Ryders in the Storm

"Into this world were thrown
Like a dog without a bone"

lyrics from "Riders of the Storm"
from the album LA Woman by The Doors

Another Ryder Cup “competition” is over and the European team has shown another bunch of American individuals how this kind of golf game is played. The outcome of this latest version of the international rivalry was not unexpected. What is the reason for the American lack of ability to rally together for the honor of representing their country?

One might be the fact that the American game is based on individualism. While this might be good if you’re the Man With No Name in a “Fistful of Dollars”, it doesn’t really help in the team competition for golf. Golf in the United States, with the exception of the high school and college teams, is mano y mano. Me against you. From the time one begins the sport, the lone golfer is the norm here. Oh, you’ll meet with the regular foursome and enjoy the afternoon. But even then, it will most likely be you against the others for the five-dollar Nassau.

Here in Europe, and especially in Sweden the junior or beginning golfer is taught much differently. The Svensk Golförbundet, the Swedish Golf Federation, uses a term called “Öppen Golf”. It was created in 1983 with the intention of making Swedish golfers more competitive in international tournament play. The thought is that Sweden, being a small country, was wasting its time having amateurs play in amateur tournaments and professionals playing in professional events, and almost never in the same event. Why not let the best players meet in the same tournament in order to sharpen the competitive edge among the best players. So, in 1983, all events were declared open to all, provided handicap requirements were met. Here is a direct quote from the information provided by Svensk Golförbundet: “There is no question that this decision has played an important part in the success of Swedish golf in later years. It is still a wonder no other country has followed this easy step to encourage higher playing standard.” (My emphasis)
And, as if to prove their point, two of the twelve players on the European Ryder Cup team were from Sweden, including Henrik Stenson, who by winning his match on Sunday’s final gave the Euros the outright victory, the final score being 18 ½ to 9 ½.

Europeans are used to competitions between countries. In every sport, at every level, the opportunity to represent your country is offered. All year long, we here in Sweden can watch football, hockey, skiing, basketball, bandy ball, track and field and golf teams play for the Blue and Gold or the Three Crowns. The games are watched and followed in the press with much enthusiasm. The Viking Princess, who has just a passing interest in televised sports (rats!), is a fanatic when the Swedish team (insert sport) plays another country’s team.

But it is without the jingoistic attitude of the American fans and media. In the U.S. if the American team is the winner, it’s full on “We’re # 1!” proclaimed from the rooftops. Anything else is a let down, travesty or mistake. If the U.S. team is good, it’s covered. If the team is not, it is ignored. Even on the grand world stage of the Olympic games, American audiences are led to believe there is the team from the United States and only those who would dare compete against us. You never see the other competitors. The Winter Olympics are met with a sneer by the American sports media, a why-bother-who cares attitude, like the entire northern part of the United States who do ski and do play hockey and do play curling don’t exist. And do we need to go over the American indifference to the World Cup, much less soccer in general?

Add to the above the lack of national pride when one is chosen to represent their flag in international competitions. How many times have we heard players talk about the “inconvenience” or the “distraction” of being on the national team? The attitude of the Players Union during last spring’s baseball World Games is a good example. Meanwhile, in Europe, leagues suspend play or make allowances for players to compete in international play. NHL players make 6, 8 or 14-hour plane trips from the United States to fly home and represent their countries in those “boring” Winter Olympic games.

American golf, THE most individual minded sport ever, will continue to have its hat handed to it every time they play in these international team events. The players on the American team barely acknowledge each other on the practice range, much less band together as a team. The oft told legends of the camaraderie into the wee hours by colorful personalities has been replaced by logo sporting, colorless personalities spouting politically correct sound bites before climbing into their private jets or tour coaches for the next round of corporate pro-am’s to earn their bloated pay checks. They no longer have to want to win tour events, much less international competitions. Not when the 71st(!) player on tour makes over a million dollars in event money.

Lewis Black, who may be the funniest comic in America today, does a bit on travel where he says that when he returned from traveling abroad he discovered that the U.S. is the only country in the world that on a constant basis tells the rest of the planet that the U.S. is the greatest country in the world. He continues to say that if there was someone at your work who everyday said that they were better than the rest of the workers, you would find that behavior obnoxious and you “…would kill him…” by the end of the week.

Looking at the results of the World Cups in soccer and ice hockey, the Olympic games, the World Games in baseball and basketball and the last three Ryder Cups, the rest of the world just might be doing that.