If you needed further indication that there has been a shift in the way the American team feels and deals with the Ryder Cup, a recent GolfDigest.com report from Brian Wacker is all the confirmation you need.
Nearly a month after the completion of the biennial matches, conversations remain ongoing among the U.S. leadership as to what went wrong in Paris. Among the revelations in the Digest piece was assistant captain Davis Love III assuming some blame for the Patrick Reed fallout.
“I dropped the ball on two or three things that could have helped, and I apologized to Jim,” Love said. “I should have seen some of those things coming.”
As the man who paired Spieth and Reed together in 2016, Love III was tasked with telling Reed that he would be playing with Tiger Woods, not Spieth. Love told Wacker that conversation was “lost on Reed” and the frustration of losing the Cup boiled over in the fallout of the matches.
In the days and weeks since, Furyk has reached out to Reed to clear the air, among other conversations.
The fallout from the U.S. Ryder Cup loss in Paris continues, and this time it's surrounding vice captain Davis Love III: https://t.co/OZSsfOjBpP pic.twitter.com/dgUjkIdXH2
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) October 30, 2018
“We didn’t see (Reed and Spieth not playing together) as an issue while we were there, and it’s unfortunate it came out the way it did,” fellow assistannt captain Steve Stricker confirmed. “But Jim did an unbelievable job, and he was upfront (with Reed and Tiger) and (Reed) handled it great at the time. But I don’t think it will be an issue going forward. I think going forward we’ll stay the track.”
Love, Furyk and the leadership of the American team sees the conversations and taking of stock following the loss as a step in the right direction.
“What we did after ’14 was create a sort of USA Basketball mentality,” Love said, referencing the continuity in leadership throughout international team competitions. “We’re in this for the long haul.
“We’ve done a massively better job communicating. But we still have to get a lot better. My advice to Tiger (who will captain the Presidents Cup in 2019): Keep ramping up the conversation.”
