Captain Woosnam Upsetting to European Ryder Cup Participants

In the end result it may not mean much but it seems as though European Ryder Cup Captain Ian Woosnam has a leadership style that is upsetting to his team members. What style is that, you ask? His style seems to be that he doesn’t like to talk to his players. That’s a little old school - and truth be told, I usually prefer that - but here is a case where old school could use some modification. As Woosie has not kept in touch with his charges, they have been squabbling a bit in the media. Several of the automatic qualifiers have mentioned his lack of communication over the past months. Jose Maria Olazabal decided to miss the final qualifying event and put his automatic berth in jeopardy. Woosnam acted surprised at the news and then Colin Montgomerie chided Ollie for the decision. Not exactly one big happy family.

The Ryder Cup has grown into a monstrous event over the past 25 years. It has become the closest thing there is to the Olympics for golfers. Participation in the Ryder Cup (or Presidents Cup) is on every player’s list of goals, only behind winning a Major tournament. So it was quite understandable when Thomas Bjorn found out that he would not be on the European side in Ireland, that he had some unkind words for Woosie’s leadership style. Bjorn got a 20 second kiss-off in a barroom. The choice itself is subjective and not really arguable. But Bjorn and several others deserve a lot more than that. Woosnam’s apparent lack of respect for the top European Tour players could have a seriously negative effect if things get dicey in the competition a few weeks from now.