2020 Ryder Cup – Syndication Server

Ryder Cup: European newspapers react to the United States 19-9 victory

Check out what some European writers had to say about the weekend at Whistling Straits.

Gloating is not endearing, but after suffering through decades of watching my beloved Chicago Cubs lose, after they finally won a World Series in 2016, I’ll admit that I spent a while reading articles written by Cleveland writers and pundits. I did the same thing after Syracuse won the 2003 National Championship in basketball.

Perusing what columnists and reporters say about your team after it wins a title is a guilty pleasure, but the chance only comes around once a century for Cub fans, and Syracuse has only won one title in my 50-year lifetime, so I don’t get the chance to gloat very often.

It had not been 108 years since the United States won a Ryder Cup. Five years ago, the team sprayed champagne all over Hazeltine National after defeating Europe 17-11, but Europe has dominated this event for the last few decades.

So Sunday evening, I couldn’t help myself. I started looking to see what the European press was saying about the Americans’ win, European team captain Padraig Harrington’s decisions and the scene at Whistling Straits.

Here are some of the columns and articles American golf fans might enjoy. Just remember, in two years the Ryder Cup goes to Rome, Italy, and the United States has not won a Ryder Cup in Europe since 1993, four years before Collin Morikawa was born.

Lynch: Dodgy decisions, aging stars and poor play ensure Europe’s Ryder Cup dominance is over

There’s actually a reasonable argument that the seeds of Europe’s struggle were sown more than two years ago.

HAVEN, Wisconsin — A consequence of runaway victories in the Ryder Cup is that the post-mortem commences before the deceased has officially even hit the slab, and so it is with the European team that seems likely destined for defeat Sunday at Whistling Straits.

The social media second-guessing was underway by the end of the first session — which shared a demoralizing symmetry with the two that followed it: USA 3, Europe 1 — and built as steadily as the afternoon breeze off Lake Michigan. Even that roomy scoreline might have suggested matters were more competitive than they actually were.

Predictably, criticism has centered on decisions made in combat by Captain Padraig Harrington.

Why bust up Friday morning’s only winning team (Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm)?

Why send out Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick in Saturday’s Foursomes when they produced just a single birdie in that same format on Friday?

Why Ian Poulter, his worst ball-striker, for alternate shot, a format in which his struggles would also doom his partner?

Why sit Shane Lowry, who brought an inspiring, fiery intensity to Saturday’s Four-Ball, for two of the first four sessions?

One cynical fan even wondered why Harrington invested so much of the continent’s hopes in players from a nation that had left the European Union — the six English team members had, through three sessions, combined for just two half-points in eight matches.

While dissenters criticized, loyalists rationalized. As Europe fell ever farther adrift, complaints grew about loud-mouthed, abusive fans. There were some (there always are), but the lopsided score in favor of the home team robbed their bellowing of the usual nastiness.

Objection dismissed.

There were suggestions that the absence of European fans due to the pandemic travel ban was hugely impactful — a sleight of speech that ignores one salient fact: had the entire gallery been from Europe, they would still have had nothing to cheer about. There’s not much reason to whoop if your team is finding the center of the clubface as often as a blind man does a black cat in a dark room.

There’s actually a reasonable argument that the seeds of Europe’s struggle were sown more than two years ago, and allowed to take root during the COVID chaos.

In May of 2019, the European Tour’s tournament committee ratified Harrington’s request to reduce his number of captain’s picks from four to three. Later, as the qualification process for both teams was compromised by schedule changes forced by the pandemic, the captains took differing tacks. Steve Stricker got six captain’s picks instead of the usual four, half of his team. Harrington could have pushed for more picks too, but opted against, despite the European Tour schedule being more ravaged than its U.S. counterpart.

He believes forcing guys to qualify is preferable, and that being picked creates more pressure. A defensible outlook, sure, but an optimistic one when a pandemic is upending the schedule and limiting the amount of travel and starts being made by players. In the end, Harrington’s picks have arguably been less disappointing than his automatic qualifiers, particularly those who occupied the final two spots on that list.

