Davis Love III has worn a lot of hats over his more than 30 years as a professional. At 54 years old, three years removed from his most recent PGA Tour victory, Love III’s duties most recently deal with leadership roles, whether they be at international competitions or as a tournament host as he is this week at the RSM Classic.
Speaking before the event on St. Simons Island, Georgia, the two-time Ryder Cup captain spoke about what went wrong for the American team in Paris last month, and it came down to something that has proven to be the cornerstone of many relationships, both in sports and in life: communication.
“I just think we need to communicate a little bit better as a team,” Love III said. “That doesn’t mean just the captains or just the players. I think we need to get to know each other even better and communicate a little bit better so little frustrations don’t turn into problems.
“I said there was a few things I could have done better that I apologized to Jim (Furyk) for that we just didn’t see early enough or deal with during the year.”
Little frustrations can become BIG problems. That’s something Davis Love III is hoping U.S. #RyderCup teams can avoid in the future: https://t.co/MDXlsVyVzF pic.twitter.com/xWxcPtcKVi
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) November 15, 2018
Love III is undoubtedly referencing the chasm that apparently came between Patrick Reed and many in the team room. Earlier this fall, Love III told GolfDigest.com’s Brian Wacker that he “should have seen some of those things coming.”
While the communication aspect was certainly part of Team USA’s downfall, Love III warned that player preparation should be held accountable as well. Given the run-up to the event, Love said that more than a few players came into the biennial matches either out of form or out of gas, but what the PGA Tour has done with the schedule should negate some of those issues.
“We hate to lose, but I think we’re still positive about the future,” Love III said. “Except for a couple little things that have created a big stir afterwards, we all got along great and we had a lot of fun and we had a great time even leaving and flying home and communicating afterwards.”
