The reasons for America’s abysmal 30-year run in Ryder Cup road trips aren’t as simple as putts not dropping or superstar players, like hodophobes and nachos — not traveling well. Decisions made prior to even reaching the departure gate have often been seen in retrospect as harbingers of defeat. Like in 2010, when the U.S. team arrived in Wales with rain suits ill-suited to rain, forcing officials to purchase alternatives in the merchandise shop. Or in ’14, when the lineup was settled so far in advance that America’s hottest golfer, Billy Horschel, was left out in the cold.
Strategic gaffes and imperfect pairings by Ryder Cup captains can be chalked up to the heat of battle, but decisions made before wheels leave the tarmac at home are seldom as easily excused. Corey Pavin’s catastrophe in Cardiff notwithstanding, it’s tough to screw up the uniforms, and no one really cares who the assistant cart jockeys are, which means the most perilous advance call for a captain is deciding which players get the nod after failing to earn their place automatically. Just ask Jim Furyk. He was carved up in the Paris post-mortem five years ago when not a single point came from three of his four picks, one of whom — Phil Mickelson — was more likely to hit Luxembourg with his diver than the punishingly narrow fairways of Le Golf National.
On Tuesday, Zach Johnson will choose the second half of his team for Rome, a decision that once promised to be as troublesome as figuring out what three colors to use in the uniform palette. While LIV defections sundered the U.S. team that easily won the ’21 Ryder Cup, the squad fielded at the ’22 Presidents Cup was dominant and unified. But only four men from that team are currently on Johnson’s roster, and four are so woefully out of form that picking them ranges from risky to indefensible. Meanwhile, the European side that appeared destined for a decade in the doldrums after the waxing at Whistling Straits looks more daunting by the day.
Having six selections provides safety in numbers for captains. A couple of under-performers won’t stand out as glaring missteps and will be forgotten if others deliver. On the flip side, six decisions cast a harsh light on a captain’s judgment, increase the odds of choices that seem more about loyalty than legitimacy, and add pressure on half the team to justify the vote of confidence. Cap’n Johnson faces a fraught 48 hours that could determine his Ryder Cup legacy before…
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