Skipping the Ryder Cup

by Mulligan Stu on Jul 8, 2008 2:40 PM EDT Comment 8 comments

Tiger Woods obviously won't be playing in the next Ryder Cup. There has been some talk about making him an assistant captain, but today Woods put the kibosh on that idea:

"I'm not on the team," Woods wrote. "The event should be about the competitors and the competition. The guys will have plenty on their minds and I wish them the best. I'll be cheering loudly."

As per usual, a very sensible approach by Woods. Let the guys who are playing have the spotlight ... and get out of having to attend all those pompous ceremonies. Sure, if the American wins without him, Tiger will likely have to read silly columns about how Woods hurts the team when does play. But he's unlikely to care much about notions so silly.

In a post yesterday, Bill Jempty noted that Tom Weiskopf once skipped the Ryder Cup in favor of a hunting trip. Such a thing wasn't so unusual back in the day. Today, a player's patriotism would be called into question and he would suffer severe negative press and probably public reaction. Also ridiculous - playing a golf tournament (or any athletic event) has absolutely zilch to do with a person's patriotism or citizenship. But that's what would happen.

In a Q&A with Golf magazine, Hunter Mahan makes it clear that some American golfers today wish they could skip the Ryder Cup:

I just feel like the players don't have much control over it (the Ryder Cup), and I don't think they like that. I wouldn't like that.

... And from what I've heard the whole week is extremely long. You've got dinners every night - not litte dinners, but huge, massive dinners. I know, as players, that's the last thing we want to do. We want to prepare ourselves. That's part of the whole thing: you're just a slave that week. At some point the players might say: "You know what - we're not doing this anymore, because this is ridiculous."

Hmm, hope Mahan isn't on the bubble for selection, because Paul Azinger might bypass him after reading this. Then again, sounds like that wouldn't bother Mahan too much - unless the PGA of America started compensating the players either directly or through contributions to the players' charities:

The Presidents Cup sounds like fun. Has the Ryder Cup become a chore?
Phil Mickelson and Tiger - their time is worth money. And for the PGA of America, the Ryder Cup is a moneymaker like no other. They don't have to pay anything. I think when O'Meara said players should get paid or some of the money given to their charities, I think (O'Meara said that) because the PGA takes so much out of the event that the players don't really get anything. Is it an honor to play? Yes, it is. But their time is valuable. This is a business.

...

How do you explain the U.S. team's recent woes?
I think Europe really, really takes it seriously. I think the U.S. does, too, but not like Europe. For one, every place they hold a Ryder Cup in Europe is a place on the European Tour schedule. That's really smart because right away they have an advantage. The PGA of America could care less about winning it, honestly. They pick a site where they're going to have the Senior PGA, the PGA and Ryder Cup, which means less money they have to pay out to get more money. ...

Mahan's answer continues with the paragraph quoted at the end of the first text block above that begins "And from what I've heard ..." and ends with, "You know what - we're not doing this anymore, because this is ridiculous."

Which leads the interviewer to ask the question: "Guys might actually refuse to play?"

Don't be surprised if it happens. It's just not a fun week like it should be. The Presidents Cup is fun. Jack just makes it fun. We had a great time, we really enjoyed each other's company. From what I've heard, the Ryder Cup just isn't fun. The fun is sucked right out of it. That's the word I hear a lot.

Since I don't consider playing in a golf tournament a patriotic duty, I'm not bothered a bit by the idea that any given player might choose not to play in a Ryder Cup. What I find particularly interesting is the animosity Mahan expresses toward the PGA of America.

Good to know that some things never change. Bashing the PGA of America is longstanding sport among tour players, dating back to the days when the PGA of America ran the tour. Tour players first forced the PGA to create a Tournament Players Division within its organization, to separate the tour pros from the club pros. Then the tour pros finally broke away completely from the PGA of America and formed the quasi-rival PGA Tour.

In fact, the reason that Tom Weiskopf skipped the Ryder Cup 30-odd years ago to go hunting is that he was ticked off at the PGA of America! Years earlier, Weiskopf lost a Vardon Trophy because a form he had to mail in to the PGA had not been found by the required deadline. Back then, the PGA of America required tour pros to go through certification for Class A PGA Professional status. They had to be certified as club pros, in other words. And if the tour pro didn't get that certification, then the tour wasn't eligible for the Vardon Trophy, wasn't eligible to play on the Ryder Cup team, and wasn't eligible for many other goodies, either.

