Where’s the drive in U.S. golf?
From 1959 until 1985 the United States never lost a Ryder Cup.
Ironically, that also happens to be the years between Jack
Nicklaus’ 19th and 45th birthdays.
During that stretch in Jack’s prime, guys like Arnold Palmer and
Tom Watson, to name a few, were also on the Tour and playing in
their primes. These guys were all Hall of Fame players.
Where’s the drive in U.S. golf?
From 1959 until 1985 the United States never lost a Ryder Cup. Ironically, that also happens to be the years between Jack Nicklaus’ 19th and 45th birthdays.
During that stretch in Jack’s prime, guys like Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson, to name a few, were also on the Tour and playing in their primes. These guys were all Hall of Fame players.
Today we have a bunch of no-name Americans competing on the PGA Tour. Tell me, who the heck are J.J. Henry, Zach Johnson and Brett Wetterich? Sure, I know, but would anyone know their names just a few years ago?
Today these guys, who aren’t exactly household names, are part of the United States Ryder Cup team’s 12-man roster, which also happened to lose to Europe last week by the embarrassing margin of 18.5 to 9.5.
We lost, but I won.
As I’ve said before, although there are more people playing on Tour now, and therefore a larger number of players that can win on any given week, the top 12 American golfers of today would get crushed by the top 12 players of yesteryear – Tiger Woods excluded.
Just look at this year’s Ryder Cup team that got beat up by team Europe at The K Club in County Kildare, Ireland.
When you take away Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk from the team, who are you left with?
The answer: Chad Campbell, David Toms, Chris DiMarco, Vaugh Taylor (who is that?), Henry, (who?) Johnson, (what?) Wetterich (huh?) and captain picks Stewart Cink and Scott Verplank.
Clearly, with a lineup like this the first six guys needed to win everything last week for the Americans to have any chance whatsoever.
Now compare the 2006 team with the 1981 U.S. squad that crushed their European counterparts by the exact same margin.
Here is the 1981 U.S. team roster: Jack Nicklaus, Ray Floyd, Tom Watson, Johnny Miller, Hale Irwin, Jerry Pate, Bruce Lietzke, Ben Crenshaw, Larry Nelson, Lee Trevino, Tom Kite and Bill Rodgers.
Call me crazy, but this year’s team might not have earned a single point against the 1981 team.
Since 1985, the Europeans have captured 8 out of 11 Ryder Cups. Granted, I understand that the rules were changed a decade ago after numerous complaints about American dominance of the event to the point that the European team was allowed to recruit from the talent pool of all European golfers instead of just those players reigning from Great Britain.
But that shouldn’t have anything to do with the America’s ability to put together a winning roster, should it? America, by sheer numbers alone, should still be able to dominate this tournament. But we don’t.
Maybe it’s because the guys on the U.S. Tour get paid way too much money during the regular season to get fired up for a bi-annual team event that doesn’t pay them a cent.
In years past guys were used to playing just for pride. Guys like Trevino had to win just to eat and pay the bills. Guys today often get paid hundreds of thousands in appearance fees just for showing up.
In recent years many players (Tiger Woods included) have complained about not getting paid for competing in the Ryder Cup. Do you think Arnold Palmer or Samuel Jackson Snead would have complained about that?
Golf legend Byron Nelson, who died Tuesday at the age of 94, made $182,000 in his entire lifetime. In his prime he probably could have beaten any of the guys on the American team with four clubs in his bag (Tiger Woods is excluded). A player that earned $182,000 in one season today would lose his playing privileges on Tour.
Maybe the excess money has made U.S. players too passive and spoiled to the point of losing the hunger and drive to win. We haven’t won the Ryder Cup since that dramatic battle at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1999 – just a short time before American Payne Stewart died in a plane crash. We sure could have used Payne last week.
Now we won’t have another chance until 2008. I say the first move in preparing for that event should be to make someone like Tom Watson or Lee Trevino the captain of the U.S. team that year. Someone who was never on a losing Ryder Cup team. Winning breeds winning and so does the memories of how to win.
Instead, it will probably be someone like Paul Azinger, who was an outstanding player in his prime. But why not name a guy who has been there and done that?
America, it’s time we bring the cup home. Stop embarrassing yourself.
