Tuesday Topic: Five key issues that will help decide the Ryder Cup

Is the American side as bad as many are suggesting?

The answer to this is almost certainly, ‘No’. The absence of Tiger Woods, Jason Dufner and Dustin Johnson through a combination of injury and personal issues has robbed Tom Watson of three of his more experienced players, and taken as a whole, the American side looks inferior to its European rival.

But you don’t need 12 in-form players to win the Ryder Cup, and the Americans boast a core of five or six key men who could make life very difficult for Europe if they fire this weekend.

Rickie Fowler finished in the top-five of every Major this season, Phil Mickelson has 14 Ryder Cup victories under his belt, Bubba Watson can blast anyone away if his long game fires and Jim Furyk’s experience means he will not be fazed by events at Gleneagles. Throw in the talented, if slightly more inconsistent, Keegan Bradley and Matt Kuchar, and you have the makings of a decent team.

Will Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood rediscover their best form on the Ryder Cup stage?

Two years ago, Poulter and Westwood were at the vanguard of a remarkable comeback that saw the European side snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on the final day. McGinley is clearly hoping for a repeat given that he has handed both a wildcard spot in the team.

Poulter has won 12 of his 15 Ryder Cup matches to date, and like Colin Montgomerie and Jose-Maria Olazabal before him, seems to reach a completely different level once he is playing as part of a team. Westwood boasts 18 victories from his eight appearances, and has regularly been a linchpin of Europe’s fourballs line-up.

The problem, this time around, is that neither player is heading to Gleneagles in any kind of form, especially with their putters. Will the Ryder Cup spark them back into life? From a European perspective, it is certainly to be hoped so.

Will Woods’ absence be of benefit to the Americans?

It might be a team competition, but from an American point of view, the build up to last few Ryder Cups has been all about one man. Does Woods care about the tournament? Why is he so ineffectual at matchplay? Is it possible to pair him with Mickelson?

This year, there has been no such sideshow, with Woods’ absence confirmed at an early stage. While Watson has said all the right things in public, bemoaning Woods’ unavailability, there is a growing belief that the US team is better off without the former world number one, who has lost 16 of his 26 fourballs and foursomes matches.

The last time Woods missed a Ryder Cup, in 2008, the US won at Valhalla, and the current squad looks a much happier camp without him. It might well be easier for rookies such as Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed and Jimmy Walker to relax without Woods’ brooding presence in the background, and Watson’s pairings will be easier to construct without the political minefield that attaches itself to Woods.

How will Rory McIlory and Graeme McDowell react to being together?

McIlroy and McDowell are two of Europe’s star men, and there must be a temptation for McGinley to pair the two Northern Irishmen together in a ‘dream team’ on the opening morning. They played together in 2010 and 2012, claiming two-and-a-half points.

However, the pair have found themselves on opposite sides of a long-running legal dispute that has seen McIlroy’s legal team issue a lawsuit against the Dublin-based management company, Horizon, which boasts McDowell as one of its shareholders.

Both players insist that while their friendship has been challenged, they remain close enough to play together if required, but McGinley may well feel it would be better to keep them separate on the course. McIlroy could find himself charged with taking a rookie under his wing – perhaps Victor Dubuisson – while McDowell could be the perfect partner to coax Westwood back to life.

Who will the Gleneagles set-up benefit most?

It is generally held that home advantage is a significant factor in the Ryder Cup, and with the home captain able to dictate the course set-up, it looks as though Gleneagles should favour Europe’s players who are used to conditions on the European Tour.

While Gleneagles is an inland course rather than a Scottish links, the rough will be significant and accuracy off the tee rather than distance will be a decisive factor. The greens will be much slower than American players are used to, and the majority of the bunkers are the kind of deep pot-style affairs normally seen at Muirfield or St Andrew’s.

With the weather forecast looking fairly clement, the run of holes at 14, 15 and 16 is likely to be decisive – a drivable par four, followed by the toughest par-four on the course, followed by a par five with eagle potential. How often the par-five 18th, a classic risk-and-reward closing hole, comes into play remains to be seen.