GLENEAGLES, Scotland—If the United States had six Jordan Spieths and six Patrick Reeds on their team this week, the odds are they would have won the Ryder Cup on foreign soil for the first time since 1993.
As it is, they were condemned to a 16½ - 11½ defeat at Gleneagles, as those around them failed to match their example and deliver the intensity and quality of play required to beat a European side that was motivated, united and in-form.
In the aftermath of another disappointing team performance, the two rookies deserved better than to become one aspect of an ugly spat between Phil Mickelson and the US captain Tom Watson, a dispute that is likely to run and run following Sunday’s explosive losers’ press conference.
After Watson mistakenly said Spieth and Reed had delivered 8½ points for the team, the left-hander felt compelled to point out that, though "he is no mathematician", if they really had delivered that number the US team would probably have won (it was actually 3½, delivering 2½ from three as a pairing).
It was one part of a deeper philosophical disagreement between the captain and his most senior player—“nobody here was involved in any decision,” Mickelson moaned—but in this aspect at least Watson was along the right lines; Reed and Spieth had unquestionably delivered for their teams in a way others on the squad had conspicuously failed to.
“Patrick and I made a great team this week,” Spieth said. “The captain put his trust in us. We went out there and were able to get the job done.”
“This is the best event I’ve ever played in my life,” Reed added. “I definitely want to be back and I’ll definitely be trying even harder just to come back.”