Fansided

Team USA lost the Ryder Cup, but the days after may have been even worse

By David Salituro

PARIS, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 29: Patrick Reed of the United States reacts on the 14th green during the morning fourball matches of the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National on September 29, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 29: Patrick Reed of the United States reacts on the 14th green during the morning fourball matches of the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National on September 29, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Complaining about pairings, temperament and an actual fight highlighted the fallout from Team USA’s decisive loss at Le Golf National.

Team Europe, coming off a decisive win in the Ryder Cup on Sunday, were hailed as heroes throughout the continent. The losing American team, meanwhile, continues to tear apart at the seams.

For the U.S. team, the days after their 17.5-10.5 loss at Le Golf National were just as bad as their play on the course. Constant bickering over pairings, combined with an actual fight between two players (allegedly), has revealed the dissension that existed within the team room.

Patrick Reed was the first to vent his frustration. Reed, whose heroics in both 2014 and 2016 earned him the nickname “Captain America,” expressed disappointment after the tournament about captain Jim Furyk splitting him up from Jordan Spieth. Reed and Spieth formed a formidable pairing at both Gleneagles and Hazeltine, going a combined 4-1-2. But in Paris Spieth was matched with Justin Thomas, while Reed was tasked with playing with Tiger Woods.

The move didn’t pan out for the Americans. Reed played terribly, losing both his matches with Woods. Afterwards he complained that Furyk “blindslided” him. One fellow team member, however, isn’t buying it.

“He is so full of s—,” an anonymous player told the New York Post on Monday. “He would have shot 83 on his own ball Saturday. He totally screwed Tiger. He has no clue how to play team golf. I saw firsthand how bad of a team player he was. Eleven players understood the concept of team golf and only one didn’t.

“Unfortunately, that one proved to be too costly for the team to overcome.”

The frustration among the Americans after losing the Ryder Cup in Europe for the sixth straight time boiled over in the locker room afterwards. Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, friends and workout partners, reportedly had to be separated after getting into a fight after the tournament. Koepka, however, denied on Wednesday that an altercation between him and Johnson took place.

“This Dustin thing I don’t get,” he said at his press conference before the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland. “There is no fight, no argument, he’s one of my best friends.

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“People like to make a story and run with it. It’s not the first time there’s been a news story that isn’t true that has gone out. As far as the camaraderie it was fine, it was perfect. The problem is you guys try to find a reason why we lost and the simple reason is we didn’t play good.”

Why this American team, which boasted 11 of the top 20 players in the world, lost by such a large margin will be debated constantly until Whistling Straits in 2020. Back in 2014, when Team U.S. suffered another big defeat, they formed a task force to identify ways the team could be improved.

It worked at Hazeltine in 2016, but the plan came crashing down at Le Golf National. The Americans are now back where they started, looking for answers about why their team split apart while the Europeans formed such a tight partnership. Another task force, which will look at how captains are picked and how they chose players, is desperately needed.

One solution may be to do away from automatic spots, letting the captain pick all 12 players. This isn’t sure to succeed; after all, Furyk did pick Phil Mickelson, who ranked 192nd in driving accuracy on the PGA Tour, to play a course that demanded you stay in play.

Another plan is to allow a winning captain return the next time. Davis Love III did a great job at Hazeltine but was quickly replaced by Furyk. Europe may also be well-advised to bring back Thomas Bjorn, whose every move on the weekend seemed to pay off.

Whatever the Americans decide to do, they’ll have their work cut out for them over the next two years. If they don’t find a solution, they’ll only watch as Team Europe sips champagne with the Ryder Cup once again.

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