Mickelson vs Watson: Was Phil Right to Be Critical of Watson at the Press Conference?

[iacas]

Phil behaved terribly, no excuse whatsoever IMHO..needs to publicly apologise to Tom and  all the youngsters. I think if he does that soon even at this late date, he can still salvage what is left of his reputation

I voted no because the last time I checked golf is a gentlemans game & that was quite rude for Mickelson to say it. I think Watson did the best he could. Our players just didn't get the job done. It is easy to sit here & be backseat captains after the fact. Tom Watson has meant a lot for the game of golf & he doesn't deserve to be critized because our players got their asses handed to them again.I lost a lot of the respect I had for Phil after I heard his comments. Still love him as a player & a person, but he was out of line with his behavior. Lets just regroup & send our hottest players at the time the next time the Ryder Cup comes around. There definitely were a couple guys that were left at home that could have helped us out I think. Like Billy Horshel for example.

I'm not sure either of you read what Tom Watson did or said the night before, or how Tom seemed to treat his entire captaincy.

Are you both unaware that Tom issued an apology for his own behavior and treatment of the U.S. team?

Mickelson's reaction was not out of nowhere. It was prompted by Watson's behavior.

[CanadianCowboy]

I think Mickelson should have handled it in private.  Seems to me both Phil and Tom have big egos.  As for Chamblee who cares.  This guy should have been let go long ago by the GC.

I would like to see a poll on how poular Chamblee is or is not because I think he is terribly over rated.

[Fourputt]

Phil behaved terribly, no excuse whatsoever IMHO..needs to publicly apologise to Tom and  all the youngsters. I think if he does that soon even at this late date, he can still salvage what is left of his reputation

Nice that you could sign up for one post of Phil bashing. So you don't think that Watson had any responsibility in this?

[Tigerboy]

Tom Watson was a great player and still commands respect in the game of golf; however great he may be doesn’t make him a great leader of others.

History has given the world many great athletics but not many have had a successful life after their sport.

History has also shown time and again ‘great’ sport people seek out ‘great’ advisors to help guide them.

Now the PGA has chosen 11 ‘others’ to solve this simple problem of how to win? Another brilliant move by a few who don’t really know how to guide their own lives yet have the knowledge to guide others…

[HankL]

Should be posted on every first tee in the world....

[HankL]

To the younger generation.....There was a time when Tom Watson publicly accused Gary Player of cheating and never apologized...Time heals all wounds but don't knock a guy for standing up for principles that were shit all over by the captain.  Tom did nothing to encourage or lift the spirits on Saturday night.  He even apologized so bravo for Tom but let's not forget, he screwed up and was rude to the players.....I just wish the rest of the players stood up for themselves.

[Golfingdad]

To the younger generation.....There was a time when Tom Watson publicly accused Gary Player of cheating and never apologized...Time heals all wounds but don't knock a guy for standing up for principles that were shit all over by the captain.  Tom did nothing to encourage or lift the spirits on Saturday night.  He even apologized so bravo for Tom but let's not forget, he screwed up and was rude to the players.....I just wish the rest of the players stood up for themselves.

Yeah, somebody mentioned it, and even posted a newspaper clipping about it, several pages back. I didn't know the story and was fascinated by it.

[graham19]

What happens in a team should surely stay with the team. I watched the entire three days and I never saw Watson pick up a club, so whoever lost that match it wasn't all his fault. We'll never know if a different system would have made the difference but the margin of victory tells me otherwise.

If Mickleson plays in the next round I'm sure the captain will be keen to do as he suggests, but must be sure not to turn his back.

[HankL]

It would appear a committee has been formed to come up with HOW TO.....sure it could have stayed within the team but let's not forget, Tom took a few pop shots at all of them so he threw the first punch.  Tom is not as revered as Jack.  Tom called Gary Player a cheat.  Tom put himself above the team so now you want the team (Phil, etc) to kiss Tom's ass.  I think Tom's apology says all you need to know about Tom's behavior.  Rude and Crude and today's millionaires see life completely different than Tom's generation.  Very sad but maybe this had to happen.  To follow the PGA you would think it was an organization of brain surgeons....:-(

[Dash Riprock]

I visited the Sand Trap months ago once, I have been getting emails regularly, this just happened to be the one that caught my interest only because I was so offended by Phil`s unsportsmanlike behaviour .

