US captain defends decisions

MEDINAH – Davis Love says he has no regrets over his Ryder Cup gameplan despite his United States team collapsing to defeat against Europe on Sunday.

Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Phil Mickelson puts his hands on his head in disbelief. Net photo.

MEDINAH – Davis Love says he has no regrets over his Ryder Cup gameplan despite his United States team collapsing to defeat against Europe on Sunday.Love’s US team lost 14½-13½ having led 10-4 on Saturday. "We were playing so well, everyone on our team was playing so well, I wouldn’t have done anything different,” said Love."All went to plan. We were four ahead. The plan worked the first two days, it just didn’t work today.”The US captain compared the emotions felt by his defeated United States Ryder Cup team to those felt by Europe after their collapse in 1999.Thirteen years ago at Brookline, Mark James’s Europe led 10-6 going into the singles matches before eventually losing by the same scoreline.Love, who was on that US team added: "We know what it feels like now from the ‘99 Ryder Cup - it’s a little bit shocking.”But he rejected criticism of his order in the final-day singles matches. "We just didn’t figure it mattered how we sent them out there,” said Love."We put our hot players up front, and our steady players in the back. We all thought it would come down to Jason Dufner."We figured that the first five, with Mickelson in the middle, were going to get us at least two or three, even if we didn’t play well, because of the way Keegan [Bradley] and Brandt [Snedeker] were playing. These guys were all major champions. They just got beat by guys that were playing well.”Two Europe victories in the Saturday afternoon fourballs closed the gap to 10-6 going into Sunday’s singles, but USA remained short odds-on favourites to regain the trophy that they have only won once since 1999.Love, like counterpart Jose Maria Olazabal, put his in-form players at the top of the order, including four-time major champion Phil Mickelson .Another veteran, Jim Furyk , stood still, head bowed on the final green after his loss to Spaniard Sergio Garcia.Like Mickelson, he was 1up going to the 17th, and like his American team-mate he was part of that victorious team of 1999.Steve Stricker , competing in his third Ryder Cup, played in the match that decided the destination of the trophy - losing 1up to German Martin Kaymer.Woods was playing Francesco Molinari in the final match to tee-off. By the time the pair approached the final green, Europe had secured victory.