[BrianL99]

For what's it worth, I think this was the greatest Ryder Cup ever, as it illustrated why the USA has been so ineffective over the last 20 or so years.

The USA has traditionally had Ryder Cup teams, whose individual achievements, far exceed those of the European team. Medal Play Golf has always been an individual sport, team golf is a horse of another color.

The Americans are "tigers". They hunt alone. The Europeans are more like "lions", who hunt in packs. The lions almost always dominate the "pack" play and the tigers dominate single play..

Every time the USA looses the Ryder Cup, all the pundits call for a change in the way the USA team is structured. I think the pundits are right, but missing the point. The USA approach has always been, trying to turn their tigers into lions for 2 weeks. Make the USA team more like the Europeans. Why? As Sam Snead once said, "you have to dance with who you brung".

Instead of trying to emulate the Europeans and trying to create a temporary pack of lions, perhaps the USA should deal with the reality of their players' personalities and allow the tigers to be tigers and the lions be lions? Forget about bringing a "team" and bring 12 gunslingers, who take no prisoners, friend or foe. I think the USA needs more Ray Floyd's and Lanny Wadkin's.

For those who claim that team play and match play are obsolete, I don't think that's true. It's become nearly extinct for professional golf, but only because it's not very practical for TV or in person viewing. Most anyone who's ever attended a Ryder Cup, will admit it's one of the worst events to watch in person. That said, most every round of non-professional golf around the world, is played as match play. Every golf league I know of, plays team golf.

So while team play and match play may be nearly extinct in the professional golf world, it's the kind of golf most of us play every day.