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Official 2014 Ryder Cup Thread

Agree with plama here.

Also without having really in-depth breakdown of each team match, it's hard to assign blame. He's got a strong singles record (4-1-1). Not sure that he should be judged by dragging around old ass Mark O'Meara, Paul Azinger, or Mark Calcavecchia.
 
I think there's an underlying belief by many that, while everyone gives the idea lip-service, there's not really any truth to the idea that "being a team" and "creating a great team environment" results in better golf. Watson isn't the first captain to completely ignore his players and then simply say "they're some of the top players in the world, they should have played better" after losing.

I guess most people don't get to play in team events, but even in amateur/high school/college golf it's just an absurd notion. Nobody would argue that at its highest levels golf it isn't just as much about confidence and mental fortitude as it is skill. Yet American Ryder Cup captains and the media that support them seem to excuse the lack of camaraderie with "but he's Tiger Woods, he should shut up and win no matter what the situation is."

The result is just laying more pressure on top of all of the pressure that comes naturally at the Ryder Cup, and guys simply don't play their best golf on average in that atmosphere. Reed's 2 footer, Fowler's chunked chip on 18, Kuchar's duffed pitch on 18, or any number of weak closing holes from the last go-round.

One of the reasons it was so fun to watch Spieth and Reed play is because they are so recently removed from team golf that they had no problem jumping back into that positive, excited mode. Especially compared to Bubba who even looked disinterested while trying to get the fans to cheer throughout his opening tee shots. But you can't field an entire team of 22 year old rookies, and the only way to get the more senior, experienced players into that mindset is to include them in the design and strategy of the team. Whether you do it like McGinley did or how Azinger did doesn't really matter.
 
DCDeac said:
I think there's an underlying belief by many that, while everyone gives the idea lip-service, there's not really any truth to the idea that "being a team" and "creating a great team environment" results in better golf. Watson isn't the first captain to completely ignore his players and then simply say "they're some of the top players in the world, they should have played better" after losing.

I guess most people don't get to play in team events, but even in amateur/high school/college golf it's just an absurd notion. Nobody would argue that at its highest levels golf it isn't just as much about confidence and mental fortitude as it is skill. Yet American Ryder Cup captains and the media that support them seem to excuse the lack of camaraderie with "but he's Tiger Woods, he should shut up and win no matter what the situation is."

The result is just laying more pressure on top of all of the pressure that comes naturally at the Ryder Cup, and guys simply don't play their best golf on average in that atmosphere. Reed's 2 footer, Fowler's chunked chip on 18, Kuchar's duffed pitch on 18, or any number of weak closing holes from the last go-round.

One of the reasons it was so fun to watch Spieth and Reed play is because they are so recently removed from team golf that they had no problem jumping back into that positive, excited mode. Especially compared to Bubba who even looked disinterested while trying to get the fans to cheer throughout his opening tee shots. But you can't field an entire team of 22 year old rookies, and the only way to get the more senior, experienced players into that mindset is to include them in the design and strategy of the team. Whether you do it like McGinley did or how Azinger did doesn't really matter.
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Well said. I don't expect/want a captain on the range giving lessons, but I do want a captain to foster an atmosphere conducive to winning. That comes from preparation, communication, consistency and trust. Those things combine to create relaxation and confidence, and that's what it takes to win.
 
Tin Cup said:
Well said. I don't expect/want a captain on the range giving lessons, but I do want a captain to foster an atmosphere conducive to winning. That comes from preparation, communication, consistency and trust. Those things combine to create relaxation and confidence, and that's what it takes to win.
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Keep dreaming. The american captains and players for that matter are a lot more concerned about counting their money than coming together and playing for tarnished stars and stripes.
 
qcdeac said:
Let's say everyone is healthy/not suspended in January 2015, and there is another Ryder Cup that month, who is your team? Here's mine...in no order.

Reed
Spieth
Walker
Mahan
Horschel
Fowler
D. Johnson
Dufner
Z. Johnson
Woods
Kuchar
Bradley

One of the many disappointments this weekend was that Sergio wasn't an ass. I thought I would start hating him again.
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Leaving Phil off of this list but including Mahan is hilarious. Mahan should never play in another Ryder Cup again. How many times has he chunked or bladed a chip in the RC since 2010? Too many to count on one hand.
 
qcdeac said:
Let's say everyone is healthy/not suspended in January 2015, and there is another Ryder Cup that month, who is your team? Here's mine...in no order.

Reed
Spieth
Walker
Mickelson
Horschel
Fowler
D. Johnson
Dufner
Ryan Palmer (or somebody else playing decent that has a some what pissed off demeanor)
Woods
Kuchar
Bradley

One of the many disappointments this weekend was that Sergio wasn't an ass. I thought I would start hating him again.
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Those would be my corrections.
 
Mahan was -4 Sunday against Justin Rose, who was all-world this weekend. Mahan is 4-3-4 in Ryder Cups. He has 2 famous chunks: 2010 would have required him to make the shot most likely to extend the match with McDowell and Sunday he needed to get up & down from a very difficult spot to win the match. Chipping is the weakest part of his game, but I am curious to hear about the other 4+ chunks or blades he has had in his past 2 RC's.

How many other US players have played in multiple Ryder Cups and have a winning record?
 
Palmer was on my short list dubs. Hopefully he can be 2016's Jimmy Walker.
 
