AT EVERY RYDER CUP there is always at least one pairing that catches fire due to a perfect combination of chemistry and form.
At Medinah in 2012, Ian Poulter and Justin Rose won both of their foursome matches, although you probably could have paired you or me with Poulter that weekend and still gotten 1.5 points, such was the superhuman level of play reached by the intense Englishman that weekend.
But Ryder Cup pairings are as much about deciding who not to put together than it is about finding the right duo, according to two-time Ryder Cup golfer Des Smyth.
The 2014 tournament starts at the Gleneagles course in Scotland on 26 September and Smyth is one of captain Paul McGinley’s deputies. He expects that some players will likely come to McGinley with the names of teammates they would like to avoid being paired with (for instance, it would be hard to imagine Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell playing together this weekend).
“Sure, someone might come and say to Paul that they don’t want to play with someone but it might not always be a personal issue,” Smyth said.
“When I played at the Ryder Cup I gave my captains two players who I didn’t want to play with. These were guys who I would have had dinner with on tour but I didn’t want to play golf with them because I didn’t think it would suit me.”
Smyth says that a big reason for Europe’s Ryder Cup success in recent years is the ability for the players to leave ‘any personal issues at the door’ when it comes to tournament time. He cites the example of two former titans of European golf when illustrating that it is possible for big egos to co-exist in a team setting.
“Friendships are made in the team room,” Smyth said.
“Usually all the niggly little things between players will be patched up. For instance, the year Philip Walton got the winning point (1995), Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo were hugging on the 18th green and they didn’t even speak on tour.”
In the build-up to the tournament, Smyth was a sounding board for McGinley when the captain was deciding on his wildcard picks. Now that the tournament is almost here, Smyth says he will keep an eye on a few players, and that McGinley will discuss his foursome and fourball pairings with the vice-captains next week.
“I will be given two or three players to manage during the tournament because Paul cannot be everywhere at once,” Smyth said.
“It is a lot easier preparing this time than when I was a player because it is the players who really do the work. But life is a lot like sport in that players can lose confidence from the smallest things so it is my job to help them in that regard.”
One of the key selling points of the Ryder Cup is the bulging-eyed passion it generates among the players, captains, vice-captains and fans. Smyth sees himself as more of a calming figure than an in-your-face motivator like Sergio Garcia was in the vice-captain role in 2010.
Smyth is also looking forward to working with Rory McIlroy and thinks the four-time major winner’s Ryder Cup experience will counteract any potential pressure that he might feel as the team’s best player.
“Rory might be the No1 player in the world but he is just one of 12 on the team,” Smyth said.
“I think he will be just fine because is a very experienced Ryder Cup player and he was one of the heroes in Wales in 2010.”
Tom Watson will captain the American team, and he is a player Smyth knows well having been runner-up to the legendary links golfer at the Senior British Open in 2005. Smyth wouldn’t mind extracting a bit of revenge in Gleneagles for that defeat but joked that he might have to join a long queue.
“He has beaten so many people over the years that I imagine a lot of people would like to get one over on him,” Smyth said.
“The USPGA chose him because they think he can deliver what they badly need and that is a Ryder Cup victory.”
Sky Sports will ‘Bring The Noise’ from The 2014 Ryder Cup exclusively live on TV, mobile and online. A range of half price offers are available when subscribing to Sky Sports. Call Sky Ireland on 0818 719 819
0818 719 819 for more information
