Weekend Wrap - Task Force Follies Edition

What would we do without that Ryder Cup Task Force?   I suspect Phil is having a good laugh over the BS he sold us.

Unfortunately, this piece doesn't deliver on its header:

Europe’s blowout Ryder Cup victory? It was two years in the making

Unfortunate, because this is a team that got defenestrated 19-9 two years ago, yet managed to put on a show this week.   Though my bigger issue is that after those 2016 and 20121 U.S. routs, there was a triumphalism that seemed misplaced.  Certainly this team couldn't hold a candle to that noxious 2018 installment, they certainly didn't show up prepared on Friday.

Shane Ryan tries to explain:

Ryder Cup 2023: How Europe won back the Ryder Cup in 7 simple steps

Simple?

1. They controlled the first hole

In the first three sessions of play, after which the Europeans led 9½-2½ and the outcome of the Cup was all decided, the home side had won the opening hole in five of the 12 matches. More astoundingly, the Americans won it zero times. That's more important than you might think; teams that lead early win more often than they lose, to state the obvious. Those holes establish momentum and put pressure on the opponent. After the first hole, no European team trailed in those three critical sessions, and five of them led. The final tally after singles was Europe with 10 wins on the first hole, and America with just four.

2. By the way, they controlled the second hole, too

The tally on the second hole this week was eight wins for the Europeans, two to the Americans. That's how you snuff out hope early.

So, two of the seven steps were to win golf holes?  Pretty simple indeed.  Though the 18th hole might have been the bigger issue, at least Friday afternoon when three one-up leads morphed into halves on that hole.

Though this seems rather more the issue:

3. Foursomes, foursomes, foursomes

To read my magnum opus on foursomes, and how the home team dominates this format and pretty much wins the Ryder Cup on its back, go here. In short, though, the last five Ryder Cups

have followed a very specific formula in which the fourball and singles matches are roughly even, and the foursomes matches are a slaughter. That was the case once more in Italy; take foursomes out, and the U.S. "won" this thing 10½-9½. In foursomes, the Europeans won 7-1. That's it! That's the ball.

The baseline argument here on why the home team just keeps running up these ridiculous numbers is that the statistical revolution has made leaps and bounds in the last decade—both teams now operate with sophisticated data support—and foursomes is the format in which you can have the most influence as the home team with course setup. That's the only explanation, but it's a decent one, and it's so critical.

There was a period where the U.S. had erased this gap, but 7-1 is quite the beatdown.  The U.S. just looked lethargic on Friday morning, and might well have taken a bagel in fourballs just as easily.

This is always interesting, though likely overinterpreted:

4. Dodo's statistics

One of the big red flags before this Ryder Cup is that the European team moved away from the 21st Group, their statistical consulting partners, to the operation run by vice captain Edoardo "Dodo" Molinari. (The U.S. stuck with Scouts Consulting, the outfit which has been with them in some capacity since 2016, and it was inevitable that they'd be prepared.) As it turned out, Molinari wasn't some dilettante statistician; Matt Fitzpatrick, one of the great data nerds in the game, retained him for consultation/analysis, and he was more than prepared for the job ahead of him. As always, the actual nuts and bolts of this work are tightly held—neither side wants the other to know exactly how the sausage is made—and journalists are necessarily light on specifics. But you can judge by the final score, and by how certain holes were won and certain partnerships formed, that whatever made up the magic sauce, Molinari, a former U.S. Amateur champion, knew what he was doing when he was crunching numbers for match play.

Just fascinating that Edoardo has made that career transformation..  Anyone remember his match with Rickie at Celtic Manor?  Let's just say this is the better Ryder Cup legacy.

Let's duck into the Tour Confidential panel:

Europe claimed the Ryder Cup over the U.S.A. on Sunday at Marco Simone outside of Rome, beating the Americans 16.5-11.5 and extending their lengthy winning streak at home. A lot happened this week, but let’s start here: What was the difference between the two squads?

