Why the Americans/Europeans will win the Ryder Cup Matches

The Europeans will win back the Ryder Cup because:

They’re on home turf, where they haven’t lost since 1993.

They have more experience with the golf course, the Celtic Manor Twenty Ten. Graeme McDowell won the 2010 Celtic Manor Wales Open, Luke Donald finished 3rd, Miguel Angel Jimenez finished 8th, and Martin Kaymer 12th. The event was staged the same weekend as The Memorial on the PGA Tour, and no American team members competed at Celtic Manor.

They’re better rested. Most of their squad has been home - or at least somewhere in Europe, for the last few weeks.

They’re better under pressure. They have two major winners in 2010 to the U.S.’s none: Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer.

Tiger Woods won’t be at his best. He has been tinkering with his swing for the last three weeks and will show up with twenty different swing thoughts - and most likely thousands of cat calls from a frenzied European gallery.

Who knows what Phil Mickelson will show up, and he’s without his 2008 spark plug partner, Anthony Kim.

Captain Corey Pavin didn’t learn anything from Paul Azinger, who delivered what was essentially The Bible for Ryder Cup captains in 2008.

Two words: No Boo.

The Americans will retain the Ryder Cup because:

Their team is hot: Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar have all won a FedEx Cup event with a strong field.

Tiger Woods has to win something in 2010, right?

They dodged a major bullet when match play stud Paul Casey wasn’t selected for the team by captain Colin Montgomerie.

They dodged an even bigger bullet with Ryder Cup hotshot Sergio Garcia out of the lineup, and Lee Westwood hasn’t hit a golf ball in competition in about two months.

The U.S.A has five Ryder Cup rookies, one fewer than Europe’s six.

They are collectively better. Their combined 12-man World Ranking is 208. Europe’s 12-man World Ranking is 219.

PREDICTION TIME:

When Wales lobbied for and received the 2010 Ryder Cup matches, a big effort was to make their country friendly for American visitors. They’ll get what they wish for: U.S. 14, Europe 14 and U.S. retains the cup.