Golf
Farrell Evans, Golf 9y

Task force misses the point

Golf

Upon learning that the PGA of America had convened an 11-member task force to examine the state of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, Lee Westwood had a good laugh at the expense of the Americans.

"What a massive pat on the back and confidence-booster it is for Europe that Team USA needs to create a Ryder Cup task force!" the European team veteran tweeted.

Stroking the collective egos of Team Europe was not what the PGA of America had in mind when it convened the task force and called upon Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to participate. It sprang from Mickelson's complaints about the lack of consistency in Ryder Cup leadership, and the fact that the U.S. has lost eight of the past 10 matches to the Europeans.

These reform-minded U.S. golf ambassadors may mean well, but they could be in for a long fight that's not very worthwhile or useful in the long run.

Task forces are by definition bureaucracies. They are often the domains of politicians, who regularly convene them to address major governmental and societal problems or to simply appease a particular interest group.

When Nelson Rockefeller was governor of New York from 1959 to 1973, according to a new biography by Richard Norton Smith, he started more than 40 task forces to deal with many issues that were plaguing the Empire State during his four terms in office.

Yet Rockefeller didn't convene a task force to explain the 1962 New York Mets, who went 40-120 in their first season. No group of experts was needed to evaluate what any 8-year-old Little Leaguer could understand: The '62 Mets were awful.

In recent years, the U.S. Ryder Cup team hasn't been as awful as the '62 Mets, but its European opponents have played better and perhaps have even been better-coached.

But is this really worth a task force?

And more importantly, will it succeed?

The U.S. Ryder Cup task force can institute all the changes it wants, but it can't legislate better golf. Now, it can make sure that it has a qualified coach and the best players, but it can't hit the shots for the players once the matches start.

The essence of the Ryder Cup, particularly since the mid-1980s when Europe began to become major contenders, has been one of emotion, nerves and excitement. No task force can predict how a player will respond mentally over a 7-footer to win the cup.

Proponents of this task force may miss the unique quality of these matches in their rush to fix the so-called problem with Team USA. Jerry Jones can convene a group of ex-Dallas Cowboys because that's his business. His and other professional team sports rigorously study potential draft picks and coaches for decisions that will have a far-reaching impact over the course of seasons and many years.

The Ryder Cup is three days every two years. It's not like the Olympic movement, where athletes train over several years to compete in trials to make a team. Golfers can only pursue the Ryder Cup every two years and then only as much as they play well in regular events.

It's not a career.

In some very basic ways, the formation of this task force is very similar to such groups that arise in the political sphere.

Like a vocal reform-minded precinct captain on a local school board, Mickelson spoke out against the top-down authority of the PGA of America and the inconsistency of the U.S. captain's philosophy from year to year.

The PGA of America heeded his concerns and organized this body. From that perspective, what Mickelson did is good for golf. More players should be vocal when they have disagreements with the PGA of America, the USGA or the PGA Tour.

Mickelson will certainly be a prominent leader on the task force. With Tiger, he brings star power to the group and two decades of experience in the matches. And who knows: The task force, co-chaired by PGA of America vice president Derek Sprague and its CEO, Pete Bevacqua, will find a better way, perhaps, for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

But it won't easily stem the tide of Team USA defeats.

More importantly, if these reforms fail, will it lead to other task forces and appeals from players to make further changes and modifications to the selection process of players and captains?

And regardless of this move by the PGA of America, interest in the Ryder Cup will not shrink because of the Team USA's present drought. When the U.S. does make a resurgence, it might lead to even greater popularity.

No matter how much some of us may love the Ryder Cup or a winning Team USA, few of us likely would welcome a bureaucratic, fussy affair with cumbersome protocols and task forces full of competing agendas.

The golf must always be the main spotlight, regardless of the winner.

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