September 27, 2021 • 44 mins
With Christina traveling, Alan is joined by guest host Ryan French as they go deep on the dominant American win at the Ryder Cup.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hello, and welcome to another episode of Full sind. Obviously
Ryan French is not Christina Kim. We have a special
guest host because c K is traveling, but we want
to do an instant reaction to the Wryder Cup. I'm
sitting outside the Cavernist press room here at Whistling Streets,
still buzzing from quite a dominant US victory, and we
(00:26):
have the buzz of golf carts in the background. So
we're just the great ones play through adversity. Ryan, So
thanks for doing this. Uh tell me how much of
the of the Cup you got to watch and where
you were. Yeah, I mean, first of all, I mean
I just saw a tweet that you wrote a story.
You're doing videos, and now you're doing podcasts. Like I'm
(00:46):
so like, I'm so jealous of the fact that you
can write a story in two hours, as I like
struggle through a story in an hour. But uh, yeah,
I watched most of it, uh Friday, most of it Saturday.
I'm actually on the road doing a story in Texas,
so missed part of today, but what caught the back half? Yeah,
(01:08):
well today was was just academic. I mean, the only
the only drama was going to be which American had
the honor of clinching the cup, And of course it
ended the most um uh let down that you could
possibly imagine with Colin Morrica, like this is a put
getting that the half point that put the West over
the top. But in some ways it was fitting because
(01:28):
it was not a dramatic writer cup. There was There
was not one moment or um or sort of epic
put or a shot that defined it. I mean, it
was just start to finish, NonStop US dominance. I mean
as as just kind of essentially a super fan watching home.
What was your takeaway? Yeah, I mean I tweeted about
(01:48):
it this morning and it's like I wish it was closer.
Not that I didn't want the US to win. I
wanted the US to win, but it's like, I mean,
there's no drama whatsoever going into today. It boring. Like
what what I love about the Ryder Cup is like
obviously that Justin Leonard Putt, but like big putts and
big situation where the Ryder cups on the line of
(02:10):
literally Friday morning on, there was never any of that feel.
And it stinks, just stinks, Like I mean, you've talked
about it many times the Americans are just too good
and uh yeah, I mean a Sunday with no dramas
just like not not great for me. I know. There
was a brief moment Saturday afternoon and Stricker talked about
(02:31):
it in the champions press conference where Europe was winning
three out of four matches and they were fairly close
in in the fourth one and if they could have
swept the session, that would have gotten them within two points,
and it would today would have felt much different. But
of course the US fought back got got two points
and that was really enough because I mean, realistically, Europe
(02:51):
had to be leading by two or three going into
Sunday because the US team was so much deeper when
it came to singles. So I mean, this thing was
pretty much over after after the first day. It um
you know, it's it's funny that the Righter Cup is
as popular as it is, given it's been nothing but
blowouts this this century. Other than you know, Medina was
of course epic with with an all time great stunning.
(03:12):
Even if you're a U S fan, you had to
love the drama. But there really have not been too
many Neil Biders in and you know, the nineties had
some great ones. You started with the Worldwide Shore and
it was booke ended by the Battle of Brookline, um,
and you had joke Kill in the middle. And you
gotta love these names, right, we like, but it's it's
just funny that that we are all still so invested
in the Ryder Cup. But I think, um, you know,
(03:34):
obviously the narratives flipped. US is one two out of
three and they've got this, you know, significantly younger than
than the European team. And I will say I was
happy that both Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter won their
singles matches today. It didn't mean anything to the outcome,
but it was like they deserve that, Like they they've
been the heartbeat of those of you know, decade and
a half a domination and both of them probably that
(03:55):
was the last Ryder Cup match to ever play. And
you know, it's part of this larger story with sten
it's not here Roses in here like this, this whole
generation that that was the backbone of the European team
and they really they're struggling for their identity. I mean,
is there any reason to believe that europe can can
can change things around? No? I mean and you know,
it was interesting. On Friday, I thought, like, I think
(04:18):
I might like Ian Poulter, and like, if you're my
age and you grow up, you just like hate Ian
Poulter the fist pounding and the screams and all that stuff.
And on Friday I was like, oh no, I think
I like Ian Poulter. Like the guys just spend so
good and Ryder Cups and so good, and it's kind
of like, I mean, obviously he's I mean, he's just old.
(04:39):
And I mean, but to your point on that, you
said all week and there's a scary outlook for the
Ryder Cup because I just unless the like the Twins
can be amazing and Guido can come and like really
take off and Robert McIntyre, I just don't see a
future where where the where the uh you know, the
(05:01):
Europeans have a shot, assuming that like three Americans don't
get the yips. I just it is, it's a tough outlook.
An entire continent turned his lonely eyes to Guido is
they're only hope. That's right. That's rough. I mean, that's rough.
You know, obviously one of the you know, weird way
(05:21):
one of the highlights of the day was Roy Roy
McElroy's emotional interview after he won the singles match, and
you basically apologize for his crappy play all week. And
maybe that's a turning point for Roy because if Rory
had played like John Rom and he had put say
three or three and half points on the board in
the first two days, then this is a different Ryder Cup.
(05:42):
But I mean, of course that's a big ask, but
he's certainly capable of it. I mean, there's nothing to
say he couldn't do it. Um. But if if you're
if you're Europe, you need Rom and you'd Roy to
absolutely dominate, and then you needed everybody else to play
out of their minds and really that just didn't happen
other other than Rom and he sort of ran out
of gas today. But I mean he was a towering
figure the first the first two days, and I mean
(06:03):
out there watching him, he had the presence that you know,
brooks Kepta aspires to just a total fucking badass, and
on both teams were afraid of him, like you because
when when you're out there walking inside the ropes, there's
a lot of there's players because either they're the guys
who got sat or their matches have ended and they
run out to the last few holes and Rom was
(06:26):
doing stuff out there, and you could see the players
looking at each other on both teams like, oh my god.
It was I haven't seen that look of sort of
awe slash veneration since peak Tiger. Um, And I mean
it was. It was a scary performance by Rom, but
in the end not nearly enough. So um, yeah, it's
stricterer throughout his stat I hadn't heard, which is the
(06:46):
average world ranking of this US team was eight point
nine across twelve guys. That that's unreal. And I think
part of that is not only eight point nine, but
none of them are like maybe DJ a little bit,
but he's still young. Like none of them are on
the back end of their career. It's not like like
if Tiger was in the top ten right now, you'd
be like, Okay, he doesn't he's not gonna get to Paris.
(07:08):
But like, none of those guys are getting worse in
the next two years, Like, none of them. Like it's
just I mean, outside of like someone doing like what
Rory gets struggled through in the last like X amount
of years, all of those guys are going to get better.
And you look at the European team and you're like,
who gets better. Rob can get a little better, but
he's number one in the world. He can't carry it
(07:29):
the whole team the whole year. But uh yeah, Rory's
gonna have to turn it around in a big way
if they have a chance. Sidebar. Rory is one of
my favorite people in all of sports. Just like he's awesome.
That interview sums it up. The guy is honest and
emotional and says it when he knows he's gonna get ship.
It's uh, he's a I mean, one of my favorite
(07:52):
people in sports. Well, two of the most endearing moments
of his career are when he was a rock bottom
you know today and import Rush when he missed the
cut and um, it's true. That's what we love about Rory.
So human, it's raw and it's real. Um but God,
is just mystifying to see him play on Friday and
Saturday with with no fire and no emotion and just
(08:16):
like he was just look like he was going through
the motions like it was you know, Thursday morning at
the Greater Hartford Open or something, and you know, to
lose the first five holes on Friday morning, just senting
a little shutter through the whole you know, Team Europe side,
because he's with Poulter too, Like those are theoretically, you know,
two of their emotional leaders, right and and they're obviously
they're veterans, and um, I mean, I just, I honestly
(08:38):
think that Roy needs to take a year off of
golf and just go on a sabbatical. And he can,
you know, he can, he can go find some lonely
guy on the mountaintop and and and and figure things out,
because he just looks like he's he just doesn't want
to be there a lot of time. And you know,
I get it. He's like a very old thirty two
and there's a lot of tread on those tires. He's
basically been a tour pro since he was fifteen, and
(09:00):
so he's more like a forty year old in golf years,
or maybe early forties. And but it's it's disparting to
and then of course, you know today he had a
little he had the fight back and he played great
and you know, he beat Zander. He was he was undefeated.
So like that's what's so maddening about Rory is it's there.
It's it's always close to the surface, but he just
can't bring it out when he has to. Um, yeah,
(09:21):
if he has that on Friday, I mean he's just
such a leader of that team. I mean that final
interview sums it up how much he cares. But he
has that on Friday and it's you know, two to
two on Friday morning instead of three to one, Like
what does that mean to the rest of the week.
And it's just like, it's it's maddening that the guy.
(09:42):
It's like you said, I mean, he's awesome today and
I don't know why. I don't know why he can't.
You know, a million people have dissected why not, But
for some reason, it's just not happening, I know. I
mean I'm trying to think of, you know, parallels in golf,
Like you know, Ernie Els had two US Opens by
time he was twenty seven, and then he went through
(10:03):
this like five years slump and what should have been
his prime and then he won another US Open and
then you know, ten years after that he wanted British Opens.
Like I guess I give his hope for Rory he
can find it. You know, he's not going on eight
plus years not a major. But Ernie was no Ernie
was no Roy. I mean, Ernie's very good and was
very good back then. But like I mean, Rory was
like in a class by himself for a long time.
(10:25):
I mean, up there with Tiger and those guys. Is
just like, I just don't know how he hasn't won
a major and X amount of years whatever it is.
And you know, Padrick Harrington knew, of course, poor guy.
