eric5148
09-13-2004, 03:10 PM
Before you read this, keep in mind I'm not necessarily rooting for Europe to win. But I'm a smart gambler first, proud Amercian second.
Every sports betting site I've looked at has Europe as a 2-1 dog. I have no idea why people refuse to believe the Europeans are better than this.
Every other year we hear from the media the same BS about the average world ranking of the two teams, the total majors won, and the perfect swings of the U.S. players.
Let's do some research since 1983 (when the matches became competetive):
Europe has 5 wins, 4 losses, 1 tie
Europe has 7 more total points
Of the matches in the U.S., the U.S. is leading 3-2, with the total points even.
So why does Europe keep "surprising" everyone? First of all, they play more match play in Europe. Comparing match play golf to stroke play is like comparing poker tournaments to ring games. It requires a different strategy, strategically and psychologically. The best stroke play players are not always the best match players.
Second reason: the Europeans simply care more about it. The U.S. players can blab to the media for hours about how much it means to them, but they will never care as much.
Third reason: the Europeans make more clutch putts. I really don't have an explanation for this, but that's what has happened in the past. Yes, Justin Leonard made one great putt in '99, and Bernhard Langer missed a huge putt in '91. Overall, the putting has been the biggest difference.
Fourth reason: the European players actually like being around eachother for a week. Nuf said.
Every sports betting site I've looked at has Europe as a 2-1 dog. I have no idea why people refuse to believe the Europeans are better than this.
Every other year we hear from the media the same BS about the average world ranking of the two teams, the total majors won, and the perfect swings of the U.S. players.
Let's do some research since 1983 (when the matches became competetive):
Europe has 5 wins, 4 losses, 1 tie
Europe has 7 more total points
Of the matches in the U.S., the U.S. is leading 3-2, with the total points even.
So why does Europe keep "surprising" everyone? First of all, they play more match play in Europe. Comparing match play golf to stroke play is like comparing poker tournaments to ring games. It requires a different strategy, strategically and psychologically. The best stroke play players are not always the best match players.
Second reason: the Europeans simply care more about it. The U.S. players can blab to the media for hours about how much it means to them, but they will never care as much.
Third reason: the Europeans make more clutch putts. I really don't have an explanation for this, but that's what has happened in the past. Yes, Justin Leonard made one great putt in '99, and Bernhard Langer missed a huge putt in '91. Overall, the putting has been the biggest difference.
Fourth reason: the European players actually like being around eachother for a week. Nuf said.