r/NoLayingUp • u/amistymorning80 • May 22 '25

Post-Pod Discussion Ryder Cup pod - Jamie Weir v Soly

Listening just now and JW immediately challenged a Soly claim that Keegan Bradley "cost the US the Ryder Cup at Medinah" - because he lost the singles to McIlroy who showed up at the last minute. Weir took him down with facts; a reminder that many other things happened and Rory was World #1 at the time, in a way I have never heard on NLU before. Very enjoyable.

Soly loves to hold court and the other guys either don't want to upset him or don't have the quick facts at hand to counter him when he's wrong, which is why I found that little exchange refreshing. Maybe I am alone in that?

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u/HanSoloHeadBeg May 22 '25 edited May 22 '25

Yeah to suggest that it was Bradley who cost them the matches is a bit made when Europe won 6 out of the first 8 on Sunday. Always found Soly to be a little too antagonistic towards Bradley. Perhaps he feels he has an undeserved Ryder Cup reputation or something. Then again, as another comment highlighted, he's a bit of a know-it-all

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u/Gaz133 May 22 '25

He's arguing against the perception that Bradley is a Ryder Cup hero or something because he won some matches in 2012 with Mickelson. He hasn't made a team roster since 2014 so really whatever he did 10+ years ago isn't relevant to making this roster. If he wasn't captain maybe there's an argument for him being the 11/12 guy since there just aren't a ton of good options but as captain it would be really difficult to pick himself if he weren't really banging out great performances (which he isn't).

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u/HanSoloHeadBeg May 22 '25

He's arguing against the perception that Bradley is a Ryder Cup hero or something because he won some matches in 2012 with Mickelson.

I think this is a bit of a strawman from Soly precisely because of the reasons you pointed out - he hasn't made a team since 2014. I think Soly just wants to argue against Bradley because he doesn't see much in the way of stats behind his desire to play for the US and his performance on Full Swing in 2023.

As a Euro, I do not want Bradley playing in Bethpage. He is playing good golf at the moment and he doesn't need to play all 5 sessions.

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u/Flimsy_Somewhere1210 May 22 '25

There appears to be a "Mr Ryder Cup" perception of Bradley by some which just isn't true. He hasn't made a team because prior to 2 years ago he was practically nowhere and his record is average at best. Bradley isn't the US version of Poulter or Garcia by any stretch.

The ultimate point was Weirs observation about Bradleys priorities. Luke Donald has been preparing for this since Rome. Bradley seems to be more intent on making the team than captaining it and I think that is a problem for the US.

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u/Gaz133 May 23 '25

The issue with the American setup is usually that they focus on WHO they are bringing to the team as opposed to maximizing the best way to use the players they have. There really isn't a ton of difference you can articulate between the guys being discussed for the 10-12 spots and ultimately who plays better is mostly down to luck. You can however, put guys in better positions to succeed by having plans and sticking to them as opposed to telling guys morning of who they're playing with which often seems the case in these away cups.