This morning Paul Azinger completed Team USA’s lineup with his captain’s picks. Last week I predicted who I though would make the team from a list of possible candidates posted on PGA.com. How did my pick and the poll conducted by PGA.com compare to Paul Azinger’s actual picks?

My picks where J.B. Holmes, D.J. Trahan, Sean O’Hair, and Jeff Quinney and the top four picks from the PGA.com poll were Rocco Mediate, Steve Stricker, Zach Johnson, and Woody Austin. Paul picked for Team USA are Steve Stricker, J.B. Holmes, Hunter Mahan and Chad Campbell. So both myself and PGA.com reader were able to successfully guess 1 of Paul Azingers picks.

How will Paul Azinger’s newest members benefit Team USA. Chad Campbell has previous Ryder Cup experience and played well this week and tying for 7th.

“Chad also is a terrific ball striker tee to green, and when I narrowed my list down to three or four players, his name came up a lot. That was important to me.”
- Paul Azinger one reason why Chad Campbellwas a captain’s pick

Steve Striker. Steve will be a Ryder Cup Rookie. Has a habit of playing solid in big events, especially in the Majors the last two or three years. He played on the 1996 and 2007 Presidents Cup Team and has a 5-5-0 record. Strong iron play and scrambling skills will benefit the team.

Hunter Mahan. Also a Ryder Cup Rookie however he has recent international match play experience from the 2007 Presidents Cup with a 2-3-0 record. In his two match wins Hunter was paired with Steve Striker (look for a possible pairing).

J.B Holmes. Has played solid this year with a win at the FBR Open beating Phil Mickelson in a playoff. J.B. is an aggressive player which could be beneficial if his driving is becomes as accurate as it is long.

Will Paul Azinger’s picks solidify Team USA? Will Team USA win the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1999 at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass? Time will tell. What are your thoughts?