Westwood made the team thanks to three second-place finishes (in Dubai to end 2020, and back-to-back weeks in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship). In 14 events since, he has one top-20 finish, and that was a T-18. Fitzpatrick won that event in Dubai nine months ago, but has had only one impressive finish since April.

Would they be here if Harrington had fewer automatics and more picks? Possibly. After all, his options were slender. Justin Rose is in middling form. Victor Perez the same, and untested. It’s barely an exaggeration to say Europe’s non-playing vice-captains had more merit than some in its starting lineup.

Harrington has all the attributes one expects in a worthy Ryder Cup captain: an impeccable playing career that brought him three major titles, deep experience in this team competition, the unqualified respect of his players, and a (sometimes manic) attention to detail. Those are traits that often lead to a winning captaincy. Unfortunately, he also has a so-so squad that arrived in beggarly form and that is for the most part performing poorly. That almost guarantees a losing captaincy.

All is not lost, obviously, but the chances of a comeback for the Old World on Sunday are awfully faint. Defeat should not come as a shock. The European empire has held almost unbroken sway for two decades, but this week was always going to be a struggle. Circumstances favored Stricker building a team from America’s next generation. Tiger Woods is sidelined, Phil Mickelson was gracefully ushered to the back benches and old-timers Matt Kuchar and Bubba Watson didn’t qualify. Stricker faced just one tough call, and made the right one: to leave Patrick Reed (and his inner circle) at home.

Harrington, however, had no choice but to bet on the last stand of Europe’s aging generation, to hope for one last stirring lap from thoroughbreds who are, in Ryder Cup terms at least, much more likely to stumble into the glue factory than streak to glory. Not only did the trusty old nags fail to perform, even his show pony — Rory McIlroy — has been woefully disappointing.

For 20 years, American players have heard how they need to be more like the Europeans if they want to own the Ryder Cup again. Regardless of what happens Sunday, that existential crisis is now firmly Europe’s to ponder. They have two years to figure out the generation of players who will build a new empire. Because the old one is over.

golf[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Famous actor carted from Ryder Cup celebrity competition after apparent medical event Thursday

The actor, who just turned 34 years old Wednesday, was conscious.

Celebrity golfer Tom Felton was carted off the Whistling Straits course Thursday in Haven after suffering an apparent medical event. The actor, who just turned 34 years old Wednesday, was conscious.

Felton, born in Surrey, England, is best known for portraying the villainous Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movie series and was competing with the Europe team in the celebrity showcase one day before the start of the Ryder Cup. His other screen credits include the TV series “The Flash” and movie “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”

Spectators gave Felton applause as he headed away for treatment. There is no immediate word on his condition.

RYDER CUP: Live updates | How to watch

Harry Potter actor Tom Felton uses his golf club to mimic riding a broom during the Celebrity Matches at the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wisconsin. Photo by Samantha Madar/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Jon Rahm is ‘built for the Ryder Cup,’ but is he ready to take his place among Spanish Ryder Cup legends?

“When you’re born in Spain,” Rahm said, “the Ryder Cup is something special.”

[mm-video type=video id=01fg9kbaf179myqd079d playlist_id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fg9kbaf179myqd079d/01fg9kbaf179myqd079d-7a055431849359ec2f7b41482f4ffc88.jpg]

HAVEN, Wisc. – Davis Love III still remembers when he knew Jon Rahm was born to take his rightful place among the great Spanish Ryder Cup players.

“We’re playing in Houston in April 2018, almost six months before the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National and I got paired with Jon on Saturday and he bombed it by me but I did all right, held my own,” recalled Love, the U.S. captain in 2012 and 2016 who is reprising his vice-captain role from 2018 again this year. “We walk off the green and he was very professional, took his hat off, I took off mine and he shook my hand and said, ‘I will see you in Paris.’ I’m not even playing! It was like he was poking a finger in my chest. That could rub some guys the wrong way but I thought it was awesome. He’s built for the Ryder Cup. He loves that stage. He’s the present and future of leadership for his team. They’re going to rally behind him just like they have Rory.”

