Davis Love III: Ryder Cup Captain or Puppet

From the looks of things at the Ryder Cup it appears that the inmates are running the asylum. Or in this case the Team Room.

Phil Mickelson has been front and center all week, actually all year, showing just how involved he is with the planning of the Ryder Cup. And maybe he’s feeling a bit of the heat he created from the Tom Watson Takedown and then the Hal Sutton episode.

But Captain Davis Love III needs to grab hold of Phil and show him that he, Davis drives the Captain’s cart and Phil is a player…who in my opinion shouldn’t be playing on Friday morning.

Phil appears to be the puppeteer and Love the wooden figure dancing around on the ends of Phil’s strings.

Earlier today, before the pairings were announced I thought that Love needed to sit Mickelson during the foursomes. Phil the Thrill has had a good season: three seconds, six top tens and that sizzling final round at the Open Championship as Henrik Stenson won his first major.

His scoring average is an amazing 69.5 that placed him fifth on the PGA Tour. Not bad for a 46 year old arthritic. But he has worked his magic with his stellar short game. All his scrambling and short game numbers are off the charts and his total putting has him second on tour.

But why no victories in 2016? Simple answer…his driver. Phil ranks 163^rd on tour in driving accuracy. And he’s 132^nd in strokes gained off the tee. He’s normally ten yards off the fairway and all season we have seen him hit second shots from the deepest rough and nicely carpeted hospitality tents.

Phil strength is his short game and scrambling and he makes a ton of birdies. And that’s the perfect formula for fourballs where both players play their own ball and can really take chances.

But foursomes, alternate shot, means his partner, Rickie Fowler in the morning session will be tested time and time again to get the ball on the green from God knows where.  And Phil is historically poor in this format with a 4-6-4 Ryder Cup record.

I think Love should have ushered in a new Ryder Cup era and sat Phil for the foursomes. He’s got plenty of studs to put out there in his place that could keep the ball in play.

If I am Rickie Fowler about now I am sneaking into Phil’s bag and breaking every one of his drivers. Let him drive with that super 3-wood of his that he used so skillfully in years past.

Love isn’t totally stupid. He knew Phil had been setting this up for a year with his games with Fowler and Rickie his is perfect partner…in this respect: Fowler would never burn his partner in the press after he left him behind the eight ball time and time again.

I think Love made his first mistake. And so did Phil.

If winning this Ryder Cup is so important to Team USA (and Phil’s legacy) he should have checked his ego at the team room and let the young studs get it done.

I hope Phil proves me wrong and he splits the fairways far and true.

But if he doesn’t then Love has to step up and hold him out of the foursomes on Saturday. Then we’ll really see if the captain is the captain or just a puppet.

Match 1 (7:35 a.m. CT): Justin Rose/Henrik Stenson (EUR) vs. Jordan Spieth/Patrick Reed (USA)

Match 2 (7:50 a.m. CT): Rory McIlroy/Andy Sullivan (EUR) vs. Phil Mickelson/Rickie Fowler (USA)

Match 3 (8:05 a.m. CT): Sergio Garcia/Martin Kaymer (EUR) vs. Jimmy Walker/Zach Johnson (USA)

Match 4 (8:20 a.m. CT): Thomas Pieters/Lee Westwood vs. Dustin Johnson/Matt Kuchar (USA)