Rick Shiels reacts to EUROPE WINNING THE RYDER CUP!

Rick Shiels reacts to EUROPE WINNING THE RYDER CUP!

Wow, wow, wow, wow. Guys, welcome to the Rick Shields Golf Show podcast, episode 311. Am I right in saying that? You are right. Um, I am an emotional wreck guy. It is the Monday after the Ryder Cup. And what a RDER Cup it was at Beth Paige Black. Team Europe won the Ryder Cup. Just in case, spoiler alert, just in case anybody who’s listen to this podcast didn’t know, Europe won the Ryder Cup by 15-3 points on one of the most incredible Ryder Cups I’ve ever ever witnessed. It was It was incredible from start to finish. One of the best. It will go down in history. It had it all, didn’t it? I think there’s so much in this podcast to unpack about the weekend of golf, but I I’ll hold my hands up. I’ve sometimes been I won’t say critical of the RDER Cup, but not always got into it, not always been that bothered about it. This year that changed and certainly on Sunday watching the singles and how, let’s be honest, dominant the USA were and how it felt like the start of the day this is just going to be how much we’re going to win by to then actually are we going to still win this? It was incredible. Are you still going for European tattoo later this afternoon? Yes. Big Shane Lowry right in your forehead. Um well, it was I mean the final day. Listen, we’re not going to go through every single bit of of the Radic Cup. Most of you have watched it. Most of you know what’s happened. Um we got off to an incredible start Thursday, Friday, winning all four sessions, the Thorsomes and the four balls. Standout performances from guys like Tommy Fleetwood, Rory Maroy, John Ram, Tierrell Hatton. Unbelievable performances from the USA side. I thought Cameron Young was sensational. So good. Sensational. Uh really disappointing displays on f Friday and Saturday from world number one Scottish not picking up a single point. But it like you said it went to the final day where we had a dominating lead, an absolute dominating lead. And for it to be so close in the end was unbelievable. It really was. We only won one match yesterday and that was Ludvik Oberg. Yeah. Um we won only one match. The USA guys came out all guns blazing and like you said it wasn’t it wasn’t a question mark are we going to win? That was almost a given. It was really how much we were going to win by. But then the questions did get to the end. Are we actually going to win? Could this be the biggest fumble ever seen in world sport? Not even in golf. Could this be the biggest fumble ever? Luckily, it wasn’t. Luckily, we secured it. Shane Larry retained the RDER Cup and officially Terrell Hatton won the RDER Cup for team Europe. It’s very hard to use another sporting analogy, but I think arguably the best one I can think of is going into Sunday, obviously Europe was so dominant. It would almost be like Liverpool and I’ll be Liverpool, you can be Man United. Liverpool are 3-0 up in the 80th minute. It’s looking like we’ve we’ve won the game and then suddenly you get a goal back in 83rd minute. Now it’s 3-1. Okay, that’s fine. Then it’s 3-2. Then it might even go to three all and then Liverpool score to get it to 4-3. It was almost it was almost like that. And well, it was that it was that match the Europa League match that United last year um with is it Athletico Bill Bao and we scored like Harry Mcguire scored in literally the last second of of the match. I mean it was it it really really could have gone the USA’s way. You know what? There’ll probably be people listening to this watching this who when I say I’m gonna say now will think you are a That’s happens quite a lot I think. But um I honestly wouldn’t change it for the world because as a spectator, as a fan of golf, obviously a European fan last night watching that. It was so exciting. I couldn’t turn away from the screen. I just loved every second of it. And I think also, you know, as golfers who are proud of our sport, we know that the Ryder Cup is is probably the biggest event in golf to attracting kind of casual sports fans. I think it goes even way above and beyond the Masters does. If you are a casual sports fan who likes your football, likes your cricket, watches a bit of golf. And you watch that last night, you will see golf in the light, I hope we do, and how much we love it of how it can be the most exciting sport on the planet. I loved listening to the radio this morning. when I was listening to talk sport on the way in and the way that they were talking about and they’re not massive golf fans but the way that if you are into sport and you know about the rider cult which obviously most people do you’d have flicked it on last night and you would have received one of the most entertaining sports products ever and so many of my friends who don’t play golf tech were texting me last night going this is incredible like this is totally I understand why golf is so big in my little group chat with my with my golf pals we’re having some little bets and before the RDER Cup started last Tonight we were having we put a tener in to predict the winning score. Okay. Seven of us put tener in. Okay. 70 quid on the line. Big dollar, right? None of us were even close to what the winning score was. The lowest prediction of the European score was 17 and a half points. Wow. That was our lowest score prediction yet we only end up getting 15 points which is just it’s mental. the last honestly the last day, the drama, the excitement, the matchups, um you know, the fact that Matt Fitzpatrick was five up against Bryson Nishambo. For him to get half a point out that match was was nothing more than than superhero level. We saw Scottish Heftler and Rory Maroy, world number one and two going together. Even Rory described it as a bit of a pillow fight. It wasn’t their best golf. Scottish took it down all the way down to the last and won that match. Um we had some also some other incredible matchups. Um and and I don’t know I don’t know whether it’s the difference between how the Europeans act more of a team. We are very much better in the foroms in the four balls. Um you know this week it showed again how Scottish is such a I I thought someone described it really well well a great solo hunter. Yeah I saw that and I think that explains a lot of the American team. I think they are very solo hunters and incredible at it. Bryson’s a solo hunter. Scottish Heffler is. Xander Schoffley is. Um Colin Morau is Patrick Canley is. Um but our team, we are a team and and it’s just showed that in so much passion, excitement, um the camaraderie, the fact that you know it wasn’t an easy Rder Cup. There was so much talk before the event and it’s been bubbling for two years. Even before that when New York was announced as being a Ryder Cup venue, it was always going to be hostile. It was always going to be a a really horrible environment for Europe, which I think we should touch on in a moment. The the the way that the fans, in my opinion, certainly way stepped over the line this this week in in in New York and it would have only been a minority, but unfortunately they ruined it for the majority. Um, but like for them to go out there and act as a team and have each other’s backs and have Luke Donald as their captain who seems to have just absolutely smashed it out of the park. Um, you know, there’s so much talk about him doing two more years and whether he does a Dare Manner in 2027 to celebrate the hundth year of Ryder Cups. Do you want to hear my my thoughts on that? Go for it. I think he shouldn’t. I think he shouldn’t. Yeah, I think Well, because and it’s again it’s one of bit of um it’s one of those I think points where people are going to have probably opinion either way, aren’t they? Either, oh, he definitely should, why not? Or he shouldn’t do selfishly. I guess from a Ryder Cup Europe fans perspective, I’d want him to. Of course I would because he’s obviously the best man for the job. He’s won it twice now and I think no question in my mind you could do the same in Ireland. So again from a fan but from Luke Donald’s own perspective if he says now okay I’ve done my bit. I’ve had an incredible victory over the US on their home soil. I’ve also obviously won for Europe in Rome. That’s me. See you later. I’ll be a vice captain maybe or I’ll be a a support mechanism for the team going forward. he can then sit there the absolute king of the Rad Cup. I think we’ve got a real great opportunity right now and I I agree with your point. I think we’ve got a really great opportunity right now that Luke Donald has been the face and the captain but his support team behind him has been instrumental in this in the last two RD cups. The Molinari brothers obviously Eduardo Molinari with all of his stats, Thomas Bejorn, Alasel, Alex Norin being there ready to play if he needed to be. um you know and I think if we’re clever right now what we won’t do is just dismantle that organization like how it should work now and again this this would be the dream keep that hub keep that hub of of individuals and why not it be Franchesco Molinari next but keep the hub let Luke come come into a more of a vice captain role but one of the Molinari brothers and then what I’d love to see then is bring another player into the fold who is a vice captain who’s in the mix for four five, six, well, too many years, but potentially in the fold for that, learning what we’ve learned right now and then progressing into that captain’s role where I think the Americans do it totally different. They just go, “Okay, um, Keegan Bradley this year.” Okay. Uh, next time we’re going to do Tiger Woods. you I feel like we’ve got that real hub right now that we should harness and keep hold of and bring in the captaincies from below and rise them up and then the captain kind of sits back into the organization. It’s an interesting point because I kind of sit in in in two worlds with this when I think about the rider cup. What is the point of the captaincy and of the vice captains? Is it to go out there and win the rider cup in which case you know that’s not too dissimilar to an international football manager? you want the best person in the job, whoever that may be, of the best team around them. And if that is the way we’re going, then I actually don’t see why you would literally move from Luke Donald and the current team because they are the ones who have proven that twice. Now, if however, the Ryder Cup captaincy is almost more of a ceremonial role where you have been a European golf legend for x number of years. It’s now your turn to have a go. Then give it somebody else next time. If we want to win this every two years and become the dominant force in world golf, then surely it remains at Luke Donald. Yeah. No, I think you’re right. It’s a weird one, isn’t it? It’s really weird one. And you look at the the pool of potential captains. Obviously, there’s lots of potential captains, which things need to get sorted out whether Ian Pter is ever going to be a captain, Lee Westwood ever’s going to be a captain, Henrik Stenson gets to be a captain, you know, properly, you know, that those things with Liv and and Radic Cup need obviously sorting out potentially if they do. If they don’t, who knows in the future? I’d love to see those in the captain’s fold, definitely. But to your point, if I if we want to guarantee us winning for this next x amount of years, well, why would you move away? It should be Luke Donald’s decision. And I think it will be ultimately Luke Donald’s decision whether he wants to carry on or not. I I actually stayed up and listened to the press conference last night and he gave a little insight that the press asked him, “What what little things have you done to kind of form this this great team?” And he said, “It’s the little things.” Obviously, it’s the big things, but also it’s the little things. And he said, “Even in our hotel rooms, there was a strip of light coming in through the door, and they brought they brought stuff to cover that strip of light. The bedding on the beds wasn’t as comfortable as it could be. So, they they changed all the bedding of all the players and put much comfier bedding on. And it’s it’s it sounds dafted, but they’re important factors, like really important. You know, you pick your pairs, you pick your layout, you pick your formation. and who’s going out there and he’ll get lots of support from Eduardo Molinari on that cuz he’s a stat man. But like you say, you then go all these little touches that really make a player feel important and make a player feel like, wow, you’re really looking after me here and I appreciate it. That’s another thing again where I kind of have these dual thoughts and I lean more towards that side that you’re talking about because when I think about these golfers, they are literally that, you know, 24 or whatever of the the best golfers in the planet. They don’t they can go out and beat one one another. The main thing is that they play great golf and they do that. So you think, well, do all these things actually matter? But then I kind of think to myself on the other side is actually well, if anything is a 0.05% of a gain, why not have that? If if they had a little bit of a better sleep because it was darker in the bedroom and then they go and feel fresher and they win the match, then it’s obviously worked. Well, did you see our um dressing room and our recovery room and the the gym and the facilities? I didn’t see any of that from the USA team. Like we used our fund that the USA team backpocketed. We use that fund to to enhance the experience for the players and make sure the wives are happy and make sure the recovery is fantastic and make sure that I’m sure the the food was incredible. Like all those real important touches. What’s really funny, five minutes