Why Steve Stricker Should Think Miracle on Ice When He Makes His Ryder Cup Picks

The American captain needs to dig deep to find his Mike Eruzione or Jack O’Callahan, writes Morning Read's Alex Miceli.

Steve Stricker needs to be like Herb Brooks.

You may not remember the name Herb Brooks, but his coaching style and hockey acumen was legendary, and it showed in the 1980 Winter Olympics when he pulled 20 guys together and made them into a team that eventually beat the Soviets and won the gold medal in Lake Placid.

Brooks was a hard-charging, no-nonsense guy who seemed to listen to no one and did it his way.

That 1980 team wasn’t the most talented bunch, but ultimately was the team that beat the best in the world when it counted.

Obviously Stricker is not Brooks. He is not a hard-charger and, with 12 prima donnas, it would be hard to be. Just ask Hall Sutton or Tom Watson. But with six picks he can mold and shape the team in the image he wants. But will he?

Will he go outside the box and look down not only to 15 or 20, but even further to 25, 30 or even 40 on the USA Ryder Cup points list?

By doing that he may find his Mike Eruzione or Jack O’Callahan.

Let’s look at it another way. There are five players who have qualified for a spot on the team: Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas. Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth are next at six through eighth. 

That leaves four picks left. They are the individuals that will likely make or break the USA attempt to regain control of the Ryder Cup.

So, let’s go outside the box. Billy Horschel at 15th on the list is on my team because grit and tenacity is important. Of course, add in the WGC-Dell Match Play win and he is a lock.

Kevin Kisner, 18th, is hot after his win at the Wyndham. He has that burr under his saddle. That makes him a guy that gets in your face, at least as much as professional golfers get in anyone's face.

Stewart Cink, 29th on the list, deserves a look if for no other reason than he won twice in the 2021 season. It's hard to find that on a team that is the supposed favorite going to Whistling Straits.

Now let’s go far outside the box: Sam Burns is gritty, but young. So what? Pick him.

Brian Harman, like Burns, is gritty and has the take-no-prisoners attitude.

And lastly, all the way down to 49th on the list is Brandt Snedeker. He's generally a solid putter but this year has fallen way off on the greens. So what? He knows what he knows, and his putter could get warm at any time, versus others who have never experienced a hot putter in their careers.

What’s the adage? Snedeker has forgotten more about putting than most players can remember.

Yes, these are outside the proverbial box and that’s exactly what will be needed to beat a European team that comes to the USA wanting nothing more than to beat us on home soil.

Since 1995, the Europeans are 3-3-0 in away Ryder Cup matches and each time they won it was with teams that on paper were underdogs.

The USA team does not get the home-court nod at Whistling Straits as the Europeans did at Le Golf National two years ago. The Wisconsin course does not favor the USA team, and it may slightly favor the Europeans.

With the USA potentially fighting an uphill battle with the course and many of its players struggling to find their games, Stricker must be like Brooks and look to find a way to make his 12 individuals a team, no matter where they are on the points list.