Go Time

We're barely 30 minutes from kickoff balls in the air, so just a few thoughts....

No doubt you've seen the morning foursomes pairings:

How great is that first match?  Of course, it's not that the others suck....

As for the Euros, the question was whether they had the luxury of recreating their power pairings (Henrik & Rose being the best of those).  As I suspected ina conversation yesterday, Darren came up with a midway strategy....  I'd think in fourball you'll see an experience hand with each of the rookies....

Alex Myers had five oddities about these, and let's just agree that some are odder than others.  Of greatest import I think is this note:

2. Phil Mickelson is playing in foursomes: Much has been made about Mickelson's poor Ryder Cup record, but he's played his worst (4-6-4) in this format (Think about his tee shot that put teammate Tiger Woods up against a fence in 2004). That shouldn't come as a surprise considering his reputation as an erratic driver throughout his career. A reputation that only appears shakier after switching to a longer-shafted driver before last week's Tour Championship, where he hit just one of 14 fairways on Day 1. Then again, it probably would have even more odd had Mickelson, the most accomplished -- and outspoken -- player on the team, hadn't been a part of the opening session. "Phil always has a plan; that's where he likes," captain Davis Love III said. "Everybody kind of weighed in where they felt they would be most comfortable and where they would like to be." Somewhere, Tom Watson sighed.

Unforced error that can be laid at the foot of that task force...  When Phil speaks of player input, the English translation is that Phil wants what Phil wants.

He has no business being out there in this format, but since he got Davis his mulligan captaincy....  No doubt he will take tomorrow morning off, but if you want to win, this doesn't further that objective.

A brief segue to the great Jaime Diaz, who points his finger directly at Phil:

This Ryder Cup is Phil Mickelson's to win or lose

All Ryder Cups have contentious pre-tournament narratives. But never in the history of the Ryder Cup has one player -– or even a captain -- been on the spot as much as Phil Mickelson is this year at Hazeltine. 

The closest was probably the “play-for-pay” controversy involving the suggestions of Mark O’Meara, David Duval and Tiger Woods before the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline. Everyone was mollified after the U.S. pulled out a miracle win, although the taint on those players hasn’t totally disappeared. Losing, however, would have made them the scapegoats. 

This year will be a referendum on the Ryder Cup Task Force. But it’s not really the ideas being enacted by the group that have given offense. They are fairly benign, and frankly, not all that revolutionary – mostly involving giving the players more of a voice and encourage a collaborative culture, and starting a succession of vice captains who will become captains. 

What was jarring was the way the Task Force rose out of the ruthless words of Mickelson, who opportunistically undercut captain Tom Watson in the raw immediate aftermath of the U.S. loss at Gleneagles in 2014. Mickelson hasn’t let up in seizing de facto authority in the new direction. 

Mickelson is the Task Force, in all its contentiousness. The only end that will justify the means will be victory. Anything else and Mickelson gets roasted.

Bingo!

Just a couple more quick excerpts... first this:

So where are we? Well, when it comes to the Ryder Cup and the Task Force, Mickelson has gotten everything he wants. He has tried to create a safety net with the idea that the results are not as important as building the right patterns going forward. But if everything was so wrong before, and now it’s so right, how can victory not be the logical result? Otherwise, the human cost of blowing up the old structure wasn’t worth it.

It was worth it to Phil, because none of that "human cost" was his...  He's settled scores with two of his captains, and remains the golden boy.

"I've had to be accountable for that decision of which I was not part of,” said Mickelson of the way he was led by Sutton in 2004. “That's a very frustrating thing. I don't know if you can imagine how frustrating it would be to care so much about something like I do about the Ryder Cup and be accountable for many of the decisions that have taken place when you're not a part of those decisions, and that's what I'm talking about, ownership.” 

Yes, that’s the word. This year, Mickelson has been given control. Now he has to own the result.

Ownership.  Let's keep that word in mind... 

I also agree with this one from Alex:

4. Zach Johnson over Ryan Moore?: It's been two months since ZJ -- the last of eight players to make the U.S. team on points -- finished in the top 30 of a golf tournament. Meanwhile, Moore has spent those two months living on leader boards, including his win at the John Deere and his playoff runner-up to Rory McIlroy at the Tour Championship last week. Love used his late captain's pick on the red-hot Moore, but opted against playing the hottest American golfer on Day 1. It's the kind of move that will be lauded if it pans out -- and ripped apart if it doesn't.

Zach is one of your grizzled veterans, but he hasn't shown much lately.....  Strike that, he hasn't shown anything lately.  

Before we move on from the pairings, Shane Ryan gives the edge to Darren Clarke here.  I agree with most of his thoughts with one important caveat, that he doesn't really address the the three-day long game.  The format change in the 1970's allows the Euros to hide their inferior depth, and we've yet to see the full plan for Clarke to work in his rookies.

Did you catch those opening ceremonies?  Ick!

Shack was restrained in his review you'll agree:

Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin saved The Ryder Cup. Again. 

Fifty years after The Concession, the two greats took the stage to relive a seminal

moment in match play history and to honor their friend, the late Arnold Palmer. The appearance provided a level of dignity for those unaware of their sportsmanship-defining Ryder Cup moment, followed by a stunning video tribute to the late Palmer that dared to interrupt the Ryder Cup opening’s traditional over-the-top drudgery. 

Hosts Dan Hicks and Michelle Tafoya were backed in the entertainment department by a flood of pre-recorded horns, singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc (nice get!) and Minnesota’s own Sounds of Blackness. The real stars in this biennial display of excess — the dashing wives, girlfriends, partners, significant others — were daringly asked to enter the proceedings prior to the Golf Channel start time, ending the tradition of their grand entrance. 

Sporting grey shawls that will double as Snuggies long after these matches, their fleece blankets were easily the least excessive bit of WAG fashion in the modern era. Task force success!

The Tony and Jack show was forced and incredibly awkward, it's just that one can't help shine when the comparison is Michelle Tafoya.  But Sounds of Blackness?  I'm sorry, but I believe that all sounds matter....

Of course they're lovely chaps and the moment couldn't pass without a tribute to Arnie, but still....

And fair-use standards be damned, here's another long excerpt:

Of course the actual focus of the ceremony should be on the players and in a peculiar tradition, the attention turned to their often-tragic eyewear choices. 

