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Phil Mickelson saves
best shot for Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson...
Phil Mickelson speaks
during a press conference after Europe won the 2014
Ryder Cup golf tournament
at Gleneagles, Scotland.
Mickelson criticized captain Tom Watson's game plan,
while praising European
captain.
GLENEAGLES, SCOTLAND... Phil Mickelson
delivered his most memorable shot after
the Ryder Cup was over.
Not with a club, but with his words.
Mickelson knew this Ryder Cup was a lost
cause before it was over. Even though he
won his singles match over Stephen
Gallacher, another European victory
looked imminent. That's what led
Mickelson to say in a television
interview, "We had a great formula in
'08, and I don't know why we strayed
from it. I don't know why we don't ever
try going back to it."
He was talking about the only Ryder Cup
the Americans have won in the last 15
years.
And he was just getting warmed up.
It's rare to hear even a remote
reference to criticism from a player at
Ryder Cup. Mickelson took it to an
unprecedented level when he delivered
his message in the closing news
conference, sitting alongside his 11
teammates with captain Tom Watson right
in the middle.
Mickelson blistered one captain by
praising another.
He spoke in detail about Paul Azinger's
pod system — three groups of qualifiers
that filled out their pod by telling
Azinger whom they wanted as a captain's
pick. They ate together. They practiced
together. They never played with anyone
outside their pod, and they were next to
each other in every lineup. And then he
raved about how Azinger had a game plan
for every occasion, which suggested that
Watson did not.
Watson never looked at Mickelson as he
spoke. When asked to reply, the
65-year-old captain said he had a
different philosophy and sneered at the
notion of a pod.
This might have been the most intense
match of the week.
Even when the Europeans lost at Valhalla
under Nick Faldo, they closed ranks in
the news conference. Lee Westwood and
Sergio Garcia both were benched for the
first time in their careers. They are
not fans of Faldo. And yet they took the
blame that day by saying they should
have played better.
Mickelson didn't call out Watson by
name. He just criticized his
heavy-handed leadership style.
It needed to be said.
And as bad as it made Watson look — and
Mickelson, for that matter — it was the
right time and the right place. The
message was directed more at the PGA of
America, which selected Watson without
player input, than it was at the
captain. Given the stage, his comments
will not be forgotten.
Watson wanted to be captain again, even
though it had been 21 years since he was
captain, or even attended a Ryder Cup.
After watching the meltdown at Medinah,
he was tired of the Americans losing.
Watson saw a team with a silver spoon
that was in dire need of an iron fist.
"This guy is tough as nails. We all know
that," European captain Paul McGinley
said. "He was going to be strong. He was
going to be a very strong captain, and
he was going to lead it his way."
That might have worked in 1993. It
doesn't work now.
Azinger's all-inclusive style was key in
winning the Ryder Cup. Davis Love III
had a similar style at Medinah, and the
Americans built a 10-6 lead going into
the final day. If not for Justin Rose
making a 45-foot putt, and Ian Poulter
making just about everything, the
Americans would have won that cup, too.
Watson talked about keeping it simple.
He saw his main roles as the captain's
picks and the pairings, and neither
merited a passing grade.
It wasn't all on Watson, who didn't hit
a single shot. And it's not a complete
failure by the Americans. Europe always
has a great team, and now it has great
players. Winning the Ryder Cup was never
going to be easy.
Watson returns to Scotland next year at
St. Andrews for his final appearance in
the British Open, which he has won five
times. He is revered in Scotland, and a
bad week at Gleneagles is not going to
change that. This Ryder Cup loss will be
forgotten. It's not like the Americans
losing is an anomaly.
As for Mickelson?
He came across as disingenuous and
disrespectful for going public with what
could have been handled in private.
"I might get roasted," he told Golf
Digest. "I can handle it."
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John Herlong, PGA
WebGolfClub Staff Writer
herlong@pga.com
October 3rd, 2014 |
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