World Cup of Golf: Ranking the 28 Teams
No. 3 — Spain: Rafa Cabrera Bello (30) and Jon Rahm (125)
Golf pundits were quick to tout Cabrera Bello and Sergio García as the latest iteration of the “Spanish Armada” at the Ryder Cup, but a more sustainable tandem could be the one we see at Kingston Heath this week. Don’t let Rahm’s No. 125 ranking fool you, the dude can golf his ball. He won the Ben Hogan Award twice in college, finished in third place in his first PGA Tour event as a pro and earned his Tour card in about a dozen tournaments in 2016. He looks like he’ll be around for decades to come and so could Rafa. Let’s count his missed cuts in 2016: The PLAYERS Championship in May, then the… oh, wait. That was his only one. He’s steadily climbed to No. 30 in the world and a strong showing at a bigger stage this week could indicate that high finishes at the majors are on the cards for RCB.
No. 2 — England: Chris Wood (37) and Andy Sullivan (40)
For a “B” squad, Chris Wood and Andy Sullivan fit quite nicely. They’re filling in in a pinch to replace Danny Willett’s team, which pulled out after Willett withdrew with a back injury (or maybe just soreness from a poor stretch of golf) that also knocked out his partner, Lee Westwood. Either way, there’s still a strong chance the English red and white could be flying high Sunday evening. Wood and Sullivan are each Ryder Cuppers in their own right. Wood’s career has been resurrected in recent years, most notably with a win at this year’s BMW PGA Championship. Meanwhile, Sullivan was arguably the best winless golfer on the European Tour in 2016 with four top fives and two runner-ups.
No. 1 — USA: Rickie Fowler (12) and Jimmy Walker (19)
Call me a biased American. I can take it. What lacks any bias at all is claiming the Americans are the best team on paper this week. Golf is one of the top sports where probabilities and likelihoods get thrown to the wind but if you’re playing the odds, rolling with these two might be your best bet. Not only are they frequent traveling buddies, but their names have also infamously been interspersed.
Walker isn’t far removed from his resounding win at the PGA Championship and Fowler has been one of USA’s best players overseas. Fowler won in Abu Dhabi this year, in Scotland in 2015 and in Korea in 2011. Fresh off of a T6 at the HSBC Champions a couple weeks ago, I envision Fowler and Walker making a dynamic duo this week.
Next: Tiger Woods: Looking Back To His Most Recent PGA Tour Appearance
Who’s your pick to win the World Cup of Golf? Let us know in the comments below!