Rickie Fowler and Tiger Woods sported white-framed shades that appeared to be plucked off gas station NASCAR rack, Phil Mickelson channeled his inner Jon Baker from CHiPs, while J.B. Holmes drew comparisons to a scruffier, Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano player-era Elton John. 

There were introductions -- “Alphabetical order is an amazing thing,” Love said when Woods was his fifth and final Vice Captain to be named — mentions of “goosebumps where you never thought you’d feel goosebumps,” excessive sweat-induced calorie burning and of course, a totally over-the-top national anthem rendition drowned out by a slightly-early arrival of the inevitable F-16 flyover. 

Just like that -- well after a grating song and music number by the reigning American Idol winner that had fans running for the exits—the ceremony was over. Mercifully, the only searing images were provided by those legends remembering a happier time when putts were conceded, Arnold Palmer was king and no one knew what sunglasses looked like.

I'll recommend this Josh Sens piece on Ryder Cup controversies past as yet another mandatory history lesson,  He comes up with at least three controversies in 1999 alone, but since Jack's 1969 concession is now viewed as part of the Era of Good Feelings, you might enjoy a bit of alt-history:

THE CONCESSION: ROYAL BIRKDALE IN 1969

History has been kind to Jack Nicklaus for conceding Tony Jacklin a two-footer on the 18th hole to ensure a tie in their decisive singles match. But at the time, not everyone felt the warm-and-fuzzies over Jack’s gesture. “We worked so hard to get where we were, and then for that to be the finalization of the Ryder Cup,” Billy Casper said. "It was quite a sensation for everyone concerned there." U.S. captain Sam Snead was less forgiving: "When it happened, all the boys thought it was ridiculous to give that putt. We went over there to win, not to be good ol’ boys."

Yeah, and the other point that folks forget is that it was Jack's first Ryder Cup, despite the fact that he had been stomping on his peers since 1962.

Before I settle into the mancave for the marathon, I'll just link you to this fun video (h/t Maggot) of the Euros challenging a heckler to make a putt, complete with cash on the green.  Obviously Rory and crew didn't get the memo from Phil that we don't talk about the money we play for....Anyone remember that story?

Enjoy!

Thursday Threads - Willet v. Mickelson

It's T-minus 24 hours and we have a God that has provided great bounty for golf bloggers everywhere....

Philet of Phil - Peter Willet deserves to lede, but he's going to have to cool his jets while we amuse ourselves with that Mickelson guy....  you know, the one that spoke truth to power in Gleneagles.  Our hero couldn't help himself from using his presser to share some revisionist history.

So, let's go to the videotape transcript (h/t Shack):

This is a year where we feel as though Captain Love has been putting us in a position to succeed. He's taken input from all parties. He's making decisions that have allowed us to prepare our best and play our best, and I believe that we will play our best. 

Now we are playing a very strong European Team and I don't know what that means results-wise, but our best golf will come out this week and that's our goal.

OK, nothing wrong with a solid par on the opening hole....Not only did he compliment his Captain (errr, his hand-picked captain),  but in that second 'graph he even covered for Davis' gaffe.  Well played, Sir, are we done here?  No?  You sure you want to go on?  OK, if you must....

Q. You've played for ten of them. How much difference can or does a captain make? 

Good times?

PHIL MICKELSON: Unbelievable. It all starts with the captain. I mean, that's the guy that has to bring together 12 strong individuals and bring out their best and allow them on a platform to play their best. That's the whole foundation of the team. You're saying -- I understand and I hear -- well, guys just need to play better or they just need to putt better. Absolutely you do. 

But you play how you prepare. And in major championships, when we win or play well in majors, it's because we prepared properly for those events. And that allowed to us bring out our best golf. And in a Ryder Cup, you have to prepare properly for the event.

Now, I see these looks, like what are you talking about. Let me give you an example, if I may (laughter). 

JOHN DEVER: You may. 

PHIL MICKELSON: Twelve years ago, okay, in 2004, Tiger and I were paired together and we ended up not playing well. And was that really the -- was that the problem? I mean, maybe. But we were told two days before that we were playing together. And that gave us no time to work together and prepare.

He found out the year before when we played at The Presidents Cup in 2003 that the golf ball I was playing was not going to work for him. He plays a very high-spin ball and I play a very low-spin ball, and we had to come up in two days with a solution.

You may, but you really shouldn't....  We can stipulate that the decision to pair Tiger and Phil was, shall we be charitable, ill-conceived.....  The two brought a visceral hostility to the pairing, and there's just no good reason to put them through that.  More importantly, it gave the opposition a target of opportunity....

But Phil, a couple of follow-ups if I may....  You were quite critical of the stewardship of this event at that 2014 presser, yet for an example you went all the way back to the Paleozoic era.... Is there anything you'd like to share about Captains Lehman, Pavin and Love, I (I think we know your feelings about Watson)?

Secondly, I'll assume that you blame the high-spin Nike ball for that OB tee shot on the 18th hole of the afternoon Foursomes, you remember, when you guys were all square and the match hung in the balance....  Remember?  Tiger ignominiously dropping over by that fence that no one even knew was there until you launched it left of left?   But that was the afternoon....  did you also use Tiger's ball in the morning Fourball?  Because you kinda sucked then also.....

Phil explains:

So I grabbed a couple dozen of his balls, I went off to the side, and tried to learn his golf ball in a four- or five-hour session on kind of an isolated -- one of the other holes out there trying to find out how far the ball goes. And it forced me to stop my preparation for the tournament, to stop chipping and stop putting and stop sharpening my game and stop learning the golf course, in an effort to crash-course and learn a whole different golf ball that we were going to be playing. 

And in the history of my career, I have never ball-tested two days prior to a major. I've never done it. It doesn't allow me to play my best. What allows me to play my best is to learn the course, sharpen my touch on the greens, sharpen my chipping out of the rough and ball striking and so forth. 

Instead, I'm taking four or five hours and I'm out trying to learn another ball to allow us to play our best. Had we known a month in advance, we might have been able to make it work. I think we probably would have made it work. But we didn't know until two days prior. 

Now, I loved -- I'm not trying to throw -- to knock anybody here, because I actually loved how decisive Captain Sutton was. I feel like that's a sign of great leadership to be decisive. Had we had time to prepare, I think we would have made it work and could have had some success.