Sorry if you dont appreciate my honest opinion

[Dash Riprock]

Should be posted on every first tee in the world....

I agree that Phil`s behaviour  makes him the poster boy of what people should not do, and that the First Tee use this as a bad example to children

[HankL]

No problem...I respect your viewpoint and to some extent, I share it with you.  But you know, sometimes Tom has taken liberties in the past and got away with it.  Tom sometimes comes across today like he thinks he is not getting due respect for his accomplishments alongside today's pros.  And maybe true but I think Tom has to share a lot of the blame and Phil is a stand up guy who has always done the right thing.  I want to give him the benefit of the doubt that under normal Phil circumstances, he would have kept quiet....I think there may be more to this story that has not come out yet.  And I don't want to see Phil on the Olympic team no matter how much he campaigns for it.  Thanks for sharing....I am not the lone ranger.  lmao!!!

[HankL]

Sorry the first tee comment was about Pace of Play.....keeping up with the group in front of you rather than staying in front of the group behind you.  I thought a sign on the first tee would speed up play...comment was not about Phil...sorry.

[Tigerboy]

“Sorry if you dont appreciate my honest opinion”

Your honest opinion is dually noted and appreciated they were your honest remarks:

The game of Golf is an individual played sport, usually man/woman against the course unless its match play—it is not a team sport and there are very few in this sport who can be team leaders.

The term ‘Team’ was loosely formatted; these people are individuals who are not team oriented including the Captain who was appointed by the president of the PGA based on his player skill—not his leadership skill.

There will always be dissension in the ranks….next time take the politics out of the sport and put the right people at the front of the class and you’ll get better results. Tom was just another player with a title he couldn’t live up too; as part of the whole team Phil was well within his rights as a player and a Team member to speak out……that is just my humble opinion.

[iacas]

What happens in a team should surely stay with the team. I watched the entire three days and I never saw Watson pick up a club, so whoever lost that match it wasn't all his fault.

As i said before…

These matches are close. Like coin flip close. If a captain - by choosing players, by pairing the players, by setting the order, and countless other little things like what pep speech he gives, etc. - can affect the outcome by as little as 5%, that's a 15.5 to 12.5 victory.

I visited the Sand Trap months ago once, I have been getting emails regularly, this just happened to be the one that caught my interest only because I was so offended by Phil`s unsportsmanlike behaviour .

Sorry if you dont appreciate my honest opinion

Did you read my response to you and another? Did you read Tom Watson's apology and read about his behavior Saturday night and throughout the summer and the Ryder Cup week?

[HankL]

Perhaps you misunderstood, I appreciate your remarks and could not agree with you more on your last reply.  The whole idea of the captain having won a major makes me cringe when you factor in leadership.  I cringe at the thought that the likes of Curtis Strange, Cory Pavin and Tom Kite captained when they have personalities of dead frogs.....Give me an outward going guy who could inspire and be a cheerleader everytime and yes, while I think the US lacks in the team concept, I don't for a second thing they enjoy losing either.  Perhaps we make it complicated when if the players only played their best, we would have none of this or is this their best.  I mean most of the Euro's live in the US so it does loose some of the competitive balance for me.  Enjoyed your comments and I don't offend.  As a decent golfer, I am open to a lot of different idea and many enable me to see the other point of view...thanks.

[Hoya Destroya]

If this had been Phil's only mistake I would have given him a pass, but a few weeks earlier he pulled out of a Fed Ex event because he was 14 strokes behind. He had made the cut . My understanding is this was the first tournament in Colorado in a lot of years and fan support was through the roof. My guess is a lot of fans and probably some kids wanted to see Lefty on the weekend, but he flat out dumped , ironically to get rested for the future Ryder Cup. My guess is he'll be in great shape for the first tournament in Abu Dabi or whoever pays him the next appearance fee. When the athletes you admire and support disappoint , it stings more. Sorry Phil. You were wrong and you showed you're no different than the rest.

[HawkNballs]

The reason the Europeans have been winning is obvious and I'm surprised it hasn't come up yet...

Most of them play with their hats off for some reason. ;)  Let's try it!  Except for Furyk and Stricker.  I don't need to see their heads.