Showdown, Week 34: Rory McIlroy vs. Keegan Bradley

So in an attempt to inject a bit more life and interest into tournaments, and because we’re all inveterate gamblers who are one bad card from being out on the streets, Jay Busbee and I are playing a golf version of a football suicide pool: We each pick one golfer per tournament and see how they do against each other, straight up. Victory over the other guy gets one point, victory in the tournament gets three points, and a tie lands you half a point. (Double for the majors.) We turn our attention to the The Barclays.

Wall: I feel like a kid on Christmas Day, Busbee. Like you, I had to go through my list to see who was still available, and wouldn’t you know it, I found some 23-year-old phenom waving his hands, screaming “Pick me! Pick me!” That phenom would be Rory McIlroy. Down two points, I think it’s time to roll with one of golf’s big guns this week. McIlroy finished T-10 the last time Bethpage Black hosted a major tournament, and I think his past success, coupled with his incredible form of late, make him a must-pick.

Busbee: It’s getting to that point in the year where I have to go back and check my roster to make sure I haven’t already picked one of my best options, so imagine my delight when I saw that I hadn’t yet taken Keegan Winthrop McAleister Bradley IV! Keegs is picking up the pace at exactly the right time, and Bethpage (sorry, “The Black”) is the kind of course that plays to his tee strengths. He’s one of the few first-time major winners of the last few years who appears determined to make a go of this top-level golf thing. A Tour Championship would fit nicely into his career arc, but for now, we’ll settle for a good round.

Last week: Carl Pettersson’s T-4 at the Wyndham Championship helped Wall pick up a critical point before the FedExCup playoffs. Busbee decided to go with David Toms, who repaid our Showdown leader’s confidence with … a missed cut.

Current score: Busbee – 12.0, Wall – 10.0.

Already Used: Wall – Gary Woodland, K.J. Choi, Martin Laird, Nick Watney, Lee Westwood, Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Steve Stricker, Zach Johnson, Luke Donald, Ryan Moore, Jim Furyk, Webb Simpson, Sean O’Hair, Tiger Woods, Hunter Mahan, Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen, Carl Pettersson, Rory McIlroy. Busbee – Nick Watney, Webb Simpson, Bill Haas, Ben Crane, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Zach Johnson, Luke Donald, Robert Karlsson, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, K.J. Choi, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Lee Westwood, Brandt Snedeker, Bubba Watson., Tiger Woods, David Toms, Keegan Bradley.

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