I never realized what a delicate flower our Phil is.... obviously he needs to be kept in an hermetically-sealed hothouse in the days leading up to the event of he simply can't perform.  

And I absolutely get that he's not trying to knock anybody....  because, well, that wouldn't be right.  And I totally get that Captain Sutton's decisiveness good, but Captain Watson's decisiveness bad....but I threw you a tease in a recent post, and Phil provides the segue to complete that thought.

I made the controversial statement that pairing Phil with Tiger was merely the second stupidest thing that Hal Sutton did....  That event was at Oakland Hills and here's the scorecard....  see if you notice anything unusual about it:

Anyone?  Bueller?

OK, you all fail Ryder Cup 101.  All four Par-3's are odd-numbered holes, creating a unique opportunity in foursomes....

On that roster was Fred Funk....  Now the Funkmeister had a decent career, winning a Players Championship in his late forties and all, but he had one skill as it relates to the game of golf.  He hit fairways, and I mean that he hit them all....  So for Friday foursomes, Sutton of course had Funk hit the drive on No. 1, thereby minimizing the one skill he brought to the table.  And he was paired with a guy named Love, who could actually hit those long irons required on the one-shotters....

Sutton corrected it in Day 2, but it didn't matter much because he was paired with Jim Furyk in that match, and they're almost the same player.  I actually advocated at the time for pairing Funk with Tiger in the foursomes, because the Cat might have done some damage playing from nine fairways (including all four Par-5's).  But that required a captain with an IQ minimally in the high two figures....

But tat same Captain Sutton is in Chaska this week, and it seems he didn't get the memo that Phil loved his decisiveness.....because he reminds of why Phil needed that extra practice time with his golf ball....

Sutton, who was one of several former captains to visit the U.S. team room on Tuesday

night, went on to stipulate that Mickelson omitted a crucial fact in his recollection of his pairing with Woods: Lefty had changed to Callaway equipment just prior to the 2004 matches. “Yeah and then he didn't even call me and tell me he was changing the equipment,” Sutton said. “He had [his agent] Steve Loy call me and tell me. And he changed not only equipment, he changed ball too. So, print that. Print that. Print that. He let his whole team down. So he's talking about Hal Sutton? He let his whole team down.”

Now it all comes back....  Phil hadn't played a single event with the new equipment, and played pretty poorly that week....  he played exactly one match with Tiger's ball, but it's all he can remember of the week.

So here's Phil's conclusion:

But that's an example of starting with the captain, that put us in a position to fail and we failed monumentally, absolutely. But to say, well, you just need to play better; that is so misinformed because you will play how you prepare.

Phil, your Ryder Cup record sucks.....  You can blame Sutton and Watson and the Gods for all I care, but, and I'm going to say this slowly, you need to shut your pie-hole and play better.

A Blogger's Cup Runneth Over -  I'm so old that I can remember when we thought Peter Willet was cute with those cheeky tweets as his brother was winning the Masters.....

National Golfer thought it would be good to hear his thoughts on the Ryder Cup and, well, see what you think:

This man was not smiling yesterday.

For the Americans to stand a chance of winning, they need their baying mob of imbeciles to caress their egos every step of the way. Like one of those brainless bastards from your childhood, the one that pulled down your shorts during the school’s Christmas assembly (f**k you, Paul Jennings), they only have the courage to keg you if they’re backed up by a giggling group of reprobates. Team Europe needs to shut those groupies up. 

They need to silence the pudgy, basement-dwelling, irritants, stuffed on cookie dough and pissy beer, pausing between mouthfuls of hotdog so they can scream ‘Baba booey’ until their jelly faces turn red. 

They need to stun the angry, unwashed, Make America Great Again swarm, desperately gripping their concealed-carry compensators and belting out a mini-erection inducing ‘mashed potato,’ hoping to impress their cousin. 

They need to smash the obnoxious dads, with their shiny teeth, Lego man hair, medicated ex-wives, and resentful children. Squeezed into their cargo shorts and boating shoes, they’ll bellow ‘get in the hole’ whilst high-fiving all the other members of the Dentists’ Big Game Hunt Society.

Paul Jennings could not be reached for comment, though I can't help but note that Englishmen would be wise to avoid the subject of dentistry under any circumstances....

This officially takes Davis Love off the hook for his imprudent comments, so we don't need to spend much time on this nonsense.  Of course we'll take a moment to enjoy the schadenfreude.... Danny and Darren Clarke of course issued the appropriate comments, and the author took the position that it was satire....  yeah, good luck with that.

I'm sure it's all Captain Sutton's fault....

Today's History Lesson - Shack had a fun Q&A with Martin Davis, author of a new book on the history of this week's event.  There's always things to learn about the history of our game:

GS: Let’s get to the breaking news first: the book reveals the Ryder Cup started in 1927 and that is not Abe Mitchell atop the trophy. Reveal your sources. Tell all!

MD: Contrary to published reports and in the media guides from the European Tour and the PGA of America for many years claiming the first Ryder Cup first took place in

1927, the first Ryder Cup was actually contested in 1926 at Wentworth in southern England. 

The story that had been put out for many years held that Sam Ryder was sitting in the Wentworth Clubhouse celebrating with the British pros a win over an American Team captained by Walter Hagen - eating chicken sandwiches and drinking champagne, it was reported - when Ryder reportedly said, "this was great, we must do it again, I'll even donate a trophy."

It's a nice story, but it's simply not true. 

In our research, we found that Ryder announced in late 1925 that the inaugural Ryder Cup would take place at Wentworth in early June of 1926. It was reported in several of the biggest, most well-respected newspapers in England. 

Hmmmm.....this is certainly news to me.  is there a reason that they elide that event:

In the spring of 1926 some 800,000 English coal miners went on strike for higher wages and better working conditions. In sympathy, the other major unions in the UK - including all of the transportation workers - joined the miners. It was referred to as The General Strike. It effectively shut down the entire country.

