Ryder Cup: Mickelson slams captain Watson

Scathing attack launched on US captain Tom Watson after the side’s third successive loss to Europe in the Ryder Cup.

Mickelson (L) finished the weekend with a single win over Gallacher [REUTERS]

Phil Mickelson launched a scathing attack on Tom Watson after the United States went down to another Ryder Cup defeat, saying his captain had not engaged with the players and should have stuck with the system that worked in 2008.

That victory under Paul Azinger was one of only two in the last 10 editions and those involved were particularly happy with his “pod” system, whereby players were split into groups of three or four who practised and played together.

Nobody here was in any decision

by Phil Mickelson, US golfer

Subsequent captains Corey Pavin, Davis Love and Watson dispensed with it, leaving Mickelson, who has now lost eight of his 10 Ryder Cups, a frustrated figure.

“Azinger got everybody invested in the process, he got everybody invested in who they were going to play with, who the picks were going to be, who was going to be in their pod, who,” Mickeleson said after finishing his weekend with a singles victory over Stephen Gallacher.

“We use that same process in the President’s Cup and we do really well. Unfortunately, we have strayed from that for the last three Ryder Cups and we need to consider maybe getting back to that formula that helped us play our best.”

It was highly unusual to hear a Ryder Cup player openly criticise his captain’s approach, especially so soon after the match, and though Mickelson attempted to say it was not an attack on Watson, he was not about to row back.

Asked to elaborate about the involvement of players with the captain, Mickelson added: “No. Nobody here was in any decision.”

Source: Reuters