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Solutions for Team USA heading to Adare Manor?

Posted on 9/29/25 at 9:50 am
Posted by DestrehanTiger
Houston, TX by way of Louisiana
Member since Nov 2005
13117 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 9:50 am
What does the Golf Board think the PGA of America should do to give us a fighting chance over there? I have heard Tiger be mentioned as a captain, but I think our biggest disadvantage was the fact that this was Donald's job for 2 years while it was Keegan's job for a month once he didn't qualify. I don't think Tiger will put all that time in like Donald did, and I don't blame him.

So, I have no idea who the captain should be, but I have been thinking that we need to lean the other direction when it comes to enthusiasm. Whether it is the fans, players, or captains, when we try to copy the Euros when it comes to passion for the competition, it comes off as fake. Our players are great because they treat their PGA careers as very serious jobs. So, let's lean into that. Stop with the rara bullshite. Become a well oiled machine that is going to Europe to get a job done. We don't need a Keegan to rally the troops. We need a CEO that lets their team do what they do best. Listen to analytics, get the travel logistics down to the most minute detail, and let the players approach the week like it is a major championship.

Sure, we will need some camaraderie in foursomes, but don't go over the top trying to make this a team of Super Best Friends because that is not what our guys are good at.

ETA a couple more ideas that came to me. These might not be work, but something needs to change:

- Reduce auto qualifiers to 4. Start picking players by course fit, team fit, and match play fit.
- I know this won't happen because the PGA Tour owns the President's Cup and not the PGA of America, but I'd like the Pres Cup to be treated as a prep for the Ryder Cup. Bring a minimum of 2-3 youngsters to get experience.
- Off of that note, have the PGA Tour and SSG buy the Ryder Cup from the PGA of America and have a much larger team in charge of getting the USA ready
This post was edited on 9/29/25 at 10:01 am
Posted by lsufball19
Franklin, TN
Member since Sep 2008
70856 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 10:15 am to
quote:

What does the Golf Board think the PGA of America should do to give us a fighting chance over there?

Putt better. They had 6 of the 7 leaders in strokes gained putting over the weekend. We had 8 of the 10 worst. That won them the Cup. People really overvalue the captains role in the Ryder Cup.

quote:

- Reduce auto qualifiers to 4. Start picking players by course fit, team fit, and match play fit.

let's say we did that this year. That removes Bryson and Harris English as auto-qualifiers. You're still taking Bryson and probably don't take English. Who do you replace hm with? You're basically left with McNealy, Harman, and Novak. Do any of those guys move the needle?

If you go beyond the Top 16, you've got Wyndham Clark, Kucas Glover, Akshay Bhatia, Chris Gotterup, Tom Hoge, Daniel Berger, Denny McCarthy, Tony Finau, and Sam Stevens.

I don't think roster is why we didn't win. Our top guys just didn't play well and their top guys did.
This post was edited on 9/29/25 at 10:26 am
Posted by Rendevoustavern
Member since May 2018
1776 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 10:20 am to
quote:

Reduce auto qualifiers


This and only this, maybe not even 4 too. I played with a current tour player (inside top 50 on current fedex) on Saturday and he was disgusted at the fact a handful of the auto qualifiers looked like shite and pouted almost immediately after teeing off. He brought up an interesting idea that he thinks could be done in relative secrecy but have a mini match play event for about 24-30 of the top USA players about 6 months before the event. That would bring the list down to 12-15. Those 12-15 then have a mini stroke play event BUT its not based on your final score its based only on # of pars or better made. Point being, you need guys that can just flag hunt on command and not worried about a big number.
Posted by TDTOM
Member since Jan 2021
24161 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 10:23 am to
quote:

Solutions for Team USA heading to Adare Manor?


Play better.
Posted by lsupride87
Member since Dec 2007
107795 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 10:27 am to
But our team did kick their arse in actual match play

Does European golf spend this much time on “why is American kicking our arse so much in real golf?” We have won 23/30 majors.

Besides the horrific ignoring of data by Keegan in a few things, this came down to team golf is just strange and they made more putts
This post was edited on 9/29/25 at 10:29 am
Posted by The Pickwick
Member since Jan 2025
444 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 10:28 am to
Hire a college coach as a full time captain. Somebody that has done it before and not a slap dick player who has won a major previously.

ETA: and when at home, set the course up like a us open. Americans seem to win those.
This post was edited on 9/29/25 at 10:29 am
Posted by ManyTiger
Member since Jun 2020
858 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 10:40 am to
This was mentioned in another thread, but require the guys that are on the team & close to being there to play the Zurich. We need to find out who can play with whom. The Euro’s have always seemed to have a couple of pairs that play well together.
Posted by DestrehanTiger
Houston, TX by way of Louisiana
Member since Nov 2005
13117 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 10:59 am to
Would it be crazy to bring back Paul Azinger to captain? I think he is just doing Champions Tour broadcasting. Maybe 65 is a little long in the tooth for the job, but it's not that old.
Posted by Bigdawgb
Member since Oct 2023
3197 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 11:10 am to
quote:

this came down to team golf is just strange and they made more putts


I read that Europe was -36 through 72 holes. Not sure how that compares to past Ryder Cups, but it's hard to overcome that kind of scoring.