Rahm made his debut in the biennial competition later that year and played in three matches, going 1-2 as a rookie with a singles match victory over his childhood idol, Tiger Woods. Three years later, Rahm, 26, is the reigning U.S. Open winner, World No. 1 and expected to carry a larger role in Team Europe’s quest to retain the Cup on foreign soil. When asked during his press conference if he was ready to step up as a leader, he chuckled and said, “What kind of a player would I be if I say no? Right. So yes, yes, I’m ready for that. It’s a challenge I look forward to.”

Later, he added some additional context: “When you’re born in Spain, the Ryder Cup is something special. There’s a lot of legacy in this event between Seve and Ollie and the players got the most amount of Ryder Cup points for Team Europe in history. It’s a lot to live up to, I’m not going to lie. It’s a lot of expectation when you’re a Spaniard.”

Those expectations proved to be a lot to live up to in France in 2018. Rahm lost his first two matches and sat out Saturday’s afternoon session. Graeme McDowell served as a European vice captain then as he is now and one of the players he was assigned to was Rahm. It was his job to make sure Rahm was in the right place mentally for Sunday, noting, “By Saturday lunch time, Jon was not a happy boy, and 24 hours later he’s beating Tiger in singles and everything is forgotten. That’s the Ryder Cup. For Rahm to beat Tiger on that stage, that day, was a big turning point for him emotionally.”

Ryder Cup Practice Round — Team Europe player Jon Rahm (left) hits his tee shot in front of player Rory McIlroy (right) on the fifth hole during a practice round for the 43rd Ryder Cup golf competition at Whistling Straits. (Photo: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)

Of that victory over Tiger, Rahm later explained how he approached the match and it will be interesting to see if he returns to the well this week with the same philosophy.

“I went to the first tee just picturing that I had a match against myself,” he said. “It was the first time I was playing Tiger, one of my idols looking up to him, so it was too easy for me to get caught up in looking at everything he was doing; as easy as it is to get caught up on seeing how well Rory hits it and what he’s been doing, right? So just focus on myself, keep focusing on me and my emotions and what I’m feeling and what I have to do at each moment.”

Since that time, Rahm has taken his game to another level and he will be counted on to carry a heavier load. Asked how he plans to evolve into this bigger role, he said, “We have plenty of players in the team that are vocal enough that have done this enough that naturally will gravitate towards for guidance. I’m not going to actively go and just make myself, hey, I’m a leader now, because I don’t have that massive of an ego. I’ll let the clubs and the ball do the talking and I’ll leave the speeches and the leadership to the guys that have been doing this for a long time.”

RYDER CUP: Live updates | How to watch

Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter represent that old guard that have been there, done that as Europe has dominated the competition to the tune of nine wins in the last 12 matches. But to continue their winning ways, Rahm will have to produce like the World No. 1 player he’s become.

“It feels like he’s grown up a lot (since the last Ryder Cup),” McDowell said. “He’s very self aware. He’s got that Spanish in him where he wears his heart on his sleeves. He could seem angry and a little petulant sometimes. He’s worked hard on himself. He’s created a lot of stability in his life getting married and having a baby. He’s done a huge amount of work on himself.”

While McDowell points to the 2018 victory over Tiger as a seminal moment in Rahm’s progression to world No. 1, fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia takes a slightly different tack.

“I think he was headed that way anyway. He’s just a great player. He’s got all the shots,” Garcia said. “As a Spaniard, it’s nice to see how he’s evolved and how obviously he’s grown up and the way that his game has gotten better and better.”

As Davis Love III discovered the hard way, Rahm was born for this, the heir, along with Rory McIlroy, who will lead Team Europe for many years to come. That role starts now in just his second Cup appearance.

“He’s gone from being a rookie to being ‘The Man’ in the team room,” McDowell said, “and the best man we have.”

[listicle id=778158323]

There’s no USA in ‘team’ — or at least there hasn’t been during foursomes at previous Ryder Cups

Just how difficult has it been of late? The all-time U.S. points leaders in foursome play are Lanny Wadkins, Arnold Palmer and Billy Casper.

