Webb Simpson, the latest in a series of U.S. players and analysts to bemoan the goings-on at last month’s Ryder Cup matches, brought to mind that bad old joke that starts, “Other than that Mrs. Lincoln ... ”
Webb Simpson laments ‘terrible’ Ryder Cup experience
After playing just two matches at the Ryder Cup and earning only a half a point, Webb Simpson says the ‘golf part’ of his trip to Scotland pretty much sucked.
Jamie Squire
Simpson, the third of Tom Watson’s three captain’s picks, reportedly begged his way onto the team only to sound on Wednesday like he wished he had kept his texts to himself.
“The golf side was a terrible experience because I only played in two matches,” Simpson told reporters ahead of this week’s defense of his Shriners Hospitals for Children Open title. “I showed up in Scotland really ready to play and excited to play, and when you sit through three matches in a row, it’s tough.
“So the golf part for me stunk, I’m not going to lie,” said Simpson about his second Ryder Cup appearance that included a 5-and-4 fourball drubbing with partner Bubba Watson, a halve with Ian Poulter in Sunday’s singles, and a lot of warming the bench. “I mean, if I said the golf was great, you could call me a liar, and we didn’t win. If I sit three matches and we win, I’ll have a different answer.”
At least, apparently, the ping pong and the rest of the off-course activities were to Simpson’s liking. Without directly saying his Saturday DNP was the captain’s decision, Simpson did offer a critique of the process of setting the lineup:
“I think that would be good for the Ryder Cup, to know what to expect, to know more about kind of who’s going to play, when, and all that, and I think that would be good. I think we all would want that,” said Simpson, who noted the PGA of America’s new task force would deal with such issues. “But again, I don’t think it’s the captain’s fault. I just think there’s no real opportunities for the players to collectively get together and say this is what we think would be best for us.”
Simpson, who started Friday’s second round at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas five shots back of co-leaders Stewart Cink and Martin Laird, clarified on Thursday that he blamed himself for his frustration with his lack of playing time at Gleneagles.
“I was just speaking about losing the Ryder Cup. No reflection on the captain at all, but any golfer wants to play and I wanted to play,” Simpson told Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis after shooting an opening 2-under 69 on Thursday. “I lost the first match with Bubba and I didn’t play again until singles, so my anticipation of what I thought the Ryder Cup would be on the golf side and what it was was much different. And that’s why I said (Wednesday) it stunk.
“No reflection on anybody else except me; if I’d played better that first much I would have probably gone out more matches,” Simpson added. “I think all of our team would agree that to an extent, the golf part did stink. We lost. We lost the Ryder Cup, and nobody likes that.”
Watson, according to reports, was planning to make Bill Haas his third choice, and had leaked that to some team members in the final day leading up to the deadline for captain’s picks. But several texts from Simpson pleading his case convinced the skipper to choose him instead in the 11th hour.
