Ryder Cup: Life's A Wastin'

Since I root for the USA in The Ryder Cup, I’m going to have to stop watching. My USA heroes are simply wasting my life with their efforts.

The saving grace is the Ryder Cup has been this week and our annual family vacation is next week. Two years ago they coincided and we lost some valuable beach time. The US did so well in the team matches, something they never do, that everyone got lured in to watch the singles matches on Sunday. What we didn’t realize was the US team was so busy waiting to celebrate they forgot to play the Europeans. I came away with a distasteful image of Jim Fuyrk fussing over every putt to the point we were shouting at him to pull trigger. The extra care didn’t pay off as Jim was wide right more than a college kicker.

Keegan Bradley congratulates Jamie Dondalson as the U.S. is eliminated again in the Ryder Cup.

This year the US team was actually the underdogs. The Euros had Rory McIlroy, the world #1 who has been roarin’ around majors this year. They had Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia & Lee Westwood, proven Ryder assassins who keyed the big comeback in 2012 on American Soil.

The US had no Tiger, Dustin Johnson or Jason Dufner due to injury and personal reasons. No Chris Kirk or Billy Horschel because Old Tom Watson picked Webb Simpson, Hunter Mahan and Keegan Bradley with his captain’s picks. Those three tanked on Sunday with Mahan even entering the bad history books by blowing a four up lead.

So what’s missing? Passion and leadership in my opinion. We need more Patrick Reeds, who sank a putt and put his fingers to his lips to shush the Euro crowd. He stood up under the challenge of Henrik Stenson, a top 5 player in the world, and pulled out a full point Sunday. Even if Tiger had been available he’s seldom played like a World #1 like McIlroy did. McIlroy smoked a pretty game Ricky Fowler on Sunday. It seemed like it was 18 up rather than 5 and 4. Fowler, who bears a resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio in a golf hat, went down like the Titanic while Rory looked like the “King of the World.”

I think the U.S. squandered a talent superiority in the ‘90s & ‘00s in the Ryder Cup. We’re now at a talent disadvantage with McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Justin Rose, Garcia & Lee Westwood. The highest rated player on the U.S. side was Furyk at #4 and he fussed his way to lose to Garcia again. Jim has the same problem in majors, he seems to always be leading the third round but can’t close out the win. He’s Mr. Almost.

The best thing about the Ryder Cup is the competition comes around only once every two years. American fans have a chance to lick their wounds and start believing in the possibility of our homegrown golf heroes.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me every two years, I’m just an American Golf fan, shame and all.