Hunter Mahan: open mouth, insert foot.

[JaY_B]

I do understand his point, there is are a lot of commitments the players have to honour if they make the Ryder Cup team, but still claiming to be a slave is very dramatic and over the top at least.

[Scratch-Hopeful]

I do understand his point, there is are a lot of commitments the players have to honour if they make the Ryder Cup team, but still claiming to be a slave is very dramatic and over the top at least.

Yeah, I agree that the slave comment could have been avoided but I think thats the only part about this that people can complain about, the rest is him just being honest. And its not like he used the word slave to be a racist, he just used it by the definition of the word, even if it is insensitive.

[RogueGolfer]

These same guys are also held accountable for losing. Let's see how you react - how anyone reacts - when put in a situation in which you're expected to succeed, hampered in your ability to do so, and then bagged on for failing.

I must be be incredibly naive to think that dinners and some hoopla shouldnt hamper a golfers ability to succeed. I guess the Super Bowl and Olympics must not truly show who is the best as those affairs are anything but normal. To top things off I havent met anyone here in the states that really cares about the Presidents Cup or the Ryder to the extent that they seem dissappointed one way or the other. Kinda like when we lose in the World Cup every 4 years, big whoop. I am sure there are passionate fans here in the states for these events but by and large it seems only the golf pundits make a big deal of it. Bottom line is that it is only a week, it doesnt define your career, and it looks real petty to whine about it.

[iacas]

I must be be incredibly naive to think that dinners and some hoopla shouldnt hamper a golfers ability to succeed.

Yup. They do. See my earlier post as to why - I don't care to repeat myself.

To top things off I havent met anyone here in the states that really cares about the Presidents Cup or the Ryder to the extent that they seem dissappointed one way or the other. Kinda like when we lose in the World Cup every 4 years, big whoop. I am sure there are passionate fans here in the states for these events but by and large it seems only the golf pundits make a big deal of it.

You've apparently yet to meet a golf fan.

[shredfit]

I must admit, Hunter was posed a question and gave an honest answer... He didn't attempt to sugar coat it, it was just how he felt at the time.

Also, it seems that he(Hunter) is more concerned with how the PGA is involved with the Ryder Cup, not the competition or rivalry in general. (ie The PGA could care less who wins... as long as the PGA makes a lot of coin)

[RogueGolfer]

You've apparently yet to meet a golf fan.

Thats a bit of a blanket statement, I dont like the Ryder Cup so I am not a fan? I dont care for the Pro Bowl either so I must not be a fan of football. It is hard to try to reason with someone who deals in absolutes.

[CG031]

Thats a bit of a blanket statement, I dont like the Ryder Cup so I am not a fan? I dont care for the Pro Bowl either so I must not be a fan of football. It is hard to try to reason with someone who deals in absolutes.

How do you compare a meaningless "All Star" game, like the pro bowl, to the Ryder Cup? Seriously. People don't even TRY in the pro bowl. If anything to compare it to at least compare it to the World Baseball Classic. That was a terrible comparison, sorry. And most serious golf fans care about the Ryder Cup.

[iacas]

Thats a bit of a blanket statement, I dont like the Ryder Cup so I am not a fan? I dont care for the Pro Bowl either so I must not be a fan of football. It is hard to try to reason with someone who deals in absolutes.

I think you know what I was saying. I've met or know of hundreds of golf fans who go beyond simple "disappointment" when the U.S. loses.

And comparing the Ryder Cup to the Pro Bowl is pretty silly. Most football fans watch the Super Bowl. (Update: I see CG already beat me to it. ) And then there's me: I'm a Steelers fan, but I'm not really a football fan. I'll watch every Steelers game, I'll read about the team, and everything else. I know strategies, I know plays, routes, I know as much as or more than the average "football fan" because I've watched and read a lot about football. But when the Steelers season is over, I really don't watch football games on TV anymore. I never watch college football. I like playing football... Same with hockey (Penguins). So given that, I'm not sure I'd call you a "golf fan." Maybe you like to play golf (I like to play football, too). Maybe you like to watch golf on TV. Or maybe you're as simple as an exception to the general rule: most "golf fans" not only enjoy watching the Ryder Cup but also care who wins. And if you stick around on the forum for a little while, you'll meet more than just one person (me) who cares. Or just go look at previous forum threads about it. Now, then, feel free to start a new thread on this topic, but I've just realized this now has nothing to do with Hunter Mahan, so we're done here in this thread.

[BASHERBAKER69]

But it could be said that all players on both teams have to endure the eating, the ceremonies etc, so it is the same on both sides. The excuses should start after the loss and not before. If the Euros lose, they'll be the ones making the excuses.

