USA try to put battle into true perspective

Europe invited Sir Alex Ferguson, right, along to address the team in the buildup, and at Celtic Manor in 2010 they sent for Gareth Edwards but even though either might not have been everyone’s cup of tea, their achievements in sport brook no argument. The USA again decided to invite war veterans to Gleneagles to help their golfers realise how “lucky” they are and to add perspective to the issue of pressure, having invited fighter pilots and other servicemen of that ilk in the past. Golf is a game, a very important one, but only a game.

Surely time is right for Fred Couples to lead the USA

The 1992 Masters champion continues to be overlooked as a Ryder Cup captain, though he is popular with his players in the biennial Presidents Cup. The Americans have won all three of his matches over the rest of the world, the first at Harding Park in 2009, the next at Royal Melbourne in 2011, and the last of them at Muirfield Village in 2013, and all by comfortable margins. Couples joins Jack Nicklaus as the only captain to get the job three times but unlike the Golden Bear has yet to do it in the USA’s oldest team match.

USA may have to look north to level up the playing field

Just as Great Britain and Ireland had to cast the net wider to revitalise the competition after a series of routs in the 70s, maybe it is time to introduce the concept of “North America”. The best Canadian around is Graham DeLaet, ranked at 40 in the world but Mike Weir became the first left-hander to win a major since 1963 when he won at Augusta in 2003 and even though he is not the force he once was, the fact the door would be open to play in the historic tournament that is the Ryder Cup might well inspire a generation of Canucks.

McGinley’s flexibility wins over Watson’s rigidity

USA team practice was pretty well pre-ordained, with the same three fourballs going out every day and with little scope for experimentation if, say, Phil Mickelson or Bubba Watson had to play with someone other than their wildcard partners if one or other of them turned up out of form. Europe’s top point scorer, Justin Rose, played with Martin Kaymer on Saturday in foursomes after Henrik Stenson was stood down to nurse a tight back and he still came up with half a point. A little more American versatility would not have gone amiss.

Two plus two equals trouble for the Americans

USA usually more than hold their own in the alternate-shot format of the game but this time they took a hiding, 7-1, and given that they won both sessions of fourballs and the final margin of victory was five points, it is clear that they were found wanting in foursomes when even an average return would have given their singles players something to shoot at. The USA play the format in the Presidents Cup, and there are more matches in that as everyone has to get involved instead of just eight golfers from 12 used at Ryder Cups, so though the Gleneagles blow-out remains a mystery, it nevertheless is one that they need to solve.