Are the two most important words in Ryder Cup success “team chemistry?”
Maybe not.
Now that Ryder Cup week has arrived, there will be the inevitable avalanche of comments, stories and innuendo about which side gets on the best with each other and whether that is the true secret to hoisting the little gold trophy.
There is an extra splash of hot sauce in that theory on the American side this year because at least two players who were passed over by captain Steve Stricker – Patrick Reed and Billy Horschel – have spicy personalities.
That doesn’t mean they don’t play well with others but it’s no secret Scottie Scheffler comes with a lower drama meter.
Should that matter?
The Europeans, who have held the Cup more often than not through the past two decades, would have you believe their success is rooted in their camaraderie as much as their putting. It’s about the bonds forged playing together in Europe, ignoring the fact Jon Rahm and Paul Casey live in Arizona, Ian Poulter lives in Florida and Sergio García now can call himself a Texan.
The truth is Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke didn’t get along for years after an incident in the 2005 Indonesian Open but they made for good Ryder Cup mates. Same with Thomas Bjørn who had issues with Monty, as did many others.
Bernhard Langer and Seve Ballesteros were serious rivals. Nick Faldo was the classic loner with an arrogant streak. García and Pádraig Harrington were not friends for a long time.
There’s even a story of Bjørn having Ryder Cup teammate Phillip Price and his wife removed from a plane because their young child was crying.
So much for kumbaya.
Reed was an unhappy American camper at the 2018 Ryder Cup in France because he didn’t get the pairing he expected. It didn’t help matters that he played lousy, too.
Horschel, who has made a habit of thrusting himself into Ryder Cup conversations with dynamic late-season success, is an acquired taste for some and he ticked Rory McIlroy off at the Walker Cup in 2007. Or maybe it’s his meticulous and stupor-inducing pre-shot routine that was too much for Stricker’s liking.
The Americans have the built-in drama that comes with Bryson DeChambeau, who almost certainly will do his best to be a model teammate this week. He wants to be one of the guys even if it doesn’t come naturally to him.
Golf is a selfish, individual sport at the highest level except for weeks like this. On both sides, it’s a team of rivals brought together for a common cause.
“It’s only a week,” Brooks Koepka said this summer. “I can deal with anybody in the world for a week.”
This is the week to see which side does it the best.
And how much it matters.
E-MAIL RON
Ron Green Jr.