Damn, this just gets worse for Watson. What an awful captain. Shitty move to tell team members you are picking Haas and then fail to do so. Even worse that it gets out pre-Ryder Cup that your change of heart was influenced by early morning texts the day of the decision. Couldn't have made Webb too popular in the team room.
 
deacz said:
Now this is interesting. Apparently Watson had settled on Haas until switching to Webb at the last minute:

http://golfweek.com/news/2014/oct/04/bill-haas-ryder-cup-tom-watson-webb-simpson-14-u-s/

What a soap opera Watson ended up being. Give Azinger the ball for the next 2-3 cups and let him run things his way, then turn it over to Phil.
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Fuck Phil. Again and again. He's a whiny pussy. I still believe his public slamming of Watson had way more to do with his being put out that he didn't get to play Saturday after sucking on Friday than it did altruism and trying to implement changes in the whole process.

Now I agree with going back to Azinger or someone else the players connect with and changing the captain's appointment process to give our players much more input in the process, as opposed to the powers that be in the PGA arbitrarily picking another legend with little thought process and no input from the players.

As for Watson, whether it was Simpson or Haas, both of those choices were poor choices. Kirk's resume this year was far superior to either. And it shows a kind of old thinking. Which is Watson and his assistants getting together without any input from the players and going with a name as opposed to an up and comer. We've now seen a few times that some of our young guys outperform our more established names. Hell, Tiger, Phil, Furyk and Stricker all have losing records in this thing. We absolutely do need a different approach for 2016. Another new approach we need in 2016 is our players and captains not calling each other out because good teams and organizations don't let that type of crap happen.
 
cville deac said:
Fuck Phil. Again and again. He's a whiny pussy. I still believe his public slamming of Watson had way more to do with his being put out that he didn't get to play Saturday after sucking on Friday than it did altruism and trying to implement changes in the whole process.

Now I agree with going back to Azinger or someone else the players connect with and changing the captain's appointment process to give our players much more input in the process, as opposed to the powers that be in the PGA arbitrarily picking another legend with little thought process and no input from the players.

As for Watson, whether it was Simpson or Haas, both of those choices were poor choices. Kirk's resume this year was far superior to either. And it shows a kind of old thinking. Which is Watson and his assistants getting together without any input from the players and going with a name as opposed to an up and comer. We've now seen a few times that some of our young guys outperform our more established names. Hell, Tiger, Phil, Furyk and Stricker all have losing records in this thing. We absolutely do need a different approach for 2016. Another new approach we need in 2016 is our players and captains not calling each other out because good teams and organizations don't let that type of crap happen.
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Umm he had every right to complain? Every American should be pissed that Phil went back out on Friday and sat all day Saturday, why is Phil not allowed to say the same thing?
 
cville deac said:
Fuck Phil. Again and again. He's a whiny pussy. I still believe his public slamming of Watson had way more to do with his being put out that he didn't get to play Saturday after sucking on Friday than it did altruism and trying to implement changes in the whole process.

Now I agree with going back to Azinger or someone else the players connect with and changing the captain's appointment process to give our players much more input in the process, as opposed to the powers that be in the PGA arbitrarily picking another legend with little thought process and no input from the players.

As for Watson, whether it was Simpson or Haas, both of those choices were poor choices. Kirk's resume this year was far superior to either. And it shows a kind of old thinking. Which is Watson and his assistants getting together without any input from the players and going with a name as opposed to an up and comer. We've now seen a few times that some of our young guys outperform our more established names. Hell, Tiger, Phil, Furyk and Stricker all have losing records in this thing. We absolutely do need a different approach for 2016. Another new approach we need in 2016 is our players and captains not calling each other out because good teams and organizations don't let that type of crap happen.
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Your Phil hate is really influencing your comments. Let it go man. Phil has his issues, but Watson is in the wrong here.
 
Screamindemon3 said:
Umm he had every right to complain? Every American should be pissed that Phil went back out on Friday and sat all day Saturday, why is Phil not allowed to say the same thing?
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Indeed, I don't think Phil would have had as much of an issue sitting Friday afternoon with assurance that he and Keegan would be going back out for 4-ball on Saturday morning with a chance at foursomes if playing well. TWatt botched this whole thing in a myriad of ways and while I don't necessarily agree with the timing of Phil's comments, it is obvious that someone needed to say what Azinger has been saying all along: that the whole process needs to be modified from cradle to grave.

The fact that Haas was going to be the pick (I can understand as he has a reputation as one of the more consistent ball-strikers and solid short game) and then wasn't in favor of picking the erratic Simpson because he was the only one who could seemingly pair up with the unpopular and surly B Watson, thus overlooking the fact that a fellow Bulldog, Chris Kirk, might have been a good fit with the occasionally wild-driving, pink-shafted, sulky bomber just shows how disconnected and unusual Tom Watson's reasoning was throughout the whole selection process. And I hesitate calling it a process; sounds more like throwing crap at a wall and hoping it sticks cuz "I'm Tom Watson and I demand that you play to your potential, so let it be written, so let it be." Sound approach!!
 
Kirk is so blah as a player. He would not have brought much of anything to the team.

The pick situation is bad, mainly because he changed the decision so late after having already told people he was going with Haas. It was the start of a ton of avoidable blunders.
 
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