HAVEN, Wisconsin — Experience, chemistry, nerves, pressure — all nouns of much renown in nearly every run-up to a Ryder Cup. Who has it, or doesn’t? Who feels it, who is immune? And, invariably, does it matter?

Depends on who is being asked, of course.

Since the inception of the event in 1927, the United States has claimed the cup 26 times. But since the rival squad expanded from just Great Britain to the whole of Europe in 1979, the Europeans have won 11 Ryder Cups — and an impressive nine of the past 12 tournaments.

But those nouns can become adjectives when attached to European players in this event, and especially in one of the more unique formats over the three days: Foursomes.

The format, also known as alternate shot, means the two-man teams will play one ball, alternately hitting shots until they hole out. The pair with the lowest score wins the hole, with the same score resulting in a halved point.

Casual fans might remember the 2004 Ryder Cup when U.S. Captain Hal Sutton paired Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson together — and not just because at the time the duo had a seemingly frosty relationship. In that era, the pairs had to play the same make and model of ball throughout the round and that detail (along with how short of notice Sutton gave them to prepare) helped ruin the experiment.

But in 2006, the issue of the ball was somewhat alleviated, as that rule was changed so the ball could be switched upon every tee box.

Generally, if the pair playing together doesn’t already use the same ball, the two will pick the ball of the player who is likely hitting the approach into the green. The emphasis on ball selection is comfort with distance control.

But it’s also a format that isn’t typically played stateside, and the European players are more familiar with it.

“I was brought up playing foursomes. Played it a lot in amateur golf, many in my team have. It’s not really alien to us,” European captain Pádraig Harrington said. “It’s certainly somewhere that I don’t think — because it’s not so alien to us, we don’t read that much into it. I think sometimes when people haven’t played it, they can over-complicate it. But as I said, I was brought up playing it. It’s made at our golf clubs at home, not just in championships. It’s a very common game, and really don’t read into it any more than there should be. I think sometimes you guys, again, might look at it, and try; it’s just two guys playing a golf ball around the place. It’s not that difficult when you’re brought up playing it.”

Yes, it is just two guys playing a golf ball around the course, but for whatever reason, it’s a style of play that has more often than not helped the Europeans stack points heading into Sunday’s singles matches.

[listicle id=778162013]

“I think we always tend to try to look for guys with similar game styles or game styles that would complement the other player,” U.S. captain Steve Stricker said. “Good putting always is a big key I think in alternate-shot or in foursomes. You look for the guys who embrace that. That’s the important part is some guys are a little bit — they don’t care for that style of play. Other guys want to play it. It depends on the player and it’s up to us or our job to try to figure out those guys and try to pair the games together that make the most sense.”

An illustration of how difficult the last 30 years or so have been for the Americans in that format is that the all-time U.S. points leaders in foursome play are Lanny Wadkins, Arnold Palmer and Billy Casper with nine apiece. Jack Nicklaus had eight and Tom Kite had 7.5.

Kite was the last one of that group to win on the PGA Tour — in 1993.

The Europeans, by contrast, have four players with 10 victories in the format in Bernhard Langer (11-6-1), Seve Ballesteros (10-3-1), Nick Faldo (10-6-2) and Sergio García (10-4-3), who is playing this week. Teammate Lee Westwood (9-5-4) could join the double-digit win club this week as well.

They are followed by Tony Jacklin (8-1-4), Colin Montgomerie (8-3-3) and José María Olazábal (7-2-1) as players who would pepper the all-time U.S. leaderboard, and of those players, only Jacklin wrapped his Ryder Cup career before the 1979 expansion of the team.

Rory McIlroy (5-4-1), Ian Poulter (4-4-1), Tommy Fleetwood (2-0) and Paul Casey (1-1) have all experienced success in the format.

“A lot of it goes down to if you play well, then you’re a good team, and that’s all you can really do,” Fleetwood said. “I think, again, Europe is so lucky with the personalities that we have and how well we gel together and everything. We’ve always come out of it really, really good.”

