Right about now, you probably think that you’ve seen, heard, or read just about every reasoning for why Team USA lost the 2012 Ryder Cup.  I usually try to look at the things that many do not focus on, so please allow me to give you yet another set of reasonings ... mine.

I remember that when David Love III was named the Ryder Cup Captain, I took it like everyone else, that he was the next guy in line.  After all, in the fraternity that is the PGA Tour, there has always been a pecking order.  The problem with a pecking order is that it sometimes installs individuals who do not necessarily have the skills to do the job.  The more I thought about it, the less I liked the choice.

Davis did not an exemplary record in Ryder Cup competition.  In fact, he actually owned a rather lackluster record of 9-12-5.  His opponent, Jose Maria Olazabal, by drastic comparison, boasted an 18-8-5 record. 

Davis is known as being the son of a renowned PGA personality.  Jose Maria cut his golf teeth at the knee of the legendary Seve Ballesteros with whom he partnered fifteen (15) times in Ryder Cup matches.  Davis was an original member of The Polo Boys, and roommate of Michael Jordan while at the University of North Carolina.   Davis came to the Tour with a reputation for being very long, while Jose Maria’s iron play and creativity was lauded.

My concern was that Davis could not be a dynamic leader, as exemplified by his career on the Tour.  There would be a few substantial egos of players who would qualify for the team, as well as the undoubted plethora of “Young Guns” who would be eligible.  

Sometimes I honestly hate being right, but I was unfortunately correct.

During the TV coverage, we were exposed to Davis expressing that, in his unmistakable North Carolina accent, all he wanted for his players was for them to have fun ... to have a good time. 

Now, I agree completely with Davis when he observed that the Ryder Cup was not war, and that it was a gentlemanly competition.  There he was absolutely correct.  

The problem with his attitude was that the Ryder Cup is much more than just a set of fun and games.   It was so much more than the ping-pong games he encouraged his players to become engrossed in.  Somehow, someway, the Captain’s job is to instill a winning attitude that does not forsake the individual prowess of each player, nor their instincts.  More so, his job is to instill some fire and verve. 

By adding the personalities he did to his Coaching Staff, he picked others similar to himself.  There was no one to compensate for those aspects of his own personality that departed from what I call, the “kumbaya” thinking.

I just don’t think Davis ever “got it” ... 

There were four (4) areas where Davis Love III failed:

1.   CAPTAIN’S PICKS:  They were based on both conventional logic, but also erroneous thinking and bad advice.  The selection of Brandt Snedeker was a natural based on his season-ending play, as was Dustin Johnson.  The pick of Steve Stricker over Hunter Mahan led many to the conclusion that he was only there to provide an amicable playing partner for Tiger Woods.  It certainly lends one to wonder if DL III worried that no other player would want to take up that mantle.

Snedeker posted a losing record, but was not totally shut-out as was Stricker.  Dustin did everything he could by winning every time he was allowed to play.

2.  RESTING PLAYERS:  Love concocted an idea that each and every player needed to be “rested” almost as if they were Little League Baseball Pitchers.  These are men who regularly go thru a full fitness work-out, hit 500 practice balls, play eighteen (18) holes, and then go back to hit balls as long as the range was open.  The idea that any player needed to be rested was preposterous and ill-advised.  Yes, some might have wished some rest, or their performance might have dictated it, but an across-the-board edict was simply wrong minded.

3.  INSPIRATION:  The sports celebrities such as Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps were prominent on Saturday, but if they were around on Sunday, they were lost in the crowds.    Both President Bush #41 and #43 were present on Saturday.  Bill Clinton even called from Italy on Saturday, but not Sunday.  The implied attitude was that with such a seemingly insurmountable lead, Team USA simply did not need any external inspiration.  This, all while the Euros were constantly surrounded by images of Seve.

4.  COURSE SET UP:  As the host team, Captain Love was able to designate how he wanted the course set up by the Greens Keepers.  He made it, we’re told, more amenable to the American style.  The problem is that all of the Euro team members regularly play in America.  While the Euros might have been stymied early on, one look at the performances of Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy late on Saturday signaled that they had figured the course out.  Sunday proved it conclusively.

So now, with his team beaten soundly after a number of his players gave valiant efforts, Davis Love III proclaims that he will take the blame, but at the same time, he claims a sense of satisfaction.

He still doesn’t “get it,” and the terrible reality is that he probably never will.