If a boycott of the Ryder Cup ever happened, or was ever threatened, it wouldn't be anything new in the relationship between touring pros and the PGA of America.

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here here !

As much as I love the Ryder Cup matches – the stories like this that come out of nearly every event are not good. It’s supposed to be a contest of good will on the golf course – why make the players miserable ?

but Stu – “pompous ceremonies” ?? You’re going to make us think you don’t like bagpipes ! :-)

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Jul 8, 2008 2:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

bagpipes

I was thinking more of the fancy formal dinners—if they played bagpipes while players enjoys sack lunches under the shade of nice tree, that’d be fine :)

by Mulligan Stu on Jul 8, 2008 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

sack lunches ??

they make sack lunches with Haggis ?? woohoo !!

by the way – if you get the Mojo channel – look for the episode of “Three Sheets” from Scotland – a lot of Scotch gets tasted, and Haggis gets a big thumbs up ! (I know I enjoyed it when I was there)

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Jul 8, 2008 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

haggis? scotch?

Gentlemen, the Ryder Cup is being played in Kentucky this year. Shouldn’t we be discussing squirrel and moonshine?

by dianemarie on Jul 8, 2008 5:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

WHOOOOAAAAA now...

...I say WHOOOOAAAAAA nooowwwww…Kentucky, I say I say, KenTUCKy, dear madame, is the home of the Colonel’s Fried chicken and of course, (standing and removing hat) – Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon Whisky !! Perhaps the lady would like one of our famous Mint Juilips ?

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Jul 8, 2008 5:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

kentucky

The difference between your mis-characterization of Kentucky and mine is that I’ve lived in, or within five minutes of, Kentucky for the last twenty-one years. 8-)

by dianemarie on Jul 9, 2008 8:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mis-characterization ??

Now wait a darn minute ! I’ve seen ALL the Foghorn Leghorn cartoons and have eaten my share of the Colonel’s chicken !! :-)

how-evuh – squirrel and ‘shine is definitely more of a delicacy in Tennessee than Kentucky.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Jul 9, 2008 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good points Stu

Is it unpatriotic for a golf fan, blogger, caustic critic of golf writers, and admitted golf stat freak to not watch the President’s Cup? Because if you added all the minutes I’ve watched the competitions, I doubt they would add up to an hour. I’m joking with my opening question.

Dave Hill who was a better player(13 tour victories, a Vardon Trophy) than Perry has ever been, only once played in the British Open. Hill skipped the US Open at least once too. He didn’t like the way the USGA set up Open courses, as for the British Open Hill wasn’t crazy about the courses(Something like being in the middle of the fairway wasn’t always a good thing) or that the British accommodations were far from perfect. In Teed Off Hill said he’d go out the window first before walking down the hall to use a restroom at some Scottish Inn. In spite of this, Hill played in at least two Ryder Cups on British soil.(69 and 77)

Did the press give Hill a hard time back then or in the absence of Tiger Woods, is the current media so desperate they are getting hung up on the scheduling of a third tier tour player? One thing about it, it keeps golf writers from discussing if Tiger changes his baby’s diapers. A golf writer I’ve met in person actually wrote a blog post on that very topic.

I knew of Weiskopf missing out on the Vardon Trophy. It was in 1971. As for 77 I used to have a golf book on that year in golf. That’s where I learned of the hunting trip.

Because of the need to be a Class A PGA Professional, players including Jack Nicklaus missed out on many Ryder Cups. Nicklaus came on tour in 1962 and won 7 major championships by the time he played in his first Cup(1969).

The qualifications were re-done or abandoned sometime in the 1980’s. There was some controversy in 1982 because a High School diploma was a requirement somewhere along the way and Calvin Peete had to get a GED before being able to qualify for the Ryder Cup. Any points he made in tournaments before getting the GED if I recall correctly weren’t counted.(Peete played on the 83, 85, and 87 Ryder Cup teams)

by Bill Jempty on Jul 8, 2008 10:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs