By John Hawkins
Photos: J.D. Cuban
October 5, 2007
Even with a police escort, the bus ride from the hotel to the golf course took 45 minutes: a long time for America's best players to sit together, a perfect time for the saucy male-bonding that helps 12 talented men become a compatible, cohesive unit. At the 2005 Presidents Cup, then again at the Ryder Cup last fall, the United States squad stayed in on-site accommodations, meaning a guy could brush his teeth, grab a muffin and start hitting balls five minutes after rolling out of bed.
Last week was a bit different. "No one likes being on the bus for that long, but we've made the most of it," Jim Furyk said Saturday evening. Among the nominees for Most Valuable Passenger was Phil Mickelson, whose good-natured teasing of Woody Austin, his partner in three matches, had the caravan rollicking as it lumbered out of downtown Montreal and headed west on Highway 40.
"There's been a lot of laughter on this team -- Woody has made it very light," said Steve Stricker. "A lot of the jabs go his way, and he's pretty good at giving them right back."
The abuse didn't let up once the Yanks pulled into Royal Montreal GC, where the brilliant colors of a Canadian autumn failed to camouflage a beating that left the Internationals black and blue. Its 19½-14½ victory meant that Team USA, for all the match-play malfunctions against the Europeans in recent years, hasn't lost this event since 1998. In the four meetings since, the Americans have outscored the so-called Rest of the World by 19 points.
Some signs of global warming are less ominous than others. "You could see that the makeup of this team was excellent -- it was very evident," said '08 Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger, whose mission is to unearth some positive Presidential mojo at Valhalla with what should be a very similar squad. "They also had a lot of hot guys coming in. Stricker, Tiger [Woods], just about everybody has been playing well."
To call this rout a triumph of team chemistry would not be an overstatement, although a dozen guys in red shirts and good moods don't necessarily make a lot of putts. In addition to the 35-kilometer commute, what separated this group of Yanks from other winning teams -- and Ryder Cup losers, for that matter -- was the ability to convert mid-range scoring chances from the beginning of the week to the end.
In fact, they couldn't have started any earlier. Hunter Mahan buried an 18-footer for birdie on the first hole of the first match on the first day, setting the tone for one of the tidiest foursomes sessions any team has ever compiled. All six U.S. partnerships finished the day under par, a remarkable achievement given the alternate-shot format, and were a cumulative 13 under. The Mahan-Steve Stricker tandem made just one bogey. Mickelson-Austin made three but piled up five birdies.
It added up to a five-point lead by nightfall, but after seeing his boys pick up just 1½ points in the six Friday four-ball tilts, U.S. skipper Jack Nicklaus felt compelled to empower his Golden Bearness at the team talk that evening. Speaking as if his best player wasn't in the room, Nicklaus pointed out that at the the start of the week, everyone would have been happy with a 7-5 lead after two days, then called for a Woods-like turbocharge on the weekend. That's all fellas.
What Jack wants, Jack gets. "To win all five [Saturday morning] matches, I never dreamed that would happen," the captain admitted. "And to have us win 10½ of 11 points over two days in foursomes, which we're not necessarily that good at, was pretty astounding."
Nothing spoke more glowingly of this team's togetherness than its alternate-shot domination. The three previous U.S. squads (Ryder and Presidents) were 7-13-7 in foursomes, a format that requires more strategy and a higher level of communication than the four-ball, although quality shots make everything a lot easier. "You try to play as if it's your own ball and not worry [about your partner,] but it's challenging," said Adam Scott, who was drubbed in both foursomes sessions. "Establishing a rhythm is the hardest thing."
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