Bring Back the Boys Club
I finally finished the latest season of Full Swing and spent some time this week thinking about the Ryder Cup and what the U.S. Team can do to be better.
After getting walloped in the 2014 Ryder Cup, Phil Mickelson criticized captain Tom Watson for not using the “Pod System,” which powered the U.S. to a victory over Team Europe. After the 40th matches, Mickelson was upset, calling for a revamp of the system – at that point, the U.S. had lost the last three Ryder Cups, including a massive choke job at Medinah in 2012.
In 2016, the U.S. went back to the system, winning their first Ryder Cup in eight years. Five years later, they won in one of the biggest routs ever, 19-9. But this was because it was a ‘boys club’ type of Ryder Cup. The team was mostly comprised of ‘cool guys’ with Bryson DeChambeau being the lone ‘weirdo,’ but even he fit in.
The U.S. strayed from that ‘boys club’ in the two most recent Ryder Cups, and it has not looked great, being beaten in both, including the most anticipated event, which took place last year at Bethpage Black. Conversely, the European Team leaned into the boys club, changing only one player between 2023 and 2025.
So, how to get the U.S. back to its glory days of the Ryder Cup? Lean back into the boys club. Something like this will definitely be met with anger from those on the outside, but it is necessary. It is time to eliminate the guaranteed positions by points, and it must be left up to the captain and vice-captains. Of course, there will be a temptation to ride the hot hands, but sometimes the best players for the event are not looking the best leading into it, and that’s okay.
Looking at last year’s team, there are three easy changes that should have been made, which would have made the U.S. team so much better. By swapping Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, and Keegan Bradley in for Harris English, Russel Henley, and one of JJ Spaun/Sam Burns/Sam Burns, you would have given Justin Thomas his old partner in crime back. Brooks is a man on a mission in the biggest events and could have played with Scottie Scheffler – which would have been formidable. And Keegan is just a great all-around guy, who was not only having one of the best seasons of his life, but is also part of the club.
In short, end the points. Bring back the ‘boys club.’ Win more Ryder Cups.