Nice win at the President’s Cup boys…
The win by the U.S. at the President’s Cup in Montreal made “our” record 5-1-1, since the inception of the matches. The U.S. team was really ready to play, and jumped on the formidable group of boys from far away, right out of the gate. So “riddle me this, Batman?” Why does the U.S. do so well in the President’s Cup, and struggle so much in the Ryder Cup?
I think there might be two reasons. One is named Jack Nicklaus. The Golden Bear has captained the U.S. side for the last three Cups, and I’m betting his mere presence makes the players step up, and concentrate more. Who wants to let Jack down? Who doesn’t want to play their best, and hardest, for Jack? Right…… exactly no one. No, this doesn’t suggest that U.S Ryder Cup Teams do not, and have not, tried hard for their captains. It’s just different when you’re playing for “the legend.” The only analogy I can draw personally is when I have had the opportunity to play with a guy or two who played on the PGA tour. I just worked harder, concentrated more, and actually performed better than my “usual” game.
The second reason is camaraderie and sense of purpose as a group. While the International Team has wonderful individual talent, there is really not a common bond amongst them. These are players from Australia, South Africa, Fiji, Canada, and South Korea. What’s there to bring them together with the exception of the same golf attire and golf bags? The European Ryder Cup Team is quite different. They are playing for the mother continent, and their core contingent is from the UK, where blood runs ten times thicker than any other substance. These dudes play for Europe, and they play for each other.
The U.S. Team, while homogenous in country of origin, still seems to be plagued in the recent, but indelible past, with some players who are seemingly on their own team only, or players that when called upon to play their best on this world stage, just don’t. The U.S. Ryder Cup Teams just don’t have the fire and the “I have your back” mentality that the European Team has brought to the table for so many of the past matches. The results… not too pretty for the red, white, and blue.
So, what do we do here? Can Jack Nicklaus captain every Ryder Cup team until they lay him to rest at Muirfield Village? Not likely. The U.S. Ryder Cuppers need to take their Nicklaus team mentality from the President’s Cup and inject a big dose of it into their next team. Throw in a dash of Woody Austin, and a pinch of Scott Verplank, and who knows, the Ryder Cup might be once again become primarily the property of the United States, as the President’s Cup is.
