In an interview with Golf.com, Lee Trevino came to the defense of Tom Watson and his captaincy of the U.S. Ryder Cup team at Gleneagles last year:
“Tom Watson is a good friend of mine. I’ve got a hell of a lot of respect for the guy, and I was really angry about the way they treated him. I don’t know what went on behind the scenes, but the players have to understand he worked his butt off for two years and all they did was show up and go play.”
The U.S. team was soundly beat last fall by the European squad 16.5 to 11.5. It was a result that odds makers and level-headed golf fans expected. However due to the frustration on the U.S. side over recent European dominance (Europe has won 8 of the last 10 Ryder Cups), Watson came under fire for his old school methods.
The criticism of Watson began immediately at the post-competition press conference from Phil Mickelson. We detailed Lefty’s attack here.
Mickelson mostly went unpunished in the media for his disrespectful airing of U.S. dirty laundry that should have stayed behind closed doors (he didn’t get a pass from me). Brandel Chamblee blasted him on the live broadcast immediately after the comments were made, but the vast majority of media outlets decided to focus on what he said. Some praised Lefty for saying what they thought had to be said.
The focus shifted quickly from what was a reprehensible public humiliation to speculating on the U.S. plan moving forward. I thought somewhere along the timeline golf’s Old Guard would stand up to defend Watson, condemn Phil for not letting his play speak for him, or at the very least echo Tom Watson’s succinct, and accurate, assessment that the U.S. got their butts kicked.
Lee Trevino, to Cameron Morfit in the interview, was the one to finally say what needed to be said about that press conference:
“If Phil Mickelson wants to say what he said, it’s up to him. I thought it would have come out a lot better from someone like Patrick Reed, who went 3-0-1, instead of a guy who has been a part of so many losing teams.”
It’s the next sentence from Trevino that Phil needs to take to heart:
“If I had a losing record in the Ryder Cup, I’d keep my mouth shut.”
To me, that’s the difference right there between the attitudes of dominant U.S. Ryder Cuppers that went out and simply beat the guy they were playing as opposed to modern American golfers who need to be heard and feel comfortable in their pod so they’re “invested” in the process.
Thank you Mr. Trevino. I feel so much better now.
(photo courtesy of Bridgestone Golf)
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