Lets face it, Colin Montgomerie has never been one to do things the conventional way. Always the news maker, he decided to keep with that theme today and announced his Captain’s picks for the European Ryder Cup team in the middle of the final round at The Barclays.
Both the European and the U.S. teams had until September 7th to officially announce their Captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup, which begins October 1st. Corey Pavin has said many times, as well as gotten in to heated words with Jim Gray, that he would not announce any selections until the deadline. Today’s announcement by Monty has left many scratching their heads. To do something in the middle of a round, with many of his potential players playing today, it was a bonehead move in my mind.
He did however have a solid five guys to choose from and could only select three, making it a very difficult choice. Among those players was Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Edoardo Molinari, Paul Casey, and Justin Rose. If you haven’t heard, he selected the first three out of that list, leaving #9 in the World Paul Casey off the list. Casey has played in the last three Ryder Cups and has a stellar record in match play events. Justin Rose has won twice on the PGA Tour this year. Molinari was a solid pick, who earlier today won the Johnnie Walker Championship and has been on fire as of late. He’ll also make a great partner to his brother, Francesco who is already on the team. The brothers won the World Cup last year.
The pick that has left some scratching their heads is Padraig Harrington, who’s game hasn’t been the same as it was a couple years ago.
Who knows though, if it pays off for the Euros, Monty will be a genius. If not, I suspect Mrs. Doubtfire will have a lot of explaining to do.
