Ryder Cup 2014
Tom Watson. I agree a legend. But when asked what was the difference between now and his last captaincy stated that there were more media interviews now.
Not the "new world" captains that Azinger, Jacklin, Monty and McGinley were....
Ryder Cup 2014
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Tom Watson. I agree a legend. But when asked what was the difference between now and his last captaincy stated that there were more media interviews now.
Not the "new world" captains that Azinger, Jacklin, Monty and McGinley were....
Mr Tree
bigger than massive
Ryder Cup 2014
they've actually done pretty well to resist milking it so far. only a matter of time though, in my opinion. there's quite a few variations on the format that could produce "interesting" matches, though the Ryder Cup would remain the pinnacle...
i wouldn't mind seeing, for example, maybe a shortened version in an Ashes-style, England vs Australia?
mind you the calendars are already pretty hectic, i imagine...
Ealing Bee
Well-known member
Ryder Cup 2014
No doubt, but he didn't select himself as Captain, did he?
And in any case, whether Watson was crap, out-of-touch or unlucky etc, do you think that justifies Mickleson publicly embarrassing him at the Press Conference?
Ryder Cup 2014
No. But (in PM's defence) he was talking in general terms over the last 3 Ryder Cups, not this one specificly.
Ealing Bee
Well-known member
Ryder Cup 2014
Somebody else made the point that his comments could actually be applied to the two Captains before Watson.
Except that neither of them was sitting in the same room at the time, like Watson.
Anyhow, it's easy to blame it all on the Captain. Yet a little-reported fact was that at the time of The (British) Open, Watson invited the top 20 American golfers at the tournament to pop up to Gleneagles with him, so as to familiarise themselves with the course etc.
Precisely two took him up on it - Jim Furyk and (I think) Dustin Johnson.
Ryder Cup 2014
Get your facts correct. Jeeez. Only one player came and it was Keegan Bradley.
http://www.golfcentraldaily.com/2014/07/tom-watsons-usa-teambuilding-day-at.html
Ealing Bee
Well-known member
Ryder Cup 2014
According to the PGA, it was two (though the second was Bradley, not Johnson): "Jim Furyk and Keegan Bradley are among the few Americans who have played Gleneagles. They accompanied Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson during a scouting trip before the British Open."Get your facts correct. Jeeez. Only one player came and it was Keegan Bradley.
http://www.golfcentraldaily.com/2014/07/tom-watsons-usa-teambuilding-day-at.html
http://www.pga.com/news/pga-tour/jordan-spieth-makes-return-trip-gleneagles
So I think I still win, 2&1...
In any case, someone in Watson's position (Ryder Cup record W10-L4-H1) might have questioned his players after the embarrassment at Gleneagles, but he was/is far too dignified to do that.
In particular, whilst the Rookies were mostly up for it, far too many of the Senior players simply failed to perform. Of course Mickelson could claim he held his end up, until you look at his overall Cup record of, ahem, W16-L19-H6.
Meanwhile, Mickelson seems to have been copping a whole heap of flak back in the USA, eg: http://www.sbnation.com/golf/2014/9...on-tom-watson-brandel-chamblee-ryder-cup-2014