Horschel blasts ‘hypocrites’ playing LIV Golf

Day 2 of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play takes place Thursday. The stars will be out in Texas as Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas highlight the bracket. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action. Live scoring Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW (All times ET) Television: Wednesday-Friday, 2-8 p.m. (Golf Channel). Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2-6 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-7 p.m. (NBC). PGA TOUR LIVE: Wednesday, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Matches). Thursday-Friday, 10:15 a.m.-8 p.m. ET (Featured Matches). Saturday, 8:15 a.m.-2 p.m. (Featured Matches). Radio: Wednesday, noon-6 p.m. ET. Thursday-Friday, 2-8 p.m. ET. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). TOURCast: Get shot-by-shot info in real time with shot tracks and video with TOURCast. TOUR Pulse: Get the PGA TOUR app to utilize TOUR Pulse, which provides users the ability to experience a mix of content, such as video highlights, written hole summaries and stat graphics on every player after every hole they complete. FEATURED MATCHES Wednesday Rory McIlroy vs. Ian Poulter Jon Rahm vs. Sebastian Munoz Thursday Matthew Wolff vs. Jordan Spieth Justin Thomas vs. Kevin Kisner MUST READS Match recaps from Wednesday No friends in Match Play: Poulter beats McIlroy

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GUYANCOURT, France – The great saying goes a champion team will always beat a team of champions. And so it appeared to be at Le Golf National as the Europeans didn’t just beat what many were calling the deepest American Ryder Cup team ever assembled … they annihilated them. The 17.5 – 10.5 final result was the most lopsided Ryder Cup since Europe’s 2006 win at The K Club (18.5-9.5). It extended the dominance for Europe on their own soil to at least 27 years and marks seven wins in the last nine Ryder Cups for Thomas Bjorn’s men. Every single one of the European team contributed at least a full point to the final tally. All 12 of them. That is some serious teamwork. On the American team, 80-time PGA TOUR winner Tiger Woods went 0-4. Phil Mickelson 0-2. And Bryson DeChambeau was 0-3. All three of the above were captain’s picks from Jim Furyk. With Tony Finau gaining two points, the four picks earned just that. From the European side, Bjorn’s four picks stood up to be counted. They combined to score 9.5 points with Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson getting three each, Poulter winning two and Casey netting 1.5. Because those four understood from the minute they were given the gift of a place in the team, it wasn’t about them anymore. It was about nothing but the team. The Americans claim to be a cohesive unit. And no doubt they are. But the stark reality is they are not as cohesive as the Europeans. The numbers say as much. No amount of task force meetings can cover up minor fractures in team cohesion. From the moment the European team formed their now infamous WhatsApp group – a group message that was as Rory McIlroy described as “just one big love-inâ€� – the egos were left at the door. Garcia, in his ninth Ryder Cup, was no more or less important than Thorbjorn Olesen in his first. McIlroy’s stature as a four-time major champion and former FedExCup champion stacked up equally against Alex Noren this week. Garcia became the all-time points leader in European history at 25.5, taking over from Sir Nick Faldo but brushed it aside as just another three points towards this particular trophy. His real focus was on bringing the team theme to the rookies. Passing on the selfless passion he’s had for so many years in this cauldron. When Jon Rahm was feeling down after being 0-2 in team play, his fellow Spaniard took him aside and kept him on task. Rahm was slated with Woods in singles, no easy task to take on an idol. But Garcia told him how and why he would win. It proved prophetic. His contribution to that point perhaps as important as the three he gained himself. It was this comradery that had Italian Francesco Molinari so primed to deliver. In the past two Ryder Cups he had been part of, he had failed to win a match. This time around he was 5-0 and became the first European player to ever post that record in one Ryder Cup. “You could see on Monday when we got together, it wasn’t ending up any other way,â€� Molinari said. “I’ve been part of another two winning teams where I didn’t bring full points, and I’m glad after I’ve been carried on the shoulders by some of these guys to give something back. “But it’s about every one of these guys, the vice captains, it’s just the best team I’ve ever been part of by miles.