Undercover Pro: The not always pretty truth about captain's picks
Justin Thomas got a lot of undeserved criticism for the optics of cozying up to 2023 Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson in a year when Thomas didn’t have his best stuff. Everyone on tour knows what JT can do in team match play. There are players who need to kiss ass, but Thomas isn’t one of them.
However, politicking for team events is a thing. When I say that, your mind might jump to Webb Simpson’s 4 a.m. text to Tom Watson that persuaded Watson to pick him just hours before the deadline. The truth is, the practice is more nuanced—and even dirtier.
I can only speak for the American side, which I’ve been fortunate to play for. If a captain hosts a clinic or charity event, a player whose calendar had been jam-packed in the past now miraculously has that Monday date available. Or the captain gets a few more invites to practice rounds or dinner, and his cheesy jokes in the clubhouse earn a few extra laughs. Honestly, the stigma of bootlicking runs so high that most guys are careful not to go over the top. Plenty of players want captains to know they’re hungry to be part of the team, yet being labeled a phony isn’t far behind being branded a cheater. We all know who the naturally social guys are and who keeps to himself—so when someone from the latter group suddenly starts hamming it up with decision-makers, the rest of us notice. You have to be yourself and hope that’s enough.
As for canvassing from non-players, that’s when it can get uncomfortable.
There’s no better Christmas than the one after you’ve been named captain of the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup. There’s an infamous story about one captain receiving a football helmet with his college alma mater’s logo on one side and the U.S. flag on the other. The helmet came from an agent who had three players in the running for picks—and the agent made sure to mention that detail in his accompanying letter. A captain might also get a nudge from inside his own agency, gently reminding him that it would be great if one of his picks could “stay in the family.”
Sponsors can apply pressure, too. When a captain’s sponsor brings up a name they’d like him to consider, there can be an unmistakable implication about what might happen to the captain’s next contract if that suggestion gets ignored. Fairly recently, a captain received advance notice of an equipment manufacturer’s advertising campaign that featured all their staffers with a heavy patriotic theme. The captain informed the manufacturer that several of those players had no realistic chance of making the team—which led to a heated confrontation with the company.
It’s no secret that the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup sometimes struggle for ratings during football season. To ensure that any marquee names who haven’t automatically qualified get serious consideration, representatives from the broadcasting network insert themselves into more meetings than you can imagine. Phil Mickelson was a captain’s pick in three of his last four team appearances. The 2015 Presidents Cup was egregious—Mickelson finished 30th in points. I’m told that same pressure has often been applied for Rickie Fowler.
For those who think the system is dirty—it is getting better. Your patron saint in this regard is Ryan Moore. While other captain’s pick contenders in 2016 were kowtowing to the powers that be, Moore was crystal clear: I want to compete, pick me if you think I deserve it, but I’m not playing the game. Moore took Rory McIlroy to a playoff at the Tour Championship, earned the nod, and ultimately won two of his three matches at Hazeltine—including the clinching point in Sunday singles.
Credit to Davis Love III for going with Moore, but in the locker room afterward, Moore got real credit for refusing to be a slave to politics. —With Joel Beall
