Can the US have overdone their Ryder Cup Task Force thing? Just 48 hours after Rory McIlroy warned such a thing was possible Phil Mickelson was forced into a crawling apology for his comments about former captain Hal Sutton.
Such is Mickelson’s over-enthusiasm for the new American way that he blundered into using Sutton’s decision to pair him and Tiger Woods in 2004 as an example of the bad practice that has blighted the US in the past.
But the 2004 captain – whose strategy led to a record defeat to the US at Oakland Hills and is generally considered to have been one of the poorest American skippers – is actually part of the new system as past captains have been assimilated into the team room at Hazeltine to pass on their experience.
And Sutton was unsurprisingly a little annoyed to be told that he had prepared Mickelson and Woods to fail (he gave them just two days’ notice of their partnership), leading them to “fail monumentally”, in Mickelson’s words.
“I mean, my God, somebody’s got to be the fall guy,” said Sutton. “If it needs to be me, I can do that.
If I still need to shoulder the blame for Phil, I’ll do that.
“I find it amusing that that’s an issue at the 2016 Ryder Cup. I think Phil better get his mind on what he needs to have it on this week instead of on something that happened 10 years ago.”
Mickelson, who by the evidence of words from captain Davis Love III has been barely able to contain himself on any subject regarding the team’s strategies, seemed to finally realise he needed to calm down.
“I feel awful,” he told the Golf Channel. “It was never meant to be like that, I was trying to use an example of how a captain can have a strong effect.
“Unfortunately it came across the way it did. I want him to be out here and to be a part of this, so I’ve communicated with him that I’m sorry and I hope that he stays.
“I was totally in the wrong. I never should have brought that up. I used an extreme example of the way decisions can affect play and I never should have done that because it affected Hal.”
In contrast, the other half of the failed partnership from 2004 seems to be having a hugely beneficial effect.
Patrick Reed, who is part of Woods’ “pod” of players, was effusive about his influence.
“Somebody like that, one of the best golfers ever, 105 worldwide wins, I didn’t know what to expect as I haven’t spent a lot of time with him,” said Reed.
“But if you ask a question or if you need anything, he is there, he’s all-in. He’ll answer anything about golf, the course, off the course, anything.
“He’s genuinely there to help you not just on Ryder Cup but other things. It’s awesome to have someone like that and speaks volumes to what kind of person he is.”