Brandt Snedeker admits the big mistake he made as Team USA are swept on Presidents Cup Friday
· Yahoo Sports
Team USA were played off the park on Friday at the Presidents Cup.
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They were swept by the International Team in foursomes in what is becoming a concerning trend for the Americans. They are consistently beaten in this format every single year, and this is the second straight Presidents Cup where Team USA were swept on Friday.
The Americans do not appear to have a grasp on how to put together pairings for alternate shot. When done well, forming foursomes partnerships is a scientific process with deep statistical analysis. However, Team USA treat it like an art, leading to all sorts of blunders.
Captain Brandt Snedeker clearly got it all wrong on day two of this year’s Presidents Cup, but there’s one mistake in particular that he regrets.
Brandt Snedeker regrets pairing Cameron Young with Justin Thomas in foursomes
Justin Thomas and Cameron Young lost 3&2 to Adam Scott and Christiaan Bezuidenhout in Friday foursomes, in what was one of many embarrassing defeats for Team USA.
Thomas had been the American’s star player on Thursday, carrying Jackson Koivun to a debut win in fourballs, which made Snedeker select him for alternate shot the following day. But Snedeker admitted it was an off-the-cuff decision, and one he now regrets.
Speaking to the media after the day’s play, he said, “That was something we had thought about beforehand. We felt like Justin and Cam had played so well the first day, it was going to be kind of hard to keep them off the golf course.
“That’s one of the things as captain you look back on maybe when this thing is all over with it might not have been the right decision, but it seemed like the right decision at the time. Those guys are both great guys. They played fantastic on Thursday. Just kind of felt like I’d roll with it.
“But love those guys. They battled their ass off today. Just didn’t quite get the right momentum we wanted.”
Snedeker’s explanation of his decision to pick Thomas and Young outlines the biggest issue Team USA faces. “I kind of felt like I’d roll with it” is a wild process in an event which requires meticulous planning and preparation.
In fourballs you can get away with that philosophy. It’s a team event, but players are playing their own balls, and chemistry and form plays a larger role.
But in foursomes, too many factors are at play for vibes to influence the decision-making process. Who tees off on the odds and evens? How can we ensure that players are playing to their strengths on each hole? Are they comfortable playing each other’s ball?
These are all things we must evaluate deeply in the months leading up to the event. Instead, Snedeker decided that both were playing well, so they must play together on Friday. The result was inevitable.