As for the rest of the European team, Matthew Fitzpatrick went 0-1 in the format in 2016 while current world No. 1 Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton didn’t play in the format in 2018. Benrd Wiesberger, Shane Lowry and Viktor Hovland are Ryder Cup rookies.

On the U.S. side, Jordan Spieth is the most successful of the group with a 2-1 record. Dustin Johnson (1-3), Brooks Koepka (1-1), Justin Thomas (1-1) and Bryson DeChambeau (0-2) have experience in it while Tony Finau didn’t play in the format in 2018.

[vertical-gallery id=778161837]

Stricker’s team has six Ryder Cup rookies, though Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele were a winning combination at the 2019 Presidents Cup.

“I’ve played foursomes,” U.S. rookie Scottie Scheffler said. “I played it in junior golf on Wyndham Cup teams. I played in four or five of those. I always loved alternate-shot. Played it in the Walker Cup, and then we played a bit of it last week, and I’m sure I’m going to play a little bit more of it this week. That’s another thing that they’re using heavy statistics on is who pairs well and what format, and so I like the format.”

Another example of the European dominance in the format is the fact that through the first two days of player media availability, only the American players were asked about the format — if a European player mentioned it, it was only as part of a general answer about pairings.

Stricker, of course, wouldn’t tip his hand as to who would play together and when but until the U.S. team can find consistent success, it will continue to be a question as to how they can fit together in the truest team format in the tournament.

It is perhaps one of the most important tasks Stricker faces this week as captain.

“Foursomes, I think, it’s pretty important to put two personalities together, two friends together, two guys that get along, maybe their games complement each other,” Justin Thomas said. “For me at least what I’ve noticed is I’ve been fortunate to play — my record is obviously good in team events, but you look at my partners in Jordan (Spieth), Rickie (Fowler) and Tiger (Woods), I’ve been very fortunate to have some really good partners, and that’s like the No. 1 rule that caddies will tell you of having a good caddie career is have a good player. It’s just one of those things.

“We have such a deep, good team that it’s not like anybody is a weak link on our team, and it’s just about getting the energy similar I would say, and two guys that want to play together, two guys that want to go to battle out there for each other, that would take a bullet for each other, and I think we have a team room that’s full of that. I think that’s what makes it exciting for these pairings because there’s so many options.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Ryder Cup: Putters used by the American team at Whistling Straits

Putting plays a massive role in success at the Ryder Cup.

A common narrative that emerges at nearly every team match-play event is the squad that putts better wins.

Thunderous tee shots and precision-guided approach shots are great, but in match play, holing putts unexpectedly to a win hole or draining a pressure-filled putt on top of your opponent to deny him or her a hole can create a huge psychological swing.

Statistically, the best putter on the American team is Harris English. He finished 12th in the just-completed 2020-2021 PGA Tour season in Strokes Gained: Putting, with an average of 0.544. That means over the course of a 72-hole tournament, English typically earned more than a two-shot edge over the average player based solely on the quality of his putting. Steve Stricker certainly knew that when he gave English a captain’s pick. English’s putter of choice is a Ping Scottsdale Ho Hum.

The American Ryder Cup team has plenty of heavy hitters, but if it is going to win at Whistling Straits, the players need to make putts and these are the putters they will be relying on.

We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Ryder Cup key holes: Serpentine 16th will provide fireworks as matches come down to the wire

This winding, curving par 5 could play a critical role as one of Whistling Straits closing holes.

[mm-video type=video id=01ffqjg9te39bt0kr26t playlist_id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ffqjg9te39bt0kr26t/01ffqjg9te39bt0kr26t-00a47d476744f44ee469271fe13d5c37.jpg]

The 16th hole at Whistling Straits will prove most pivotal for a few reasons, and maybe none bigger than the order of where it sits on the course, as percentages say that many matches don’t make it to the 17^th tee during the Ryder Cup.

There will be plethora of birdies with a few eagles mixed in assuming this hole plays similarly to how it did during the 2015 PGA Championship, where it was the easiest hole on the course, playing to an average of 4.62.

