The Ryder Cup in Rome showed the US team to be mismanaged, unprepared, dysfunctional and a bit embarrassing.
In no particular order, here are some common and not so common versions of the Ryder Cup loss.
Zach Johnson was eliminated from the Ryder Cup.
I really like Zach Johnson. I think he’s a great player, represents the game in the right way, loves his country and really wants to win.
I also think the Ryder Cup captaincy was given to him as an honor rather than to see him as the best leader.
This is typical of most captains.
I don’t completely disagree with the process, but it came back to bite Team USA in the ass.
Johnson looked overwhelmed at this point; passive and bound to logic.
Start with “safe” picks for your team, ignoring the hot players.
It ended with his lukewarm reaction to Joe Lacava’s defeat. Meanwhile, he told Spieth to three-putt the short par 4 even if his partner was safely on the green.
Spieth threw him into the pond.
That wraps up Zach Johnson’s week. He never feels, rushes in unnecessarily and passively disappears when a captain’s strong presence is needed.
Joe LaCava is 100% wrong.
I could talk about this all day. Just watch the video. LaCava lingered, then inserted himself into the match at the most important moment.
If a player did it it would be one of the most unsportsmanlike moments in Ryder Cup history.
But it was a practitioner who did it. A damn shopping cart. Ashamed.
Cantlay later said he didn’t see him and essentially denied the incident. Watch the video again. Cantlay was closest to all of this, and he watched it unfold. Again, shameful. Lacava is his employee.
Zach Johnson should have immediately condemned and apologized for this behavior. Instead, he was absent from the match, perhaps pondering what kind of shoes the U.S. team should wear the next day. Again, shameful.
I know there is some truth to the “ugly American” stereotype. Videotape is now available.
If my reaction seems excessive, imagine a European caddy doing this to Justin Thomas as he’s setting up for a tie-up putt.
You will be very angry.
Golf is a sport in which rules, traditions and respect apply equally to everyone. Joe LaCava crossed the finish line and then some.
Alex and Patrick don’t understand.
Rumors have been circulating all week about a rift in the Team USA locker room. Patrick wants money, Alex wants money, the team is divided, etc.
The truth will never be fully known but it seems clear that Schauffele and Cantlay wanted compensation for playing in the Ryder Cup. They took the opportunity (RYDER CUP WEEK!) to express this opinion.
There are many ways to reward players during their Ryder Cup week – beyond flights, hotels, parties, worship, international exposure, charitable donations to their nonprofits and pension funding for the PGA Tour. suspect they also make money from sponsors to be part of the team.
That aside, the real compensation is getting your name etched in golf history upon the Ryder Cup. Not all compensation is monetary. Some members of Team USA seem to think the number in their bank account is a measure of their character. I would have thought Phil Mickelson disabused everyone of that notion.
Do you think the European players were whining about getting paid? Yeah, me neither.
It all leaves a sickly taste in the mouth of the fans who spend the money to make Xander and Patrick multi-millionaires. LIV golf beckons to both. I won’t be surprised if that happens.
For those that want to rant about, “They shouldn’t play for free! They deserve some compensation! They aren’t golfing slaves!” I have a simple solution.
Don’t play.
Give the opportunity to Keegan Bradley or Lucas Glover; two guys who would’ve given their left legs to be on the team.
Money is thought to be the solution to every problem. Team USA showed that it’s often the cause of every problem, too. Once again, disgraceful.
Team USA needs a long look in the mirror. It needs to clean house. The Vice Captains are starting to feel like Congressmen and Senators who linger in office well past their prime.
What went wrong for the USA?
It’s time for new blood, new energy, new focus, and a heaping side of desire. At this point, I want players who care more than I want the best players. I want guys who know it’s about something more than money.
Sadly, I think I’m in the minority. Sports is business. Business is money. Money is greed. And greed, eventually, ruins everything.
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