Justin Rose takes shot at ‘try hard’ US Ryder Cup team
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Let the Bethpage mind games begin! With a week to go, European veteran Justin Rose has questioned the United States’ tactics…
Justin Rose ended the last Ryder Cup by explaining the importance of team culture, and he’s started this one in the same manner – only this time it’s to take aim at the American setup.
While the Europeans are, on paper at least, often far outweighed by their rivals – whether it be in terms of trophies, world ranking, or star power – yet, in the modern era of the biennial showdown, it’s the men in yellow and blue who have got their hands on the trophy on the most occasions.
“We are united by a culture and we are united by a generation of players that have come before us,” Rose said in the closing press conference two years ago in Rome.
“This is our time to shine, not because this is our stage, we are just taking care of it because of the amazing role models that we’ve had before us that have shown us how to do it.
“There’s a really strong culture on the European team. A good pairing on the European team doesn’t mean playing with your best mate. It means representing something bigger than yourself, and I feel like that’s, for me, what being a European Ryder Cup player is all about.”
It’s certainly been noted by the PGA of America and the powers that be who run the United States’ Ryder Cup operation within the governing body. The American team has been riddled by infighting, poor captaincy appointments, poor player selection and – in the tournament itself – mismatched pairings.
It got so bad that, in 2014, the so-called US Ryder Cup Task Force was set up in a bid to end the rut. And while it’s worked to an extent – the Americans have won the two home matches since its formation comfortably – they are still trying to work out how to win on European soil, something they haven’t achieved since 1993.
But seven-time Ryder Cup player Rose, who told TG in July that his hat is in the ring for the captaincy in 2027, believes they have leaned too much into promoting cliques rather than a team culture.
Speaking at a recent Rose Ladies Series event, the Englishman said that while “the US team have definitely bonded a lot more in recent years and they do have pockets of good friendships”, he believes they are focusing too much on that when it comes to the Ryder Cup.
“I think the Americans think being a great team is about being best mates,” Rose continued. “And I really don’t think that’s what being a great team is.”
Rose’s thoughts were made public not long after the PGA Tour released a video of the US Ryder Cup players playing a game of “passing the phone” at the Procore Championship.
The more mischievous in the replies were noting that, instead of making it funny or personal, they were saying things like “I’m passing the phone to the current US Open champion” – implying that, perhaps, the players aren’t as close as we’re being led to believe.
Rose continued: “Being a great team is about a real good theme, and having an identity that has come from players before you, and you all buy into that vision. You don’t have to be having the greatest time in the world to do that – although, inevitably, we do have a great time doing that.
“So I think America have tried too hard to become a team, whereas Europe is a bit more natural and organic and I think it comes from deeper roots in a way.”
Rose is the second high-profile Ryder Cup player to criticize the American team this week, after the artist formerly known as ‘Captain America’ Patrick Reed hit out in the ongoing Ryder Cup pay row.
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Justin Rose says the US Ryder Cup team is "trying too hard" to be friends.