Standing on the tee of this 552-yard par 5, most players know they should be able to reach in two with the forecasted wind direction out of the west (from right to left), which adds a little extra pressure to hit the fairway. Playing well away from Lake Michigan which borders the hole down the entirety of the left side, captain Steve Stricker has opened up the right rough corridor to some 40 feet wide where the players can bail out short of the fairway bunkers.

RYDER CUP: Live updates | How to watch

The more difficult left side is flanked by numerous bunkers just waiting to catch the errant hook off the tee. A layup must be hit to a serpentine fairway where the line and distance must marry to offer the best option for the approach shot.

For those who are able to fire for the green in two, great scores await and players will be greeted by a fairway lie with the ball slightly above their feet which gives the best opportunity for a nice high draw into the green from 220-250 yards or more. To assist here, the green is similarly canted from right to left with two mounds protruding into the green from just right of greenside.

Puttview Whistling Straits — The Puttview yardage book for Whistling Straits’ Straits Course, site of the Ryder Cup (Courtesy of Puttview)

This allows the freedom to aim down the right side and away from trouble and allowing the natural contours to move the ball towards the hole as it bounds onto the putting surface. This avoids taking the risk of hugging the more dangerous left side of the hole, where it only gets more difficult the closer the player gets to the green.

All in all, there should be plenty of fireworks at the scoreable 16^th. We just might see a few eagles to close out matches here accompanied with the traditional high-decibel roars we have become accustomed to over the years.

Steve Scott is the Director of Instruction for Golfweek and the author of the book “Hey, Tiger – you need to move your mark back,” released earlier this year (Skyhorse Publishing, $19.99). It’s available at movethatback.com. Aside from leading our lessons, Scott is also the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and a PGA Tour Live analyst.

Lynch: Staged Brooks Koepka-Bryson DeChambeau video proves U.S. Ryder Cup team lacking proper focus

The differences between Europe and the U.S. go beyond gestures. Call it a tale of two tapes.

HAVEN, Wisconsin — Advertising, author Gore Vidal once declared, is the only art form America ever invented, but if the 43rd Ryder Cup were to be decided on the ingenuity of team messaging, the home side would be headed for defeat.

Europe is on a conspicuous charm offensive in Wisconsin, with Wednesday’s uniforms in Green Bay Packers colors and cheese heads being tossed into the stands in lieu of autographs that are banned in the COVID era. The Cathedral of the Sainted Vince Lombardi at Lambeau Field is an hour north of Whistling Straits, and Europe’s captain Padraig Harrington admitted that he figured most fans here early in the week would be regular worshippers in those pews.

But the differences between Europe and the U.S. go beyond gestures. Call it a tale of two tapes.

On Tuesday, Harrington released a video designed to reinforce both pride and purpose among his team by illustrating just how small their merry band is. Only 164 men have ever played Ryder Cup for Europe, a total dwarfed by the number of people who have summited Everest (5,780) or been in space (570). Each player was given a number representing his position on that continuum. Lee Westwood, who debuted in 1997, is No. 118. Rory Mcllroy is No. 144. All the way up to Bernd Wiesberger, the last qualifier for Harrington’s squad, at No. 164.

“I’m very, very proud to have that number for life. Everybody is buzzing,” Wiesberger said. “The individual aspect of the game that we have, but this week we all come together as 12. Everybody has their number and nobody can ever take it from them.”

Harrington’s video garnered widespread attention, but its intended audience was 12: the guys in Europe’s team room. The captain found his target and achieved his mission: team-building.

Compare that with a video tweeted by Team USA on Tuesday evening. It was a stylistic piece of auteurism with enough staccato camerawork and upbeat music to feel like homage to the opening credits of Miami Vice. Its 27 seconds showed Brooks Koepka walking across the range at Whistling Straits to briefly chat with Bryson DeChambeau, and while its intended audience and goal was just as obvious as the Europeans, the result was much less successful.

