Five things to watch in the Ryder Cup

1. Bubba’s partner

Webb Simpson gained his fourth career PGA Tour victory and had nine top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour during the 2013-14 season, but there may be another reason that Tom Watson made him a captain’s pick for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Simpson is expected to pair well with two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson.

Simpson and Watson have played together seven times in two international team competitions, going 3-1 at the 2011 Presidents Cup and 2-1 at the 2012 Ryder Cup.

Simpson said that he and Watson started to become good friends at the 2011 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The two had separated themselves from the rest of the field there and played together in the final round, with Watson beating Simpson in a playoff.

“Anytime we play together, we both, I think, calm each other down,” Simpson said. “I’m a little more serious, business-like, even-keel, so I think that calms him down. I think if I were to be joking, it would feed his kind of nervousness. So I think we’re good for each other.

“We’re kind of opposite ends of the spectrum the way we play out there, the way we act. So, I do think we’re opposites, but we’re a great team when you put us in that environment.”

2. Mickelson’s experience

Phil Mickelson seems to enjoy the Ryder Cup as much as any other golf event he plays im.

Mickelson, 44, owns U.S. records for most teams (this is No. 10), most matches (38) and most fourball games (16).

“He’s become the most popular American golfer, hasn’t he?” said Brad Faxon, a Ryder Cup teammate in 1995 and 1997. “And let’s face it: he is a leader. You want him leading your team.”

The U.S. is just 2-7 in Mickelson’s Ryder Cup career, and he is determined to begin a turnaround.

Mickelson won the 2013 Scottish Open and British Open in Scotland, and he wants to add the Ryder Cup to that list.

“It would be very special. I’m just now learning how to win in Scotland, but we have a captain that’s known how to win here for many decades, and we’re hopefully going to take some of his leadership and get us there.

“But we have a huge hill to climb and a great challenge, but we are looking forward to it. And we think win, lose or draw we are excited to be here and play together as a team and hopefully make this Ryder Cup a thrilling and exciting one.”

3. U.S. pairings

The partnerships haven’t officially been announced for Friday’s opening matches, but the U.S. seems to be making little secret about its lineup.

Unless something dramatic changes in the mind of Tom Watson in the next two practice days, it appears Ryder Cup rookie Jordan Spieth will be paired with Matt Kuchar, while rookie Patrick Reed will partner with veteran Jim Furyk. The third rookie, Jimmy Walker, looks to be playing with Rickie Fowler.

That leaves three other pairings, each having previously played together in a Ryder Cup: Simpson-Bubba Watson, Zach Johnson-Hunter Mahan and Mickelson-Keegan Bradley.

Watson has not confirmed the pairings but did say: “It’s not rocket science. I think there are certain players who I think meld very well with each other, and those are the pairings we’ll probably start with.”

4. McIlroy on a roll

When Rory McIlroy was a Ryder Cup rookie in 2010, his European teammates wore curly-haired wigs that resembled McIlroy’s shaggy mop on the first tee of a practice round.

But no one needs to put him at ease this week.

McIlroy, 25, has now won four majors and is the world’s No. 1 player. As a result, he is one of the targeted players that the U.S. team would love to knock off.

“I’m the sort of character that would enjoy that environment, enjoy being in the spotlight and enjoy being one of the guys who sort of everyone is focusing on,” he said. “I like that. I’ll embrace that, and it comes as part of what I’ve done this year and who I am.

“Being No. 1 in the world and all that comes with that, you expect that and you just try to handle it as best that you can.”

5. Poulter’s success

Another key player for the European team is Ian Poulter, a key component in his team’s come-from-behind win two years ago at Medinah.

Poulter has been Europe’s leading scorer for the last three Ryder Cups, and his record is 12-3. Compare that to McIlroy’s 4-3-2 record, and you can see why the Americans might consider a win against Poulter worth more than just a point.

“He’s an 80 percent victor over the series of matches he’s played in,” Tom Watson said of Poulter. “We’d like to reduce that.”

This story was originally published September 24, 2014 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Five things to watch in the Ryder Cup."