I mean, he just he didn't have the horses like
you can. You can second guess a few little decisions
like oh, we shouldn't have played Paul Casey on Saturday morning,
Like who cares? There's nothing Patty could have done to
(10:48):
change this outcome whatsoever. But he's, you know, he's such
a smart, thoughtful guy. And he remember him saying my
two thousand fourteen, you know, Rory could win a dozen majors,
but he better do it asked because there's this whole
generation coming. He's like I and Pundrick's like, I've seen
him at the range. I've seen him at the on
track man, and they're all gonna be hit at three
fifty like Rory is. And he's got an advantage right now,
(11:11):
but that advantage is going to disappear. And like he
called it, you know, like Rory's driver was kind of
like like Sevy's wedge and then all of a sudden,
everybody got a sixty degree and that advantage was reduced
dramatically that Sevy had and Rory generational driver of the
golf ball. But all of a sudden, there's twenty forty
guys who can do that now, and um, and so
(11:32):
that's part of it. And you know, you know Tita
green Is that was his money maker. He's never He's
always a good, okay putter. But so it was interesting.
I still remember Patty saying that, and you know he
was he called it eight years ago. But um, nevertheless,
Rory still good enough to get it done. He's just
not getting it done. So, um, I mean, I'm a
(11:52):
I'm a captain's fix. I mean, I'm kid being a captain.
I mean, it's just such a look into It's just
blind luck. I mean, what did Strict to do write like?
I mean nothing like the guys picked their own partners.
I'm not like I mean, Patty just got a bed
here like they're like he could have had like any
metrics you ever wanted. They like he was gonna lose
(12:16):
best case scenario like twelve. You know, it's just blind
black when you get picked, like he's gonna be like
always a terrible captain, like the people average the top
nine in the world just had no shot. I don't
think anyone's really hating on on Patty. I think I
think it's so clear that the team was overmatch that.
I mean, Vince Lombardi could have sprung up from his
(12:37):
grave here in Wisconsin and watched in the team room
for Europe and it wasn't gonna make a damn bit
of difference. But um, you know what Stricker did that
you have to give him a little credit because you
know he was he was one of people. Forget this.
He was one of Tom Watson's vice captains at Glenn
Eagles and um Strickers lived through all of that. And
(12:57):
this is one of the themes of my story that
just posted on you know, fire Pit Collective dot com.
Is you know this victory was was really you know,
seven years in the making. Um, I mean it goes back.
I was in that tent on Sunday night in Scotland
when when Michelson went after Tom Watson and it was
brutal and he pretty much ruined the reputation of a
(13:18):
great champion and um and Watson's never been back to
a Ryder Cup since. I mean, all the past captains
now are, including the festivities, and it's this very warm
collegial feeling Watson's out, like there's a lot of hard feelings.
Do you think that although he made like obviously probably
shouldn't have gone about it in that way, that it
was important. It had to be that way because if
(13:41):
they'd done it in private and their annual you know, debriefing,
there would not have been this intense scrutiny and pressure
to change. So, I mean, phil is a mocky Vellin character,
like he never opens his mouth without an agenda, and
that was completely calculated and he knew what he was
doing and he made the decision it was worth it
because he was tired of losing righter cups. And in
(14:01):
some ways you gotta give Philip Michelson credit because the
whole culture changed and what Europe had done forever was
they were already groomed their captains and so you'd be
a vice captain for a number of years where you
got the top job, and they passed on this institutional
knowledge and this this cohesion um, whereas every two years
the US was just making it up willy nilly, a
new guy would come in. He didn't know what the
(14:22):
other guys did. There was very little overlap. And in
the you know, they're bringing their buddies, you know, like
how Sutton bringing in Jackie Burke who's like eighty years old,
didn't know the players and was talking to Ship the
whole time. Like that was an absolute fail. But that's
what happened. These guys would just bring in their own
cronies and um. And of course the PGA of America
president would change every two years, and they got to
(14:43):
help pick the captain. Like that's how Watson got the job.
Is this guy Ted Bishop who ran a driving range
and like Tom Watson was zero, was like, hey, I
want to hang out Tom Watson. I'll make him captain.
And Watson had no connection to the modern tour player
and was was old school to his detriment. And so
you know, Stricker was was part of that the worst
and writer Cup history for the U S side, but
he was and then he's been he's been in in
(15:04):
the leadership role ever since at the President's Cup as
a vice captain, and he's helped transform the culture where
the players have a voice, the captains are you know,
there's a line of succession that's very clear, and there's
there's very collaborative and so you know, once the Wryder
Cup weeks starts, as you say, they it's largely out
(15:26):
of control of the captains. But Stricker did was part
of this culture change that that allowed Team USA to flourish.
So I give him, I give him some credit. And
of course he he ran the President's Cup team that
also had a record victory. So there's there's something in
his light touch and he doesn't try too hard, like
and he said, you know, there's always been this writer
(15:47):
Cup tradition. You bring in George W. Bush, you bring
in Michael Jordan for all these raw ross speeches, and
and Strickers like, we don't need that, Like these guys
know what's at stake. I want to go to bed
and get the rest and just being their routine, and
like it takes a certain um courage of your convictions
to like go against the grain and not not do
noone else has done and stricter you know, I think
he allowed he created room for the players to breathe
(16:10):
a little bit and and just let them be and
and and and treat it something like a regular golf
current where they could be a little bit on there
in the routine. And of course that was all it
took because has noted a few times, the power and
the the the the advantage of talent the US had
was was decisive. But yeah, and I think the fact
(16:30):
that he's out there still at least a few times
a year, like he's in touch with these guys, like
it's not you know, you go back to Watson, like
Watson had no idea what these guys do. So like
the fact that he plays a few tour events still
and like can be around these guys and understand what
they want to do. And it's just and Michelson, you know,
he has he has a role in this because he
(16:51):
was the vice captain and you know, he could have
been really pissy, not you know, he's the guy when
the PGA Championship and you get picked the Ryder Cup team.
And that was that was the toughest all that Stricker
had to make, but it was an important one because
it really decisively ended the Tiger Phil years, which is
two plus decades of underachieving. Um. But to Phil's credit,
he embraced the role of vice captain. And you talk
(17:12):
about being current, I mean he's out there every week
with these guys and he's playing these husaving money games.
And so there's never been a vice captain who's is
is plugged into the current golf scene as Michelson and
uh Stricker made him. Bryson Deshambo's babysitter, and Phil shadowed
his every move. And I asked Bryson and he said,
he you know, how important was Fils you this week?
He said, monumental. He kept me laughing, kept me relaxed,
(17:35):
He helped me strategize. He was always there for me
when when I needed it. And um, so it's it's
you know, it's a cool bit of It's a straight
line from from that really sad, awkward press conference in
Glenn Eagles to this victory and to the building of
this of this team, and um, you know who's going
to be the next US captain? I mean it it
(17:57):
could be Zack Johnson, who's been a vice captain now
a bunch of times in a row. Obviously, if Philer
Tiger wants a job, they'll get it. It might be
one run too soon. I think Phil will love Beth
Page um in twenty five, that would be that would
be fitting. And Tiger, you know, he's he's always an enigma.
But um, you know that's the other thing, like there's
no more um sort of rallying and inspirational figures as
(18:20):
captains and Tiger Tiger Woods and Phil Nicholson, and the
US has that to look forward to in addition to
this talent. I mean, uh, you know, Lee Weston will
be a good captain and Luke Donald will be a
good captain, but they don't quite stir the blood of
golfers the way Tiger and Field you So, it's just
just one more advantage of the U s has. Do
you think ZJ Snakes? I mean ZJ is just like
(18:41):
such a I don't know, it's just like such a
I mean, it's a terrible captaincy between like it's gonna
go stricter killed him, z J and then Phil Tiger like,
oh man, we're gonna forget about poor Zack and about
seconds Uh well, you know, he could be like the
(19:02):
the American mcginnley. You know, Paul McGinley was a great
captain because he was super smart and analytical and he
didn't try and be something that he's not. And that's
that's kind of Zack Johnson in a nutshell. And UM,
I don't know, we'll see what happens. I mean, winning
and winning in Europe is tough, and the US is
now shown that it can kind of it can hold serve.
(19:23):
But if this team is really going to be transformational
and they're really going to dominate this right a couple
of way I think they can, then Italy and twenty
three is monumental that they got to get a scalp
over there. It's been forever since the US one in Europe.
And UM, so you know, maybe maybe they'll talk Tiger
or fill into doing it and then just bringing the
big guns and that would that would be phenomenal. But
(19:44):
if um, for whatever reason, the sequencing, UM, I think
Zach is next to line. You know, he just paid
his dues and um there's there's not another super obvious candidates.
So uh, we'll see and we'll get that announcement relatively soon.
But um, you know, and of course Europe does have Poulter.
We'll see if he's ready. He's only only forty five.
He might want to keep playing. But how how about
(20:06):
Poulter versus Phil at Bethpage. It's pretty sweet, I mean
how good. I mean, uh, Poulter is gonna be such
I would I would love him here because like you know,
he's gonna be out there fist pumping and like chess pumping.
I mean, it's so perfect in New York because it
would just make for such great TV because he he
(20:29):
loves that role. You know, he loves it. You know
he wants to be captain over here. I think that's
I think that's right. Yeah, I mean where everyone hates
him and you know we'll get back like those old
like we hate him and he'll be out there chess
pumping people. I mean those New Yorkers want to kill him.
Nobody hates Hendrik Stenson or Luke Donald or Westward. But
(20:51):
you know, Poulter Palter has to be a bath Page
god out of your way. Too much fun. So I
think of you Ryan is like as like the super
fan you know of golf and you're you're sitting there
watching on TV, like what do your other emotional reactions
to the players, like, um, did what Bryson did this
week with his good play and kind of his fun energy,
did did he change your opinion at all of him?
(21:14):
I mean that's a good question. I think that Bryson
is just like you know, I read Kevin's article. I
think he just wants to be loved so bad, but
he just can't help himself. Like the putter, you know,
laying down on the first hole it's like three ft.
He just he will do something like Americans obviously love
him tonight, he will not be able to help himself
(21:36):
and at the Sanderson or whatever he plays next, he
will do something that will quickly turn it back around. Uh.
I thought he had a great week obviously, But I
just don't think Bryson can help himself. I think eventually,
and I don't think he does it purposefully. I just
think he's so mature that he just doesn't understand. I
(21:57):
mean again, he he doesn't understand why people love him so. Uh.
He was a great this week, but he's I mean,
it won't be long. Tron Carter tweeted in Today's like
it won't be long until we hate him again. I
love it. Um, Yeah, I mean, did you watch the
press conferences? Yeah? Yeah, I mean I wish everyone could
(22:19):
get drunk. I mean, like, what a great press conference,
talk about it all that. I talked about it all
the time, and it's like the golf that I cover.
