Minnesota Golfer - Directory 2018 - 40

MGA NEWS
Where Legends are Forged
T
here is no second place at the
Ryder Cup, no consolation prize
for the runner-up, and sometimes,
no consoling the losing team -as
John Feinstein reminds the reader in his
new book, " The First Major: The Inside
Story of the 2016 Ryder Cup, " published
by Doubleday ($28.95). The
idea for a Ryder Cup history came
to Feinstein while he was researching
his first golf book, " A Good
Walk Spoiled, " at the 1993 Ryder
Cup match at The Belfry in Sutton
Coldfield, England.
Following Davis Love III, then
a Ryder Cup rookie who holed
a clutch putt at the pressurepacked
18th to earn a point against
Costantino Rocca, Feinstein came
to the realization that the international
matches -first conceived as a
trans-Atlantic road trip in 1927 by
Samuel Ryder-had become golf's
most drama-inducing event, capable
of inflicting feelings of terror, joy
and absolute despair for players and
spectators alike.
The Americans were once so dominant
in the biennial goodwill matches
that none other than the greatest
golfer of them all, Jack Nicklaus, suggested
continental Europe be added to
the side of Great Britain and Ireland
to keep the Ryder Cup competitive.
Not long after, the Europeans, led
by Spaniard Seve Ballesteros, turned
the tables on the United States. In
the intervening three decades, the
Europeans rose to prominence then
dominance, upsetting the Americans
eight out of the last ten tries since 1995. In
fact, the Yanks were riding a three-straight
losing streak and captains and players
alike were seen as the scapegoats.
As the former two-time American
Ryder Cup Captain Tom Watson
observed, captains get more credit than
they deserve for winning, and a larger
40
MINNESOTAGOLFER Directory 2018
portion of the blame for losing. Likewise,
much was riding on the shoulders of
Captain Love, his most experienced
player, Phil Mickelson, and the PGA of
America. Mickelson's outspoken critique
of Tom Watson's captaincy at Gleneagles
Feinstein masterfully recounts
the lore of the 89-year-old
competition and the almost
agonizing analysis that attends
captains' picks and pairings.
in 2014 was the galvanizing force behind
the PGA's creation of a " task force, " and
a very public move by the organization
to fix its " most prized competitive asset. "
Mickelson would again be part of a
media dustup during Ryder Cup week
at Hazeltine for criticizing Captain Hal
Sutton's decision to pair Phil and Tiger
Woods together in 2004. The two top
American golfers in the world went
0-2 and Mickelson blamed Sutton for
their failure. Fortunately for Mickelson,
Danny Willett, the reigning Master's
champ and a Ryder Cup rookie from
England, found himself in the media
and spectators' crosshairs , thanks to
his brother's ill-timed social media
rant satirizing Americans which
eclipsed almost all other news
(except the very recent passing of
golf legend Arnold Palmer).
After Ryan Moore's winning
point on the 18th green against Lee
Westwood to clinch the Ryder Cup,
there was no singing or champagne
by the Americans (that would come
later)-only relief, joy and catharsis,
writes Feinstein.
Feinstein masterfully recounts
the lore of the 89-year-old
competition and the almost
agonizing analysis that attends captains'
picks and fourball, foursomes
and singles pairings. His work is
extensively sourced, with interviews
from more than 70 players, agents,
past captains and others, including
Hazeltine's golf professional,
Chandler Withington; golf course
superintendent, Chris Tritabaugh;
chair of the event, Patrick Hunt;
Ryder Cup operations director
Jeff Hintz; and longtime member
and past USGA president, Reed
Mackenzie.
Conspicuous in its absence was
mention of the club's " all-star " team
of Ryan Steensland, Tim Rainey,
Jim Dauwalter,
David Ruegg,
Dan
Johnson and Bob Fafinski, Hazeltine's
Ryder Cup Executive Committee, who,
along with more than 65 committee
chairs, 3,000 volunteers, and Chaska,
the host city, also deserve a share in the
glory of a triumphant Ryder Cup, where
legends are forged.
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Minnesota Golfer - Directory 2018

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