With the United States Ryder Cup team in its worst run of results in the competition’s near 100-year history, one player has demanded changes at the top…
The United States has only lifted the Ryder Cup three times since the turn of the century – and hasn’t won on European soil since 1993.
It’s a worrying time for the Americans. The team’s problems were laid bare before, during and after the latest showdown at Bethpage, where concerns about Keegan Bradley’s lack of leadership experience were corroborated as Europe enjoyed a record-breaking two days of pairs matches.
Things were equally as bad off the course. The PGA of America’s decision to hire Heather McMahan as the first tee MC ended in her quitting the role for joining in with crude chants aimed at Rory McIlroy, while the governing body’s own president faced backlash for refusing to condemn the crowd’s behavior towards the European players.
It has once again left Ryder Cup USA ripping up the blueprints and starting again.
And one man believes he has the answer.
If ever a player was made to pull on the red, white and blue, it’s Billy Horschel. Yet, rather inexplicably, he is yet to play in a Ryder Cup. The American was particularly unfortunate to miss out in 2014, despite winning two of the three FedEx Cup Playoffs, due to the captain’s picks being made ahead of the season-ending events. He was also in a good position to qualify this year before being forced to undergo hip surgery just as major season was kicking in.
But after being on the ground to watch the drama unfold in New York, the 38-year-old has called for the PGA of America to cede control of the biennial competition.
Speaking to Golf Channel‘s Damon Hack from the Bank of Utah Championship, where he is making just his third start since April, Horschel said he has spoken with some “bigger names that have been part of Ryder Cups”.
He explained: “The thing that I shared with them is that, over the last five or six years [of me] being on the European Tour, is understanding that the European Tour runs their Ryder Cup. So they see these people, they know the backroom staff, they can have conversations, when they’re over there playing, about the Ryder Cup, even if it’s a couple of years in advance, about hotels or anything that comes across their mind about how to make things better.
“They have that ability to talk to these people that they have a relationship with on a regular basis, and in my opinion we don’t have that with the PGA of America.”
And while he immediately rolled back on the stance somewhat – “they do come around and they do a great job” – Horschel is clear about what needs to happen.
“I believe that it’s time that the PGA Tour to take over,” he said. “They should run Team USA.
“We need to take more ownership of our team and have people there who work on that Ryder Cup on a yearly basis, and are out at our tournaments that we can have a relationship with and talk through things about so we don’t miss things, and things don’t slip through the cracks.”
Horschel, however, doesn’t believe the incumbent should be removed from the picture altogether.
“The PGA of America can still run the Ryder Cup,” Horshel explained. “They can still sell all the corporate stuff.”
With LIV Golf players banned from playing PGA Tour-sanctioned events, Horschel’s plans would, of course, mean the end of any involvement of players contracted to the league. Since its inauguration, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau have represented Team USA, earning three points between them across two Ryder Cups.