I'm so lucky that all the players I talked to
just tell me the truth. They have no one to
answer to. There's no PC, there's no like players just
say like, hey, it sucks, yet it sucks, And like
(22:39):
you talked to a lot of tough golfers who have
million dollar contracts and one word out of place and bam,
that's gone, and those kind of things. That is I
would love to not have a not only get drunk
and have a fun conference like that, but get drunk
and have like an honest conversation about like what stinks
and what sucks and what doesn't him. I thought both
(23:01):
of them were awesome. I wish we could get that
truth serum more often. It's true. Well, but the point
I was gonna make is Bryson was like, oh, I
can't drink much of I got the long drive contest
coming up. It's like dude, like so he can't help
himself over there, and like how fun. You just won
the Writer Cup, Like it's so so much. Um. Someone
(23:23):
told me recently who's like was once very close to Brison.
It was in his inner circle that that Bryson was
a virgin well into his professional golf career. It's like
that checks out, Like that definitely checks out. Yeah, So
what about what about Brooks Kepka? Like how you know
(23:44):
you're watching at home? How what did you take from
Brooks this week? You know I'm gonna say something like,
so Brooks Chase Kepka has been a good friend of mine,
and Brooks like has this public image and behind the
scenes he's like helpful and how helpful with donations and
all this kind of stuff. And it's like, I don't
know what. I guess he wants to play this villain role,
(24:07):
like just take the ruling and just be done with it.
I just don't I don't like somehow he's got Like
I mean, here's Brooks kept getting a nutshell is in
a in a fight with Bryce and d Shambo. He's
come out as the bad guy and that was really
hard to do. I mean we like it's like, how
(24:27):
do you how in that argument do you come out
as the bad guy, it's in it's insane, like that's tough.
You literally have to work to come out of the
of that dispute, as the bad guy well said, And
the whole really was so stupid, like on a steep
downhill life, you cannot take like a twelve inch divot,
like the physics doesn't allow it. This club could never
(24:49):
travel the way he was trying to convince him, and
the replace showed that it was just like it was
like nonsensical and didn't like you know, but I don't
I don't think he believed I don't know what like
he wants to like he just creates this somehow, like
like if you took him out of context. He doesn't
really believe that he should have got a ruling, but
he just like has to play this like tough guy
(25:10):
villain role. And again there's no other way to say it.
But in a dispute with Brush and the Shambo, he
has come out the bank. I mean even in the
press conference, you know, someone served him up a softball,
like hey Brooks, you know your comments before the writer cup,
he didn't sound you know whatever, has your opinion changed?
And he was just like all snarling a dick about it,
(25:30):
and then it was like it was like like someone
farted in church, like the whole room and quiet, like
like you know what, that's inarious thing. You know what,
Maybe I didn't I didn't say it the way I
want to say, like I love the wryter Cup, this
was great, this is the best week of my life.
And yeah Brooks. Instead he's yeah, we won and drinking
culture like people would love you if you shot gun
(25:53):
to beer right there, he would be like the I mean,
people want to love him and they just like I
he's I think they did, but I'm not sure they
do anymore. You know, It's it's gotten tiresome. What about so,
speaking of shotgunning beers, what about like Justin Thomas, what
was your take on him? As watching at home? I
have no problem. I mean, like I think we just
(26:16):
we want to be mad, right, like I mean they're
like twenties whatever, how old? Justin Yeah, Like I mean
he shot gunning a beer at the biggest golf event
and just like in Wisconsin, if you're mad about that,
like the internet is going to be a scary place
to Yeah. So not not even the beers, because I
mean that was funny that they were sitting that afternoon,
(26:37):
you know, him and Burgers, who cared. But you know
he's out there, Like the first couple of days he was,
he was his play was pretty scratchy for a lot
of the partner play, but he's still there pumping his
fast and shouting and stomping his feet. It's like, dude,
you're two down and you just like four balls into
the lake, like come on, man, Like, I don't know,
I feel like you kind of got to earn that,
and he hadn't quite earned it. He did come through
(27:00):
um and and finished the week pretty strong. The Ryder
The Ryder Cup is full of overreactions, and that's like,
I mean Lowry, same thing. I love Shane Lowry, but dude,
you're not nine to three, Like maybe we maybe we
should just like hold off the big putt on eight
team to have a match, you know, throwing putters and
the down like like I don't really care. I'm not
(27:24):
worried about like just like it's an alright, chill dude.
I mean, yeah, no, that was cool. I mean for
you know, for Lowry who's been trying to make the
Ryder Cup team for a long time and he was
complicated because he's almost best friends with Harrington, and Harrington
second guess himself about picking him because people thought would
be like nepotism and favoritism, and in fact, the guy
(27:45):
when the British open like come on, he's he's a
good player. And that may have also explained why why
Lowry didn't you know, sat in the both on on
Friday and Saturday. I mean when he played, he was
spirited out there, he was fun and he's making birdies
like so again you can second and guess Patty that
you should have played Shane Larry Moore, but it want
to matter, But no, I I always the Europeans just
(28:09):
seemed to love the Ryder Cup so much more like
when they lose, like Rory's interview, Shane's reaction the press
conference this afternoon. It's like, I wonder what the American
press conference would have looked like in interviews, would have
looked like if the roles have been reversed, right, Like
I've been there so many times. Yeah, I just feel
like we don't have that emotion that like those guys.
(28:32):
I mean, the dude's crying. He's like one of the
best in the world. At one point it's like, man,
this sucks. This is the most important event in golf,
and I just don't think we would see it if
the roles reversed. Obviously, it's easy to have a great
press conference when you just hammered everybody. Yeah no, I
mean in the European and both both Paul Casey and
(28:52):
Lee Westwood got all choked up to time how much
it meant to them, and um, you know, Poulter's eyes
were all watery like it they're there's extra motion because
this really is the end of an era. And I
think some degree that's what what what Rory was was
feeling like his entire Rider Cup career career, he's played
alongside Poulter and alongside Westwood and for the most part Casey,
and it's like he wants that everyone wanted to send
(29:14):
those guys off, like this is there, this was their
last stand. It really was, and um, you know it
heard he's kind in the dangerous wins that yeah we're
roy um but uh yeah it was. I mean at
least it was memorable. Like the worst thing would have
(29:35):
been a um, I don't know, seventeen or sixteen to thirteen,
like they won. It was kind of close, but not
really like if something had to happen here that that
would be defining. And it was. It was the ass
kicking and it was the dominance. And as you said,
the lack of tension was a bummer. Um today it
(29:55):
was just a coronation and we all missed that that anxiety,
like I've and I've been at Ryder Cups from my
stomach was hurting from the tension. And I just had
to write the story. I wasn't out there playing, but like,
we missed that, but this was this was a meaningful win.
And um, you know, I was looking back at great
Ryder Cup teams. Eleven of the twelve guys were major
(30:17):
championship winners. You had Nicholas, Tom Watts and Lee Buck, Trevino,
Johnny Miller, Ben Crenshaw, Larry Nelson. I mean, these were
some badass mofos and they were playing against you know,
kind of a diminished European side. This was pre Sevy,
you know, it was it was basically a bunch of
(30:37):
guy's named Nigel and and that US team scored eighteen
point five points and uh, you know it's probably the
greatest US Ryder Cup team ever And and of course
this this one just hit nineteen which um in a
whole different era where where the European tours much stronger
and they're drawn from a lot more a lot more
feeder systems. So it's, uh, you know, it's it's gonna
(30:59):
be interesting to see where you know, we get ten, twelve, fourteen,
sixty years down the road, like if this is this
team as good as we think it is, and I
think the answer is yes, But uh, what what else
did you, um, did you enjoy about this? What? What's
your take on on Whistling Straights, Because I've played this
and I'll give my opinion after I know your opinion.
I mean, it's the most ridiculous golf course in the world.
(31:21):
Like it's I saw so many spectators go down, like
it's horrible to walk if you're if you're a fan,
and you know, it's it's just totally crazy. Um And
I've played it and I never want to play it again.
But all that said, it was a super fun venue
for for this event because you have to hit a
lot of hero shots and that's what you want and
match play and if when when you guys would miss fairways, Uh,
(31:45):
there was there was a lot of drama. Where's you
it all gonna wind up? And there was some super
awkward recoveries. I mean George Spieth almost got pitched into
the lake trying to play that one off seventeen over
the Green Monster, Like, of course you don't want George
Speth to break his leg trying to, you know, hit
a greenside chip Like that's whistling straight to the nutshell,
Like we almost lost them. So the course makes no
(32:06):
fucking sense. But um, at the same time, it looks.
It's amazing on TV. I mean it's so scenic and
it's so dramatic. So, um, you know, I thought it worked,
But what is your what are your feelings? I mean
I hate that place I played it. I played it.
If I would have paid for it, I would have
been really mad. But I played with three pros, so
(32:29):
I played from the bag teeth. I mean, it's just
it's insanely hard and insanely stupid. Uh. I mean I
just picked up my ball most of the time, So
it's like, yeah, I mean, obviously it's pros. To your point,
it does create a lot like eighteen creates, like you're
either on the green or you're in the water and
create some drama there. But yeah, I mean when you
(32:50):
when you stand out there on seventeen t which was
obviously very important moment in many matches, like it looks
like a painting. It's like the most awe inspiring looking whole.
I mean, the green looks like it's a mile away
and it's it's the precipice of of you know, the
end of the world, and it's like so incredibly dramatic.
But yeah, I mean I played it. It was the
wind was howling, we were in drivers not like everyone
(33:12):
made a ten and we just laughed. So it's it's ridiculous.
But actually my my round. My caddie was saying that,
and I said, like, you know, I'm not a I'm
like an okay golf wher. I'm like like an eight
um and it was it was way too hard for me.
I said, what happens when you get like twenty handicappers
are He said, well, sometimes we'll have a little bet
between the caddies who can get their their player to
hit into more bunkers. He's like, we had we had
(33:33):
a couple of Japanese women who came out here and
um I won the bet. It was fifty six I
got I got my girl into fifty six bunkers, and
I felt great about that. Like that is so messed up.