Tolerating all the dinners is just part and parcel of being a professional golfer at that level, although evidently, some players eat more than others (re Phil, Monty, John Daly.

Im not sure we should pay too much attention to Hunter's comments anyway as it seems as though he won't qualify for the US team.

[Vian]

One week every two years...sure, it's a big deal..
Well, he probably lost an opportunity to shut up..& to participate in the event...

I really root for the US & hopefully we get to see AK & Boo in the foursomes & four balls...

[Harry Longshanks]

After reading all 6 pages of this thread, I can only conclude that the majority of people posting here didn't actually read the Golf Magazine article.

Mahan made numerous valid points, and his criticisms were based on what Ryder Cup players had told him, and never did he complain about not being paid for his participation in the event. Rather, his criticism was that the event is an enormous money maker for the PGA and yet the PGA refuses to listen to any of the players' concerns about the way the Ryder Cup is administered.

The point Mahan was making about the nightly dinners (and yes, I understand that many of the posts/references to "massive dinners" were made simply for the sake of humor, and I fully support that) was that they are more media events than team time, and that they detract from the players' ability to prepare for the actual competition. And those detractions and distractions are partly responsible for the U.S. team's failure in recent Ryder Cups - the players were taken out of their normal preparation routine.

Several times in the interview, Mahan stated that his comments were simply based on what other players were conveying to him about their Ryder Cup experiences - that the PGA sucked all of the fun out of the event - and that if the competition isn't going to be about earning a paycheck then it ought to be, at a minimum, fun.

As for the "pampered athlete" criticism, I consider myself particularly sensitive to that issue. The attempt of certain members of the 1993 U.S. Ryder Cup team to instigate a boycott of their invitation to the White House because the sitting President had promoted an increase the income tax rate for the uber-rich - THAT was a case of a pampered athletes being completely out of touch with the average American. Mahan's comments smacked of no such idiocy.

I, for one, completely agreed with virtually everything Mahan said in the article. I don't feel his comments were taken out of context in the article itself, but rather in excerpts from the article that chose to play up the salacious angle rather than dealing with the very real issues raised by Mahan. I actually have more respect for Mahan since reading the article.

[Lee_M]

I too read the article and I agree with most of what is said above. However, I would bet my last lira that the players who Mahan has been talking to are the players who have been mainly losing recently. Don't the Europeans also have to attend the same dinners? Don't the European's also like to prepare professionally for a big tournament? Don't they have routine's to follow?
I don't believe I've heard Darren Clark complaining or Sergio or Monty (well... )

Also don't seem to remember Jack Nicklaus or Watson or any of those guys ever complaining and I'll bet there was even more pomp and ceremony back then.

The point I'm making, is that people look for excuses and complain when they are losing. It was interesting watching some players moaning about the setup at the PGA, funnily enough, they were the same guys who were shooting 77s.

[Thrash13]

You are right about people complaining when they are losing. If Europe had lost four out of the last five or whatever the number is, they would be complaining about something I'm sure.

Complaining or not, the points were still valid. Things need to be changed during Ryder Cup week regardless of who has won the last few playings. If the U.S. wins this week and the next five Ryder Cup playings, I'll still stand by the opinion things need to change.

This entire issue isn't a USA vs. Europe thing to me. It's the truth being told regardless of who is doing the talking.

[PEZGolf]

Hunter Mahan is not going to have to worry about the hoopla and ceremony at the Ryder Cup matches. He will not be there.

[Harry Longshanks]

Hunter Mahan is not going to have to worry about the hoopla and ceremony at the Ryder Cup matches. He will not be there.

Don't count him out yet. He's still 12th in the Ryder Cup standings. If he plays well at the Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship, Azinger will have to think twice about not taking Mahan as a Captain's pick - regardless of his perception of Mahan's comments. (Not to mention how ironic and/or hypocritical it would be for Azinger to exclude Mahan for being outspoken.)

[ozgolfer63]

Often the surest way to convey misinformation is to tell the strict truth.
Mark Twain (1835-1910) U.S. humorist, writer, and lecturer.

[PEZGolf]

Don't count him out yet. He's still 12th in the Ryder Cup standings. If he plays well at the Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship, Azinger will have to think twice about not taking Mahan as a Captain's pick - regardless of his perception of Mahan's comments. (Not to mention how ironic and/or hypocritical it would be for Azinger to exclude Mahan for being outspoken.)

Captain Azinger is making his selections based on performance. The PGA Championship was the last Major prior to the Ryder Cup. What did Hunter Mahan do at the PGA? That was his nail in the coffin. It has nothing to do with what he said or did not say. It has everything to do with his performance under pressure. He wilted, and then went home for the weekend. For those of you who did not follow the high scorers, he shot 81 and 79.