Josh Berhow: The stars showed up for Europe. Rory, Rahm and Hovland went 4-7-3 at

Whistling Straits but combined for a 9-2-3 record this time (although Rahm was great both years). It was the opposite for the Americans. Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth were both 0-2-2. Thomas, despite his play coming in, has thrived in this event. But he was 1-2-1. Xander and Collin both had three wins two years ago. This year they got a point each. And by the way, Dustin Johnson, while he was never really in consideration this year, had five(!) points in 2021 they had to replace. These events are just really hard for the away team to win, and Europe did a better job playing together and got what it needed from its big guns. And as much as the U.S. team likes to say some of the controversy from this year didn’t affect them, why is it that the controversy always seems to follow the Americans?

Jack Hirsh: I agree with Josh, however, the U.S. team’s advantage coming in was depth. The last man on the U.S. team was Justin Thomas, he of two major victories and a sparkling team match record. The last man on team Europe was Ludvig Aberg, he of exactly zero major championship starts. Aberg got two points this week, including a demoralizing beat down of Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka, while Thomas had to carry Jordan Spieth, who might as well have not played this week. The Europeans also got a multi-point effort from Robert MacIntyre, and had five players win three or more points! Meanwhile, Rickie Fowler laid a big ole’ goose egg this week. The depth advantage was totally flipped.

Jessica Marksbury: All great points. I would agree that the U.S. did not get what was expected from the stars on the roster. I mean, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the most consistently excellent player on Tour, failing to win a match outright is unthinkable! Then, of course, there’s the horrific performance in foursomes, in which Europe won seven of the eight available points. You can’t expect to win a Ryder Cup with a record like that. Then there’s the clutch factor. Team USA just seemed to be lacking in the department. Down the stretch, it was Europe who drained the putts and chips when things were tight and it really mattered.

Zephyr Melton: Europe’s best players showed up, while the USA’s did not. The Euros also got off to fast starts, dominating the 1st hole all week, and they also came up clutch coming down the stretch. There were a number of reasons Europe won, but those are the things that stick out to me.

Road games are difficult for sure, though apparently Jessica hasn't seen Scottie putt for the last few months.  

Perhaps we should get to the What went wrong" genre at this point, because we're gonna need a bigger Task Force.  Zach is taking quite a bit of heat, though I'm not sure he did that much that was wrong:

The scariest part of the U.S.’s latest Ryder Cup disappointment wasn’t the golf

I'm going to have to beg to differ, in that I think it pretty much was the golf.... 

Some of the blame can be placed squarely on the shoulders of U.S. captain Zach Johnson, whose American team looked overmatched, outmaneuvered and generally lifeless until about 5 p.m.

local time on Friday. The U.S. lost its first four matches handily, halved three matches it should have won in the following session, and didn’t claim its first full-point victory until the third match on Saturday morning — an alternate-shot session that also included the biggest blowout loss in Ryder Cup history.

If the performance wasn’t bad enough, Johnson seemed out of his depth even in trying to explain it, largely declining to acknowledge the European advantage or accept responsibility for the Americans’ sleepwalking start to the event. Even after it was all over on Sunday evening, Johnson neglected to address any of the specific strategic or competitive differences that led to the Europeans’ lopsided victories, chalking up large amounts of the tournament’s outcome to good fortune and … the infinite possibility of the universe?

Yeah, while Zach's responses were of the coaching robospeak ilk, I'm gonna maintain that that wasn't the actual issue.... which was, call me crazy, their golf.

Yin, meet yang:

In Johnson’s defense, the U.S. showed admirably on Saturday evening and Sunday, rallying behind Patrick Cantlay’s hatless crusade and creating 45 minutes on Sunday where it looked as though they might even have a chance to win. But to point to the U.S. response in defense of Johnson’s captaincy is to ignore that the Americans were caught sleeping in the first place — and have been at every road Ryder Cup for the last three decades.

 I don't think this is a silver bullet, but it's the most obvious aspect of their preparation:

This is why it was concerning that Jordan Spieth appeared to be the only American team member willing to admit the answer was even slightly more nuanced than a swift kick in the rear end on Sunday evening, the night the streak extended until at least 34 years.

