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There might be some changes that the U.S. might need to incorporate to win the Ryder Cup..

1. Bench Furyk until the singles or put him in team play just once (probably not on first day)... (He's had four Ryder Cups to prove his team play and has failed miserably)

2. Have the team believe they are underdogs. lehman is trying to do the underdog role, which I think is smart.

3. No one should be guaranteed to play all the matches including Tiger if they play poorly.

4. Put a "spark plug" like Chris DiMarco in the opening match.

5. Also, if someone doesn't want to play in the Ryder Cup (including Phil and Tiger), don't let them play.

6. Don't let events like the B.C. Open count as much as the Player's Championship towards earning the Ryder Cup.

1. Furyk is one of the top Americans year in and year out, but for some reason he doesn't perform well in the team play. I'd go along with your suggestion and put him out there once in the team matches and no more unless he plays well.

2. After the whippings the Europeans have administered the Americans the last few times, it'd be hard to imagine the US will have anything but an underdog persona going in....including the one given them by the media. :nodsmiley

3. Absolutely agree there. I'm a big fan of his but if he's playing badly, yank him for a session or two.....he'd get fired up in a hurry.

4. Chris would be a great guy to send out in the first pairing. He's obviously shown he has a tremendous passion for the event and two guys who will be pumped up and ready to take that first point will be a great thing to have going should it materialize for the US.

5. I guarantee there aren't any players who make the teams that don't want to play. Each and every one of them wants to win it, the Americans just haven't been able to overcome the united European spirit lately. But it isn't because they don't care, I assure you of that.

6. I would just use the World Golf Rankings and take the top 10 Americans from there and the two captain's picks.

Interesting topic. Although all these things could happen and still the US could lose, it's clear that something is wrong when a more talented US team loses again and again to the scrappy yet united Euros.

Don't understand how a sportsman can not want to represent his country.

That's hard for me to fathom too, Lefty, although none of our guys would ever actually admit to it I suspect that some might rather be doing something else. At least their play has reflected it. I think the Europeans are always going to be more motivated by the prospect of knocking off the "big, bad, ??overrated ??" U.S., though. For our guys the opponent is a less clear. Your guys hail from 6 or 7 distinct countries. It's probably a bit harder to get pumped up at the prospect of beating a continent. This is no knock against Europe and the countries represented ... just my take on the respective motivational factors.

Sorry to jump in here - but speaking about Ryder Cups, does anyone know where one can find the DVD of the 2004 Ryder Cup Matches? I've searched everywhere to no avail.

I would have thought the opposite, it's easier to get pumped up representing your country than a continent. How do you chant 'Europe' ,it's easier to shout for 'U S A '?

I could never imagine a USA team even imagining they are the underdog, even if they are, on occasion.

I know this view may apper a jaded & slightly cynical viewpoint, but this is the image I get with anything sport related & a USA team. Americans teams seem to go out with one perpose, & one perpose only when it comes to sport & that is to win, nothing else seems to matter.

This is not nessarily a failing.... Only maybe when caution & cleaver tactics are needed to turn around bad odds & conditions.

There is a lot to be said for blith confidence though. As there is nothing worse than entering a competition & thinking you are going to loose from the start, its then that a team will realise its worst fears.

Not sure where you are going to get it over where you are but in the UK its a boxed set of the 2002 & 2004 Ryder cups & is easily obtained in HMV stores. I know this wont be of much help for you, but you might find something in a link online maybe

I know you can get them dirt cheap from every store that still carries them here in the USA.

I didn't believe that either until the last few Olympics when I saw the US professional basketball players all decline to play! Maybe its their contracts, but there was little enthusiasm.

Thanks for the lead! I found it on the HMV website. You can see it here.

It kind of backs up my previous comments unfortunatly... where there is a good chance of loosing a competition & therefore little or no chance of winning, then they simply see it as a no point in entering....

Almost like hiding their heads in the sand. If they don't enter they can't be beaten & so will content themselves & kid themselves, with the notion that they are best....lol

Appologies to those who this doesn't apply, but these does seem to be this daft attitude amoungst some sportsmen & its not just confined to the US either.

I'm not a big NBA fan but there's no doubt in my mind that if the USA put the best of the NBA players on the USA Olympic basketball team a gold medal would be a sure thing. For the most part we've been putting second string NBAers on the court and getting beat by teams with something to prove. Our best team would wipe the floor with any other team in the world but unfortunately the pampered NBA superstar millionaires choose not to play.

It's not wise to call out the bully on the block unless you have the team to back it up.

I'd start by trying to win the President's Cup this year ... then worry about the Ryder Cup