The Post in Which I Play Presidents Cup Captain

Of course, later these days both American captain Fred Couples and International captain Nick Price will call their two captain's picks... However that doesn't mean we can not have some a laugh with it before then. Therefore I am going to select for both captains (I turned into born underneath the sign of Gemini, so I should be able to justify retaining both positions without delay) and see how properly I do.

Let's begin with the American crew. Captain Couples has chosen Jay Haas and Davis Love III as his assistants. The 10 gamers who qualified on points are:

1. Tiger Woods
2. Brandt Snedeker
3. Phil Mickelson
4. Matt Kucher
5. Jason Dufner
6. Keegan Bradley
7. Steve Stricker
8. Bill Haas
9. Hunter Mahan
10. Zach Johnson

When Steve Stricker played his way into the Top10 at Deutsche Bank, he made life much simpler for Freddie. And Freddie in turn has made my job much easier as he has already narrowed the field. According to GC, Freddie has already reduced his list to 4 players (listed in no particular order here):

• Webb Simpson
• Jim Furyk
• Dustin Johnson
• Jordan Spieth

But it sounds to me like he is already made his picks. Webb Simpson got knocked out of the Top10 by Stricks and Zach, but Freddie said he doesn't see how you can skip a guy who was on the list for two solid years and got knocked off at the last moment. That sounds to me as if he's already decided on Webb.

But Freddie could must be brain-lifeless to go away Spieth off the crew. If Henrik Stenson is the freshest player on this planet, Jordan Spieth is the most up to date American participant. He has already performed matters no different rookie in history has completed. How do you go away HIM off?

Furthermore, the opposite players on Freddie's short list arise brief -- at least in my view. DJ really does not play all that properly in crew play -- he changed into 1-3-1 in 2011 and, other than his win at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions to start the yr, has simplest four Top10s. And Furyk is not plenty higher, having no wins and six Top10s this year. Furyk did move 5-0-0 within the closing Presidents Cup but, given the amount of enjoy already at the group, I feel he'd be a chunk of of venture. As investment budget are wont to say, "beyond overall performance is no guarantee of future performance."

If I'm Freddie, I take Webb Simpson and Jordan Spieth... and try not to smile too much.

Now we pass to the International crew. Captain Price has chosen Shigeki Maruyama, Mark McNulty, and Tony Johnstone as his assistants. The 10 players who certified on points for them are:

1. Adam Scott
2. Jason Day
3. Charl Schwartzel
4. Ernie Els
5. Louis Oosthuizen
6. Hideki Matsuyama
7. Branden Grace
8. Graham DeLaet
9. Richard Sterne
10. Angel Cabrera

For Nick the picks aren't nearly as easy. Unlike Freddie, who has "rookies" who can claim Ryder Cup experience, Nick's rookies are just that, and most of the players who stand 11-22 on the points list are rookies as well:

• 11. Thongchai Jaidee
• 12. Marc Leishman
• 13. Tim Clark
• 14. Brendon de Jonge
• 15. George Coetzee
• 16. Brett Rumford
• 17. Kiradech Aphibarnrat
• 18. Geoff Ogilvy
• 19. Marcus Fraser
• 20. Hiroyuki Fujita
• 21. John Senden
• 22. K.J. Choi

But beyond that, Nick has two other problems that he must consider as well. First, the Presidents Cup goes to Asia in 2015, and Nick has only one Asian player on his team at this point. Picking Maruyama as an assistant helps, but if he wants to build excitement for the next event he probably needs to pick another Asian.

And then there's the plain problem that his skilled players genuinely haven't gotten the process accomplished inside the beyond. The International group wishes a win, pure and simple, and it is hard to consider the vets will step up and get the activity finished THIS time. (That's a greater problem than the Asian one, I think; win this Cup and the Asian gamers will probable be masses annoying to get on the team.)

However -- and Tripp Isenhour rightly pointed this out on Golf Central -- K.J. Choi is a past winner at Muirfield Village and had a 3-2-0 record last time. Likewise, although Tim Clark didn't play last time due to injury, his record at the Presidents Cup is really good.

For his personal part, Nick says he has narrowed his picks to five or 6 players and has singled out Marc Leishman and Brendon de Jonge as players that he's searching at... And searching tough.

Let me upload Brett Rumford, who's seventh in the Race for Dubai, and Thongchai Jaidee, who is 18th. Since they play ordinarily at the ET, they would not rank as excessive in spite of their right play. And Jaidee continues to be #eleven at the points list!

So what should Nick do? I think you "split the difference," so to speak. Forget the veterans -- you need new blood. I'd take Thongchai Jaidee and Marc Leishman as my International captain's picks. That way I get 2 rookies who are playing well (#11 and #12 on the points list) and also add a second Asian player to the team.

We'll see how properly I've accomplished at 2pm ET today.

And in case you don't know, the official page for the Presidents Cup is right here at this link. Feel free to check it anytime you want -- I give you permission. I AM the team captains, after all.