Playing captain Walter Hagen and four other members of the first American Team had already made it into England before the strike. (Ryder had asked Hagen to form a team to play for the Cup in late 1925.) But other original members of the Team - including such big-name players as Sarazen, Farrell, Diegel and MacFarlane - couldn't get into the country. So Hagen asked five expats that were living in the US and had made it into England to try to qualify for the Open Championship to fill out the American side. The five included two Brits, two Scots (one was Tommy Armour, the famed Silver Scot) and an Australian trick shot artist (Joe Kirkwood). The "Americans" got waxed, 13 1/2 to 1 1/2, losing to captain Ted Ray's British Team.

 Now, about that trophy:

For years the narrative was that Sam Ryder, in ordering the trophy from jewler Mappin and Webb, had the figure crafted on top in the image of his good friend and golf teacher Abe Mitchell. It was a romantic story of friendship and loyalty. 

In researching the origins of the Cup, we went to England and tried to find the origins of the Cup. We hired the world's expert on the Ryder Cup (and other sporting trophies), John Bowles, to track down some of the new facts we uncovered. In doing so, he found that the trophy was not a custom made one ordered by Ryder, but one that had been in the Mappin and Webb's catalog for a number of years, thus dashing the romantic feel-good story. In addition, we uncovered five or six additional facts that clearly showed that this wasn't Abe Mitchell on top of the Ryder Cup, but there sure was a striking resemblance. But you'll have to get the book to glean what we uncovered.

So they gave these out for low net at their Member-Guests?  There's more good stuff at the link, including some early gamesmanship that belies Jack's premise that it's just an exhibition.

Quick Hits -  Loose ends and cheap shots on today's subject:

15 Cool Items You Can Find At The Ryder Cup Merchandise Pavilion - Someone please get me the den caddie for my man cave:

But I prefer that it say, "Your Name Here".

10 things we really want to see at the 2016 Ryder Cup - Including a fond remembrance of a funny golf celebration past:

Phil Mickelson and Zach Johnson figure out the high five

The duo's goofy handshake at the Presidents Cup singlehandedly reverted golf's "cool" factor by 25 years. Forget camaraderie and strategy; how to execute a high five should have been at the forefront of the American task force checklist.

Surely that was a result of Captain Haas failing to set them up to succeed.  

The WAGs Of The Ryder Cup - Because I think Maggot still reads the blog:

She seems to be dressing more appropriately at the golf course, which means it's mourning in America.

Is it us, or is Davis Love III strangely obsessed with Bill Belichick?  No, it's officially a thing, which is Ok as long as the Euros don't show up in N.Y. Giant unis....  I'm hoping for hoodies for Sunday singles.

Midweek Musings - Ryder Cup Addition

It's flood the zone coverage of all things Hazeltine, so let's have at it...

Davis, The Walk-Back - This was the captain to Matt Adams late last week:

“We don’t have to do anything superhuman, we’re a great golf team,” Love said. “This is the best golf team, maybe, ever assembled.”

You see the problem, of course, as there's simply no upside to such boastfulness....  especially when you're the captain of that team that never quite lives up to its press clippings.

So, do we think that Davis might have been asked about it at Tuesday's presser?  From the transcript:

Q. Your comments last week about potentially the best team ever assembled raised some

eyebrows. What went into saying that, kind of a bold statement, and was there any concern about kind of adding a little motivation to the European Team room, because there's been some back and forth since then regarding that.

DAVIS LOVE III: Yeah, it raised some eyebrows around our team, too, because if you listen to the interview, or it wasn't really an interview, it was a send-off that Matt Adams does for the American Captain, a very nice guy from Canada called in and said, I'm supporting the U.S. Team, I just think they need a little bit more swagger when they go out and play. And I said, I agree with you, we've got to get these guys going.

No, no, heaven forfend, I never thought it was an interview.... so glad to have that clarified.  And, by the way, a nice guy from Canada is redundant..... they're all nice guys and that's why we don't like them.  But that's not important now....

Davis, sorry I interrupted your train of thought, please go on:

And I told a story that Tom Kite always told me, just out-drive them and walk faster than them, get to your ball first and dominate. Every time you get 2-up, you know what's better than 2-up? 

I said, No, what? 

He goes, 3-up. 

He was trying to give me an attitude of, you're better than them, let's out-play them. Let's show them that you're better. 

Then Matt Adams was asking me, What are you going to tell your team?

And I said, I would tell my team they're the best team ever assembled. Let's go out and show off and play and have fun. 

That's what Nick Saban would tell his team when they're getting ready to go play Ole Miss. He wouldn't say, You guys have done a pretty good job this week, and you're a pretty average team, let's go out there and just give it a good shot. No, he's going to say, You guys have worked hard, you're the best team I've ever seen, let's go crush these guys.

Sigh.  You really didn't know what's better than 2-up?  I'm beginning to understand what happened at Medinah...

OK, are you prepared for the bad news?  Violating the first rule of holes, Davis intends to dig further:

So the question wasn't, how do you rank this team in history. It was, what are you going to tell your team to fire them up. So I would still tell them the same thing, you're a great team, let's go out there and have some fun, play your game, don't get in your own way. 

I think we try to be -- especially like our top players, five or six guys, whether it's Davis Love and Tiger Woods and Justin Leonard in '97; we try too hard to be better than we are or to do something extraordinary, and I think we get in our own way doing that sometimes. And we just need to understand that we're a really good golf team, they are a really good golf team. If we just go play our game, the results will take care of themselves.

It's just unfortunate that, you know, in that nice conversation, that it got misconstrued.

Misconstrued?  Yeah, that's the ticket....pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.  Notice how he's focused on defending the uncontroversial first half of the quote, and kinda, sorta ignores that second half.... But wait, there's more:

Obviously that comment and to the other extreme, the comment about The European Team, is not what this is all about. So Darren and I have already talked about both of those things, and that's just part of The Ryder Cup. And our team's happy, their team's happy. We're out there working hard and moving on.

Davis, you are aware that Darren is on the other side, right?  But we're moving on.... Ryan Lavner corrects the historical record:

Anyone who knows the difference between a Titleist and a TaylorMade can look at this roster and determine that it isn’t the best ever. (1981, anyone?) Dustin Johnson is the presumptive Player of the Year. Jordan Spieth added two more titles to his growing collection. But other than that? The Americans have combined for just three wins this year. This probably isn’t even the best team this decade.

Hmmmm, this decade?  Perhaps Davis was going for best losing team?

