Today, the Rant!

Yesterday I "staged" a couple of rigged Ryder Cups, using the scorecards from the actual event, to try and prove that BOGEYS, not a defective system, are at the root of the US Ryder Cup team's problems. I think I succeeded.

And a few weeks back I did a post explaining why I think the European Ryder Cup team is stronger than it looks on paper.

So today I'm ready to rant!



I think what irritates me the most about this whole debate is the overwhelming belief that this problem is caused by magic and can therefore be solved by magic.

• The Euros don't win because they play better; they win because they have a better system (or template or whatever they want to call it).
• The US team doesn't lose because they play badly; they lose because they don't have an effective system (or template or whatever).

I'm irritated because these are professionals surrounded by mental coaches and swing gurus and club technicians and personal trainers, among other highly-skilled advisors, with the funding of huge corporate sponsorships that allows them to spend as much time practicing the game as they wish... and yet apparently this STILL isn't enough to enable them to go out and hit a little golf ball into the fairway, onto the green, and into the hole during a Ryder Cup.

I agree that the US side certainly appears to be disfunctional on a scale I would have never imagined, especially given all that's happened in the aftermath of the event. It's clear that they need some help.

But these same players frequently claim that they "find sanctuary inside the ropes" and that "just playing golf" allows them to deal with all manner of life-threatening circumstances. I didn't realize that an inefficient power structure was SO impossible to deal with! I guess it's a good thing they don't have to work regular jobs like normal people, huh? Imagine what a month trying to function in a corporate workplace would do to them!

Don't get me wrong -- I still think we have some of the greatest players on the planet and I love to watch them play. But I'm incredibly disappointed to see them squabble like spoiled children when a perfect Captain couldn't have won with the scores they posted last week. 

PGATOUR.com posted a brief summary of the debate, along with some potential names for the next Captain. Of course, the campaigning for Paul Azinger's return has already begun. No doubt Fred Couples will also be in the running, given his success as Presidents Cup Captain. And both of them would be good choices.

But unless they can find a lot more players like Patrick Reed -- you know, players who apparently don't give a damn who's in charge and don't use it as an excuse for poor play in any case -- or sneak in some technologically-advanced pinseeking golf balls that find their own way into the hole regardless of who hits them, I don't see any solutions on the horizon.

Solve the real problem -- TOO MANY BOGEYS -- and the symptoms will likely take care of themselves. At least that's what I think.

End of rant.