“I think we would probably say, give us a week after the Tour Championship or two weeks after and then go, instead of five,” he said of the Ryder Cup’s current schedule location. “If it were tighter to our Tour Championship and/or even if it were later and we had more of an opportunity to get a little rest and play more of an event or something, then it helps a bit.”

Jordan might have been the American most in need of an explanation for his poor play, although that admittedly is quite the competitive category.

A reminder that, not only did they not play in that five-week period (longer for Spieth, given that he wasn't in Atlanta), but three of the guys couldn't bother making the scouting trip.  That includes Jordan, who had a chld due, but the hatless wonder and X-Man as well.  Cantlay obviously played well, but Xander should be reminded of his indifference early and often.

Not just Z on the hot seat:

The second thing (Scheffler) might ultimately be less significant than the first (the result of this

Ryder Cup), but the two are related in a way that is closer than anyone on the U.S. side would like to admit. The truth is that Scheffler has now gone two full team events for the United States without a single match victory, an 0-5-3 record since the start of the 2022 Presidents Cup that directly correlates with his ascension to becoming arguably the best golfer in the world.

Included in that stretch is the absolute undressing Scheffler and his partner Brooks Koepka faced in their morning foursomes match against Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland on Saturday — a session in which the United States desperately needed to mount a comeback, and in which Aberg and Hovland slammed the door shut with the largest margin of victory in an alternate shot match ever in the Ryder Cup, 9 and 7.

The Americans were the losing team this week for a number of reasons, but Scheffler’s profile makes him one of the biggest. Ryder Cups, after all, are won and lost by the stars. And in a week in which the Europeans rode their best players — Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Rory McIlroy — to 10.5 points, the Americans rode Scheffler to a measly one.

Eamon Lynch trots out the A-words and, while I'm not convinced, he's always entertaining:

Lynch: Team USA’s Ryder Cup problem used to be acrimony. Now it’s apathy, which is worse

 Gee, i thought they just wanted to get paid....

Not every American will be disappointed if Europe’s Ryder Cup rout short-circuits the importance of the final day’s singles matches. Certainly not devotees of Taylor Swift, now all but guaranteed that Sunday sports will again be dominated by their idol’s appearance at an NFL game. For that, they ought to thank the formidable performances of Europe’s players and captain, Luke Donald. But this is the most lop-sided contest in Rome since the Christians were drawn at home to the lions at the Colosseum, so the aftermath will almost certainly see less credit for Europe than criticism of the U.S.

The last two U.S. teams that competed over here were balkanized with internal strife. Scotland in 2014 was a week-long squabble between skipper Tom Watson and Phredo Mickelson, his “I’m smart!” detractor. That led to the “task force,” an exercise in shifting responsibility masquerading as group therapy. By Paris in 2018, Jordan Spieth had had enough of Patrick Reed (let he who hasn’t cast the first stone), so Reed aired his grievances about his former partner to the media before Europe had finished its first magnum of celebratory champagne.

OK, the acrimony plus pairing Phil and Bryson in foursomes....

In Rome, the U.S. team has traded acrimony for apathy, delivering a performance more befitting the last morning of a buddies’ trip to Myrtle Beach, without the redeeming excuse of thundering hangovers that would at least suggest fun was had along the way. But fun is in woefully short supply for Zach Johnson’s team.

That can be attributed in part to the unspecified illness that has impacted the U.S. team room, but missing fairways and putts aren’t symptoms of any infection. Sniffles won’t explain how Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg could play the first three holes of alternate shot on Saturday morning in 1-over-par, and win all of them. Mystery bugs can’t account for the U.S. team needing 11 matches before it managed to record an outright victory.

I don't actually think it's apathy.... nor does Eamon, actually:

Johnson is passionate about both the Ryder Cup and his patriotism. So too are his vice captains. The problem is that the same sentiment isn’t universal in the team room. To be clear, all 12 American players are not apathetic about being here. Most of them care. Most of them care a great deal. But apathy is a deadly contagion in team environments, and it only takes one case. Especially when the going is tough.

