MEDINAH, Ill. – Xander Schauffele says he wants a bigger show. Give him and his fellow Americans more shots at the alternative shot – I believe 200 cracks should do – then talk to him.
But Schauffele also understands what could come for him first.
“I’m going to die before that happens,” he said. “So, unfortunately, we’re not going to get that look.”
Instead, we have the actual scene, which is also a bit morbid. To the Presidents’ Cup here at Medinah Country Clubthe United States will enter the final day on Sunday for 10.5-7.5 to Team International, which alone are alarming numbers given previous meetings – the Americans have fallen only once in 15 previous Cups. But that’s how they got the sides that have the red, white and blue feeling just kind of pale. They played nine alternate matches, or foursomes, this week. INT won seven of them, earning seven points.
And the United States has two points. That is the same number that he had last year at the Ryder Cup, out of eight possible. Two years ago in the Presidents Cup, the Americans went 3-6 in an alternate shot. Three years ago in the Ryder Cup, his mark was 1-7. That’s eight wins. And 26 defeats. And a few questions, although mainly just: How?
“That’s the million dollar question, right?” American captain Brandt Snedeker said.
“I do not know.”
Are the pairings the same? After all, golfers play golf. Thing is, American rosters, if you use world rankings as your guide, have had more talent in the last four team events — the US’s average world ranking per player is 12.75, and it’s been 26.8 for Europeans and 42.5 for Internationals. Snedeker, for his part, said that his team had practiced the alternative shot and that “we tried to put the guys in scenarios so that they get used to it and get comfortable with it.” But the occasional funky pairing does happen; this year, you might ask why the Americans’ two shortest hitters – Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman – played two matches in foursomes. Lost both.
The counterpoint to this would be that Henley and Bridgeman could play from familiar, albeit short, locations. They are also friendly with others, and those who are not can be a problem, said Kelan McDonagh, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher to Watch – who grew up in Ireland playing all kinds of alternative shots.
“It’s a strange one because on paper (the Americans) are some of the best players in the world when they play their own ball and game,” he said. “Once associated, that changes, it seems. Most of it comes to partners and relationships in those partnerships. From my experience, I always did well in foursomes when my partner was a close friend, someone with him was comfortable.
“There were times when my partner was someone I didn’t know well and that can play a role in the performance.”
However, in this Presidents Cup, the friend groups of Xander Schauffele-Patrick Cantlay and Scottie Scheffler-Sam Burns both lost on Friday in an alternate stroke, and there is also the group of Henley-Bridgeman who lost twice. Perhaps some of the problem is based on the golf ball – in the alternative shot, golfers play a different ball than their own for a hole, but this problem is usually dealt with in advance and accommodations are made.
But is the problem systemic in another way?
Do American golfers prioritize the alternative shot?
And should they?
“My guess is that we don’t spend a lot of time playing or practicing – in other words, you can still win without being great at it, so it’s not a priority because that’s not how most high-level golf is played.” Dr. Bob Rotella told GOLF.com on Saturday via text; is one of the best sports psychologists in the world and has worked with hundreds of golfers.
“If it was seen as crucial, we would have college tournaments that are foursomes, we would have pro tournaments on all tours that are foursomes, we would have junior and even amateur tournaments.”
Could it change?
“My guess is that the United States won’t start winning the Ryder Cup more frequently because they are better in foursomes, it could change,” said Rotella, “but only if the perception of the team leaders is that the foursomes is what prevents us from winning versus the perception that we can win by dominating in fourball and singles, then why put a lot of time and effort into four.
Rotella also said this:
Most people would prefer to play golf, the single ball style.
Speaking of golf – could it just be golf itself, then?
On Saturday, Americans Chris Gotterup, a rookie in the team event, saw just over halfway through the back nine with partner Cameron Young in a 6 and 4 win over Adam Scott and Sungjae Im. Cantlay and Schauffele won, improving their foursomes record in team events to 5-2 since pairing together at the 2019 Presidents Cup. Wyndham Clark and Sam Burns, meanwhile, won their first two holes against Ryan Fox and Min Woo Lee, then won just one more and lost 3 and 2. And sometimes they hit one, like Henley did on the 15th hole. which you can see by clicking. here. He and Bridgeman won their first three holes, only for Corey Conners and Nick Taylor to win 1-up.
So where does that leave things?
More questions, of course, going into next year’s Ryder Cup.
But in the immediate future, only Sundays.
Where they only play singles.
“You feel, whether you put pressure on yourself to make something happen or a couple of weird things happen on the course, you only have 12 holes to regroup and try to do something,” Schauffele said. “There’s something to be said about getting off to a good start and being in sync early and then kind of riding the wave.
“There’s also something quite satisfying about clawing your way back and coming from behind and doing that too. So actual, you’d call it a tough stretch, but not too concerned, to be completely honest.”
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