Golf Events / Paul Krishnamurty / 23 September 2008 /

There are 14 Ryder Cup players in action this week on either side of the Atlantic. Paul Krishnamurty is backing an experienced head to perform best.

Aren't sport fans a fickle bunch? One minute you're Britain's most successful golfer in the modern era and the all-time leading points scorer in the Ryder Cup. The next you're pilloried in the press as 'Captain Calamity', and rivalling Gordon Brown in the popularity stakes. Its hard not to have some sympathy for Nick Faldo, whatever his shortcomings as a captain. Europe didn't lose because of Faldo's selections or lack of leadership.

They lost because their best three players - Westwood, Garcia and Harrington - all badly underperformed, and simply because the US team played better, especially on the greens. Nobody will blame any of those three for very long, as we only need to remember their sterling contributions to previous victories, but their lack of contribution was the big difference between Europe in 2008 and the two previous Ryder Cups.

No matter, they will all still be at the forefront of our challenge to win it back at Celtic Manor in 2010, for which the early betting has Europe marginal favourites at [2.1]. Despite losing money on them over the weekend, I will probably be a Europe backer again next time.

Let's be realistic - the US were always going to win it back eventually. But I'm still confident Europe has far greater strength in depth than the US right now, and the long-term signs point the same way. Think of all the future superstars currently working their way through the European ranks - Martin Kaymer, Ross Fisher, Oliver Fisher, Rory Mcllroy to name but a few. They compare very favourably with the same age group in the US, of whom only Anthony Kim looks really outstanding.

All of that is in the distant future though, with the more pressing question wondering how the Valhalla competitors will fare on their immediate return to action. Eight of the European side take a week off, with only Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell and Oliver Wilson playing this week's British Masters. Westwood is defending champion at the Belfry, but its hard to make a case for him after his weekend performance, especially at the measly odds of [13.0].

At least in McDowell's case, the Ryder Cup will be remembered as a positive experience. Along with Ian Poulter and Justin Rose, McDowell emerged with enormous credit from his debut. Equally, even if Wilson was thrashed by the inspirational Boo Weekley on Sunday, his amazing foursome comeback with Henrik Stenson will live long in the memory. Nevertheless, I suspect the Belfry winner will be a fresher player who watched the weekend's entertainment on TV.

Sergio Garcia is the sole European team-member at the extremely lucrative Tour Championship, along with ten of the US side. I couldn't even consider Sergio after that performance, and am a bit sceptical about backing any of the Americans either. In these situations, you've always got to wonder how much the post-match celebrations will have taken their toll and interfered with the usual preparations players would make for such a big tournament.

All of them will have more media commitments, which slightly puts me off the likes of Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan. Both were sensational at Valhalla, and look set to be cornerstones of the US side for decades to come. Kim in particular is fast becoming very hot property, and will do well to remain focused on his golf. It would be asking an awful lot to immediately reproduce that form.

In these circumstances, I'd much rather go with experienced players who've seen it all before. Phil Mickelson instantly springs to mind, but after a brilliant start in Valhalla, he did little to advertise his form claims on Saturday or Sunday.

On the basis of his previous form at this week's venue, East Lake, and his outstanding performance over the weekend, Jim Furyk looks the most solid bet in my view at [13.5]. For the first time this season, Furyk looked to have rediscovered his putting touch at Valhalla, which has always been the key to turning him from a solid tee-to-green player into a world beater. He hasn't won yet this year, and will doubtless be determined enough to correct that statistic in this last big event of the PGA Tour season.

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