WORST Ryder Cup Captains ... US and Europe

[Mr. Desmond]

We talk about the Captains, and their picks and pairings, so why not look at the lessons of history.

To refresh the memory, here is an article on US Captains:

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/2012-12/ryder-cup-us-captains-photos#slide=1

Worst US Captain: I've got

Hal Sutton

for Tiger and Phil, oil and water, and humiliating defeat

For me, Sutton was all old school ... did not think intelligently ... just put them out there and play...

Sutton captained the 2004 U.S. Ryder Cup team, which lost 18.5 to 9.5 in the largest victory margin since 1981, and he was criticized afterward for pairing Mickelson and Woods, who lost both matches they played together. In an interview with Golf Magazine’s Alan Bastable, Sutton talked about how that Ryder Cup drove him away from the game and why he thinks Woods and Mickelson have not played up to their own standards in the Ryder Cup.

Read more: http://blogs.golf.com/presstent/2013/07/hal-sutton-tiger-and-phil-have-failed-us-in-ryder-cups.html#ixzz3ELrBX4zv

Don't you love this from your captain?

Looking back, what would you have done differently as captain?

Sutton:

[Long pause] I wouldn't have paired Tiger and Phil together. But if I hadn't, we'd have gotten beat anyway, and somebody would have blamed me for [not pairing them together]. I mean, we weren't going to win. They were just playing that much better than us. On Friday evening, after we'd gotten trounced, I'm out there watching the last group, and I've got to go to the pressroom. I've got a headset on and [assistant captains] Jackie Burke and Steve Jones are on the other end. I said to Jackie and Steve, "We've got to sit Tiger or Phil, because we need to make a statement. I've got my opinion on who needs to sit. I need your calls, too." Jackie comes on and says, "Well, hell, Hal, sit'em both, because it ain't gonna make a damn bit of difference." I said, "Why'd you say that?" He said, "When you get in, I'll show you." And he did. He said, "Every American's got their shaft leaning back, every European's got their shaft leaning forward, and we ain't got enough time to teach'em the difference." Do you know why that is? Because every American is taught, by virtue of his environment, to hit the ball straight up in the air like that, and every European is taught to hit [it lower] and maneuver the ground. Oakland Hills requires you to play the ground game, and not one single American could get that figured out.

Read more: http://blogs.golf.com/presstent/2013/07/hal-sutton-tiger-and-phil-have-failed-us-in-ryder-cups.html#ixzz3ELteATd5

Some might think Davis Love, III for the 2012 meltdown

ON the Euro Side, attached is a scathing review of Faldo:

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2008/sep/23/rydercup.golf1

List of European Caps: http://www.rydercup.com/europe/history/past-team-europe-captains

[turtleback]

Man, that is embarrassing coming from Sutton.  I've never been  big fan of his.  Silver spoon guy who never lived up to the hype.

Of course the 800 pound elephant in the room is that the US had control of the course set-up.  I wish the interviewer had asked, "If you thought that the Oakland Hills set up favored the Euros so much WHY DID YOU SET IT UP THAT WAY?????"  That nonsense about we had no chance because they hit it on the ground and we hit it in the air just begged for that question to be asked.

HE set up the course to favor the opponents.  And then blamed the course set up for the loss.

What a maroon.

[Wansteadimp]

Sutton & Faldo without doubt.

Lehman the most unlucky - Wetterich, Henry, Campbell & Taylor all qualified - that's a 1/3rd of the team that was basically a write off.

Monty was a nightmare (and continues to be) but he won so....

[ChrisP]

Sutton and Strange on the US side.

As bad as Faldo was, James was worse. His strategy of sitting Sandelin, Van de Velde and Coltart backfired in '99. Three guys who were cold and thought their captain had no faith in them and get trounced in Sunday's singles.

[FarawayFairways]

Sutton and Strange on the US side.

As bad as Faldo was, James was worse. His strategy of sitting Sandelin, Van de Velde and Coltart backfired in '99. Three guys who were cold and thought their captain had no faith in them and get trounced in Sunday's singles.

His strategy had got them a 10-6 lead which he was entitled to expect his team to convert. His mistake was putting the three no plays into a block and leaving a vulnerable gap. Even if he insisted on playing them as a block, he should have done so from jack, queen, king and gambled on the better players finishing the assignment by then. He was perhaps slightly unlucky in that he got a teamin a bit of transition after the 1980's, but perhaps more importantly he had a qualification structure that was in need of review as it permitted a hard working journeyman to qualify by weight of entries almost on the European tour whilst those playing in America could be omitted. Europe took the hint and started the tweaking process

Sutton for stupidity, Strange for tactics

and Faldo

[chasm]

Faldo was never going to be a good captain. Great golfer, but absolutely not a natural leader of men. And of course, many of the players on his team had hated his guts for years because of his single-minded (some would say bloody-minded) self-absorption while he was beating the crap out of them on the European tour and in the majors. With all that baggage to carry, he'd have been in trouble even had he been a tactical genius - which he wasn't.

[mchepp]

Sutton should have changed his strategy after Woods/Mickelson lost in the morning. He should have split them up. Still, even they win the US team is getting beat in 2004. The team meaning everyone was awful. Maybe the momentum is bad because of the poor choice in teams but the other players even in the singles lost. I remember thinking Hal's choice of Cink and Haas was part of the reason I thought he was such a poor captain. I feel the current US is going to struggle to beat the 2004 team of 9.5 points.

[Spitfisher]

Sutton should have changed his strategy after Woods/Mickelson lost in the morning. He should have split them up. Still, even they win the US team is getting beat in 2004. The team meaning everyone was awful. Maybe the momentum is bad because of the poor choice in teams but the other players even in the singles lost. I remember thinking Hal's choice of Cink and Haas was part of the reason I thought he was such a poor captain.

I feel the current US is going to struggle to beat the 2004 team of 9.5 points.

Sutton certainly came to my mind when I think of the worst,  hind site is 20/20 though

[Patch]

I just read an article on SB Nation that dealt with John Daly being a RC captain. Not many comments on the article, but most were positive in favor of JD guiding a team. Most would like to see the uniforms.

[MSchott]

I just read an article on SB Nation that dealt with John Daly being a RC captain. Not many comments on the article, but most were positive in favor of JD guiding a team. Most would like to see the uniforms.

A horrible idea but I think the team would be very loose. John's a fun guy but I don't see him having the discipline to lead anything.

[FarawayFairways]

John Daly versus Darren Clarke .... now that would be interesting. First 8 players capable of getting up each morning are selected

[iacas]

John Daly versus Darren Clarke .... now that would be interesting. First 8 players capable of getting up each morning are selected

That's funny. :)

[FarawayFairways]

Looks like Europe will keep their side of the deal, just up to America now to draft Daly!

They could wake up on Monday and so long as everyone agreed to tell both teams they'd actually won they probably wouldn't know any better and then everyone can be happy. I'd love to see Mickelson slurring his way through the post match press conference with dark shades and a glass of alka seltzer in attendance.

Clarke said he spent a week celebrating after Sandwich which prompted Rory to quip "more like two years". Still, I'd have my money firmly on Europe in a drinking match

[dchoye]

Watson wasn't all that bad compared to Sutton. And I don't remember Phil M opening his mouth to critic Sutton after the loss. Maybe Phil should have taken some blame for that Ryder Cup loss . Phil How can you loss twice playing with Tiger?

[Mr. Desmond]

Worst US Honorable Captain -- Ted Bishop of the PGA