Lavner succinctly covers the pushback:

Lee Westwood poked fun at Love’s bravado on Twitter. Last week, Rory McIlroy sent his own zinger: “They’ve definitely assembled the best task force ever, that’s for sure.” 

Added Sergio Garcia: “You don’t win Ryder Cups with your mouth. You win them out there on the golf course.”

And while Darren may have patted you on the back and said, "no offense take", the other guys know what you meant:

“Whenever we are going up against one of the greatest teams ever assembled,” he said, “that’s motivation enough.” 

Sorry, Davis, but it’s clear that the one-liners are just beginning – win or lose.

The truly funny part is that Davis was attempting to take the pressure off his guys, and accomplished the exact opposite.  I'm with Rory....  Best. Task. Force. Ever.

Bubba, An Appreciation - I find the golf world's reaction to Bubba quite maddening, and it forces me to make a comparison that you won't like.  I find it eerily similar to the reaction to a certain Presidential candidate, as well as to governing elites in general (think Brexit).  I have no use for Mr. Trump and I think his adherents have chosen badly, but I also believe that it's the failure of other candidates and elected officials to understand the concerns of these voters that gave his candidacy oxygen....

As relates to the Bubbameister, I first noticed this phenomenon last year, at the time of the famous poll of Tour Players that had Rickie and Poulter as most overrated players.  Right behind them was Bubba, who I consider a major over-achiever.....  with his ADD and other assorted phobias, I never thought he could win a golf tournament, much less a major....

I find the golfing world reflexively hostile to Bubba, for reasons that don't speak well for those folks.  I don't know if it's the redneck upbringing or overt references to his faith, but there's an hostility that's quite unbecoming....  I see a man that publicly fights his demons, but that acknowledges his shortcomings and tries to improve.  he's become much better in his international travels, and was one of the few top players to embrace the Olympics.

He's just absorbed arguably the greatest Ryder Cup snub ever, as the seventh ranked player in the world.  Jason Sobel has an appreciation:

This is a guy who played in seven of the last eight PGA Tour events to close out the season, including a detour to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics. There's no doubt he'd enjoy some downtime with the family at home, just relaxing instead of watching his buddies play golf. 

This is also a guy who once lost a major championship in a playoff, only to anxiously ask seconds later, "Did I make the Ryder Cup team?" That's how much he cares about playing in this event, which only shows how much it must have hurt when Love never called with positive news. 

And yet, when it came down to it, Watson insisted he'd rather drive a cart while listening to the action through an earpiece than be anywhere else this week. 

"I think it shows a lot about who Bubba is," said Rickie Fowler. "People may not always see that side of him. Bubba's one of my best friends. We've spent a lot of time together. I've always seen that side of him, but hopefully this shows some people that that's part of who he is."

 He took it like an adult, and not everyone would have been as gracious.  As for that Fowler guy, he should consider playing well this week, because he's a guy whose resume pales in comparison to the cart driver's.

Quick Hits - Johnny Miller with an idea so crazy it might work:

But the Ryder Cup is the one time these guys don’t play for prize money. Miller shrugs

that off. “Probably a little dumb thing,” he conceded. “But I’m scratching at straws.”

“Literally, every day you get a pay-out if you win, you put money in the pot if you lose. Cold cash.” 

Miller said he’d even have a little bit of a ceremony. “Here’s the money I lost, here’s the money I won. It would be the (player’s) own money. Not huge money, but they’re used to playing for money.

Well, they're used to playing for someone else's money...... except for Phil, and, as I understand the Billy Walters story, he doesn't pay up unless you give him an insider stock tip.

So, perhaps not....

Did you catch the amusing video of Tiger being booted from the players-only photograph?  Video at the link....

This amusing tweet indicates that our Tiger might be finding an outlet for the special forces Jones:

Can I just note how God-awfully ugly these unis are.  From a distance it looks like a red mansierre.....

Joel Beall corrects eight misconceptions about the Ryder Cup, including this one I thin we're onto:

 

Yes, the Europeans tend to display the tightness of college fraternity brothers, but that doesn't mean the Americans are lacking in sociability. If anything, guys on tour are closer than they've ever been before.

Well, I certainly embrace the team more with that guy on the right sitting at home....

Bob Carney has my favorite item of the day, dispelling another myth about the Ryder Cup.  Four-ball, a/k/a better-ball or the grammatically-incorrect best-ball) is the most ubiquitous of golf formats, what we each invariably play with our buddies each weekend.  But you may be surprised to learn that, not only was it the last of the three formats to be added to the Ryder Cup, but it was a disparaged format by many.

The King plays a shot in the 1963 RC with
Dow Finsterwald looking on.

Samuel Ryder, the English seed merchant and golf fanatic -- he was buried with his 5-iron -- likely borrowed the Cup’s original format of singles and foursomes from earlier events, more than likely the Lesley Cup, a competition played from 1905 by some of the best players on this side of the Atlantic. It endures today, among the golf associations of Metropolitan New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Quebec. Lesley Cuppers over the years have included many US amateur champions and presidents of the USGA. They will tell you that their competition inspired not only the Ryder Cup but also the Walker Cup. 

That’s hard to prove, but the Ryder Cup’s original format of singles and foursomes is exactly the format used by the older competition from 1907 till today. The Ryder Cup added four-ball decades later.

 But it's the disses of the format that are most interesting:

For most old-schoolers (and Old-Worlders) four-ball garnered about as much respect back then as a scramble would today. It was considered a mostly American game designed to get in as many shots as possible. It was seen as downright “amoral” in that it allowed a golfer to escape the consequences of his own play by relying on his partner. Listen to Open Champion Harold Hilton on the emergence of four-ball on his side of the Atlantic: 

“It is the predilection for four-ball play which is in a goodly degree responsible for the decadence of amateur golf in Great Britain.”

Amoral?  Decadence?  Wow, I had no idea....

American architect Max Behr spent several thousand words in Golf Illustrated back then to condemn it just as vociferously:

“Not only does [four-ball] bring with it a vacillating responsibility to the result, but with its destruction of a real contest a weakening of the character and spirit of the game; for the minute responsibility becomes inconstant it becomes degrading.” This, he argued, “is always a hindrance to the best in us, which means the cultivation and improvement of our play. Our strokes must undergo this test again and again before any semblance of permanent ability can result.”