The video had the slick look (and viscous aftertaste) of corporate pandering, the type of hollow virtue-signaling beloved by companies who like to tout values they don’t actually practice. What it delivered was all the authenticity and warmth of a hostage tape, and rather than put to bed the tired narrative about the Brooks-Bryson feud, it merely served to remind folks of its existence. All it lacked was Saddam Hussein’s buffoonish spokesman “Comical Ali” denying reality.

Nothing to see here!

No feud, we’re united under the flag.

Move along everyone!

The ham-fisted effort to squash a lingering storyline also exposed a greater truth that can’t be encouraging for fans of Team USA.

While Harrington’s film was intended to galvanize his team room, Stricker’s apparent aim was to manage outside perceptions of his, to pre-empt what will be the most obvious finger-pointing in the event of a U.S. loss on Sunday.

“We’re covering our ass,” one member of the American team’s support staff told me derisively. “If we lose, our team knows we can’t just say, ‘We lost.’ We know fans will want someone to blame.”

That’s true for any losing side at a Ryder Cup, and there’s never a shortage of blame (or reasons for defeat). Stricker knows that if his team is beaten the feud will immediately be presented as a contributing factor, no matter how specious the supporting argument. The video was a well-intentioned effort to inoculate two of his players against that potential criticism, but the timing of it may count as a strike against Stricker.

It’s OK for DeChambeau and Koepka to dislike each other. They’re certainly not the first Ryder Cup teammates to have a frosty relationship. But any attempt to market a friendlier relationship needed to happen long before this week. If the effort succeeded, great. If it failed, at least it wouldn’t be a distraction on-site. As it is, it failed and was a distraction.

The best way to protect Koepka and DeChambeau from unwarranted criticism in the event of a loss is to let them focus on the business at hand — preparing to play winning golf — rather than wasting their time with unconvincing theatrics.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

How Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele forged a friendship at the Presidents Cup that could be key for the U.S. at the Ryder Cup

For those who think the Justin Thomas-Jordan Spieth pairing is a lock, don’t overlook the dynamic duo of Schauffele-Cantlay.

[mm-video type=video id=01fg58bf842ame9y740a playlist_id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fg58bf842ame9y740a/01fg58bf842ame9y740a-127c2039edb2de530bf5ccc0cdcb3654.jpg]

HAVEN, Wis. – On the 23-hour flight to Melbourne, Australia for the 2019 Presidents Cup, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele drank coffee to stay awake and played gin for hours upon hours.

“We both didn’t want to lose,” Schauffele said. “It was more of a competitive thing, just like us playing.”

So who won this cutthroat game?

“I win at gin,” Cantlay said. “He won’t dispute that.”

On the flight and in the days to follow a friendship was born and it could become a critical factor in the United States wresting control of the Ryder Cup this week, and potentially for years to come. That week in Australia, Cantlay and Schauffele teamed in four matches, including going 2-0 together in foursomes, and likely will reunite for Team USA at this week’s 43rd Ryder Cup.

“One of the best things personally for me about Presidents Cup other than the golf was just being able to be forced to spend time with Xander, and he’s become one of my best friends through that experience,” Cantlay said. “If we were at a regular tournament, there’s no way I would have spent the time or gone out of my way to invest in a relationship with one of the other guys that I was playing against. But now that he’s on my team and it might help me in my golf to get along with this guy, I realize that I really liked him as a person and we’ve become great friends.”

Cantlay added: “I think he’s incredibly smart, and I think he’s incredibly conscientious. He is someone that probably brings out the best in me. He’s more positive, and he has a way of being more light as opposed to me being serious. Yet he’s very quiet and reserved, so we kind of have that bond, and yet he balances me out a little bit.”

More: Ryder Cup live updates | How to watch

The good friends spent part of the PGA Tour’s one-week off-season celebrating their successes in Napa, California, along with their significant others – Schauffele’s wife Maya and Cantlay’s girlfriend Nikki Guidis – and drinking some very good wine.

“It was a nice time to sort of kick back and relax,” Schauffele said. “Obviously we were there celebrating his FedExCup win and my gold medal from a long time ago.”

