A week on from the USA's heavy defeat to Europe in the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, Tom Watson, the captain, has taken full responsibility for the rout in an open letter released over the weekend.
From damning comments by Phil Mickelson in the immediate aftermath of the 16½-11½ defeat to reports of a confrontational and angry team meeting the night before the Sunday singles, Watson has been besieged by criticism, controversy and speculation.
In a letter released through the PGA of America, which oversees the Ryder Cup in the US, Watson accepted his "mistakes" and said he had since spoken with Mickelson and appreciated his intentions.
"I completely understand his reaction in the moment," said Watson, who left Mickelson on the sidelines for both sessions on the Saturday. "Phil's heart and intentions for our team's success have always been in the right place. Phil is a great player, has great passion and I admire what he's done for golf. The bottom line is this. I was their captain. In hindsight whatever mistakes that were made were mine. And I take complete and full responsibility for them."
The five-time Open champion also stated: "I regret that my words may have made the players feel that I didn't appreciate their commitment and dedication to winning the Ryder Cup."
Ted Bishop, the outgoing president of the PGA of America, admitted he felt the timing of Mickelson's withering critique of Watson - a grim assessment carried out during the team's post-match press conference - was wrong. But he believes it can now act as a catalyst for significant changes in the US approach to the Ryder Cup captaincy.
Bishop, who brought Watson back to the competition 21 years after the Kansas veteran's previous captaincy, has said that a task force of former captains and players would be compiled in a bid to formulate a new strategy and arrest a slide that has led to Europe winning eight of the last 10 meetings of the two sides.
Asked about Mickelson's remarks in the post mortem, Bishop said: "I think the timing of it was a little bit curious and I felt bad for Tom Watson in that regard. It would have been great if that conversation could have been confidential between Phil and Tom. I wasn't embarrassed but it was an uncomfortable setting and watching the body language of the players on the podium I think everybody was a little bit uncomfortable and it certainly wasn't the way we had hoped to end this Ryder Cup.
"It was tough enough to lose and then to have to face that kind of drama in the press room was pouring a little bit of salt in the wound.
"He [Mickelson] did what he did with a purpose whether you agree with it or not. He's passionate about the Ryder Cup and he feels that there needs to be some changes going forward."
Bishop conceded that Europeans have developed a formula for success with a clear line of continuity with skippers who have served their time in vice-captaincy roles as well as leading positions in other team events like the Seve Trophy.
He added: "The PGA of America is in a pretty deep analysis right now about trying to really change our Ryder Cup model going forward and if this precipitates some changes that's probably a good thing.
"Not that we're necessarily trying to mimic or copy what Ryder Cup Europe is doing but they certainly have developed a formula of success.
"There are some consistencies that they utilise from Ryder Cup to Ryder Cup that have paid off for them so we can certainly, probably, steal a page from their book.
"Paul McGinley proved that you can train and groom somebody to be a very successful Ryder Cup captain.
"One statistic that's pretty amazing from a United States standpoint is, since 1999, Davis Love is the only Ryder Cup captain that previously served as an assistant captain and I think that's a pretty amazing statement. I don't know how anybody can have their best chance to succeed as a Ryder Cup captain when they haven't first been a vice-captain once or twice."
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