Like the other American golf fans, golf analyst Brandel Chamblee was confused with Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson’s pairing selections. The captain made some interesting choices, including putting two rookies together for both sessions.
Brandel Chamblee calls Zach Johnson into question amid ‘bizarre’ Ryder Cup pairings
Chamblee wasted no time to put Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson in his place after the ridiculous pairings he put together for Day 1.
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Team USA got swept 4-0 during Friday’s foursome matches. In the afternoon, they went 0-1-3. It was the first time in Ryder Cup history Team USA did not win a single match during a day of competition.
After all the action, Chamblee went on a rant during the Live from the Ryder Cup show.
“I’d love to see the data where Scheffler and Burns is the best team to put out there first,” Chamblee said. “I can’t even imagine the data that would say that. There’s NO data that would say that... In the most bizarre captain’s choices that I’ve ever seen, I would easily put this in the top 5 most bizarre things I’ve ever seen a captain do.”
Johnson put best friends Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns together to start the tournament. The he paired Ryder Cup rookies Brian Harman and Max Homa. Both teams were crushed.
Chamblee was not wrong in questioning Johnson’s choices because they clearly did not work.
He also called out Johnson for his captain’s picks when perceived better golfers could have gone to Rome instead. He said what many fans were thinking after watching Team USA get embarrassed Friday.
The Americans got their tails handed to them on Day 1 at Marco Simone Golf Club.
Team Europe made logical choices by pairing a rookie with a veteran, which helped them dominate.
European captain Luke Donald addressed that after play Friday, pointing out how much pressure there is at the Ryder Cup. The veteran teammate is a calming presence to someone that has not experienced this type of atmosphere.
The American captain clearly didn’t learn that lesson after Day One either. He is sending Homa and Harman out together again Saturday morning.
Johnson alluded to some kind of sickness spreading among his team but didn’t go into detail. That also didn’t play well with media and fans alike.
With two days to go, there is little hope of the Americans retaining the Cup and snapping that 30-year-long drought on foreign soil.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