As their friendship grows, so has their place as two of the top American pros, both under 30 and positioned to be a tandem in international competition for the next decade. Cantlay made the point that it helps to gel with your partner, and it doesn’t hurt that they excelled in foursomes, a format where the Americans traditionally have struggled in the Ryder Cup.

“It feels like every shot you hit is more important because it is,” Cantlay said of the alternate-shot format. “You saw it with Seve and Olazábal; I guarantee you they didn’t say sorry for hitting a bad shot, right, because they were such good friends and they had done it so many times.

“So, I think foursomes is a lot more emotional in that way, and the fact that Xander and I are really good friends, and so I know he’s trying as hard as he possibly can, and if he hits a bad shot, it’s just – that’s golf.”

Schauffele echoed that sentiment and recounted an anecdote that personified what Cantlay had said.

“I think we were so tired when we went into our third match, and basically that afternoon match solidified us playing all five at the Presidents Cup,” Schauffele said. “And I remember him coming up to me on the first tee and he had a coffee in his hand, which is something we don’t do, so it showed how tired he was. He said, ‘Hey, if I don’t talk to you it’s not because I’m not pulling for you. I’m just trying to conserve some energy and I’ll walk ahead and things like that.’ I was like, ‘That’s great. It doesn’t bother me whatsoever.’ We just understand each other pretty well, and I think that helps us play well together. Even if we’re quiet or whatever you want to call it, not talking, we just know we have each other’s back.”

Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay walk from the tenth green during a practice round prior to the Sentry Tournament Of Champions on the Plantation Course at Kapalua Golf Club on January 04, 2021 in Kapalua, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

U.S. Captain Steve Stricker would be crazy to not pair this dynamic duo together. Cantlay, 29, winner of the FedEx Cup and PGA Tour Player of the Year, is riding a streak of 15 straight rounds in the 60s entering the Ryder Cup, beginning with the second round of the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in early August, which is the longest such streak on the PGA Tour the last two calendar years. Schauffele, 27, is one spot behind Cantlay at World No. 5, and claimed the Olympic gold medal in August, though the medal isn’t on display in the team room this week.

“It’s too individual. It’s about the team this week, so it wasn’t going to make an appearance,” Scahuffele said. “I don’t even know where it is. I think my mom might have it back home, unless my dad secretly has it on him out here.”

Not only have Cantlay and Schauffele teamed successfully in foursomes, but Schauffele, who uses the Callaway Chrome Soft X LS Prototype, already has developed a comfort level using Cantlay’s ball, a Titleist Pro V1.

Ever since their partnership at the Presidents Cup, Schauffele and Cantlay, who also paired at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the Tour’s lone two-man team event, have been regular practice-round partners and taking on all comers in money matches. For Stricker, the Cantlay-Schauffele pairing is as much of a no-brainer as JustinThomas-Jordan Spieth. The only question is how many times do you send these bosom buddies out and whether Stricker should brew a pot of coffee for the afternoon match on Saturday.

[vertical-gallery id=778161031]

Meet the U.S. Ryder Cup team’s wives and families

On Ryder Cup week, get to know these PGA Tour players’ wives, girlfriends and families.

The stage is officially set as all the players and support staff are in Wisconsin with the 43rd Ryder Cup just a few days away.

Scottie Scheffler, eager to make his first appearance for the U.S. team in this week’s tournament at Whistling Straits, explained during Tuesday’s press conference how important spouses and partners can be.

“The wives and girlfriends are really involved, which I think is fun,” Scheffler said. “I think with everybody’s wives being there it’s very comfortable for everybody just to be in the team room hanging out, wives, girlfriends all getting to know each other as well as — I would say that’s probably better — the wives and girlfriends get to know each other because they don’t see each other on a daily basis, because we do.

“I’ve seen these 11 guys at the same events for the past two years, so I know all of them pretty well, but our wives don’t necessarily know each other.”

With the first tee shot fast approaching, here’s a look at the wives and families of the 2021 U.S. Ryder Cup team. (A significant other for Bryson DeChambeau was not included.)

Also, if you missed the European team’s wives and families, they’re listed here.