Thought for the Day:
Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads
Not a Classic Contest at Gleneagles
Once the dust has settled and we have the chance to take stock I think the verdict will be that this was a pretty unremarkable Ryder Cup. Europe’s dominance of the foursomes – they won six and halved two – meant that the contest was decided before the singles even started. The Americans simply weren’t playing well enough to stage the sort of comeback from a 10-6 scoreline that has only been seen twice in 87 years. Nevertheless, there was a great deal to whet our appetites over three days of intense competition, with winners and losers on both sides.
Winners
The Rookies
The American trio of Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth and Jimmy Walker were the heart and spine of team USA, and Tom Watson’s decision to pair the two youngsters was his only real bit of inspiration. The shame is that he didn’t stick with them twice on Friday, after they thumped Stephen Gallacher and Ian Poulter in the morning.
For Europe, Jamie Donaldson and Victor Dubuisson have yet to taste defeat in the Ryder Cup. The Welshman has the only perfect record for the home team, with four wins from four, yet somehow he managed to stay beneath the radar until that magnificent wedge to the 15th that sealed victory.
Justin Rose
As one talisman, Ian Poulter, faded, another stepped into his shoes. Justin played the most flawless golf of anyone all week and it is difficult to recall one poor drive, approach shot or putt. Every time he stood over the ball you could feel yourself relax in anticipation of another great shot and few golfers have ever had the complete mastery of the golf ball that he showed for three days.
Paul McGinley
Europe’s captain did not put a foot wrong in the long lead-in to the competition, and was equally unblemished at Gleneagles. He managed his resources superbly and the only possible criticism was his decision to pair Poulter and Gallacher on the first morning – although that criticism can only be made in retrospect, before the match we all thought it was inspired.
Gleneagles Greenkeeping staff
The PGA Centenary is not everyone’s favourite course and it’s easy to see why, it’s a pretty uninspiring layout. But it was presented in superb condition and it was impossible to find a player with a criticism to make.
The galleries
Mostly respectful (the major exception being a crass remark to Patrick Reed as he waited to tee off Sunday, asking if he’d practised his putting), the Gleneagles galleries were always fervent, often funny and largely fair. The stand behind the first tee on Friday morning, as the sun rose across the hills, was the only place to be and the 2,000 souls in it made more noise than a 60,000 seater football stadium.
Losers
Tom Watson
America’s captain is a fierce competitor and a hard, unflinching leader who tells his team what he thinks and expects them to deliver. When they didn’t, he was too unbending and rigid to put his arm round their shoulders and make the transition from sergeant major to friend. As a player he never expected to be mollycoddled or nurtured and was incapable of offering that sort of warmth or encouragement to his team when it was needed.
Phil Mickelson
He was understandably miffed not to be picked to play on Saturday, in tandem with Keegan Bradley. But when you lobby your captain and he says no, you don’t then lobby him again once he’s given you his reasons. And you certainly do not take him to task, in the most public arena possible, at a press conference with the rest of your team in front of the world’s media. The views he expressed should have been shared in private or after a period of consideration and this normally gracious and generous man fell a long way in those few minutes.
Captain’s picks
Ian Poulter had a ‘mare, as did Stephen Gallacher. Poulter was a guaranteed captain’s pick this year but in 2016 if he’s not in form, it would be difficult to justify selecting him again. For America, Webb Simpson, a notoriously nervous player, was equally poor and neither Keegan Bradley nor Hunter Mahan excelled. Cumulatively, these three delivered three points from a possible nine, which is exactly the same as Europe’s three picks delivered.
Jim Furyk
This veteran of nine Ryder Cup teams now has the record of won 10, lost 20 and halved three, giving him the unenviable and undeserved position as the American player to have lost more points than any other in history.
Quote of the Week
We had a great formula in ’08. I don’t know why we strayed. What Zinger did was great.
Phil Mickelson, ostensibly praising Paul Azinger, while stabbing Tom Watson