The best possible thing that Keegan Bradley could do, to make the Ryder Cup of next month in Bethpage Black even more interesting, would be himself as a playing captain if he announced the choices of his half dozen captain on Wednesday morning. Why? Because next month’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black would make it even more interesting.
The Ryder Cup is essentially a meaningless golf match that attracts the interest of countless people around the world, including millions who are nominal golffans, like that. In other words, the fundamental value of the Ryder Cup is to expand the interest in Golf. As Bradley, in a daring act of indecent way, appoints himself to the team, he will only enlarge the audience for this 45th game for the small trophy, with a small golfer on his lid.
Bradley, a spicy son of New England, played his university wave at St. John’s University, 25 is miles away from Bethpage Black. The Black Course is within hearing distance of the media capital of the world – New York, NY Golf could not have a larger megaphone. The event will all contain golfers of the PGA Tour, the DP (AKA European) Tour and Liv Golf, in one place. That’s good for Golf.
Does Bradley deserve a place in the team? Of course he does that. He is clearly one of the 12 best American golfers today. But by putting himself in the team, he says a few things. The first is that the team is better than not. The second is, our team is so good that we can afford to have a captain who is distracted by his play responsibilities and a player who is distracted by his captain performance.
In 1967 Ben Hogan was the leader of the American team, when the Ryder Cup was held in Champions Golf Club, in Houston. Introduction of his team, he said: “Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you the best golfers in the world.” That is always the self -assured American message, spoken or unspoken. When Bradley places himself in the 12-golfer setup, that implicit message will be the Bulletin-board quote that the world is heard around. How nice! Ryder -cups are all about the pleasure. The pleasure painted with the red cheeks, exposed with stomachs. Come on, Keegan!
The last time there was a Ryder Cup who played the captain, was at the helm in 1963, Arnold Palmer. That was up to East Lake. The Americans had five rookies and Jack Nicklaus was not in the team. (He was not yet a five-year member of the PGA of America, when a requirement to be in the team.) The Americans, who are then confronted with a team consisting of only British golfers, won with an uncomfortable margin, 23-9.
Keegan can put himself in the team and come out swinging. That is what the Ryder Cup is all about.
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3 things I think:
Mickelson missing: This Ryder Cup would be the one who supplied Phil Mickelson, adopted son of New York, for his various almost missers in the Empire State. Or did this have to be Tiger’s turn? In any case, it is just showed: nobody knows anything.
This is personal: The Ryder Cup is of course a match play event. Your opponent is in your face and vice versa. Like Tom Lehman, a former American captain, once said: “If we played match game every week, we would be as bad as the tennis players.” In other words, against each other, the Golf becomes intensely personal. That is the core emotion of Ryder Cup Golf. It is not business. It’s personal.
Choose the black back: Bethpage Black, all vast, can play up to 7,500 meters. The American team has control over how the course was set up. A 6,900-Yard course would be much more interesting for Match-Play Golf. When the
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