But I say all the time about the people that
I played with paid for a caddy, and I always say, like,
I found eighteen ways for a candy to say like,
(33:53):
you're okay, even though I wasn't okay, Like he would
be like, oh, you can play it from over there,
or well we'll find it. I'm like, dude, you can
just say it was crap, like we're in the dunes again.
Yeah that's true. Um, well, I don't know, it's it's been. Um,
it's been it's been a week. Did you where do
you rank? Where do you rank this in your You've
(34:15):
been to eleven, which is insane? Yeah, where where does
it rank? In importance? And obviously there's many different factors
that you would have to like where would you rank
it in the ones you've been to, Whether it's like wow,
that was the most dominant or yeah, well there was that.
I mean there was that stretch and like oh four
(34:36):
oh six when Europe was win in by this kind
of margin, you know, there was Europe's had some dominant teams.
But um, I really feel like this is gonna be
remembered as a transformational Ryder Cup for the US. And
you know, they two years into the task Force era,
after after the big blow up at Glenn Eagles, you
know they kicked but at Hazel team but they still
(34:57):
they still they were still sort of shackled to the
old you know, you go to to Paris and and
Jim Furrett couldn't He just didn't have the backbone to
shut down Tiger and fill. You know, Tiger was exhausted
after when the torch, his body wasn't work, and he
still put him out there, you know, three times and
team play just gave your up three points. Should have
should never have even picked Phil for for that team
(35:18):
on that golf course, but he did, and feel gifted
them two points. And um so there was still we
were kind of still between generations and that that accounted
for what happened in Paris, along with a very quirky
golf course. And just like the magic alchemy of Mollywood,
you know, like Francesco mall and a didn't even make
this team. Tommy Fleetwood looked like a dead man walking
(35:38):
went oh two and one like that and they dominated
that right up. So I count Paris as like an
aberration and a fluke almost, but they still had to
redeem that. They had to they had to end the
Michelson era. Um, and they had to bring in all
all this fresh blood and all these rookies. So, um,
I mean, this is this is gonna I think gonna
rank up there with the War by the Shore, not
(36:00):
as an artistic triumph, but as as a meaningful victory
that really changed things. And um, you know I I wrote,
I've obviously some of your some of the people listen
to know about this column. I wrote back in seven
team predicting that the US was going to dominate throughout
Cup for a long time. And um, you know, Paris
was a big steaming turd. But the prediction was a
(36:21):
long range prediction and it's more true now than it's
ever been. So this is an important one for sure.
And um, as we've as we've touched on Europe has
they have a lot of big, tough questions and you know,
there's there's no answer. It's not like a national team
where they could they could sort of develop their own players.
I mean, the European Ryder Cup team is at the
mercy of who comes through the pipeline, and um, you
(36:44):
know they can help nurture them. And and they do
often pair Wryder covers together in Ryder Cup years so
guys could play together and get that comfort level and
they do everything they can to kind of instill that
legendary camaraderie. But I mean when you look, you looked
at Harrington, you had these must win matches and he's
sent it out you know, Berne Wiesberger, um, and whoever
(37:05):
against major championship winners. You know, gold medal is Fedix
Cup champions like, um, it just wasn't a fair fight.
So um, obviously it's kind of like when you're when
you're when you're playing uh, um, like like horse or something,
you gotta justify, Like they gott to justify this in
Italy and um, I think they will and and then
(37:27):
the US is often run and I mean just look out.
But so yeah, this is this is again it wasn't
like an exciting or even a fun Rider Cup, but
it was monumentally important. Yeah, I mean, do you feel
like this I mean, I I mean we've talked about it,
but like you feel like this is could be the
start of like the most dominant run in writer in
(37:48):
the Ryder Cup, do you think I mean, I just
don't see, Like I mean, I was just thinking about it,
like Tom McKibbin. Is that is that you're, you know,
eighteen year old that like has been an amateur star,
sold life, finally turned pro and that finally he's eighteen,
but like just dominated at first stage. I mean, but
that's at the earliest. There's not like any like young
(38:10):
stars that are like gonna that I see changing this
around outside of like Americans losing their form. Yeah, yeah, no.
I mean Paris was seven out of nine for Europe
and you know that's basically two decades of domination. And
I think I think the U s could do that.
I mean, I really do that already at two out
of three. So could they take you know, four out
(38:32):
of the next five or five the next six? For sure?
I mean, like even like a guy like Scottie Shuffler
who had to scratch and clause win of the team
like he was awesome, like he kicked John Rom's asked today,
and you know he was an afterthought. You look at
the core group of major championship winners and um, you know,
Dustin Johnson was thirty seven. He's old. You know, he's
(38:54):
called himself Grandpa. He's the oldest guy. The average age
of the team Europe was like almost thirty six. Like
just tells you all you need to know, right there,
So um and above and you know, the US has
often had talent, but there is a cohesion and there's
a buy in and there's just a whole different spirit
about it, and there's there's this this this this sea
change and how the teams are are put together, how
(39:16):
the leadership is passed down from cup to cup, and
so yeah, I think I think I think that. Um,
it's just I think it's gonna be a lot of
boring Sundays, unfortunately, I really do. And I hope, you know,
I hope the writer Cup can conserve, can survive that
because europe domination was different. You know, they were the
underdogs and they were scrappy, and we had Tiger and
(39:36):
Phil and you know Jim Fure like three all time
leaving money was on PG or whatever, and so it
created this energy like when the underdog wins, that's fun.
And then the handwringing and the finger pointing and the
recriminations on the US that was fun too, and um
but you know, it's it's different when when we want
(39:57):
if like say, we continue this eminence, like no one's
gonna care about the Cup after we go like nineteen eleven,
nineteen and twelve, like no one's gonna no one's gonna
go like, oh I can't wait for Yeah, no, it's
gonna be like, well, it's gonna be another nineteen winner. Yeah,
Europe dominating what was in somebody's great for the Ryder Cup,
(40:17):
US dominating not so great. So I actually do have
some long range concerns and I'm sure that the European tour,
which is kept a float financially by the Ryder Cup,
there must be large scale panic and in Wentworth right
now because they're like, damn, like this this is our
cash cow. And uh so yeah, it's that. That's how
(40:38):
decisive this win was. We are now fretting about the
future of the Ryder Cup. It's a little early. Again.
They gotta win in Italy and they gotta come back
and dude again in beth Page and then it's like, Okay,
this is this is what we thought it was. So,
I mean, the irony of you know I wrote. I
wrote that column and and whe like, oh, you're big,
you know, American Homer. It's like, I've always routed for Europe.
(40:59):
It's a better story. And like I'm wright, unlike you
like write a cup week. I travel on no passport.
I'm an impartial observer. And in fact, George Speth wants
put that on me in a press coup. She's like,
you're American. You guys said not this week. Like, I'm
here just to write a story, and Europe winning was
often the better story. So um, the only like I
don't know, I don't know if I'm in the media.
I hate to like I don't even know what to
(41:20):
call me. Come on, man, you're in the media, all right.
So like I think I'm the only American, like the
only one everyone routes for Europe. I mean everybody. I
was the only guy who was like, I'm not even
going to my grandma's grave this week. I had That's
probably why I want to do this podcast. I had
mad respect for that, Like you were you were so hardcore?
Was My mom called me and it was like Ryan,
(41:42):
I think that's too far, and I'm like, no, it's not.
For years it's fine, No that I didn't deserve it.
That that's that right. There is what makes the writer
cup great. So we still we still so anyway, the
guy like I criticized the guy who's yelling in the bunker,
but I'm the guy who doesn't go to my grandma's
(42:02):
grave on that weekend. We get the right. There is
a difference. I mean, the the fans were they were allowed.
They're boisterous, they're partisan, that's what you want. There was
a little too much of a Yahoo factor where guys
were yelling when the Europeans are over the ball, and
that's kind of crossing the line I got. I don't
really care about the other stuff, but when dudes are
settling into the shot or they're actually swinging the golf club,
(42:25):
like it just reflects poorly on on the American golf
fan and the great state of Wisconsin and everything else.
Like I'd be happy if we can let that go.
And maybe, you know, Beth Page is gonna be a challenge,
but you know, I applaud George Speed and other guys,
like other American players were out there like come on,
like they're way with the guy, like clean it up
and stuff and so that that was a little bit
(42:46):
all down for I could care less about cheering for
bad shots. That's that's fine, That's totally fine. That's fine.
That's like, that's I hope the European fans do it
when we hit it in the water. I'm just saying,
don't yell, and don't yell stupid ship, and don't yell
on their backswing, just like I'm all for like cheering
miss Potts and all for like, no problem, you three
(43:07):
putt from ten feet and you lost the whole and
we're gonna cheer. Yeah, well, tough luck, dude's cup. I
agree saying like like you said, like, don't write it,
don't write any thing, don't yell like get in the
bunker all that kind of don't yell like personal ship,
just like go out there and like, yeah, I'm all
four channing USA. Is the guy missed a five footer.
That's great, that's perfect. That's what the writer comes all about.
(43:27):
Just don't yeah, yeah, no, we can agree on that.
And so anyway, well, I appreciate you making the time
to making this little cameo. I know you're on assignment
and uh, but this was a fun chat. In any
final thoughts before before we sign off here. Yeah, I
mean this is very surreal. I am like, I can't
believe that I'm on a fucking podcast with Alan Ships.
(43:50):
It's unreal. Sometimes it just hits me. And I was
like so casually like, yeah, we're gonna just do a podcast.
I'm on a fucking podcast with a guy that i've
my entire adult life and I send shipped to him
and he like edits it. This is insane, insane. I mean,
you flatter me, Ryan, Let's believe me. You're a humongous
(44:12):
part of what we're doing here. So and I'm I'm
glad that you you do this podcast because I you
represent like, uh like the passionate golf fan, but also
you're a huge part of the collective. So I'm I'm
glad we made it happen. So thanks to you guys
for listening. UM there will be a regular full send
episode of me and Christina Kim if you enjoyed this one,
by all means subscribe and and and and get get involved.
