Reed is one of the guys that make you root for Europe. The pairings or captains didn’t matter, the course ate up the Americans.
Reed claims Spieth didn't want to be paired with him in RC.
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I don't like when our guys throw coaches and each other under the bus after a loss. We should win as a team and lose as a team. I think it was Phil who verbally punished Tom Watson a few years back.
Reed seems to enjoy the bad boy role, but he needs to grow up and play golf.
When guys get thrown under the bus, be it captains or players, it just points to a much deeper issue.... The overwhelming presence of ego, or the underwhelming sense of purpose.
Perhaps it's time for American golf fans to recognize that this event means more to our opponents than it does our own players. How else could you explain Paul Casey giving up 40 yards off the tee, yet digging deep and halving his match with Koepka Sunday... Or someone like Ian Poulter closing his match out against Dustin Johnson on the 16th hole with a 2-up win Sunday?
We shit our britches. When faced with sink or swim - most decided to sink.
We suck at team golf. And in this "look at me and all of the money I have earned and all I have accomplished" world we live in today, it's just as true today as it was 25 years ago. European players couldn't give less than two shits about what majors you've won, how much money you've earned. Let's tee it up.
That's what it ultimately comes down to.
sdandrea1 We looked bad from day 1 and the drama continues. The Euros are just better at this format, mostly in spirit and teamwork.
not really , they were up 3-1 after the first day morning session...then Furyk threw out some odd pairings....but nonetheless, the players played like shite from Noon Friday onwards, except JT and Finau
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the captain does have some influence. mostly with his picks. Furyk picked Tiger and Phil because he basically didn't want to be "that guy" who snubbed two of the greatest players in the modern era, despite their woeful RC history. But someone has to be "that guy" who says sorry, you aren't good enough to represent this team in this event any longer. Stricker, I'm afraid will be much of the same. He'll pick Tiger and Phil if they're physically capable of swinging a club.
Just seems like we've put ourselves in a box and are bound to "veteran" leadership, despite the playing records of those "veterans" that have sorely underperformed.
What's the old saying about doing the same thing over and over, yet expecting a different result?
Finau played great. Bryson was never given a chance really, given the disastrous pairings the first two days. We knew Woods and Mickelson would be picked, and we knew Mickelson wasn't playing well. And we knew Tiger's record in this event.
And we knew they needed to step up, and they did not, yet again. Surprise, surprise....
But!!!!!
Tiger and Phil are on PPV over Thanksgiving! So they have that going for them.
PA-PLAYA The revelation in all of this is that Jordan is just as 'needy' as Bubba is.
Agree.
It looks to me like neither Spieth nor Bubba want to look like shit out on the course without their own personal assistant with them to prop them up.
That handicaps the Captain for sure, although Furyk could have helped himself by picking other people that fit with the group.
for ex:
Fowler and Phil are buddies. (not paired)
Fowler and Bubba are buddies I think (not paired)
Thomas and Tiger are buddies (not paired)
Bryson and Tiger are buddies (not paired)
As for Reed, I think part of his issue was that he wasn't told who he was playing with until he got there in spite of what Spieth and Furyk were saying. Group decisions were made as they said, but when?
Bjorn's pairings for Day 1 (morn and afternoon) were known well in advance and were not going to change regardless of outcome. His players were prepared in advance.
Big difference.
JMO
PA-PLAYA
Agree.
I was pointing out that there is more going on below the surface than above.
Reed has his issues, but hiding behind others and playing nice to avoid a confrontation aren't two of them, so I believe him when he says Spieth had it in for him.
However, he should have saved it for later.
It's easy to not like Patrick Reed. Complicated past with his college golf career cheating allegations, complicated relationship with his parents who he's estranged from. He's never been the media's darling.
But I think if we're to turn this Ryder Cup thing around, it starts with players being honest. And not several months later, after the fact.
Reed could be right. Jordan had been stinking up the courses. He needed someone to carry him in the RC and knew that Thomas would be the one for that. Worked for him.
Spuzz I guess it started when Reed's wife was asked by a reporter why Patrick wasn't paired with Speith. Her response was to Ask Speith why he didn't wish to be paired with Reed. Probably had she just not responded the way she did we would not be talking about it. Guess she was trying to explain that it was not Patrick's idea...My thought is that the USA side has too many prima donna's on it. Maybe we need a Captain who is not, nor has ever been a pro golfer. Someone not influenced by the "pecking order" and ego of these individuals. - I vote for Ditka...
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I don't really get the Reed/Spieth thing. First we're talking about Capt.s putting good teams together and not mismatches like Tiger/Phil. So Spieth and JT are friends and they won their matches, seems like a good pairing. Would Reed/Spieth have done better? Not likely, 3-1 is pretty good. Would Tiger/JT have done better? Maybe, but I doubt it really has an effect on the final standings.
As for Phil in the alternate shot on Friday, that was a bad move but I'll bet Furyk wasn't going to play Phil at all but when the US went 3-1 in the morning matches Furyk got cocky and figured he could afford to throw Phil out there. That didn't go well.
raggmann54 I vote for Ditka
My vote is Charles Barkley.
Why is this an issue? So what?
The issue , according to those who have analysed it, is that too often the US team players are high maintenance and too divisive which prevents the Captain from making certain player pairings and to the detriment of the team. Egos and personalities get in the way of what is best for the team. Meanwhile, the Euro squad appears to be one big happy family and every pair sent out looks like two best friends with a unified goal. The best example historically has been Tiger....in the past he would only play with and could only ever be matched up with a certain few. His RC cup record when paired up is abysmal and having to coddle him deterred from the US success, IMO. Tiger has only ever been on 1 winning RC team in what 8 tries and i think that one was a final day comeback victory by the US. going into RC we see all thie pre analysis with the US squad about who will and should be paired up together but much less so for the Euro team. Its like the US cant pair certain players together because it simply wont work , but it doesnt matter who the Euros pair up. No egos on the Euro side , maybe Rory a bit, but all the me in them is put aside for the week and its WE.
As for Reed, good for him to speak up, much like Phil did when Watson kis managed matters. sure it will cause those who already dislike him to have more ammo to do that, but when a team that was described as the best and strongest RC team to EVER be assembled on either side is so soundly beaten , i mean they were destroyed.....there is something terribly wrong inside that room and we are seeing glimpses of that with koepka nd DJ having gotten into a very thatening and heated argument to be pulled apart from each other. Dysfunctional is too kind a word to describe the US team.
Some American players seem to throw each other under the bus after a loss - blame game. Some folks, including me, think it's more classy to lose as a team. The American LPGA players seem to bond more like the Euros. Reed can come across as kind of a dick, sometimes. I only know his TV persona.
Justine Reed answered a twitter conversation on Saturday afternoon that was asking why Patrick was set down both foursomes matches and why he wasn't paired again with Spieth after they had so much success together 2 years ago. She answered 'ask Jordan' but should have said 'you should ask Jim'. That kind of set off a firestorm and led to the follow up questions at the presser...As far as I know, this was the first peek into dissention in our locker room even before Sunday's single matches.
Then Koepka and Johnson had words at the Euro's celebration party. EGOs at work here.
I read another analysis that related Americans success in majors to poor results in team events at the RC. The author tried to tie it to our culture.