There is a great debate to be had over how much Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup captains should use data when it comes to deciding picks and pairings, with the game certainly evolving over the last few decades.
Some pairings in the Ryder Cup appear to make perfect sense to everyone, whether that be Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal, or Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. Others are rarely seen for a reason – see Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in 2004.
As the game remains divided, there is an argument that analytics could become increasingly important, as it is harder to compare players. Certainly, assessing the year Jon Rahm has had is difficult now that he is playing the majority of his golf on LIV.
The pairing at the 2021 Ryder Cup Steve Stricker was told to avoid
However, it seems that those involved in the upcoming Ryder Cup at Bethpage are wary of putting too much stock into what the numbers may be saying. Speaking on Golf Channel, US team manager John Wood was asked about the balance, and he pointed out how the numbers can be completely wrong on occasion.
“I think the stats are useful, they’re a tool like anything else, but you cannot forego your gut. Joe Maddon, the great baseball manager, talks about if you have a gut feeling, do it, because it’s a lifetime of experiences that are telling you that, it’s not a whim. There’s something in you, trust your gut. And like I said, you can use the statistics and the analytics as a tool,” he said.
“And I’ll tell you a great example, the analytics at Whistling Straits told Steve Stricker do not play Collin Morikawa and Dustin Johnson together, and they went 3-0, and I don’t think they got to the 16th hole. So that was a case of Steve Stricker looking at the analytics and going, ‘I don’t agree with that, I think they’re going to be a great team’. Sent them out together, and they dominated.”
Morikawa himself, has admitted that he did not expect to be paired with Johnson, but that week proved to be a high point in the latter’s Ryder Cup career as he won five points from five matches as the US stormed to an emphatic victory.
However, Keegan Bradley will surely be wary of ignoring the numbers too often. Stacy Lewis seemed to have so much success as Solheim Cup captain because of the data, while it did appear that Suzann Pettersen opted to use her gut more often with Europe’s pairings in the recent event.
Captains go into every event knowing what kind of criticism they are likely to get if they lose. Many are now reflecting on Mike Weir‘s pairing decisions on Saturday at the Presidents Cup. So it is a hugely difficult job.
It will be interesting to see whether Bradley’s lack of experience in a backroom role impacts the balance when it comes to how he makes his decision at Bethpage.
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