Every aspect of Team USA’s preparation and performance was repurposed by Europe to boost their confidence. Like when the U.S. showed up three shy of a full squad on their reconnaissance trip earlier this month, though Spieth had a perfectly valid excuse. Or when nine of the team didn’t compete for a month before coming to Rome. Even the LIV guy checked that box, and they’re supposedly the ones who want to spend more time at home. Or when rumors circulated that every prospective member of Johnson’s squad had signed the agreement stipulating their obligations for the week months ago, except for two, who only recently inked the paper. Or when they heard that some on the U.S. team are skipping group dinners to rest. Or knowing that some Americans are upset about not being paid to play, as though patriotism is just another commercial transaction.

People relentlessly focused on money will always find it difficult to reconcile themselves to giving their time to an unpaid cause, no matter how distinguished, even if only for a few days. The dispiriting impact of the cash arms race in professional golf isn’t only evident in the veterans who are absent this week.

“A noble man compares and estimates himself by an idea that is higher than himself; and a mean man, by one lower than himself,” wrote the ancient Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius. “The one produces aspiration; the other ambition, which is the way in which a vulgar man aspires.”

Any doubts about who he's calling out here?

Back to the TC gang about that hiatus:

Much has been said about how the two teams prepared for this week. Seven of Europe’s players, for example, played in the BMW Championship two weeks ago, while the majority of the U.S. hadn’t played since the Tour Championship five weeks ago. How much stock do you put in that? And is it something the Americans need to address?

Berhow: It definitely could be a factor and it’s something the Ryder Cup Committee should look into after getting some honest feedback from its players. But most of the Americans had a few weeks off before the 2021 Ryder Cup and dominated. So back then we probably said they were well-rested?

Hirsh: I don’t think that’s anything more than coincidence. If the result had been flipped, we’d be saying the same thing about the Europeans not taking enough time off before the Ryder Cup. Hindsight is always 20/20 and the only way to eliminate this discussion is the move the Ryder Cup to the summer, which ain’t happening.

Marksbury: I think there’s something to it. Five weeks is a really long layoff in pro golf. No player would ever “rest” like that for a major championship, right? Why should the Ryder Cup be any different?

Melton: I suppose rust could be a factor, but it’s impossible to pinpoint just one reason the Americans played so poorly. They just looked straight-up bad.

Nothing to see here.... They show up listless the first day and gradually return to form after getting reps in...

And on those captains:

Luke Donald was the Europeans’ winning captain, with Zach Johnson taking the loss. What’s your take on their influence over their teams? And what’s your opinion on Johnson’s performance specifically?

Berhow: It’s hard to say without being in those team rooms, but you have to feel good for Donald, who wasn’t even supposed to be the captain this year yet stepped in, received rave reviews and led his team to a victory. Donald and his crew seemed to do a good job of setting up the course in their favor. As for Johnson, I don’t think he put out the right pairing to begin this entire Ryder Cup to get his team started off on the right foot, and I wish we would have heard even a few more genuine answers from him. Everything was just “so proud of my guys.” Was hoping for more honest answers and less canned comments.

Hirsh: I agree 100 percent with Josh about Donald, specifically when it comes to course setup, which has become as much of a factor as anything in these matches, with the home team taking the last five. For Johnson, I think he will go down as the worst captain in U.S. Ryder Cup history. (Yes, worse than Watson!) Again agree with Josh that his answers were not sincere and as someone who used to cover college football, it sounded a lot like coach-speak. Deciding to provide Jordan Spieth with whatever information he did Saturday evening on the 16th tee may have been worse than Hal Sutton pairing Tiger and Phil together twice in 2004.

Marksbury: Fair points on Johnson, but I’m inclined to give him a little bit more slack. Could he have made better decisions in terms of player order on Day 1? Yes, definitely. But at the end of the day, his guys didn’t deliver. When a power pairing like Brooks Koepka and Scottie Scheffler get waxed 9 and 7, what can you do? There are limits to Johnson’s powers.