Degrading?  But wait, there's more....

New York’s John Montgomery Ward, quoted in William Quirin’s book on the Lesley Cup, thought it downright humiliating at times for the player who is “off his game.” His words will take you back to, oh, last weekend: 

“He flounders along as best he can, unconsciously ignored or politely tolerated by his partner. His sense of weakness and consequent humiliation so oppressive that he fails to render any help even when the opportunity is offered, and he concludes the unhappy round knowing that he has figured at at all in the result…..”

I feel dirty....how about you?

Lastly, Alex Myers has finally given the event its moniker:

The Brawl By The Mall (Of America)

OK, I lied...can't go out on that note...  How about we bid adieu with this:

“Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented.” – Arnold Palmer

True that.

Easy Ryder

The King has cast a pall over the proceedings, and perhaps that's not the worst thing in the world... Much time to fill between now and Friday morning.

So, we won't keep you long....

Moore Is Less - Davis went out on a bit of a limb to take Ryan Moore, so let's see how it's playing among the chattering classes.  First, the Tour Confidentialistas:

VAN SICKLE: Waiting until Sunday night after East Lake backed Love into a corner. If

Moore or Chappell had won, would you really pass them up? And if so, why wait? I think it’s a mistake to wait until after the Tour Championship. Just pick all four after BMW. I like Moore and the pick because he is the best putter among the other candidates, by a mile, and the Ryder Cup is a putting contest. 

RITTER: Exactly, Gary. If Love didn’t pick Moore, what was the point of waiting until after the Tour Championship? Moore was such an obvious pick, to go any other direction would’ve created an early-week distraction for the team. 

GODICH: This was a no-brainer. Moore has been among the hottest Americans of late, and you can’t overlook his history of success in match play. Speaking of which, I had him beating Rory 2 and 1 on Sunday. Early point for the red, white and blue?

Well, that match play success was quite a few years ago, and we keep hearing that Hazeltine is going to play very long.  I do agree with Van Cynical's comment, though, and I'm more of the "take the best available athlete" mindset in this regard.

I think that Shipnuck guy captures it with this lede:

In the end, the Task Force was a victim of its own hubris. 

The American Ryder Cup selection process has turned into a weird kind of Mean Girls sleepover party, in which fitting into the right clique appears to be the most important criteria. That’s the how the No. 7 player in the world and two-time Masters champ Bubba Watson found himself banished; there’s no room for social awkwardness at Hazeltine. No doubt the in-crowd wanted Justin Thomas as the 12th and final pick. He is tight with Task Forcer Rickie Fowler and one of the U.S. alphas, Jordan Spieth. He even dresses like his would-be captain, Davis Love.

It is a tad inbred, no?  And it's really the Fowler pick that deserves scrutiny, as Bubba earned a place on the team in my view.

But Alan also has this admission against interest:

On Tour, Moore is known as a lone wolf, and he reinforced this rep by skipping the buddies trip last week to Hazeltine. All the other captain’s pick hopefuls made the trip to brownnose Love, even Watson, in what was an endearingly hopeless gesture. Moore blew off the male bonding to spend time with his family and prepare for the Tour Championship.

So we're looking for the right kind of oddballs?   Brian Wacker has data in support of the pick:

With the U.S. saving its final pick until after the Tour Championship in order to be able to select the “hot hand,” Love certainly gets that in Moore. Since the PGA Championship, Moore ranks first on tour in score in relation to par, first in birdies and eagles and first in rounds in the 60s. His total of 57 under since the PGA is also seven strokes better than any other player. 

Though he has never played in a Ryder Cup, Moore boasts an impressive match play resume, having won an NCAA individual title, the U.S. Amateur Public Links, the U.S. Amateur and finished fifth at this year’s WGC-Match Play.

OK, but if you're providing a stat line for the guy, don't you think it relevant that all except the last bit happened in 2004?  I'm OK with the guy, I just think there's a little over-selling involved.

Wither Bubba - It's not quite a happy ending, but offer accepted:

CHASKA, MINNESOTA (Sept. 26, 2016) – United States Ryder Cup Captain Davis Love III today appointed Bubba Watson his fifth and final Vice Captain for the 2016 Ryder Cup, which will take place Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

You have to like that fifth and final bit.... Here's how you know it's official:

They didn't really need the surname in this case....  Shack has a brief primer on his responsibilities:

I'm just hoping Watson has time to study how he's going to get Erin Walker to the 16th tee from the clubhouse in under five minutes!

Oh, and Bubba, Ryan Moore like his water room temperature Bubba, with no moisture on the outside please. 

Here's your cart Bubba! Leave the one with heated seats, lumbar support and Tiger's name on it for the Big Cat!

I'd suggest that we have Tom Lehman attend to Ryan Moore's needs, as it may still be too soon for Bubba.

Phil Being Phil - By all means, let's keep overthinking things:

"I'm going to point something out,'' Mickelson said, unprompted. "This is a great

example of the disconnect that we have on the U.S. side because the [PGA] Tour doesn't own the Ryder Cup, or doesn't work in conjunction with the PGA of America.'' 

The Ryder Cup is administered by the PGA of America in the U.S. and the European Tour in Europe. 

"The European Tour would never have the setup be so different the week before the Ryder Cup,'' Mickelson said. "If we were in Europe and they were going to set up the course a certain way, the week before they would set it up a certain way. We're not going to have rough like that.

So, are we worried that the guy we picked because he's hot won't maintain his form because the course set-ups are so different?  And I forgot, who won that event?  Oh yeah, that McIlroy guy......so you want to same set-up so that he can be prepared?  

How about you just play better, Phil?

The Tributes

It's really quite touching to see the world memorialize our King, especially since it's not just our little golf world.

For instance, this is this week's Sports Illustrated cover:

OK, that's a sports magazine, but this was the paper of record:

That other New York paper could only fit Arnie below the fold, but then again that important story about rising incomes delivering millions of blacks and Hispanics out of poverty had to lede on the day of the first debate (and unfortunately I'm not kidding).

Shack had this interesting reaction to the photos used with the tributes:

Unlike that SI cover, so many of the photos and clips I've seen of Mr. Palmer are of him in his older years because (A) he aged incredibly gracefully and (B) he's been captured in so many modern mediums.

