The Americans lost the Ryder Cup to the Europeans in probably the most painful way imagined: 14½-13½ after blowing a 10-6 lead heading into the final round.
There was a lot of blame to go around. The Americans just couldn’t get it done in singles match play. Phil Mickelson gacked up a lead to Justin Rose in singles match play. U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson lost to Ian Poulter.
And then there was Tiger Woods. He missed a 3½-foot par putt on the 18th hole, and then conceded a par to Francesco Molinari of about that length to halve their match, which gave the Europeans the victory. In fact, he lost ALL of his matches in this year’s Ryder Cup.
There is something about Woods and Ryder cup competitions – he just does not do well in them. He has lost 14 Ryder Cup matches heading before this weekend, which is the fourth most all-time among the Americans.
And who could forget that disastrous pairing of Woods and Mickelson?
There is a reason Woods does not do well in Ryder Cups. Ryder Cup competition relies mostly on teamwork.
For that reason, golfers who may not do but so well in singles competition excel in the Ryder Cup. Think Sergio Garcia, Colin Montgomerie and Justin Leonard. Woods has never been the most collegial nor teamwork-oriented golfer on tour, and it rears its ugly head in Ryder Cup competitions.
And it’s not necessarily a bad thing. After all, that’s what makes Tiger Tiger. He thirves on intimidation, not collegiality.
Some people want to use Woods’ Ryder Cup failures to ding his legacy. I don’t think that’s fair. I mean, sure the Ryder Cup is a big deal in a lot of circles. But I think it’s a mere footnote to the majors and tournaments Woods has won over the years.
Woods is still the greatest golfer in the world – Ryder Cup notwithstanding.
Categories: golf, sports story
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