(44:34):
And of course Ryan still has his UM his own
podcasting and given Monday, so we're uh. These occasional cross
servers are fun. I think I think we'll do it
more often, um but anyway, thanks you all for listening,
and Ryan thanks for doing this, and signing off from
Whistling Straits
Hello, and welcome to another episode of Full sind. Obviously
Ryan French is not Christina Kim. We have a special
guest host because c K is traveling, but we want
to do an instant reaction to the Wryder Cup. I'm
sitting outside the Cavernist press room here at Whistling Streets,
still buzzing from quite a dominant US victory, and we
(00:26):
have the buzz of golf carts in the background. So
we're just the great ones play through adversity. Ryan, So
thanks for doing this. Uh tell me how much of
the of the Cup you got to watch and where
you were. Yeah, I mean, first of all, I mean
I just saw a tweet that you wrote a story.
You're doing videos, and now you're doing podcasts. Like I'm
(00:46):
so like, I'm so jealous of the fact that you
can write a story in two hours, as I like
struggle through a story in an hour. But uh, yeah,
I watched most of it, uh Friday, most of it Saturday.
I'm actually on the road doing a story in Texas,
so missed part of today, but what caught the back half? Yeah,
(01:08):
well today was was just academic. I mean, the only
the only drama was going to be which American had
the honor of clinching the cup, And of course it
ended the most um uh let down that you could
possibly imagine with Colin Morrica, like this is a put
getting that the half point that put the West over
the top. But in some ways it was fitting because
(01:28):
it was not a dramatic writer cup. There was There
was not one moment or um or sort of epic
put or a shot that defined it. I mean, it
was just start to finish, NonStop US dominance. I mean
as as just kind of essentially a super fan watching home.
What was your takeaway? Yeah, I mean I tweeted about
(01:48):
it this morning and it's like I wish it was closer.
Not that I didn't want the US to win. I
wanted the US to win, but it's like, I mean,
there's no drama whatsoever going into today. It boring. Like
what what I love about the Ryder Cup is like
obviously that Justin Leonard Putt, but like big putts and
big situation where the Ryder cups on the line of
(02:10):
literally Friday morning on, there was never any of that feel.
And it stinks, just stinks, Like I mean, you've talked
about it many times the Americans are just too good
and uh yeah, I mean a Sunday with no dramas
just like not not great for me. I know. There
was a brief moment Saturday afternoon and Stricker talked about
(02:31):
it in the champions press conference where Europe was winning
three out of four matches and they were fairly close
in in the fourth one and if they could have
swept the session, that would have gotten them within two points,
and it would today would have felt much different. But
of course the US fought back got got two points
and that was really enough because I mean, realistically, Europe
(02:51):
had to be leading by two or three going into
Sunday because the US team was so much deeper when
it came to singles. So I mean, this thing was
pretty much over after after the first day. It um
you know, it's it's funny that the Righter Cup is
as popular as it is, given it's been nothing but
blowouts this this century. Other than you know, Medina was
of course epic with with an all time great stunning.
(03:12):
Even if you're a U S fan, you had to
love the drama. But there really have not been too
many Neil Biders in and you know, the nineties had
some great ones. You started with the Worldwide Shore and
it was booke ended by the Battle of Brookline, um,
and you had joke Kill in the middle. And you
gotta love these names, right, we like, but it's it's
just funny that that we are all still so invested
in the Ryder Cup. But I think, um, you know,
(03:34):
obviously the narratives flipped. US is one two out of
three and they've got this, you know, significantly younger than
than the European team. And I will say I was
happy that both Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter won their
singles matches today. It didn't mean anything to the outcome,
but it was like they deserve that, Like they they've
been the heartbeat of those of you know, decade and
a half a domination and both of them probably that
(03:55):
was the last Ryder Cup match to ever play. And
you know, it's part of this larger story with sten
it's not here Roses in here like this, this whole
generation that that was the backbone of the European team
and they really they're struggling for their identity. I mean,
is there any reason to believe that europe can can
can change things around? No? I mean and you know,
it was interesting. On Friday, I thought, like, I think
(04:18):
I might like Ian Poulter, and like, if you're my
age and you grow up, you just like hate Ian
Poulter the fist pounding and the screams and all that stuff.
And on Friday I was like, oh no, I think
I like Ian Poulter. Like the guys just spend so
good and Ryder Cups and so good, and it's kind
of like, I mean, obviously he's I mean, he's just old.
(04:39):
And I mean, but to your point on that, you
said all week and there's a scary outlook for the
Ryder Cup because I just unless the like the Twins
can be amazing and Guido can come and like really
take off and Robert McIntyre, I just don't see a
future where where the where the uh you know, the
(05:01):
Europeans have a shot, assuming that like three Americans don't
get the yips. I just it is, it's a tough outlook.
An entire continent turned his lonely eyes to Guido is
they're only hope. That's right. That's rough. I mean, that's rough.
You know, obviously one of the you know, weird way
(05:21):
one of the highlights of the day was Roy Roy
McElroy's emotional interview after he won the singles match, and
you basically apologize for his crappy play all week. And
maybe that's a turning point for Roy because if Rory
had played like John Rom and he had put say
three or three and half points on the board in
the first two days, then this is a different Ryder Cup.
(05:42):
But I mean, of course that's a big ask, but
he's certainly capable of it. I mean, there's nothing to
say he couldn't do it. Um. But if if you're
if you're Europe, you need Rom and you'd Roy to
absolutely dominate, and then you needed everybody else to play
out of their minds and really that just didn't happen
other other than Rom and he sort of ran out
of gas today. But I mean he was a towering
figure the first the first two days, and I mean
(06:03):
out there watching him, he had the presence that you know,
brooks Kepta aspires to just a total fucking badass, and
on both teams were afraid of him, like you because
when when you're out there walking inside the ropes, there's
a lot of there's players because either they're the guys
who got sat or their matches have ended and they
run out to the last few holes and Rom was
(06:26):
doing stuff out there, and you could see the players
looking at each other on both teams like, oh my god.
It was I haven't seen that look of sort of
awe slash veneration since peak Tiger. Um, And I mean
it was. It was a scary performance by Rom, but
in the end not nearly enough. So um, yeah, it's
stricterer throughout his stat I hadn't heard, which is the
(06:46):
average world ranking of this US team was eight point
nine across twelve guys. That that's unreal. And I think
part of that is not only eight point nine, but
none of them are like maybe DJ a little bit,
but he's still young. Like none of them are on
the back end of their career. It's not like like
if Tiger was in the top ten right now, you'd
be like, Okay, he doesn't he's not gonna get to Paris.
(07:08):
But like, none of those guys are getting worse in
the next two years, Like, none of them. Like it's
just I mean, outside of like someone doing like what
Rory gets struggled through in the last like X amount
of years, all of those guys are going to get better.
And you look at the European team and you're like,
who gets better. Rob can get a little better, but
he's number one in the world. He can't carry it
(07:29):
the whole team the whole year. But uh yeah, Rory's
gonna have to turn it around in a big way
if they have a chance. Sidebar. Rory is one of
my favorite people in all of sports. Just like he's awesome.
That interview sums it up. The guy is honest and
emotional and says it when he knows he's gonna get ship.
It's uh, he's a I mean, one of my favorite
(07:52):
people in sports. Well, two of the most endearing moments
of his career are when he was a rock bottom
you know today and import Rush when he missed the
cut and um, it's true. That's what we love about Rory.
So human, it's raw and it's real. Um but God,
is just mystifying to see him play on Friday and
Saturday with with no fire and no emotion and just
(08:16):
like he was just look like he was going through
the motions like it was you know, Thursday morning at
the Greater Hartford Open or something, and you know, to
lose the first five holes on Friday morning, just senting
a little shutter through the whole you know, Team Europe side,
because he's with Poulter too, Like those are theoretically, you know,
two of their emotional leaders, right and and they're obviously
they're veterans, and um, I mean, I just, I honestly
(08:38):
think that Roy needs to take a year off of
golf and just go on a sabbatical. And he can,
you know, he can, he can go find some lonely
guy on the mountaintop and and and and figure things out,
because he just looks like he's he just doesn't want
to be there a lot of time. And you know,
I get it. He's like a very old thirty two
and there's a lot of tread on those tires. He's
basically been a tour pro since he was fifteen, and
(09:00):
so he's more like a forty year old in golf years,
or maybe early forties. And but it's it's disparting to
and then of course, you know today he had a
little he had the fight back and he played great
and you know, he beat Zander. He was he was undefeated.
So like that's what's so maddening about Rory is it's there.
It's it's always close to the surface, but he just
can't bring it out when he has to. Um, yeah,
(09:21):
if he has that on Friday, I mean he's just
such a leader of that team. I mean that final
interview sums it up how much he cares. But he
has that on Friday and it's you know, two to
two on Friday morning instead of three to one, Like
what does that mean to the rest of the week.
And it's just like, it's it's maddening that the guy.
(09:42):
It's like you said, I mean, he's awesome today and
I don't know why. I don't know why he can't.
You know, a million people have dissected why not, But
for some reason, it's just not happening, I know. I
mean I'm trying to think of, you know, parallels in golf,
Like you know, Ernie Els had two US Opens by
time he was twenty seven, and then he went through
(10:03):
this like five years slump and what should have been
his prime and then he won another US Open and
then you know, ten years after that he wanted British Opens.
Like I guess I give his hope for Rory he
can find it. You know, he's not going on eight
plus years not a major. But Ernie was no Ernie
was no Roy. I mean, Ernie's very good and was
very good back then. But like I mean, Rory was
like in a class by himself for a long time.
(10:25):
I mean, up there with Tiger and those guys. Is
just like, I just don't know how he hasn't won
a major and X amount of years whatever it is.
And you know, Padrick Harrington knew, of course, poor guy.
I mean, he just he didn't have the horses like
you can. You can second guess a few little decisions
like oh, we shouldn't have played Paul Casey on Saturday morning,
Like who cares? There's nothing Patty could have done to
(10:48):
change this outcome whatsoever. But he's, you know, he's such
a smart, thoughtful guy. And he remember him saying my
two thousand fourteen, you know, Rory could win a dozen majors,
but he better do it asked because there's this whole
generation coming. He's like I and Pundrick's like, I've seen
him at the range. I've seen him at the on
track man, and they're all gonna be hit at three
fifty like Rory is. And he's got an advantage right now,
(11:11):
but that advantage is going to disappear. And like he
called it, you know, like Rory's driver was kind of
like like Sevy's wedge and then all of a sudden,
everybody got a sixty degree and that advantage was reduced
dramatically that Sevy had and Rory generational driver of the
golf ball. But all of a sudden, there's twenty forty
guys who can do that now, and um, and so
(11:32):
that's part of it. And you know, you know Tita
green Is that was his money maker. He's never He's
always a good, okay putter. But so it was interesting.