ago I was saying I’m not sure Luke Donald should carry on being captain. Now I think he absolutely has to stay as captain. In two years I want to see Luke Donald as captain again in 2027. And that’s the thing again as do I as a fan. Completely changed my mind. It’s I think you’re right. I think both things can be true. you want that to happen for the team and I would agree with him that wholeheartedly but for him in his individual he can now who he wants to notself into the sunset he’s going to be a huge figure in the world of golf but he can sit there now and go I am arguably the best golf rider cup captain of all time or certainly up in that kind of conversation if he goes to losing Ireland on home soil suddenly does that leave a bit of a sour taste in people’s mouth and you remember that loss well was it I think Tony Jacqueline has won home and away um and I’m Sure. There’s one more captain that’s done it. Might be from the USA team. There’s two captains. There’s now three captains that have done it home and away. So if he did roll the dice, he could be in another level where he’s the only captain ever to win it three times. Do you think speaking about Scottish Heffler, obviously I saw that kind of tweet about that the best hunters hunt alone and it was referencing obviously Ty Goods doesn’t have the strongest of Ryder Cut records and obviously Scottish Heffler didn’t have a great week. How much do those guys care? Now, I’ll almost preempt this a little bit that Tiger Woods, I know, never ever ever wants to go out onto the golf course and not win. And I think Scottish Sheffler is exactly the same. Maybe a little bit different how he’s kind of approached it, but just never ever wants to lose. He wants to win everything he does. All these guys are hyper competitive. Hence, when he got to the top of their sport, but you know, once the kind of dust settles in the next kind of five, six, seven days, couple of weeks, whatever it might be, Shane Lowry will be able to thrive for that moment forever. And rightly so, because what he achieved yesterday, unbelievable. And I think he’ll never have to buy a drink again in in anywhere in Europe he goes to. But when they’re going out winning major championships and you know you retire at the end of your career, do the guys care more about having majors sat in the cabinet or being on successful Ryder Cup teams. The question’s been asked of Falter in the past. Would you swap any Ryder Cup for a major? He says no. Now is that easy to say because he’s not one of Adrian’s won however many RD cups? I’m not sure. Um, there is something special. I think the Europeans see that. I I don’t know from the Americans, like you say, they’re unbelievably competitive, but I almost feel like it hurts their individual pride rather than their team pride. Like I almost think like they are they’re so more bothered about their personal performances, etc. I think they would they rather go 5-nil and USA win than go zero all the way through and the and USA team. Sorry. Yeah. 5 million USA lose. Yes. Or would they rather win zero matches but team USA win? And I I don’t know about the American team. I’m not sure the answer to that. I feel like Europeans would 100% say as long as team Europe win, I don’t care if I don’t win a single match. But hear me out. One thing that puzzled me a bit with team golf like this is let’s just say we use football’s analogy. You could be a striker and Ronaldo’s a good example of maybe n is probably the best player to ever play. Let’s say a player like that who wants to score goals and you kind of sometimes think that they would rather score and the team lose or they’d rather try and have a shot and and score themselves and pass and get a guaranteed assist or whatever, then that person’s attitude can ultimately hinder the team because they’re too selfish, don’t play the right ball, etc. But actually, what I don’t really understand is if every player in the US team just wants to win, well, how does that affect the team negatively? Because if you all do win, the team do win. But does but does it Yeah, you’re right. See what I mean? Does it feel I don’t know. Does it feel like imagine being in that environment it without that team camaraderie? Like do you not think that Europeans go through that and just know that they’ve got those guys? Yeah. got them on the back and they’ve got them. They’re supporting them. They would literally, you know, jump in front of a flying teeg to to protect them. I don’t know if that help. I’m sure that that must be a level of support like when you’re playing with a partner and you’ve got so much trust in and faith in them and they’ve got your back and you’ve got their back. It is it is so liberating. I just don’t know if the Americans ever get that. But like you say, if does it matter? Does how why should it why should it matter if those 12 Americans are absolutely adamant of winning? Well, surely 12 people who want to win well and that’s the thing is going to steer the ship to winning. But that listen, don’t forget was it four years ago now? We got absolutely battered at Whistling Straits. Like they absolutely demolished us and they they looked fantastic. They got we got we beat him in Rome. It was a close match. We beat him in New York. It was incredibly close in the end. There’s not much in this. But what I’m sure the broadcast was saying in all of the matches of all of the years, I’m sure there’s something scary like only two or three points in if you tallied up all the European points, all the USA points, it’s like two or three points in it in total. It could go either way. It really could. So are those little things we talked about before still those little little tiny dominoes that make those big differences in in the long run? Um, I mean, when I watched this and I genuinely I thought there was a couple of things. I thought the level of golf for the Ryder Cup was incredible. It did feel that way. I I didn’t There was It was a surprise if somebody hit a bad shot and you didn’t see many. You’re looking at 25 footers and expecting them to hold it. That is freakishly good when there’s only 24 golfers on a golf course and sometimes less because of the foresomes and four balls. The amount of birdies that were made were frightening. It was crazy. The amount of unbelievable te- shots on that first hole was outrageous. Now, interestingly, I think that first tea was the least intimidating tea I’ve seen for Radic Cup for a lot of years because the way the Grand Slam was wrapped. Yeah. And it sounds daff, but like in Rome, you like you were like round that tea box. In Paris, it was a bit more open, but it still felt quite intimidating. There’s really intimidating t-shirt on in Paris. She couldn’t miss left. You had to hit a really nice long iron or hybrid where it felt like Beth Paige Black. The the grand stand was huge, wasn’t it? But it was quite a bit distance