Love made 3 mistakes that can someone in a "coaching" role could have prevented/minimized:
1. Sunday pairings - Never liked sending Bubba/Webb/Keegan out the first 3. You knew Europe would send their guns out early, and despite how well those guys had played, it was their first time in that setting playing on their own. We couldn't lost those first 3 matches (4 if you count Phil in the #4 spot) and we did. Flipped momentum completely before most guys were even getting into their match. All told, not that egregious of a mistake, more hindsight than anything.
2. On #17, putts from the right corner were breaking away from the water and it fooled Webb, Furyk (I think) and maybe a couple of others. Most guys were hitting their tee shot long/left into that back bunker and the bunker shots were going past the hole. From there, guys were all misreading the comeback putt. After it happened once, Love or one of the assistants should have been informing caddies in the later groups of this.
3. On #18 - nearly ever American player that came to 18 hit their approach shot well long, like 40+ feet. Like #2 above, once it happened a time or two, Love or the assistants should have been alerting caddies in later groups that the shot was playing short.
Those were some minor events that had they been handled better, could have changed the outcome. College golf teams/coaches are big on using players in early groups to gauge course conditions, hole locations etc and then filtering that information back to other players coming through. I think that approach is one thing sorely missing from RC captains and is an easy way for them to influence the outcome.