I still remember Patty saying that, and you know he
was he called it eight years ago. But um, nevertheless,
Rory still good enough to get it done. He's just
not getting it done. So, um, I mean, I'm a
(11:52):
I'm a captain's fix. I mean, I'm kid being a captain.
I mean, it's just such a look into It's just
blind luck. I mean, what did Strict to do write like?
I mean nothing like the guys picked their own partners.
I'm not like I mean, Patty just got a bed
here like they're like he could have had like any
metrics you ever wanted. They like he was gonna lose
(12:16):
best case scenario like twelve. You know, it's just blind
black when you get picked, like he's gonna be like
always a terrible captain, like the people average the top
nine in the world just had no shot. I don't
think anyone's really hating on on Patty. I think I
think it's so clear that the team was overmatch that.
I mean, Vince Lombardi could have sprung up from his
(12:37):
grave here in Wisconsin and watched in the team room
for Europe and it wasn't gonna make a damn bit
of difference. But um, you know what Stricker did that
you have to give him a little credit because you
know he was he was one of people. Forget this.
He was one of Tom Watson's vice captains at Glenn
Eagles and um Strickers lived through all of that. And
(12:57):
this is one of the themes of my story that
just posted on you know, fire Pit Collective dot com.
Is you know this victory was was really you know,
seven years in the making. Um, I mean it goes back.
I was in that tent on Sunday night in Scotland
when when Michelson went after Tom Watson and it was
brutal and he pretty much ruined the reputation of a
(13:18):
great champion and um and Watson's never been back to
a Ryder Cup since. I mean, all the past captains
now are, including the festivities, and it's this very warm
collegial feeling Watson's out, like there's a lot of hard feelings.
Do you think that although he made like obviously probably
shouldn't have gone about it in that way, that it
was important. It had to be that way because if
(13:41):
they'd done it in private and their annual you know, debriefing,
there would not have been this intense scrutiny and pressure
to change. So, I mean, phil is a mocky Vellin character,
like he never opens his mouth without an agenda, and
that was completely calculated and he knew what he was
doing and he made the decision it was worth it
because he was tired of losing righter cups. And in
(14:01):
some ways you gotta give Philip Michelson credit because the
whole culture changed and what Europe had done forever was
they were already groomed their captains and so you'd be
a vice captain for a number of years where you
got the top job, and they passed on this institutional
knowledge and this this cohesion um, whereas every two years
the US was just making it up willy nilly, a
new guy would come in. He didn't know what the
(14:22):
other guys did. There was very little overlap. And in
the you know, they're bringing their buddies, you know, like
how Sutton bringing in Jackie Burke who's like eighty years old,
didn't know the players and was talking to Ship the
whole time. Like that was an absolute fail. But that's
what happened. These guys would just bring in their own
cronies and um. And of course the PGA of America
president would change every two years, and they got to
(14:43):
help pick the captain. Like that's how Watson got the job.
Is this guy Ted Bishop who ran a driving range
and like Tom Watson was zero, was like, hey, I
want to hang out Tom Watson. I'll make him captain.
And Watson had no connection to the modern tour player
and was was old school to his detriment. And so
you know, Stricker was was part of that the worst
and writer Cup history for the U S side, but
he was and then he's been he's been in in
(15:04):
the leadership role ever since at the President's Cup as
a vice captain, and he's helped transform the culture where
the players have a voice, the captains are you know,
there's a line of succession that's very clear, and there's
there's very collaborative and so you know, once the Wryder
Cup weeks starts, as you say, they it's largely out
(15:26):
of control of the captains. But Stricker did was part
of this culture change that that allowed Team USA to flourish.
So I give him, I give him some credit. And
of course he he ran the President's Cup team that
also had a record victory. So there's there's something in
his light touch and he doesn't try too hard, like
and he said, you know, there's always been this writer
(15:47):
Cup tradition. You bring in George W. Bush, you bring
in Michael Jordan for all these raw ross speeches, and
and Strickers like, we don't need that, Like these guys
know what's at stake. I want to go to bed
and get the rest and just being their routine, and
like it takes a certain um courage of your convictions
to like go against the grain and not not do
noone else has done and stricter you know, I think
he allowed he created room for the players to breathe
(16:10):
a little bit and and just let them be and
and and and treat it something like a regular golf
current where they could be a little bit on there
in the routine. And of course that was all it
took because has noted a few times, the power and
the the the the advantage of talent the US had
was was decisive. But yeah, and I think the fact
(16:30):
that he's out there still at least a few times
a year, like he's in touch with these guys, like
it's not you know, you go back to Watson, like
Watson had no idea what these guys do. So like
the fact that he plays a few tour events still
and like can be around these guys and understand what
they want to do. And it's just and Michelson, you know,
he has he has a role in this because he
(16:51):
was the vice captain and you know, he could have
been really pissy, not you know, he's the guy when
the PGA Championship and you get picked the Ryder Cup team.
And that was that was the toughest all that Stricker
had to make, but it was an important one because
it really decisively ended the Tiger Phil years, which is
two plus decades of underachieving. Um. But to Phil's credit,
he embraced the role of vice captain. And you talk
(17:12):
about being current, I mean he's out there every week
with these guys and he's playing these husaving money games.
And so there's never been a vice captain who's is
is plugged into the current golf scene as Michelson and
uh Stricker made him. Bryson Deshambo's babysitter, and Phil shadowed
his every move. And I asked Bryson and he said,
he you know, how important was Fils you this week?
He said, monumental. He kept me laughing, kept me relaxed,
(17:35):
He helped me strategize. He was always there for me
when when I needed it. And um, so it's it's
you know, it's a cool bit of It's a straight
line from from that really sad, awkward press conference in
Glenn Eagles to this victory and to the building of
this of this team, and um, you know who's going
to be the next US captain? I mean it it
(17:57):
could be Zack Johnson, who's been a vice captain now
a bunch of times in a row. Obviously, if Philer
Tiger wants a job, they'll get it. It might be
one run too soon. I think Phil will love Beth
Page um in twenty five, that would be that would
be fitting. And Tiger, you know, he's he's always an enigma.
But um, you know that's the other thing, like there's
no more um sort of rallying and inspirational figures as
(18:20):
captains and Tiger Tiger Woods and Phil Nicholson, and the
US has that to look forward to in addition to
this talent. I mean, uh, you know, Lee Weston will
be a good captain and Luke Donald will be a
good captain, but they don't quite stir the blood of
golfers the way Tiger and Field you So, it's just
just one more advantage of the U s has. Do
you think ZJ Snakes? I mean ZJ is just like
(18:41):
such a I don't know, it's just like such a
I mean, it's a terrible captaincy between like it's gonna
go stricter killed him, z J and then Phil Tiger like,
oh man, we're gonna forget about poor Zack and about
seconds Uh well, you know, he could be like the
(19:02):
the American mcginnley. You know, Paul McGinley was a great
captain because he was super smart and analytical and he
didn't try and be something that he's not. And that's
that's kind of Zack Johnson in a nutshell. And UM,
I don't know, we'll see what happens. I mean, winning
and winning in Europe is tough, and the US is
now shown that it can kind of it can hold serve.
(19:23):
But if this team is really going to be transformational
and they're really going to dominate this right a couple
of way I think they can, then Italy and twenty
three is monumental that they got to get a scalp
over there. It's been forever since the US one in Europe.
And UM, so you know, maybe maybe they'll talk Tiger
or fill into doing it and then just bringing the
big guns and that would that would be phenomenal. But
(19:44):
if um, for whatever reason, the sequencing, UM, I think
Zach is next to line. You know, he just paid
his dues and um there's there's not another super obvious candidates.
So uh, we'll see and we'll get that announcement relatively soon.
But um, you know, and of course Europe does have Poulter.
We'll see if he's ready. He's only only forty five.
He might want to keep playing. But how how about
(20:06):
Poulter versus Phil at Bethpage. It's pretty sweet, I mean
how good. I mean, uh, Poulter is gonna be such
I would I would love him here because like you know,
he's gonna be out there fist pumping and like chess pumping.
I mean, it's so perfect in New York because it
would just make for such great TV because he he
(20:29):
loves that role. You know, he loves it. You know
he wants to be captain over here. I think that's
I think that's right. Yeah, I mean where everyone hates
him and you know we'll get back like those old
like we hate him and he'll be out there chess
pumping people. I mean those New Yorkers want to kill him.
Nobody hates Hendrik Stenson or Luke Donald or Westward. But
(20:51):
you know, Poulter Palter has to be a bath Page
god out of your way. Too much fun. So I
think of you Ryan is like as like the super
fan you know of golf and you're you're sitting there
watching on TV, like what do your other emotional reactions
to the players, like, um, did what Bryson did this
week with his good play and kind of his fun energy,
did did he change your opinion at all of him?
(21:14):
I mean that's a good question. I think that Bryson
is just like you know, I read Kevin's article. I
think he just wants to be loved so bad, but
he just can't help himself. Like the putter, you know,
laying down on the first hole it's like three ft.
He just he will do something like Americans obviously love
him tonight, he will not be able to help himself
(21:36):
and at the Sanderson or whatever he plays next, he
will do something that will quickly turn it back around. Uh.
I thought he had a great week obviously, But I
just don't think Bryson can help himself. I think eventually,
and I don't think he does it purposefully. I just
think he's so mature that he just doesn't understand. I
(21:57):
mean again, he he doesn't understand why people love him so. Uh.
He was a great this week, but he's I mean,
it won't be long. Tron Carter tweeted in Today's like
it won't be long until we hate him again. I
love it. Um, Yeah, I mean, did you watch the
press conferences? Yeah? Yeah, I mean I wish everyone could
(22:19):
get drunk. I mean, like, what a great press conference,
talk about it all that. I talked about it all
the time, and it's like the golf that I cover.