away from the T. And in a weird way, it was quite an open hole. Like listen, I wouldn’t have liked to stood there and tried to hit a driver. No, no question. But I feel like you could get away with a bit, couldn’t you? You could kind of play quite aggressive. And even if you pulled it a bit, you’re just in left rough. If you pushed it a bit, it wasn’t the end of the world. It was a very friendly opening T-shot. I thought the course was really boring. M I thought it was the most one of the most boring golf courses I’ve seen for a Ryder Cup. It was beautiful, don’t get me wrong, and I love to play it. But it just didn’t have those dramatic holes, did it? Like we were talking just this morning about it wasn’t designed to be a Ryder Cup course. It was designed to be a major golf course where US Opens, PGAs, etc. have hosted and the rough is really thick and it’s notoriously known Beth Paige Black as being one of the hardest golf course in the world. Yes, they cut the roof down. and they didn’t make it super long, but it wasn’t a matchplay course. There was no dramatic 15th, 16th, 17th holes. There was no drivable par fours, which I really missed. It was the two par fives, which weren’t exciting. There was no water. Like, yeah, that was something I noticed. You need a bit of drama. Like, you look at the Golf National, you could argue say went too far the opposite way. There was way too much water in Paris. But like whistling straits, loads of really great opportunities where you know risk and reward if you pulled it you might find the water. It felt like every match came down to the putting competition did it didn’t it every match was all about putting you never won a hole because someone sprayed it in the water hazard did you saw that so much more in Rome and Paris and whistling straits. Having said that though and again I’m playing devil’s advocate here. I actually like seeing it on the greens. I like the simplicity of if this guy holds this put he wins the hole. Not that he’s bouncing the water. So, I don’t know. It’s kind of like I think visually I want to see more water. And I think like you said, there’s golf courses that look better on the TV, but I also didn’t feel like when I was watching it, I didn’t I didn’t mind personally. I just I found the course there many times and I learned to know the golf course. Again, I’ve not been there, so I didn’t know it pre or a lot of these course I’ve had have known pre uh tournament. Lot of holes. I was like, what hole is this again? Like what? This just looks like the same hole they played over and over again. It just the greens were quite flat. I mean that probably made for why so many puts went in. It was just a bit h I’d love I would have loved a bit more drama. You’re going to get that at Dare Mana. Like a Dare Mana the the layout of a Dare Manner is fantastic. It’s loads of riskreward holes. There par fours. There’s interesting par 3es. Felt like it lacked a little bit of that. I think we’ve got to talk about the new New York crowd because everybody knew going into the Ryder Cup in New York at Beth Page. The crowd was going to be the 13th man. We spoke about it in the last couple of podcasts. We felt like that was going to be a real advantage. I’m sorry USA fans, your chance are absolutely awful. Like USA, USA, USA. And when you even try to do like Scotty Sheffler, it just it was awful. So please like you need to work on your chance. How European chants are so much more humorous and so much more in creative. I suppose that goes back to our kind of more football rooms really. So you know there’s a bit of that. I thought the the again the minority and it would have been late in the day. There would been a lot of liquid courage happening. I thought the the heckling was absolutely disgusting. I thought it was it was borderline. It was it was way over the line. Uh certainly Rory Mroy got it a lot. His wife I believe got it a lot. She got thrown a beer on top of her head which was disrespectful, awful. Um and it was really interesting Rory talked about in the press conference after and this kind of worked like is this going to happen in each Ryder Cup going forward? I don’t think it is because in European I would say and again I’ve been to handful of um of Ryder Cups now here in Europe. I’ve never been to one in USA yet. I was supposed to go this year but I didn’t end up going in the end. But for when it’s in Europe, we fully all our chance and all our our energy and our vocal support is to support the European team. You know, sometimes if a USA team had a bad show, oh, it was a bit of heckling and a bit of booze, but nothing. Rory talked about in his press conference how he was playing with Scottish Sheffley yesterday, the world number one. he got more vocal um energy negatively towards him than Scotty Sheffley got even close to being positive towards him. Does that make sense? Like and and I feel like that doesn’t happen in the Europe. We are we’re so much more supportive of the Europeans. We’re not there to badmouth the USA, swear at um you know, be disgustingly vile to him, which is what unfortunately happened again by minority in New York at Beth Page. See, I’ve got weird thoughts on this because obviously ultimately I kind of do agree with you in sentiment that the last thing we want is someone like Rory playing golf and getting, you know, personal verbal attacks about his wife or his personal situation. I think the w the beer getting thrown. I think there was just in his direction end up hitting his wife was obviously terrible. That was just absolute scumbag behavior and that person should be thrown out. And you know it there’s no place that in any sport let alone golf. But the only place where I a little bit maybe I question does it get blown out of proportion a little bit is because when I compare golf to other sports and the other sporting question I’m going to use is football soccer to the American listeners we know that let’s be honest football has quite a toxic culture where players get booed get coins thrown at them get spat at get verbally abused all the time things about the family the children horrible horrible things threats on social media it’s disgusting And partly while I do like football, I almost don’t like it sometimes because of that culture. Golf couldn’t be further removed from that. So don’t get me wrong, some of the things that that happened over this couple of days were definitely from a golfing standpoint over the line and too far, but actually compared to other sports and it’s still, I think, respectful in a sense of there was the odd time where Roy had to back away from a shot. But you imagine now you think about uh let me go with Bruno Fernandez. I I’ll use your team taking a penalty against Liverpool. Do you think people are going to sit there in silence and let him take a kick? No. Of course. Get screamed at, shouted at fingers at him, all