The Ryder Cup was started by Samuel Ryder, a wealthy seed merchant with hopes of an exhibition that promoted the game of golf and the sportsmanship and camaraderie that goes along with it. I don’t think he would recognize it today.
Since 1979 when all of Europe was added to the original Great Britain & Ireland Team the matches became competitive but the buildup and pressure surrounding the Ryder Cup has gone over the top. With the passing of Arnold Palmer, a great Ryder Cup player and captain and who embodied the true spirit of friendly competition and sportsmanship I hope that all involved will keep Arnie and his spirit alive this week and maybe live by the credo “What would Arnie do” this week.
The thousands of fans that will try and make themselves part of the activities this week at Hazeltine will do well to keep Arnie in their thoughts also. Cheering your team on is fine and expected but there is a right way and a wrong way. And too often lately we have seen the wrong.
Captain Davis Love III gets a do-over from the PGA Ryder Cup Task Force. Love’s 2012 team squandered a four shot lead going into the Sunday Singles and choked away the cup. I am sure that Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and Rickie Fowler all members of the Task Force and members of Love’s ’12 team wanted to get him another chance.
I think Love did well with his captains picks especially selecting Ryan Moore who choose not to do any politicking or butt kissing to earn his spot. He let his clubs do the talking. Fowler and Matt Kuchar were solid picks and if J.B. Holmes can make a four foot putt or two he’ll justify Love’s choice.
Love bucked tradition and passed over Bubba Watson who was the seventh ranked player in the world and barely missed qualifying on points. Love went outside the box by passing on Bubba, mainly because he has played poorly the last two months. But in a surprising move, by both Bubba and Love, Bubba has joined the team as its fifth Assistant Captain. Hmm.
The old saying goes “players play and coaches coach.” Well, here I guess we’ll substitute “captains captain” and Love will feel more heat if his players don’t play well enough to win. But Mickleson might have to bear more of the burden for another failed Ryder Cup.
Phil’s fingerprints are all over this Ryder Cup. From his calling out ’14 Captain Tom Watson at the press conference to his overwhelming presence on the Task Force and even to his comments this week where he says a captain can effect the outcome and then ran the bus over Hal Sutton. Phil’s got plenty of skin in this one for sure.
Love has a full house of assistants captains. Along with Bubba he has Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Tom Lehman and Tiger Woods. Woods looks like he is having a ball goofing around with the boys. I bet he was starved for his buddies and the old locker room scene.
The smack talk started early this week with Lee Westwood questioning Tiger’s value as an assistant captain. Love may have jinxed his team by saying they may be the strongest team ever. Sergio Garcia says opinions are like a……s, we all have one and that you can’t win the Cup with your mouth. And then thanks to “social media” Danny Willett’s brother drops a bomb on Hazeltine and forces Danny to apologize to everyone from Darren Clarke to Davis Love to Sam Ryder himself. Not the way to start your first Ryder Cup.
There are too many superfluous, immaterial distractions surrounding the Ryder Cup anymore. Is it too much to hope that we just let the players play.
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