As John Daly prepared for a rare matchplay opportunity the two time major champion who has never been selected for a Ryder Cup yesterday suggested that America’s leading players need to be encouraged to party if they are to start winning golf’s most prestigious team event again.
The message was very much in keeping with his “Wild Thing” image and while largely good-natured there was a semi-serious undertone to it as he allowed himself to be drawn on why Europe has dominated with eight wins in the 10 matches contested since Daly was overlooked after winning the Open Championship in 1995.
Albeit from afar the 49-year-old has formed the opinion that Europe’s trump card is the environment they create, pointing to the interaction between captain and leading players when deciding upon partnerships.
“I don't know if our captains do that or not,” he said, after finalising his preparations for the Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Matchplay in yesterday’s pro-am.
“I don't know all the facts and everything that goes on behind the doors when the captain is talking and everything, but I sense it, it's my opinion, that the European guys get along better.
“It just seems like whoever is playing on the European team, they all get along great. It seems like the American team might get along but I don't know if they really, you know, are getting along, you know what I mean. When I see it on TV, it just looks like our guys are not having a good time.”
As much as US officialdom has promised to break the mould in the way it prepares its teams Daly – who was also ignored after winning the 1991 USPGA - acknowledges that while “it would be fun” to be US captain and he would love to do the job, it is unlikely he will ever be seen as fit for the role.
Comments such as: “He drinks wine. He drinks the women’s product. I drink a man’s drink,” when asked about socialising with European bon viveur Miguel Angel Jimenez may be designed to amuse, but suggest a lack of awareness or concern about their capacity to generate offence.
Furthermore he exposed how much homework he might have to do when identifying Paul Azinger as captain of next year’s US team (Davis Love III has been appointed) and Jason Day (an Australian) as a very strong American youngster.
However if he ever got the job part of Daly’s solution would be to find ways of helping his men loosen up.
“All I know is my team if I was a captain, I’d make sure we'd have a blast,” he promised.
“You don't want to wear a tie, don't wear a tie. Have fun. It's supposed to be fun.
“I think we just get wrapped up in it. When you're favoured to win so many years like the Americans have, I think we get uptight. We've been favoured, even the matches that we are getting killed in.
“I think we put too much pressure on ourselves. Just go out and play golf. It's great to play for your country, but it's still a gentleman's game at the end. The rumour I've heard is we haven't been going to the parties after the tournament, which the Europeans from what I've heard, they go to every party on Sunday after it's over to congratulate the Americans for winning.
“We need to always do that as Americans to say ‘look, they beat us, we have to accept that and let's go party and have a few drinks with them and congratulate them.’ I've heard rumours some of our teams haven't done that and I think that's a shame.”
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