sorts of stuff. And he has just to take that on board and try and score the penalty. When Shane Lowry had that put to essentially win it, but quote unquote, you know, retain the cup dead silent. So, I think yes, there’s some parts of it where fans do go above and beyond and too far. But actually, I just don’t want this to get a thing where golfers all look down the nose and go, “We don’t have that in our game.” It’s like there’s a balance. It has gone too far. Yes, I can agree with you on that. But let’s not go crazy and say that, you know, RAW is getting objects thrown at him left, right, and center. There was one idiot that did it, and that person rightfully should be banned for every golf tour ever. But as a rule, such small isolated incidents, but that’s it. It is a Oh, completely. And and I think in golf because it’s so quiet that the minority are so loud. Well, and that’s the thing as well. So on that I wonder is is the twofold was this massive narrative the last two years which I think we’ve probably almost been part of that said oh it’s going to be a hostile crowd. Have we almost made the Americans feel like wait a minute we’ve got something to live up to here. Us New Yorkers are renowned for being volatile. We need to try and up our game guys and be really you know booing the guys out there. Have we almost put that on them a little bit? Maybe. I was actually thinking this on the drive in this morning. Like when if you call a kid naughty, they become naughty. Yeah. Like because they think, “Oh, well that’s my identity. That’s what I’ve got to be.” Have the press, have us have other people given New York this kind of like you say this tag. Well, you better live up to what you what you’re going to talk about. We know the chance going to be awful. We know they’re going to be heckling it. Just like say I think I think it you’re right. There was many times where there was perfect silence and and respectfully great. Um, I thought that the counting was quite humorous. I quite like that when the kind of counting for the player, you know, before they take the shot. I kind of I could I could buy into that. I thought it was quite good. What was also mad, it was $700 a ticket. Crazy. Like these aren’t, you know, they’re not football fans. They’re not paying 50 quid to go and sit in the terraces. $700 for just a normal grounds pass. and they’re risking so much by shouting abuse and you know they they could get kicked out forever. They could get been banned from every golf tournament. It’s it’s it’s wild to do it. I all it would have been I’d have loved to have seen that energy and I love the American energy, the whooping, the hollering. It’s it’s sometimes grating I get their their energy. if that would have just been targeted and pointed more to a positive for their own players rather than actually being kind of what felt like on the broadcast. It’s hard when you’re not there felt more like 60% negative and 40% positive. It would have been if it have been 90% positive who know maybe the outcome might have been totally different but I just feel like that they were very much directing it. They knew that they were struggling and it could have been different like if they would have won the foresomes on that Friday it might have been 90% positive. They almost had to use dirtier tactics because they knew they were they were 4-0 down or whatever the score was 31. Like this is a ridiculous analogy but imagine you’ve got a really tough school in the city center of London where lots of bad things happen. You’ve got kids who might be very naughty might be fights might be bloody weapons in the school smoking like really terrible things. That is not right obviously, but this feels like we’re because golf is so much muzzy as prim and papa. This is like a private school where like one kid has pushed another kid. It’s like, oh my god, William pushed Henry today. Oh my god. It’s like, whoa, in that school that incident is terrible. But in another school, it’s nothing. You think about what happened at this event. If that was in a Premier League football match, it would be classed as a friendly game, wouldn’t it? And I I don’t know. I just think it’s like this balance of I don’t want any of those idiots to be allowed at golf tournaments. I really don’t. But I just think this is a level of blown out proportion where I I personally feel like some people I don’t want that to be the narrative. And I also think last thing on this as well is as we want the RDER Cup to be bigger and better year on year out that is going to bring more very casual slash even non-golf fans going to the event. Of course it is. So if it’s $700 a ticket, those fans might act in the way that people would act. We’d like to see them act. That’s the thing. And the last last last thing on this as well is you very rarely at any golf event whether it’s the Open, the Masters, the PJ Championship, whatever it might be, see emotion like you see these players, the way that Shane Lowry nearly had a heart attack on the 18th green, the way that Bryson was going crazy, just Justin Thomas was going crazy, Rosie was going crazy. And I think that feeds off the crowd. So although it can go a bit too far and bubble over, we’ve almost got the crowd to thank in a bizarre way for making the players react in that way because you don’t see players like that at the Open Championship where everyone’s a lot more formal and clapping and polite. They might do a nice little hand up in the air at most little fist bump or you know whatever it might be. So there’s a balance. I guess it did go too far. But that’s all it is. There just needs to be a little bit of an understanding. Listen, if you step over the line, this imaginary line that we’re going to people know what that line is. Of course, they do. Like, do you know what I mean? You are going to be ejected. Let’s not do that. The line should be this what the where the line should be drawn. How many Fs? Yeah. Would you say what you’re about to say to a player if if one of these two things happen? You’re either on your own, not with your friends, or you’re within two foot of that player. Because would you call Rory and his wife if you were stood next to him without your friends? Probably not. Unless you’re an absolute lunatic. Would you say, “Oh, you know, I hope it goes in the bunker.” Yeah, he might say that. You know, fair enough. Yeah, it’s a bit funny. Or that the really funny one I saw was about when he was his button. He say, “You don’t need a button to joke, Rory.” Like those things are really and they loved it. So, it’s kind of this balance of like and I think the reason I’m using that as an example, really really silly one. Again, my last stupid analogy that probably won’t even work. When you see groups of lads who are like 18 or something walking around the streets and there’s like seven or eight of them and they’re acting all dead hard cuz