Ground Control To Captain Tom - You Were Lousy Too
Hello. Tom Lehman seems to have come out the Ryder Cup thrashing his squad took relatively unscathed. Time and again we were reminded how much Lehman prepared for this big event. How he talked to John Wooden and Coach K, legendary basketball coaching icons, about championship teams. How the entire team flew to the K Club (does Coach K have shares? Just kidding) for 2 practice rounds and much needed team bonding. How he was hampered by having 4 rookies. How he was facing arguably the best European team ever on their turf. How he didn't have much to choose from for his captain's picks.
And then when talking to the media, he mentioned how he wasn't worried at any stage of the event. Even going into Sunday's singles matches, he mentioned how the PGA was held at Medinah in 1999 and 2006, and that since the greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history was in 1999, there was a great chance it would happen again. When Mark Rolfing interviewed him after the event was over, he said how proud he was of the team, and Rolfing ended by saying what a great job he had done.
To quote the phrase we used as teenagers in the '70s, "Spare Me!".
Lehman equalled the record for biggest loss ever set 2 years ago by Hal Sutton's squad. He could've had the mark alone if Paul McGinley hadn't conceded a 20+ foot putt to JJ Henry. And he did it pretty much the same way, by creating two "super teams" that collected 2.5 points out of a possible 8 on Friday/Saturday.
His pairings were questionable from the get-go. Not playing Vaughn Taylor until Saturday afternoon. Only playing Scott Verplank Saturday morning. Not playing JJ Henry Friday or Saturday afternoon, when he was playing well. Sitting out Chris DiMarco instead of Phil Mickelson Saturday afternoon.
What I would've done is the following - taken the "top 6" of Tiger, Furyk, Mickelson, Toms, DiMarco and Campbell to the K Club right after the British Open. Told them to check their egos at the club entrance. Mentioned they were essential to victory, and focused on getting along.
Then picked Ben Curtis to replace Verplank. The guy won this year, and won the British Open. Obviously he could've done something, especially since Verplank wasn't utilized, possibly due to injury.
Then picked players for matches based on how they were playing at the last possible moment, instead of well in advance.
Captain Tom, you'll get to be captain again after Sutton is captain again, which is never.
Regards,
Steve
And then when talking to the media, he mentioned how he wasn't worried at any stage of the event. Even going into Sunday's singles matches, he mentioned how the PGA was held at Medinah in 1999 and 2006, and that since the greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history was in 1999, there was a great chance it would happen again. When Mark Rolfing interviewed him after the event was over, he said how proud he was of the team, and Rolfing ended by saying what a great job he had done.
To quote the phrase we used as teenagers in the '70s, "Spare Me!".
Lehman equalled the record for biggest loss ever set 2 years ago by Hal Sutton's squad. He could've had the mark alone if Paul McGinley hadn't conceded a 20+ foot putt to JJ Henry. And he did it pretty much the same way, by creating two "super teams" that collected 2.5 points out of a possible 8 on Friday/Saturday.
His pairings were questionable from the get-go. Not playing Vaughn Taylor until Saturday afternoon. Only playing Scott Verplank Saturday morning. Not playing JJ Henry Friday or Saturday afternoon, when he was playing well. Sitting out Chris DiMarco instead of Phil Mickelson Saturday afternoon.
What I would've done is the following - taken the "top 6" of Tiger, Furyk, Mickelson, Toms, DiMarco and Campbell to the K Club right after the British Open. Told them to check their egos at the club entrance. Mentioned they were essential to victory, and focused on getting along.
Then picked Ben Curtis to replace Verplank. The guy won this year, and won the British Open. Obviously he could've done something, especially since Verplank wasn't utilized, possibly due to injury.
Then picked players for matches based on how they were playing at the last possible moment, instead of well in advance.
Captain Tom, you'll get to be captain again after Sutton is captain again, which is never.
Regards,
Steve
posted by Irrelevant at 4:49 PM
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