Melton: Captains can’t hit the shots for their players, but they can at least put them in positions to succeed, and this week it didn’t seem like Johnson did that. He told the media he “wouldn’t change a thing,” but I’m sure he’d do things differently if given a mulligan.

Worst captain in history?  No, no, no, Hal Sutton retired that Championship Belt in 2004, as pairing Tiger and Phil was merely the second stupidest thing he did that day in Detroit (I'll spare you the details).

I think Zach will take much more heat than he deserves.  I would have gone a different way on Sam Burns for sure, but do we really want to believe that Keegan Bradley or Lucas Glover was the key to this effort.  Or that putting Koepka in that Friday morning rout in lieu of Burns would have change the alignment of the planets?  

Amusingly, folks are questioning the JT pick, whereas it's the Jordan pick that blew up on Zach.  And while Koepka was supposed to be an intimidating presence, that's hard to discern when you're going down 9 & 7.

What I hate and would like to see upended is the cool kids taking care of each other aspect since Phil's hostile takeover.  As I've noted, I was OK with the JT pick, though I hate that it was never in doubt due to Tiger's advocacy.  The pick that should draw the most scrutiny was Sam Burns, though I don't think it change the outcome.  But that's not on Zach, that's on Tiger, Phil and those other insiders.

Shall we get to those controversies?  First, about my favorite guy:

Patrick Cantlay was the talk of the Ryder Cup on Saturday, when a report alleged “a fracture” in the U.S. team room and said Cantlay wasn’t wearing his team hat in protest of players not being paid for the Ryder Cup. (Cantlay called the report “totally false.”) How would you unpack everything that happened with Cantlay?

Berhow: He was asked on Saturday night if Ryder Cup players should be paid and while he didn’t say yes, he didn’t say no. His non-answer said enough. In my opinion, two things can be true: Patrick, and probably others, might think players should get paid. But it also might not be that big of a deal to them where it splits a team room.

Hirsh: Obviously, someone thought or said something about it or it wouldn’t have come out or would have been denied sooner. I’m sure the players want to be paid, but I don’t think it was enough to make Cantlay protest by not wearing a hat; that seemed pretty strange. He was still wearing the rest of the uniform and not wearing a hat is a pretty common thing at the Ryder Cup.

Marksbury: Cantlay isn’t the first player to believe he should be paid for exhibitions like the Ryder Cup, or to have a desire to opt out of the pomp-and-ceremony events that accompany them. Like Josh, I think his non-answer about whether or not players should be paid is telling, but it seems very unlikely that that would cause any friction in the team room.

Melton: I agree with Josh. I believe Cantlay has his grievances with the lack of pay in the Ryder Cup, but I don’t think the team room was as fractured as some might’ve suggested.

Lede, buried.  Guys, Patrick introducing money into the Ryder Cup reminds us of what a greedy dick he is, but I'm more upset that it didn't split the team room.  It seems that's pretty much all they care about these days, which is why I end up rooting against them.

That they don't get paid is true, though with more nuance.  A contribution is made into the PGA Tour pension fund and each player is given charitable contributions to allocate to organizations of their choice.  But Patty Ice is all about the Benjamins, so nice of him to remind us of his priorities on that one week we shouldn't be speaking of money.  

I'm going to defer discussion of LaCavagate until tomorrow, as we're already deep into the morning.  have a great week and we'll pick things up then.

Just one more fledgling thought.  I assess at 100% probability that the U.S. captain at Bethpage in 2025 will be Tiger Woods.  While I think he should be on the outs due to his no-show in Rome, you know how these things go and we'll hear all about his leadership and yada, yada, yada.  But, fat is, Tiger trakes care of Tiger, and he's smart enough at this point to avoid a road game.  They'll be desperate and crush the Euros and declare victory, but....  If you were really committed to ending the three decades of road futility AND you really believed Tiger provides leadership AND you really wanted to do what is best for the U.S., you'd implore him to wait until 2027 at Adare Manor.  Good luck with that, guys!