I'm so lucky that all the players I talked to
just tell me the truth. They have no one to
answer to. There's no PC, there's no like players just
say like, hey, it sucks, yet it sucks, And like
(22:39):
you talked to a lot of tough golfers who have
million dollar contracts and one word out of place and bam,
that's gone, and those kind of things. That is I
would love to not have a not only get drunk
and have a fun conference like that, but get drunk
and have like an honest conversation about like what stinks
and what sucks and what doesn't him. I thought both
(23:01):
of them were awesome. I wish we could get that
truth serum more often. It's true. Well, but the point
I was gonna make is Bryson was like, oh, I
can't drink much of I got the long drive contest
coming up. It's like dude, like so he can't help
himself over there, and like how fun. You just won
the Writer Cup, Like it's so so much. Um. Someone
(23:23):
told me recently who's like was once very close to Brison.
It was in his inner circle that that Bryson was
a virgin well into his professional golf career. It's like
that checks out, Like that definitely checks out. Yeah, So
what about what about Brooks Kepka? Like how you know
(23:44):
you're watching at home? How what did you take from
Brooks this week? You know I'm gonna say something like,
so Brooks Chase Kepka has been a good friend of mine,
and Brooks like has this public image and behind the
scenes he's like helpful and how helpful with donations and
all this kind of stuff. And it's like, I don't
know what. I guess he wants to play this villain role,
(24:07):
like just take the ruling and just be done with it.
I just don't I don't like somehow he's got Like
I mean, here's Brooks kept getting a nutshell is in
a in a fight with Bryce and d Shambo. He's
come out as the bad guy and that was really
hard to do. I mean we like it's like, how
(24:27):
do you how in that argument do you come out
as the bad guy, it's in it's insane, like that's tough.
You literally have to work to come out of the
of that dispute, as the bad guy well said, And
the whole really was so stupid, like on a steep
downhill life, you cannot take like a twelve inch divot,
like the physics doesn't allow it. This club could never
(24:49):
travel the way he was trying to convince him, and
the replace showed that it was just like it was
like nonsensical and didn't like you know, but I don't
I don't think he believed I don't know what like
he wants to like he just creates this somehow, like
like if you took him out of context. He doesn't
really believe that he should have got a ruling, but
he just like has to play this like tough guy
(25:10):
villain role. And again there's no other way to say it.
But in a dispute with Brush and the Shambo, he
has come out the bank. I mean even in the
press conference, you know, someone served him up a softball,
like hey Brooks, you know your comments before the writer cup,
he didn't sound you know whatever, has your opinion changed?
And he was just like all snarling a dick about it,
(25:30):
and then it was like it was like like someone
farted in church, like the whole room and quiet, like
like you know what, that's inarious thing. You know what,
Maybe I didn't I didn't say it the way I
want to say, like I love the wryter Cup, this
was great, this is the best week of my life.
And yeah Brooks. Instead he's yeah, we won and drinking
culture like people would love you if you shot gun
(25:53):
to beer right there, he would be like the I mean,
people want to love him and they just like I
he's I think they did, but I'm not sure they
do anymore. You know, It's it's gotten tiresome. What about so,
speaking of shotgunning beers, what about like Justin Thomas, what
was your take on him? As watching at home? I
have no problem. I mean, like I think we just
(26:16):
we want to be mad, right, like I mean they're
like twenties whatever, how old? Justin Yeah, Like I mean
he shot gunning a beer at the biggest golf event
and just like in Wisconsin, if you're mad about that,
like the internet is going to be a scary place
to Yeah. So not not even the beers, because I
mean that was funny that they were sitting that afternoon,
(26:37):
you know, him and Burgers, who cared. But you know
he's out there, Like the first couple of days he was,
he was his play was pretty scratchy for a lot
of the partner play, but he's still there pumping his
fast and shouting and stomping his feet. It's like, dude,
you're two down and you just like four balls into
the lake, like come on, man, Like, I don't know,
I feel like you kind of got to earn that,
and he hadn't quite earned it. He did come through
(27:00):
um and and finished the week pretty strong. The Ryder
The Ryder Cup is full of overreactions, and that's like,
I mean Lowry, same thing. I love Shane Lowry, but dude,
you're not nine to three, Like maybe we maybe we
should just like hold off the big putt on eight
team to have a match, you know, throwing putters and
the down like like I don't really care. I'm not
(27:24):
worried about like just like it's an alright, chill dude.
I mean, yeah, no, that was cool. I mean for
you know, for Lowry who's been trying to make the
Ryder Cup team for a long time and he was
complicated because he's almost best friends with Harrington, and Harrington
second guess himself about picking him because people thought would
be like nepotism and favoritism, and in fact, the guy
(27:45):
when the British open like come on, he's he's a
good player. And that may have also explained why why
Lowry didn't you know, sat in the both on on
Friday and Saturday. I mean when he played, he was
spirited out there, he was fun and he's making birdies
like so again you can second and guess Patty that
you should have played Shane Larry Moore, but it want
to matter, But no, I I always the Europeans just
(28:09):
seemed to love the Ryder Cup so much more like
when they lose, like Rory's interview, Shane's reaction the press
conference this afternoon. It's like, I wonder what the American
press conference would have looked like in interviews, would have
looked like if the roles have been reversed, right, Like
I've been there so many times. Yeah, I just feel
like we don't have that emotion that like those guys.
(28:32):
I mean, the dude's crying. He's like one of the
best in the world. At one point it's like, man,
this sucks. This is the most important event in golf,
and I just don't think we would see it if
the roles reversed. Obviously, it's easy to have a great
press conference when you just hammered everybody. Yeah no, I
mean in the European and both both Paul Casey and
(28:52):
Lee Westwood got all choked up to time how much
it meant to them, and um, you know, Poulter's eyes
were all watery like it they're there's extra motion because
this really is the end of an era. And I
think some degree that's what what what Rory was was
feeling like his entire Rider Cup career career, he's played
alongside Poulter and alongside Westwood and for the most part Casey,
and it's like he wants that everyone wanted to send
(29:14):
those guys off, like this is there, this was their
last stand. It really was, and um, you know it
heard he's kind in the dangerous wins that yeah we're
roy um but uh yeah it was. I mean at
least it was memorable. Like the worst thing would have
(29:35):
been a um, I don't know, seventeen or sixteen to thirteen,
like they won. It was kind of close, but not
really like if something had to happen here that that
would be defining. And it was. It was the ass
kicking and it was the dominance. And as you said,
the lack of tension was a bummer. Um today it
(29:55):
was just a coronation and we all missed that that anxiety,
like I've and I've been at Ryder Cups from my
stomach was hurting from the tension. And I just had
to write the story. I wasn't out there playing, but like,
we missed that, but this was this was a meaningful win.
And um, you know, I was looking back at great
Ryder Cup teams. Eleven of the twelve guys were major
(30:17):
championship winners. You had Nicholas, Tom Watts and Lee Buck, Trevino,
Johnny Miller, Ben Crenshaw, Larry Nelson. I mean, these were
some badass mofos and they were playing against you know,
kind of a diminished European side. This was pre Sevy,
you know, it was it was basically a bunch of
(30:37):
guy's named Nigel and and that US team scored eighteen
point five points and uh, you know it's probably the
greatest US Ryder Cup team ever And and of course
this this one just hit nineteen which um in a
whole different era where where the European tours much stronger
and they're drawn from a lot more a lot more
feeder systems. So it's, uh, you know, it's it's gonna
(30:59):
be interesting to see where you know, we get ten, twelve, fourteen,
sixty years down the road, like if this is this
team as good as we think it is, and I
think the answer is yes, But uh, what what else
did you, um, did you enjoy about this? What? What's
your take on on Whistling Straights, Because I've played this
and I'll give my opinion after I know your opinion.
I mean, it's the most ridiculous golf course in the world.
(31:21):
Like it's I saw so many spectators go down, like
it's horrible to walk if you're if you're a fan,
and you know, it's it's just totally crazy. Um And
I've played it and I never want to play it again.
But all that said, it was a super fun venue
for for this event because you have to hit a
lot of hero shots and that's what you want and
match play and if when when you guys would miss fairways, Uh,
(31:45):
there was there was a lot of drama. Where's you
it all gonna wind up? And there was some super
awkward recoveries. I mean George Spieth almost got pitched into
the lake trying to play that one off seventeen over
the Green Monster, Like, of course you don't want George
Speth to break his leg trying to, you know, hit
a greenside chip Like that's whistling straight to the nutshell,
Like we almost lost them. So the course makes no
(32:06):
fucking sense. But um, at the same time, it looks.
It's amazing on TV. I mean it's so scenic and
it's so dramatic. So, um, you know, I thought it worked,
But what is your what are your feelings? I mean
I hate that place I played it. I played it.
If I would have paid for it, I would have
been really mad. But I played with three pros, so
(32:29):
I played from the bag teeth. I mean, it's just
it's insanely hard and insanely stupid. Uh. I mean I
just picked up my ball most of the time, So
it's like, yeah, I mean, obviously it's pros. To your point,
it does create a lot like eighteen creates, like you're
either on the green or you're in the water and
create some drama there. But yeah, I mean when you
(32:50):
when you stand out there on seventeen t which was
obviously very important moment in many matches, like it looks
like a painting. It's like the most awe inspiring looking whole.
I mean, the green looks like it's a mile away
and it's it's the precipice of of you know, the
end of the world, and it's like so incredibly dramatic.
But yeah, I mean I played it. It was the
wind was howling, we were in drivers not like everyone
(33:12):
made a ten and we just laughed. So it's it's ridiculous.
But actually my my round. My caddie was saying that,
and I said, like, you know, I'm not a I'm
like an okay golf wher. I'm like like an eight
um and it was it was way too hard for me.
I said, what happens when you get like twenty handicappers
are He said, well, sometimes we'll have a little bet
between the caddies who can get their their player to
hit into more bunkers. He's like, we had we had
(33:33):
a couple of Japanese women who came out here and
um I won the bet. It was fifty six I
got I got my girl into fifty six bunkers, and
I felt great about that. Like that is so messed up.