In yesterday's post I found myself gravitating towards the photos of the young, virile King, in a sense trying to present him as he would have appeared as he burst onto the scene.  But there are few that the camera loved more, as there's no bad photos of the man....  Well, maybe one....

James Corrigan appropriately sets aside his curmudgeonly persona in this fine tribute:

Timing was everything for Arnold Palmer. The player they were to coronate The King came along at the perfect moment to start a golfing and yes, marketing revolution and although his passing, whenever it came, was always going to be classed as premature, nobody could deny that he left the stage just as the spotlight was zooming in. 

That was Palmer, for you. Always the idol they were talking about long after he had made his gracious exit.

And this:

“[Arnold] Palmer was a swashbuckling mercenary, travelling across the channel, when

hardly any other US pro did, to play in the Open Championship at the turn of the Sixties. Where he went, the game followed. It had to. He was the Pied Piper,” writes James Corrigan of the Telegraph in London. 

“They called Arnold Palmer ‘The King’ but in many respects this was wholly inappropriate. The son of a head pro and greenskeeper whose own ambitions were thwarted because of a childhood disease, he was never handed anything because of his bloodline; apart from the odd bucket of range balls.

Yes, he's often credited with saving The Open Championship in 1960, when he traveled to St. Andrews in an attempt to create a modern professional Grand Slam.  He lost to Kel Nagle by a single stroke, but won the next two. including at Royal Birkdale in 1961 (photo above).

Now he came along at the perfect moment, but it was he who captured the public's imagination because he was, you know, Arnold Palmer....  Ryan Lavner captures it well, including quantifying his impact:

That’s why these days, weeks and months ahead are an important period of reflection for the current pros. 

There is an ever-widening divide between fans and the stars of our game, the mega-millionaires who are safe in their cocoon, protected by managers and publicists and image specialists. The money has never been greater – Rory McIlroy deposited $11.44 million Sunday; Palmer made $1.86 million in his career – and the lifestyles never more different. Each year, it seems, they only drift further away, the connection becoming more tenuous. 

And so, moving forward, will our stars use their fame, their fortune and their status to shield themselves from the public, from the fans that enriched their fabulous lives? Or will they stay grounded and humble and relatable – will they stay connected – the way Palmer did?

Arnie did well enough to afford his airplane, as well as lots of Arnold Palmers....Shack had this response to the above, which I think is a bit overdone:

The Olympic Zika virus fiasco this summer opened the door to this discussion and while the debate is not something that should overshadow the remembrances of The King, but throwing the point out seems fair as we hear from the players over the next few days about how they view Palmer's legacy and their places in the game.

I think it's fine to salute the King and his legacy of openness and approachability, but there was no Twitter in 1958....  If we look at the stars of our game today, I don't really have concerns about guys like Spieth, Day and McIlroy on that score.  It's just a different era, but we don't need to cudgel them over it.... You can argue, as Geoff does, that those guys should have sucked it up gone to Rio, but that's to me too easy an argument.  

If we want to contrast today's coddled players with those of hardier stock, I'd prefer to use this Steve DiMeglio anecdote:

Tiger Woods had much to celebrate as he plopped into a chair in the Bay Hill locker

room on a quiet Monday afternoon in March 2013. 

He’d just won the storm-delayed Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, his 77th victory on the PGA Tour. He was healthy and strong. And the victory moved him back to No. 1 in the world for the first time in 29 months. 

So cocktails were in order and Woods relaxed with a few friends including his caddie, Joe LaCava, and a vanquished opponent from the day’s work on the fairways, Rickie Fowler. 

Then a thunderous voice crashed the festivities.

From the other side of the room, a man took issue with Woods’ decision to lay up on the finishing hole to protect his lead. Sprinkling in some off-color language, he also chastised Woods for chunking his third shot to the green, leaving the ball some 100 feet from the hole. 

It was Arnold Palmer teeing up a world-class mocking. 

And Woods loved it, smiling throughout, dropping his head in mock humiliation and trying to get a word in edge wise. It’s one of the countless memories of Palmer that Woods can recite on command, spurred by a relationship he relished with a man 47 years his senior.

How lucky does one have to be to be mocked by The King?

I'll leave you with this Tour Confidential panel attempt to capture Arnie's significance, no less unsuccessful than all the others.  This one comes close:

Alan Shipnuck: No pro athlete has ever looked better in competition. Palmer exuded an earthy sex appeal and a postwar, American dream vibe that makes Don Draper look like Donald Duck. Those old pics of Palmer glowering on a tee box with a cigarette or slashing at the ball are utterly timeless. And they still will be 100 years from now.

Oh that wild swing.....especially the helicopter finish.

 And when asked about memories of the man, Shipnuck had this:

SHIPNUCK: The handshake. Decades ago I remember reading a list of things every golfer should do and one item was shaking Arnie’s hand. I thought that was curious … until the first time I met him. His big, meaty paw practically swallowed my arm! Those were the calloused hands of a craftsman, and the crushing grip was as manly as it gets.

I remember that article, fifty things every golfer should do.  Also on the list was to make birdie out of the water, and I'm still trying to figure out how one does that.

Long live The King! 

Weekend Wrap

It feels almost sacrilegious after our sad news, but life goes on...

I forced myself to watch the final round of the Tour Championship, and it's quite the hot mess that Commissioner Ratched leaves to successor Jay Monahan.  Here's the best spin one can put on it, though I'd argue that more lipstick is required:

Two months ago, Rory McIlroy looked beaten. He failed to make the weekend at 

Well, he certainly looks happy...

Baltusrol, his second missed cut in the last three majors. His putting was such a mess that he altered styles mid-season, only to return to his original grip. He was inconsistent, with strings of birdies undone with a disconcerting amount of high numbers. Some questioned his fortitude, his lack of grinding. McIlroy, deemed golf's golden boy after winning back-to-back majors in 2014, was asked if he feared becoming the sport's "Ringo." 

What a difference two months can make. 

Weeks after capturing the Deutsche Bank Championship, McIlroy grabbed the 2016 Tour Championship -- as well as the FedEx Cup -- with an instant-classic performance on Sunday at East Lake.

OK, he won like $11.5 million, so I guess that makes a man happy, even a man that doesn't need it.  And he's had his struggles, so two wins in the last three events will soothe that savage beast.  But he beat all of 28 other guys, so I'm actually more impressed by the win in Boston.