I think Europe won it a lot more than USA lost it and sometimes you just have to tip the cap
This post was edited on 9/29/25 at 11:10 am
Posted by DestrehanTiger
Houston, TX by way of Louisiana
Member since Nov 2005
13117 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 11:30 am to
quote:

I read that Europe was -36 through 72 holes. Not sure how that compares to past Ryder Cups, but it's hard to overcome that kind of scoring.

I think Europe won it a lot more than USA lost it and sometimes you just have to tip the cap


I think there is still something that needs to be investigated. Here is what has happened since Medinah.

- Glenn Eagles - Euro were favorites and kicked arse
- Hazeltine - US were favorites and kicked arse
- Le Golf National - US were favorites and got their asses kicked
- Whistling Straits - US were favorites and kicked arse
- Marco Simone - Euro were small favorites and kicked arse
- Bethpage Black - US were favorites and lost

We don't seem to "just play better". We win only when we are supposed to at home.
Posted by llfshoals
Member since Nov 2010
20164 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 11:42 am to
quote:

Putt better.
The best putter statically on tour this year was Burns. Did he look like the best putter there or the worst?
Posted by Swagga
504
Member since Dec 2009
18313 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 11:57 am to
quote:

Besides the horrific ignoring of data by Keegan in a few things, this came down to team golf is just strange and they made more putts



You can’t say besides the horrific ignoring of data and then say it just came down to making a few putts. Keegan whiffed on some of the pairings and the course setup completely.


The US needs a full time captain, I really like the idea of azinger.

The US needs to embrace some of the data around pairings, course setup, and prep. The Zurich idea is really good, but because of its spot in the calendar won’t happen. They should use that as a testing ground for pairings and golf balls.
Posted by lsufball19
Franklin, TN
Member since Sep 2008
70856 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 12:30 pm to
quote:

it just came down to making a few putts.

it didn't come down to a few putts. It came down to a lot of them. A lot of lower percentage putts they made and higher percentage putts we missed.
This post was edited on 9/29/25 at 12:36 pm
Posted by Swagga
504
Member since Dec 2009
18313 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 12:34 pm to
It was a mistake to set the course up so soft and slow. It’s not a coincidence we started making putts and winning matches as the course got faster and firmer.

Rain was bad luck, but reporters on the ground said they were watering the course into Thursday night.
Posted by Tyga Woods
South Central Jupiter Island, FL
Member since Sep 2016
41156 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 12:37 pm to
For whatever reason, it just seems to mean more to the Europeans.

Rory, for instance, has achieved everything imaginable as an individual and still has that fire when it comes to the Ryder Cup. You can see in his face how much it means to him.

For most of his career, Tiger didn't really seem to care much about it. Scottie appears to be the same way.
Posted by lsufball19
Franklin, TN
Member since Sep 2008
70856 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 12:38 pm to
quote:

It’s not a coincidence we started making putts and winning matches as the course got faster and firmer.

the course never got faster and firmer. The balls were still creating craters on the green and sticking and weren't running out in the fairways at all.

We just started making more putts and shooting at more flags on Sunday. And they started missing putts Sunday they'd made on Fri/Sat

The course was a joke the entire weekend. But you'd think a birdie fest wouldn't be a huge disadvantage for our players either. And that was probably Keegan's thought process on the setup. He probably though guys like Bryson would benefit more from shorter rough. Obviously that strategy backfired
This post was edited on 9/29/25 at 12:41 pm
Posted by Tyga Woods
South Central Jupiter Island, FL
Member since Sep 2016
41156 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 12:38 pm to
quote:

It’s not a coincidence we started making putts and winning matches as the course got faster and firmer.



I think it had more to do with "the best hunters prefer to hunt alone" but idk
Posted by lsupride87
Member since Dec 2007
107795 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 12:39 pm to
quote:

For whatever reason, it just seems to mean more to the Europeans.
Not in the singles
Posted by lsufball19
Franklin, TN
Member since Sep 2008
70856 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 12:42 pm to
quote:

Rory, for instance, has achieved everything imaginable as an individual and still has that fire when it comes to the Ryder Cup. You can see in his face how much it means to him.

the Masters meant more to Rory than anything in golf and it took him a long fricking time to actually win it. How much it means to him doesn't mean he's going to play better in it
quote:

Tiger didn't really seem to care much about it. Scottie appears to be the same way.

There really nothing to support this theory at all. Scheffler was in tears yesterday. And if you thought that about Tiger, you didn't watch him play in those events. Tiger had shitty partners a lot. He dominated singles matches in his career. Not to mention his career record looks a lot worse because he finished his Ryder Cup career 0-7-1 and struggled as a 21 year old. During his prime, he was plenty good there. And he absolutely dominated the president's cup. This notion that Tiger didn't care about team golf is so fricking stupid.
This post was edited on 9/29/25 at 12:45 pm
Posted by DestrehanTiger
Houston, TX by way of Louisiana
Member since Nov 2005
13117 posts
Posted on 9/29/25 at 12:44 pm to
quote:

I think it had more to do with "the best hunters prefer to hunt alone" but idk


Fourball is essentially hunting alone. We only got 0.5 more points from Fourball than we did Foursomes. I know there is a small element of working with a teammate in Fourball, but it's still pretty much playing your own ball.

Sunday could have just been a matter of Europe taking their foot off the pedal (I don't blame them), and the USA having nothing to lose.
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