SAINT-QUENTIN-en-YVELINES, France — It’s possible U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk will face some tough pairing decisions this week as several of his players were not in good form last week at the Tour Championship.
The last four finishers in the 30-player field in Atlanta are all on the U.S. team. Phil Mickelson finished in last place at 13-over par, 24 strokes behind Tiger Woods’ winning score of 11-under. Bubba Watson was second-to-last at 10-over, then Patrick Reed at 9-over and U.S. Open and PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka was 4-over.
Asked Monday upon the team’s arrival to France if those players’ dodgy form worries him, Furyk said, “As you mentioned how they played last week, we also had a lot of players play very well last week. The way I look at it is in my career, I’ve played very well in practice and had rough tournaments [and] I’ve had bad practice in some events and went on to win those same events.
“So last week is kind of behind us. Of course, I think everyone would like to be in good form and feel good about their game, but it’s a different golf course, different venue, totally different type of golf tournament coming into a match-play event, a team-oriented event and obviously with the big galleries.’’
It should surprise no one that one of the first players on the grounds at the Le Golf National on an otherwise quiet Monday was Ian Poulter , the Europeans’ Ryder Cup stalwart. Poulter was on the practice range hitting balls alongside Ryder Cup rookie Alex Noren in the afternoon.
“I think he wanted to [come] midweek last week if he could,’’ European captain Thomas Bjorn said with a laugh. “He looks forward to this. We all know Ian’s history and feelings about the Ryder Cup. He wanted to get out there. He came in [Sunday] and he was ready to go and he just felt like he wanted to get out. He felt like he wanted to get up and just hit a few. Yeah, he’s that type of guy. He’s certainly ready to go.’’
Poulter, who owns a 12-4-2 career Ryder Cup record, was one of Bjorn’s four captain’s picks.
Sergio Garcia, who has had an otherwise forgettable year, finished in a tie for seventh at the Portugal Masters and seems to have buoyed his confidence entering the Ryder Cup. Like the veteran Poulter, Garcia, who is 19-11-7 in Ryder Cup play, was a captain’s pick by Bjorn.
Bjorn said he was “pleased’’ to see Garcia, who didn’t even qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, play well in Portugal.
“I think he felt like he wanted to get out there and shoot some good numbers and feel good about himself on the golf course,’’ Bjorn said. “I know what Sergio stands for and I know what he brings to this team, and I’ve said it all along: He’s an integral part of what we are and who we are.
“We all know that Sergio at his best, he’s one of the best golfers in the world. He’s in a good place. Sergio is the type of guy that he sometimes needs that little boost of things going [where] he feels like things are going his way. He came in here in good spirits and with a big smile on his face and that’s what he will send on to his teammates.” ’
Furyk had a little fun with a question about what kind of “buzz’’ the Tiger Woods Tour Championship win contributed to the overnight chartered flight from Atlanta to Paris.
“We had a major victory for the team and we had a whole group of guys waiting in the team room, and then a giant roar when Steve Stricker walked in the room after his victory last night [at the Sanford Invitational on Sunday in Sioux Falls, S.D.],’’ Furyk deadpanned. “It was fun to see Strick [who is one of Furyk’s vice captains] play well on the Champions Tour in South Dakota … and obviously Tiger played so well at the Tour Championship.’’