As for the shot that won it for him the hole-out on No. sixteen, this is I believe the dictionary definition of damning with false praise:

It was one of the most dramatic moments in FedEx Cup history.

Ah, the soft bigotry of low expectations...

In theory, they got as exciting a finish as could be hoped for, and it still didn't really excite.  I found myself perversely hoping that Dustin Johnson would end up with the big payday despite stinking up the joint for his final 27 holes.  It just personified the muddled thinking behind the faux-playoffs....

We've been down this road before, but the Commish has tried to eat his cake and have it to.... maybe the worst thing that happened was in the second year when Vijay won just by showing up.  Finchem has said that he wants a worthy champion reflecting the season's body of work and he simultaneously wants the drama to sustain itself deep into Sunday evening, and in the context of golf those are mutually exclusive.  Thus we've had a series of champions (see, Haas, Snedeker, Horschel) that clearly fail on the first test, though the drama hasn't been quite what was intended.

To me, this is where the absence of a Commissioner deeply rooted in our game is problematic.... The Commish has unique problem in not controlling the events that matter, combined with a heaping of greed and envy, caused him to attempt to copy those other sports with their must see playoffs, though our game doesn't lend itself to that format.  

As I've previously discussed, I'd much rather see the Tour jettison any pretense that the season-ending competition has larger significance, and instead opt for a high-stakes shootout.  I don't have a specific format in mind, but one could see a series of elimination events (perhaps the season leaders could be given some initial advantage as a reward) culminating in a small field playing Sunday for the ten million large....  I'm guessing that would grab a few eyeballs.

So, we'll move on from bashing Finchie to the only golf that matters from now until April, that little event starting Friday in Chaska, MN.  Thanks to the brilliance of the top men in golf, Davis Love's final pick was scheduled for halftime of an NFL game...  Yeah, a bit of an inferiority complex there.

The pick was officially announced by NBC's Mike Tirico during halftime of the Sunday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears.

Moore finished second at the Tour Championship on Sunday, losing to Rory McIlroy on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff, but put on an impressive display -- particularly with his putter -- in the process. 

Playing alongside McIlroy in the season-finale, the two combined for 11 birdies, an eagle and just one bogey as each shot 64 in regulation before landing in a three-way playoff with Kevin Chappell.

The most obvious conclusion is that Davis Love really didn't want Bubba Watson anywhere near his Ryder Cup team, though I've not heard a response to Bubba's offer to be an assistant captain should he not be selected.  As a matter of historical perspective, this might well be the most significant snub in Ryder Cup history, leaving the seventh ranked player in the world at home.

Here's the case as made by Captain Love:

All that mattered is his recent performance since the PGA Championship had outshined any of the remaining contenders – whether it be Bubba Watson, who was ninth in the point standing and ranked No. 7 in the world, or a pair of talented 23-year-olds in Daniel Berger and Justin Thomas, or a wily veteran like Jim Furyk. And what a run of good form it has been. It had to be Moore because he won the John Deere Classic, and finished in the top 10 in three of the four FedEx Cup playoff events. 

“Ryan fits so well with what we have in place,” Love said. “He’s an easy-going, thoughtful guy, but don’t be fooled, Ryan’s a great match-play player with an incredible match-play record. He has guts and determination, and everyone saw that today. We are thrilled to have him with us.”

Easy-going?  OK, before I start the inevitable rant, let's add this:

Moore said he thought he had to win to get picked, but the grit and fight he showed in battling McIlroy proved Moore has what it takes to go toe-to-toe with Europe’s best.

We all did, Ryan, we all did.... Or maybe not even, as here's the strangest part.  Moore was asked to join the team in that Monday trip to Hazeltine, and politely declined because he didn't think he was being seriously considered.  So Davis ends up taking him in the absence of a win, but couldn't offer enough encouragement to get him to make a side trip.  We're in the best of hands...

Moore is a nice player, but there's lots of those....  He played well this week and showed some grit for sure, but he's not a guy that wins very often.  The case for him often devolves to his match play record, most notably in which he had perhaps the greatest year ever in amateur golf in which he won the U.S. Amateur, the NCAA's and the Public Links.  Notable for sure, but that wasn't exactly yesterday.  

The irony:  we're invoking the Horschel rule, designed to add the hot player to the U.S. squad, to pick guy that had a hot season of match play in 2004.  Makes sense to me...

What would Monday be without golf folks beclowning themselves with silly statements...  In inverse order, we have Johnny Miller:

"I do believe the Euros have got, at least on paper, the worst team they've had in many

years," Miller said Saturday at the Tour Championship. 

Europe is going after its fourth straight victory — and ninth out of the last 11 — in the Ryder Cup next week in Minnesota at Hazeltine National. Europe has six rookies on its 12-man team. It has never won a Ryder Cup with that many rookies when the matches were in America. 

"I just think with all those rookies ... when you lose (Ian) Poulter, it's like tearing your heart out," Miller said. "I think this is the year not only could the U.S. win, they could win by like five points."

 OK, I think the most important thing is that "at least on paper" bit, because it has the advantage of being true.  It will end up on a bulletin board for sure, but so be it...

Though like many he overstates the Poulter efect, which had clearly reached its sell-by date at Gleneagles.  I think Clarke caught a break in not having to deal with Poults as a potential captain's pick, since he's long since lost whatever game he had.

But our golf medal for foolishness goes to Captain Love, who on Matt Adams' Fairways of Life radio show offered this pearl of wisdom on which he might well choke Sunday evening:

“We don’t have to do anything superhuman, we’re a great golf team,” Love said. “This is the best golf team, maybe, ever assembled.”

I don't know, that was a pretty damn good team at Medinah....  I forget, how did that turn out?

Perhaps Davis needs to study a little golf history, specifically the 1989 Ryder Cup held at The Belfry.  Captain Raymond Floyd introduced his team as the twelve best golfers in the world, and the Euro's reacted predictably....  They managed a tie that retained the cup with a roster that included immortals suxh as Ronan Rafferty, Grodan Brand, Jr. and Howard Clark.  

I offer no predictions other than it will be a great week. 

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/sports/article103932536.html#storylink=cpy