they’re with the mates. It’s like if you’re on your own, you probably wouldn’t be acting in that same manner walking down the street. you probably have your head looking at your phone and being quiet little mouse. So, it’s kind of the same concept. It’s like these grown fellas who have had six beers each who, you know, they’re all out there thinking that they’re great because they’ve had six beers and they’re shouting stuff at Rory. It’s like, well, if you wouldn’t do it on your own, it’s not that great doing it with your friends acting hard, is it? So, that’s the balance. I think it will be different in um Ireland. It it 100% will be. They’ll be it’ll be so humorous in Ireland. Like the banter and the chants will be it will be hilarious. I honestly can’t wait for it. all it and again if it was in New York every single year I’d worry like let’s say let’s where see where the um waste management’s got to do you know what I mean that that’s got to a point now where that’s well worse that’s what I’m saying but it started at one point yeah I think that’s that I think that’s the whole conversation it started at a point and it’s gone and it’s gone and it’s up and it keeps going and now like oh crap it’s it’s really got out of control it’s turned into a stag dude where hence this year they restricted beer sales they did they had to they had it back. I think that’s probably the concern for the RDER Cup. It’s like, whoa, whoa, whoa. We love this tournament. Let’s let’s just come on. Let’s just bring it back. But like you say, if it was every year in New York, I think you’d have that worry that it could become a bit like the waste management. I think the fact it’s going to move around. Where is it in the States next time? I’m not sure. Rider Cup. The other thing while you’re looking at that we need to discuss that we haven’t discussed yet which had a lot of um opinion and engagement was the whole thing around the envelope. So obviously everybody listening and watching knows the story happened obviously at the weekend but Victor Havlin couldn’t play on Sunday so we shared a half point with the USA because they put the name of Harish Harris English in the envelope which is a tradition apparent they’ve done for obviously many many years. if one player for me the team can’t play then you you share the point and kind of understandably so there was a lot of negativity from the US on social media about this how say it’s a ridiculous rule it’s unfair and again I think this is one of those things that there’s going to be people on both sides kind of agreeing with the rule or disagreeing with the rule for me it is a rule so you know there’s going to be some I’m sure literal or metaphorical rule book that’s get given to the team and the captains obviously before the event and this is one of those rules where you write down a player’s name and if one of the other teams players injured then you share the point that person doesn’t play. So Harris English didn’t play. It happened in 1991 I think with the US actually won with that rule in place. We couldn’t have a they couldn’t have a player play and obviously we had to forfeit a match half a match and they went on to win. So I suppose it’s a bit of swings and roundabouts really. You know what would have been really clever if five of our players got injured. Apparently it’s only allowed one. Oh cuz then we would have got two and a half points. It’s it’s you’re only allowed one. And I think this is the thing. I said this before to guys earlier on today. Like say again, I was going to use football’s analogies one more time. If Liverpool and Man United are playing football and in the penalty area, Van Djk pushes Bruno Fernandez, the referee and the V etc. They have a decision to make. Was it a Porsche? Was it not? D and ultimately there’s going to be decision that probably goes wrong for one of the two teams because it’s either going to be a penalty or it’s not a penalty and one other half is upset about it. That’s because there’s obviously opinion behind that kind of rule and that, you know, interpretation. This is literally a rule that both teams knew leading into the event. So, it’s kind of like it’s sorry if it’s upset the Americans and they feel begrudged by that, but it is one of the rules unfortunately. Um, and by the way, Victor would have won anyway. Well, so they they’ve winding over nothing. One thing I did think yesterday though, and this is maybe another conversation for you. I think drawing and having the retaining is dated. Imagine how good it would be if it was 14 all and there was actually a playoff hole. I agree. I was thinking that you both pick a player. I mean, maybe it’d be too much that play even to comprehend and they couldn’t swing the golf club. The pressure, but halfing and and retaining does not feel No, I would have loved if it would have been 140 all yesterday. Imagine the scenes. Oh, it would have been unbelievable. Imagine the scenes. It would or which would have been the case here actually if it’s if it ends in a draw, the away team take the victory because you it’s harder to get a draw abroad. Oh. Instead of whoever’s already got the trophy. Yeah, I suppose that would have been the same in this instance. But for us it it it’s often an advantage for the away team anyway typically because our history have said it’s it’s not often that the away team win on foreign soil. Does that make sense? Yeah. So it’s a disadvantage. No. So normally so in Rome Yeah. they had to get to 14 to retain because they had won in Okay. Yeah. Yeah. So I think it was it’s kind of always an advantage. Typically it’s an advantage anyway. We’ve almost broke serve to some better better of a term where in Ireland next time we we do only have to retain. Yeah. We because we’ve broken their serves. Do you get what I mean? Um it’s in Ireland 2027. Uh Missouri. No, it’s not Missouri. Uh Hazeline Hazeline in Minnesota 2029. Uh Barcelona Spain 2031. California 33 and then we’ve not announced 2034 yet. 2035, sorry, 2037 it’s in um Congressional Country Club in Maryland. So I I I don’t think any of those venues are massively more hostile than New York. That’s what I’m trying to get out there. Question for you then, because the only the only downside to the Ryder Cup, I feel like now you have it’s over. Yeah. Well, it’s over, isn’t it? And it really don’t start thinking about it now for another probably 18 months or so. Do you think there’s a space for it? Would it work every year? No. Every two is the way to go. I really like every two because it comes around quick, doesn’t it? It does to be fair. That I can’t believe it was two years ago in Rome. No, it’s true. I actually I couldn’t believe that. I was almost like, what? It’s weird. Yeah. I I’m sure that was only six months ago cuz next year you’ll have a you know, there’s no exciting end of the year, but you’ll kind of just get through that next year and