important golf left in the season? What if Rickie Fowler, Bo Van Pelt, Brandt Snedeker, and Zack Johnson, all ranking from 12th to 15th currently in the standings play well over the next four weeks? Isn't that why the Captain was given a deadline after these tournaments, so the best players could be determined on the course? Shouldn't the players still grinding to make the team at least be under the perception that the competition is open for both spots? Maybe replacing Castro in Cuba is a better career option for Freddie.
"He is the best player in the world forever": I am sure Couples still takes trains to tournaments instead of flying, and types on typewriter and has no use for a cell phone, but the world changes and father time is undefeated. Woods is the best player of Couples' generation and still has a chance to pass Nicklaus in majors, but there have clearly been 20 better golfers than Woods over the last two years. Derek Jeter is a first ballot hall of famer, but if you needed to win a game tomorrow would you select him over Troy Tulowitzki? We know now Couples would.
"Is he playing well right now? No, but he almost won the Masters four months ago, so you don't do that by playing poor golf": Woods did play a week of good golf 4 months ago, at the same time Amy Winehouse was getting ready to go on tour and the Dodgers were still in the NL West race. Woods also hurt his knee (again) that week and hasn't been the same since. Couples nailed the condition (4th place Masters finish), but missed the more important effect (injury). Bo Jackson was one of the best RB's I ever saw play, but after his second hip injury he couldn't compete in a high school game. Keegan Bradley won a major less than a month ago and Jason Dufner almost won, both are higher in points than Woods.
"In my opionon when you're the best player in the world for 12 straight years and you are not on the team, there is something wrong": The only problem is that this 12 year stretch ended 2 years ago. The allure of subjectivity in sports, it is not like Couples has objective numbers to judge Woods' performance on, like how about his scores, finishes and world ranking currently and work backwards over the past two years. Couples is right, there is something wrong, most notably with Wood's game and secondly with his reasoning behind this selection and quote.
"He has responded to that, I am pretty sure you will see him one more time": This quote was in response to a question about Wood's lack of tournament golf from now until November. Didn't Woods have his chance to play more golf last week in the final tournament before the Fed Ex Cup? After playing the previous two weeks and playing poorly he could have gone to Greensboro to play in the Wyndham and try to earn his way into the opportunity to play more tournaments. Other big time players who have struggled this season, most notably Els and Furyk, played last week and took advantage of the opportunity by playing well and getting into the field at the first playoff event this week. A player who was concerned about making the President's Cup team and playing tournament golf would have been in that event.
"I would be shocked if he didn't play well": Is this why Unitas and Namath ended their careers in San Diego, because people just couldn't believe that they couldn't get the job done no matter what the recent evidence showed? So Couples would be shocked if a guy who missed 3 months with another knee injury, played poorly twice since returning from injury and then decided to only play one tournament in three months leading up to November plays poorly? Just wanted to get that straight, at least there is a lot of best ball format.
"I don't know how you can criticize someone for choosing Tiger. I could take the easy way out and just pick 1 through 12": Like most of these quotes Freddie has this one backwards, the easy way out is to pick Tiger because he is a name, draw, and still the most commanding presence in the game. The hard decision is to not take Woods, since you leave yourself open for second guessing by the mainstream media even if he is undeserving. In this case like in most, the right decision is the hard decision and that is to tell Tiger Woods that he is not one of the 12 best American golfers for an event that you are trying to win that begins November 18th of 2011.
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