But I say all the time about the people that
I played with paid for a caddy, and I always say, like,
I found eighteen ways for a candy to say like,
(33:53):
you're okay, even though I wasn't okay, Like he would
be like, oh, you can play it from over there,
or well we'll find it. I'm like, dude, you can
just say it was crap, like we're in the dunes again.
Yeah that's true. Um, well, I don't know, it's it's been. Um,
it's been it's been a week. Did you where do
you rank? Where do you rank this in your You've
(34:15):
been to eleven, which is insane? Yeah, where where does
it rank? In importance? And obviously there's many different factors
that you would have to like where would you rank
it in the ones you've been to, Whether it's like wow,
that was the most dominant or yeah, well there was that.
I mean there was that stretch and like oh four
(34:36):
oh six when Europe was win in by this kind
of margin, you know, there was Europe's had some dominant teams.
But um, I really feel like this is gonna be
remembered as a transformational Ryder Cup for the US. And
you know, they two years into the task Force era,
after after the big blow up at Glenn Eagles, you
know they kicked but at Hazel team but they still
(34:57):
they still they were still sort of shackled to the
old you know, you go to to Paris and and
Jim Furrett couldn't He just didn't have the backbone to
shut down Tiger and fill. You know, Tiger was exhausted
after when the torch, his body wasn't work, and he
still put him out there, you know, three times and
team play just gave your up three points. Should have
should never have even picked Phil for for that team
(35:18):
on that golf course, but he did, and feel gifted
them two points. And um so there was still we
were kind of still between generations and that that accounted
for what happened in Paris, along with a very quirky
golf course. And just like the magic alchemy of Mollywood,
you know, like Francesco mall and a didn't even make
this team. Tommy Fleetwood looked like a dead man walking
(35:38):
went oh two and one like that and they dominated
that right up. So I count Paris as like an
aberration and a fluke almost, but they still had to
redeem that. They had to they had to end the
Michelson era. Um, and they had to bring in all
all this fresh blood and all these rookies. So, um,
I mean, this is this is gonna I think gonna
rank up there with the War by the Shore, not
(36:00):
as an artistic triumph, but as as a meaningful victory
that really changed things. And um, you know I I wrote,
I've obviously some of your some of the people listen
to know about this column. I wrote back in seven
team predicting that the US was going to dominate throughout
Cup for a long time. And um, you know, Paris
was a big steaming turd. But the prediction was a
(36:21):
long range prediction and it's more true now than it's
ever been. So this is an important one for sure.
And um, as we've as we've touched on Europe has
they have a lot of big, tough questions and you know,
there's there's no answer. It's not like a national team
where they could they could sort of develop their own players.
I mean, the European Ryder Cup team is at the
mercy of who comes through the pipeline, and um, you
(36:44):
know they can help nurture them. And and they do
often pair Wryder covers together in Ryder Cup years so
guys could play together and get that comfort level and
they do everything they can to kind of instill that
legendary camaraderie. But I mean when you look, you looked
at Harrington, you had these must win matches and he's
sent it out you know, Berne Wiesberger, um, and whoever
(37:05):
against major championship winners. You know, gold medal is Fedix
Cup champions like, um, it just wasn't a fair fight.
So um, obviously it's kind of like when you're when
you're when you're playing uh, um, like like horse or something,
you gotta justify, Like they gott to justify this in
Italy and um, I think they will and and then
(37:27):
the US is often run and I mean just look out.
But so yeah, this is this is again it wasn't
like an exciting or even a fun Rider Cup, but
it was monumentally important. Yeah, I mean, do you feel
like this I mean, I I mean we've talked about it,
but like you feel like this is could be the
start of like the most dominant run in writer in
(37:48):
the Ryder Cup, do you think I mean, I just
don't see, Like I mean, I was just thinking about it,
like Tom McKibbin. Is that is that you're, you know,
eighteen year old that like has been an amateur star,
sold life, finally turned pro and that finally he's eighteen,
but like just dominated at first stage. I mean, but
that's at the earliest. There's not like any like young
(38:10):
stars that are like gonna that I see changing this
around outside of like Americans losing their form. Yeah, yeah, no.
I mean Paris was seven out of nine for Europe
and you know that's basically two decades of domination. And
I think I think the U s could do that.
I mean, I really do that already at two out
of three. So could they take you know, four out
(38:32):
of the next five or five the next six? For sure?
I mean, like even like a guy like Scottie Shuffler
who had to scratch and clause win of the team
like he was awesome, like he kicked John Rom's asked today,
and you know he was an afterthought. You look at
the core group of major championship winners and um, you know,
Dustin Johnson was thirty seven. He's old. You know, he's
(38:54):
called himself Grandpa. He's the oldest guy. The average age
of the team Europe was like almost thirty six. Like
just tells you all you need to know, right there,
So um and above and you know, the US has
often had talent, but there is a cohesion and there's
a buy in and there's just a whole different spirit
about it, and there's there's this this this this sea
change and how the teams are are put together, how
(39:16):
the leadership is passed down from cup to cup, and
so yeah, I think I think I think that. Um,
it's just I think it's gonna be a lot of
boring Sundays, unfortunately, I really do. And I hope, you know,
I hope the writer Cup can conserve, can survive that
because europe domination was different. You know, they were the
underdogs and they were scrappy, and we had Tiger and
(39:36):
Phil and you know Jim Fure like three all time
leaving money was on PG or whatever, and so it
created this energy like when the underdog wins, that's fun.
And then the handwringing and the finger pointing and the
recriminations on the US that was fun too, and um
but you know, it's it's different when when we want
(39:57):
if like say, we continue this eminence, like no one's
gonna care about the Cup after we go like nineteen eleven,
nineteen and twelve, like no one's gonna no one's gonna
go like, oh I can't wait for Yeah, no, it's
gonna be like, well, it's gonna be another nineteen winner. Yeah,
Europe dominating what was in somebody's great for the Ryder Cup,
(40:17):
US dominating not so great. So I actually do have
some long range concerns and I'm sure that the European tour,
which is kept a float financially by the Ryder Cup,
there must be large scale panic and in Wentworth right
now because they're like, damn, like this this is our
cash cow. And uh so yeah, it's that. That's how
(40:38):
decisive this win was. We are now fretting about the
future of the Ryder Cup. It's a little early. Again.
They gotta win in Italy and they gotta come back
and dude again in beth Page and then it's like, Okay,
this is this is what we thought it was. So,
I mean, the irony of you know I wrote. I
wrote that column and and whe like, oh, you're big,
you know, American Homer. It's like, I've always routed for Europe.
(40:59):
It's a better story. And like I'm wright, unlike you
like write a cup week. I travel on no passport.
I'm an impartial observer. And in fact, George Speth wants
put that on me in a press coup. She's like,
you're American. You guys said not this week. Like, I'm
here just to write a story, and Europe winning was
often the better story. So um, the only like I
don't know, I don't know if I'm in the media.
I hate to like I don't even know what to
(41:20):
call me. Come on, man, you're in the media, all right.
So like I think I'm the only American, like the
only one everyone routes for Europe. I mean everybody. I
was the only guy who was like, I'm not even
going to my grandma's grave this week. I had That's
probably why I want to do this podcast. I had
mad respect for that, Like you were you were so hardcore?
Was My mom called me and it was like Ryan,
(41:42):
I think that's too far, and I'm like, no, it's not.
For years it's fine, No that I didn't deserve it.
That that's that right. There is what makes the writer
cup great. So we still we still so anyway, the
guy like I criticized the guy who's yelling in the bunker,
but I'm the guy who doesn't go to my grandma's
(42:02):
grave on that weekend. We get the right. There is
a difference. I mean, the the fans were they were allowed.
They're boisterous, they're partisan, that's what you want. There was
a little too much of a Yahoo factor where guys
were yelling when the Europeans are over the ball, and
that's kind of crossing the line I got. I don't
really care about the other stuff, but when dudes are
settling into the shot or they're actually swinging the golf club,
(42:25):
like it just reflects poorly on on the American golf
fan and the great state of Wisconsin and everything else.
Like I'd be happy if we can let that go.
And maybe, you know, Beth Page is gonna be a challenge,
but you know, I applaud George Speed and other guys,
like other American players were out there like come on,
like they're way with the guy, like clean it up
and stuff and so that that was a little bit
(42:46):
all down for I could care less about cheering for
bad shots. That's that's fine, That's totally fine. That's fine.
That's like, that's I hope the European fans do it
when we hit it in the water. I'm just saying,
don't yell, and don't yell stupid ship, and don't yell
on their backswing, just like I'm all for like cheering
miss Potts and all for like, no problem, you three
(43:07):
putt from ten feet and you lost the whole and
we're gonna cheer. Yeah, well, tough luck, dude's cup. I
agree saying like like you said, like, don't write it,
don't write any thing, don't yell like get in the
bunker all that kind of don't yell like personal ship,
just like go out there and like, yeah, I'm all
four channing USA. Is the guy missed a five footer.
That's great, that's perfect. That's what the writer comes all about.
(43:27):
Just don't yeah, yeah, no, we can agree on that.
And so anyway, well, I appreciate you making the time
to making this little cameo. I know you're on assignment
and uh, but this was a fun chat. In any
final thoughts before before we sign off here. Yeah, I
mean this is very surreal. I am like, I can't
believe that I'm on a fucking podcast with Alan Ships.
(43:50):
It's unreal. Sometimes it just hits me. And I was
like so casually like, yeah, we're gonna just do a podcast.
I'm on a fucking podcast with a guy that i've
my entire adult life and I send shipped to him
and he like edits it. This is insane, insane. I mean,
you flatter me, Ryan, Let's believe me. You're a humongous
(44:12):
part of what we're doing here. So and I'm I'm
glad that you you do this podcast because I you
represent like, uh like the passionate golf fan, but also
you're a huge part of the collective. So I'm I'm
glad we made it happen. So thanks to you guys
for listening. UM there will be a regular full send
episode of me and Christina Kim if you enjoyed this one,
by all means subscribe and and and and get get involved.
(44:34):
And of course Ryan still has his UM his own
podcasting and given Monday, so we're uh. These occasional cross
servers are fun. I think I think we'll do it
more often, um but anyway, thanks you all for listening,
and Ryan thanks for doing this, and signing off from
Whistling Straits
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