then it’s like banging straight into Radic Cup again. Like I I really like the two-year split. Um, I don’t I don’t think I’d change anything. Don’t think I’d change the how often it’s played. I don’t because I didn’t realize how many times the format’s changed. No, I don’t I don’t know that. So, historically, historically, it was just one forsomes match and one singles match. It was played in one day. All right. Wow. So, it’s forsomes in the morning, singles in the afternoon. That was it. Then they changed it to maybe two one forsomes, two singles. Then it was a foresome, four balls, and a single. It’s Ch the format’s changed a lot. Format is good now, isn’t it? It’s really good. It’s really good. What do you enjoy more? The foresomes are the four ball. I like the foresomes. Yeah, I do. I feel like the forsomes like you’ve always got that backup. So, like you get you, you know, you watch and it’s like this put to tie the hole and he’s got a 20-footer, but what they’ve not shown is his playing partner’s got a three-footer also to tie the hole. So, this put’s not that actually important. It’d be nice if it went in, but it’s not that important. where I feel like if it was it’s a simpler watch in Forsom foromsomes you’re like oh no this this has to go in this is it’s a horrible format I hate forsomes but this has to go in the way that Europeans played in that first day in forsomes was amazing and also there is a little bit more strategy involved there’s got to be more there’s things like the golf ball the drilling together he’s going to hit off like who you know do you want a long hitter with a short hitter do you want a great putter with another great putter like what what what is the formula that was really interesting and and again it was only afterwards that come out. Was it Colin Moricaran Colin Moricaran Harris English out of all of the pairings? They were the statistically the worst possible pairing the Americans can put together and they put them together twice. I couldn’t believe that there’sund it 132 combinations. That seems a lot but obviously if you do the maths it works out right. But but that that statistically that’s the worst. and he played him twice and he faced was it Rory and Rory and Tommy both times or something. It’s like Jesus liters give us two points. You know what I couldn’t believe this week until hearing that and I don’t know where I’ve been that Russell Henley is the third best player on the planet. I know I couldn’t believe that. I I didn’t have any idea he was that highly ranked. I know there’s some obviously excuse that with obviously that live don’t get the world ranking points all that kind of stuff but that seemed to me weird. really odd. I tell you I was really impressed with and I thought he was going to have a stinking Radic Cup. I thought JJ Spawn was good. He really surprised me considering literally was it the players this year I didn’t really know anything about him. He lost to Rory in the playoff. He then went on to win the US Open after that whole massive put at Oakmont. He’s had an unbelievable season. What what a great season he’s had. Um what do you think about the the bit of a the bit of drama, the bit of fighting on Saturday afternoon? I kind of quite like it. I think we need these narratives though. I mean, it doesn’t again I know I keep going back to football and it’s a bit silly, but compared to football, it was nothing, was it? It was a little bit of heat, a little bit of, you know, chatting this. Yeah. And then Finno stepped in and it all went quiet and then that’s it. Absolutely loved it. But you want to see it, don’t you? I loved it. I was ling going, “Oh my god, just inject this into my veins because this is what the Ryder Cup’s about.” And listen, we don’t want to see people literally don’t see players fighting, but it’s just a bit of Justin Rose had a put Bryson his caddy was kind of in his ey line. I loved how Justin Rose afterwards said, you know, I I politely asked him to move out the way. Might not have said it in that exact terms. He obviously didn’t, but and then for him to hold the then for Bryson to step up and hold his foot, I was like, “Yes, how good is this?” Bryson must be the most annoying person to play against because yesterday when he was obviously on that comeback from Fitzpatrick and he was five down and he’s holding those puts then obviously claw it back and claw it back. Although I like Bryson think what he’s done for golf recently has been incredible. Obviously met him a few times yourself. He’s always come across very nicely but he was annoying me but that was a good thing in a sense of he was doing you know as a European I was watching going you’re doing my head in which is a sign of a great player. Russ um Bryson has that and I tell you what Patrick Canlay has that. Every time I saw Pat Patrick Canley on that TV I was like he’s going to hold this. He is just I mean slow as anything and that’ll be that’ll be interesting to see what happens if he does play an Ireland because I think this new um crowd clockwatch could definitely come in with Patrick Gantley. They run out of numbers but like I just thought that was every time he stepped I was like you you are just going to hold this. He’s like like they need to dress him all in black cuz he he just a bit like a villain in it. Yeah. That annoys me on the final day how close the outfits were. Like the outfits aren’t great. No, they’re awful. Why do they go with these stripes? Keeps turning up as well. Why do they keep going with these stripes all the time on the final day meant the four times abroad or something? But the USA always wear stripes. We always wear stripes. It never looks like the the Sorry to whoever designed I don’t know who made the the I think was it Ralph Ren the US Ralph Ren the US one. It’s some really really expensive Italian brand. They just look cheap. The colors were all turning up all the time. I know. I don’t know if that was just the heat or something. Doesn’t look smart. No, we had that brand weirdly when we uh they must have signed a long-term deal when when who was the captain in Paris in um the Golf National. Um, why is he Why is that sl my mind? Have a look on this now. Thomas Bejorn. Thomas Bejorn because he’s got the tattoo on his ass. Thomas, he he must have signed a long-term deal with some fancy Italian brand because they’ve been the sponsor in Paris, Rome, and now New York. Is it Mason Flex or something? And Whistling Straits. It’s a I’ve never heard of it. Um, but it was it really annoyed me because like on Saturday the outfits were very different, you had the Europeans in this kind of maroon color and the USA team in their kind of uh navy Ralph Lauren tops. And the final day, apart from the the way that as soon as I looked at the TV, it was either a red hat or a white hat, which made it a bit easier to spot, but the t-shirts often just like, “Oh god, who’s who