Would you like to see U.S. Ryder points allocated to regular Tour events (Sept-Dec 2019)? It seems a bit harsh on all the winners to-date, especially Brendan Todd? Is this deliberate to suit the elite players while they holiday and ensure no undesirables sneak onto the team? [email protected]
Nailed it. And I’m perfectly okay with that!
Do you agree that the Big Easy could be the competitive and inspirational spark to forge an International Team victory at the Presidents Cup? And do you believe that Royal Melbourne offers the International Team any advantage? [email protected]_tv
No doubt Ernie is beloved and respected, but I think the Americans will feel more “spark” playing for (and alongside) their collective boyhood hero, Capt. Woods. Royal Melbourne is a bigger factor. It is the opposite of a typical bomb-and-gouge PGA Tour setup. The ball will run for days there, most especially after landing on the terrifyingly sloped greens. It is a design full of nuance and subtlety, where the best way to get the ball close is often by not aiming at the flag, and a drive leaving an advantageous angle is more important than bashing one long and wrong. Els happens to have won three times at Royal Melbourne and holds the course record of 60. The Internationals will have a home-field advantage but, alas, I still don’t think it’s enough to counter a powerhouse U.S. team.
Do you think the likes of Stenson and Sergio will have a chance for 2020 Ryder Cup? Where is your money for DP World Tour Championship this week? [email protected]
Man, I don’t even care about the FedEx Cup — how am I supposed to muster any interest in a lesser cash-grab? But while the Race to Dubai is meaningless, I am appreciative that we get to watch Rory do his thing on a course he has often overwhelmed. As for Stenson, 43, and Garcia, 39, they loom large for 2020. They have been the backbone of so many great European teams. Both have suffered dips in form — Stenson hasn’t won in over two years! — so Capt. Harrington’s toughest decisions will be whether to go with proven but aging warriors or pick young, ascendant talent in better form. There’s too much golf still to be played between now and Whistling Straits to know the right answer just yet.
Under what conditions do you feel you are at your best writing-wise? In a comfy chair? On a deadline? After a glass (or bottle) of wine? [email protected]
Grantland Rice won’t be impressed, but I’m more of a hot chocolate kinda guy. Anyway, I still love and look forward to the adrenaline of writing on deadline, but the time-pressure is so intense (I try to file within an hour of the last putt dropping) that reflection and analysis and interpretation has to happen at warp speed. I think the writing of my favorite features has followed a similar pattern: I fly somewhere to do interviews and reporting, then come home and make phone calls, transcribe tape and finish the research. I’m anxious to start typing but real-life intervenes: laundry, groceries, #AskAlan, tweeting, expense reports, kids, dog, etc. I’m dying to start typing but a couple of days pass without being able to find the time. Still, I’m always thinking about the story. It haunts my dreams. I find myself staring at the tile in the shower, not quite sure how long I’ve been standing there. I zone out of conversations. I start to get grouchy, like, If I don’t get to write this story something is gonna burst…possibly my brain. Then I finally get to sit down to type and the words come like a flood; to cite one example, I wrote the Camarón story in one day, and was actually done before dinner. I guess the moral is that thinking time is vitally important to the process, even as it becomes harder to carve out in this distraction-filled world. This is probably true of many jobs. Perhaps we should all unplug more…just send in your #AskAlan questions first.
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