SAN FRANCISCO -- What if they threw a golf tournament and a Miss America Pageant broke out?Such was the Presidents Cup, which again had so many hugs and kisses you expected Fred Couples would be presented a tiara and scepter at the closing ceremony.
A good time was had by all at Harding Park, which was not a good thing. If the Presidents Cup is ever going to matter, it needs a little less self-adoration and a little more animosity.
By matter, I mean give viewers a reason to click over from the NFL on an October afternoon. The average American sports fan is conditioned to expect a couple of simple things -- the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
Failing those, how about a little suspense? The U.S. was so dominant I was afraid Barack Obama was going to call and apologize to the International team.
If he didn't, Couples might have after Tiger Woods clinched the deciding point while seven matches were still going on. It really was over before it's over, and the U.S. is now 6-1-1 in Presidents Cups.
"I'm sure it's lots of fun to win one," Geoff Ogilvy said. "Hopefully we can get sussed out in Melbourne."
If you're not up on your Aussie slang, that means he hopes the Internationals figure things out by the next Presidents Cup in Melbourne. I doubt they will, but it would be nice if they had more trouble swallowing their medicine.
"We had a great time," Vijay Singh said.
The Presidents Cup is too fun for its own good.
Everybody did. Michael Jordan shared cigar stories with Bill Clinton. Barry Bonds showed up and was cheered. Forty-two years after the Summer of Love, San Francisco gave us a weekend everybody loved.
"I can't express how much fun I've had," said assistant coach Jordan.
That's the problem. The Presidents Cup is too fun for its own good. Players like it because it's not the cut-throat Ryder Cup. It's no joy playing crazed Euros who get knighted if they beat the evil golf superpower.
Rest assured, David Beckham will never be hired as an assistant for the European Ryder Cup team. It's serious business with serious implications. Couples and Greg Norman went out of their way to avoid such things.
It was all about sportsmanship and camaraderie and bonding over 5-woods. I'm for all that. Golf is not supposed to be the NFL. It's also not supposed to be a Junior League quilting bee.
On the eve of the 1949 Ryder Cup, Ben Hogan complained about the grooves on the clubs some of the British players. It was retaliation for the British having his clubs inspected in 1947. It also turned out a few of the Brits were using illegal clubs.
I didn't expect the entire team to tromp through somebody's putting line, like it inadvertently did while celebrating Justin Leonard's putt at the 1999 Ryder Cup.
I didn't expect Woods to start sharing death stares with Y.E. Yang, like Paul Azinger and Seve Ballesteros used to do on the Ryder circuit.
But a little gamesmanship would have been nice. If nothing else, Couples could have asked to see Ryo Ishikawa's birth certificate to make sure he's really 18. Heck, Hogan would have demanded the Internationals all produce Green Cards on the first tee.
Now that would have made good TV. But the last thing anyone wanted was to put a whiff of rivalry in the sweet San Francisco air.So what did we end up with? Four days of pure golf. It was pretty good if you like such things.
When it ended, however, there was no agony in defeat for the Internationals. There was thrill in victory for the Americans, but it was nothing compared to what we see in that other international competition.
Recall a year ago, when Azinger cajoled a Tiger-less team to an upset win. The players shook hands and performed all the expected sportsmanlike things. Then they ran around waving Old Glory and high-fiving fans.
Contrast that with Sunday, where the teams sat on stage and congratulated themselves on staging such a splendid event. Then everybody had one last hug and went on their merry way.
"It was a phenomenal week," Couples said.
They're already looking ahead to Melbourne, where another fun time will be had by all. I'm looking forward to next year's Ryder Cup.
When it comes to true fun, that's the event that has really sussed things out.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
totally inappropriate comments written by someone who obviously seems to have little understanding of the "magic " of international golf events like these.
please confine your comments to sports like hockey [WWF on ice ,] and football{ I'll give him a concussion - so he'll remember?me },where these days ,unfortunately ,"sportsmanship"is a forgotten value
I agree if we would have lost you would have talked about the distractions.. get a life and write about how we won big and everyone worked together.. I also think having Mike Jordan was a good things it's always good to have people around a little bigger then you to keep you motivated and on your toes...I am happy we won cause your jerk ass would have wrote how it was too much going on...
More gamesmanship would be fun. It should start with the gimmees. The ball's not in til it's in. What's next? Mulligans?
People are people, so it makes no difference of the outcome of the Presitent's Cup, somebody is going to praise or bash the event.
But one thing for sure is that you show yourself with what you write.
So, enjoy the ride and see where everybody stands on the subjuct.
That if you so inclined.
Just who is David Whitley and what are his credentials? We saw four days of excellent golf, played by the rules, and with plenty of drama along the way. Tim Clark and Ryo Ishikawa came across as gutty, determined players who held up their end...and watch out for Ryo, he's the next international blazer. Tiger and Phil showed maturity, expertise and a very high level of leadership and class (of course, they were never in the same picture with each other, either). I thought that both Captains were a little superfluous, especially Couples who is so laid back as to be almost comatose...thank goodness MJ was around to inject a litle fire into the team. But hey, wouldn't this be a real barn-burner of an event if it were co-ed, and the Korean ladies were invited?
Too true. The event has lost any excitement it may have had. Time to eliminate the President's Cup and amend the Ryder Cup. Have the bi-annual Ryder Cup become a 3-way match between: the US, Europe, and the rest of the world. A better chance of exciting matches and a return to competition every other year (a reasonable request for the US players).