who is this? Who’s playing?” Yeah, the the the outfits aren’t amazing. Um but it was it was really really good. It obviously um there was big expectations for the RDER Cup. There is every time and this for me absolutely delivered. Um oh no is it loro piano or something is it called? Yeah. Yeah that’s the one. Um there was there was lots of talking points. That’s what we want as fans. You people want to go into work today or down the pub whatever to the golf club next time you play and chat about the RDER Cup. Um you you couldn’t really have asked for more. Do you think in hindsight and hindsight it’s a wonderful thing, do you think Bradley Keegan wish he’d picked himself? Keegan Bradley wish he’d picked himself? No. I I think to to to play and to have that responsibility is is two very different things. And I also think does someone is someone like Luke Donald the perfect captain in a sense of not only is he obviously doing such a good job of it but the fact that he you know he’s a former world number one golfer he’s not at his pomp anymore that’s fair to say but he can still obviously play the game to a very good level is someone that’s still so competitive as a player as a captain is that the right fit I don’t know it personally it was always the wrong fit was such a left field choice to go with Keegan Bradley It really really surprised me cuz like you say he only just missed out on being on the team for Rome um you know famously when he got that phone call um on the Netflix documentary like he was devastated and then you know six months later being asked to be the captain so random. I’m going to make something a bold prediction here though is if Tag Woods is the next captain or maybe I should say when he is the captain whenever that might be if it’s this time in Ireland or the following Ryder Cup I think he will win because I think him as a captain is just going to be an absolute formidable force. I know he’s not had the best RD cut record himself, but you think every single player in that locker room will have the most insane level of respect of admiration for him. I think him, imagine him walking around like gan up the crowd. Imagine almost the fear from the European players. I I’d almost be conflicting myself wanting Tiger to do well because it’s the it’s mad. I just think he will be unbelievable. I’m just looking. I’m just double checking. Wasn’t he a playing captain for the President’s Cup in 2019? I’m not sure. I’m just checking what the result was. Bernard, local Australian. Do you remember that? Was Tiger Woods the the USA? Oh, yeah. You’re so new to it. Um I don’t know if I don’t think he won. I I I just think thinking about Tiger now, the place he’s at where he’s w you know, his golf career is, let’s be honest, probably probably winded down, he’s not going to be, I don’t think, competitive again. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think he is. Him as a captain in the Ryder Cup would just be incredible. Well, he’s got a really close relationship with JP McManis, who owns Well, yeah, Dare Manner. So, there’s that conversation. I mean, it it would be incredible. I mean, hear me out now. Maybe before we wrap this podcast up, we got the next RDER Cup in Ireland. Luke Donald stays on. Goes right one more time. I’m going to be Ryder Cup captain. Tiger is the US captain in Ireland. Do you not think Tiger would want to do a USA would want to be a captain only in the USA? I don’t know. Good question. I don’t know. It’s a It’s a daunting task to take on a captaincy for an away rider cup. I don’t think Tiger’s scared by daunting tasks. I think that might g him up even more and also the fact that he can’t play right now or he’s not get back to that level that could give him that new lease of life and you see it a little bit when you you know when you see him now maybe give interviews know he’s not done as much recently or you see him obviously around his son Charlie or he does feel like he’s kind of got to that point now where he’s becoming like you know he’s say elder statesman but he’s getting that part in his career now where that kind of captaincy role would fit him perfectly. Yeah. 2019 when he was captain for the for the President’s Cup. Um they won 1614 against Ernie L’s. I don’t I’m just thinking in in Australia. So it wasn’t away President’s Cup. There you go. Well, it was amazing. Um you know, I can’t wait to scroll through Instagram for the rest of the afternoon watching highlights and watching celebrations and looking at stories from the after parties, etc. Um, you know, I think I think it was unbelievable. I’m really excited to see what happens from this moment. Fourth, um, huge shout out to Luke Donald, team Europe. Uh, obviously Tommy Fleetwood played amazing. Shane Lowry, Terrell Hatton, John Ram, all the guys did unbelievable job. Um, and yeah, question for you. Today’s Monday. Right now, I understand you’re in the head space similar to me. We think the Radic Cup’s everything. At what day in this week will you kind of forget about it again? Is it going to be even this week? Will it be like Wednesday, Thursday? Like, oh, that was good. Yeah, I forgot about that. When was a couple who won? What? What was the golf course? Yeah, Wednesday. It’s bad that isn’t it? That’s just what it’s like. It does. That’s just the thing with the ruined that for me. Sorry. I know. Jeez. What about if they did that? I say it’s not like in football you could have a trophy presentation because what would it be? What country would it be in? France, Belgium. Who knows? Switzerland’s quite neutral. Yeah. By the time it’s Wednesday, oh yeah, I forgot about the radical. Oh, the only downside to hear me out. The only downside like winning the Premier League or the Champions League, we dine out on it for a long time with friends. The only slight downside to Ryder Cup, but hey, it’s still Monday. You can enjoy it for a couple more days and then we can start thinking about two years time, Ireland. You could become a massive Ryder Cup fan in the next two years. I am. Well, it’s about you being a big you you’ve done the biggest U-turn. I got sucked into it this time. I did. I did. And you did in Rome. and is in realm. I think what it is, it’s gray white. I like it. I like the radical cup. Shoot me. I’m sorry. Wow. Guys, thanks for listening. Stay tuned. Lots more to come. And uh again, congrats to team Europe. Commiserations, Team USA. You just simply weren’t good enough. And we’ll see you next time. Bye.

0:01 – Europe Won The Ryder Cup
9:40 – Luke Donald Captaincy
13:55 – Scottie Scheffler
15:00 – Ryder Cup vs The Majors
18:00 – Ryder Cup High Quality
19:25 – Boring Course?
21:35 – USA Crowd
32:40 – The Envelope
34:50 – Should there be draws?
36:25 – Upcoming Ryder Cups
37:05 – 2 Year Waits
40:20 – Ryder Cup Drama
42:15 – Bad Ryder Cup Clothing
44:30 – Keegan Bradley

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