Well, as predicted here a few weeks ago Europe has retained the Ryder Cup. I had expressed reservations about Tom Lehman as Captain and contrary to European opinion said that Ian Woosnam would be a formidable Euro Captain. It’s never pleasant to be correct when you don’t want to be. Still the American team looked defeated before they started.
Frankly, as professional athletes, they are an embarrassment to the game. American pros can’t play as a team, as proved in the singles they can’t play on their own either. While the play is not over as this is being written it seems likely that this will be the worst defeat of either side in the history of the competition. The American team let the Euro press jibes wear them down. Like children they let one miscue ruin their attitudes toward victory. Essentially they quit.
Tiger Woods played miserably, even in winning his singles match, the other two members of the world top three didn’t even show up. It’s possible that Phil Mickelson’s career is just about finished; he apparently became depressed about throwing away the US Open and is still in a funk. The behavior of the two teams couldn’t have been more different: the Euros encouraged each other while the Americans barely spoke to each other.
Tom Lehman was an utter failure as the Team Captain sticking with losing combinations well past anything reasonable. All the motivational speakers, movies, rants, and tirades will never work in a sport where self motivation is the only way to win.
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