â€� The Europeans made constant fun of one another – both in person or in the group text message. But as is the style of humor on this side of the pond it was all done from a place of love. There was no hierarchy. McIlroy pointed out before the Ryder Cup began that he was pleasantly surprised with Rahm’s contribution to the conversation. In other words, rookie Rahm could give as good as he could take. “At first I was a little bit hesitant on what to say. I didn’t want to piss off anybody, and once I realized what the tone was going to be, within 30 seconds, here we go, somebody was getting it,â€� Rahm admitted. Bjorn allowed this atmosphere to breathe. Justin Rose, another veteran, revealed after the victory that their skipper “didn’t fill our week with pointless team meetingsâ€� and “he trusted us to be 12 players that would come together working towards the same common goal.â€� They repaid him for that faith. Everything they did, they did as a team. And they enjoyed it. Even the monotonous staged team photos early in the week the Europeans turned up on time, laughing, loving every minute of it. On the flip side the Americans were late and appeared hardly interested. Seems trivial right? But it speaks to the bond the Europeans possess. All in, all together. The types of personalities on the American team are vast. A scientist in DeChambeau. A free wheeler in Bubba Watson. Mr. Nice Guys Tony Finau and Webb Simpson. Old school veterans in Woods and Mickelson. Pulseless machine-like stellar athletes Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka. Young millennials like Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth. And the brash and confident Reed. They came together as one for the most part but the cracks appeared when team pairings were not as expected in some quarters. The American players have a huge say in their pods and pairings – something that was born out of the task force following the 2014 loss in Scotland. But does this in itself open the door for the thinking to be not as team oriented as it should be? This was shown – most notably – when Furyk split one of the best American pairings in Ryder Cup history to disastrous results. Spieth and Reed had proven a huge thorn in the side of both Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup opponents, but instead Reed went out with Woods and was 0-2 with the veteran. Spieth preferred to be with his friend Thomas, and they combined to be 3-1, but in doing so split another proven pairing of Thomas and Fowler. To his credit, Furyk owned the decision and hindsight is always 20/20. Bjorn masterfully put Tommy Fleetwood with Molinari and the two combined to be the first European pair to go 4-0 in team play. Moli-Wood – as they have been affectionately called – became the darlings of the Ryder Cup. They were the pair who claimed the last point in the first session Friday to make it 3-1 against the USA, avoiding the sweep. It sparked the home team into action and they swept the afternoon before maintaining the rage. As awesome as they were, Bjorn once again stressed they were always team first. Europe had read all of the talk about the Americans before the Ryder Cup began. In fact they used one particular story suggesting America would dominate team golf for over a decade as extra motivation. Aside from that though, they didn’t care what was happening across the fairway from them. “The whole team has been part of this. And I think it’s very easy to sum it up: Some play five matches and some play two matches, but they all contribute,â€� Bjorn said. “We got it right this week. We worked as a team and we knew we were up against very strong opponents, but we went out on the golf course and believed in ourselves and what we stand for as a team. “We never, ever looked towards their team and what they were about. We were about us as a team and what we do. “This is the best team room I’ve ever been in. It was calm. It was determined. It was focused. It was fun. Everything that this Ryder Cup was, is what I think The Ryder Cup should be about for a European Team.â€�

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A Bahamas retreat. Decreasing the overall points played for. Increasing the Captain’s picks. Changing the criteria to get on the team. Playing more together. Infiltrating a European think-tank. Importing a vocal football crowd to Royal Melbourne. These were just some of the suggestions thrown up as the International Team began the post mortem on a lopsided result at Liberty National. Having fallen to the U.S. Team 19-11 to go 1-10-1 all-time in the Presidents Cup the Internationals know they need to blow it up and start again. They’ve lost seven straight. Due credit to Steve Stricker’s team. They are possibly about to start a scary good dynasty in team play. But outside of that, the Internationals need to do more. “We need to just find a way like Europe had to at one point,â€� Captain’s Assistant Geoff Ogilvy said. “For a long time, they were outmatched on paper, but they found a way to be the best team. It forced the Americans into their task force and now they’ve found the formula… and we’re paying for it.â€� It is true that this U.S. Team, with an average age of 31.8 years, is the youngest red, white and blue team in the events history. And that includes a 47-year-old Phil Mickelson. The future looks very bright with the likes of Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger, Patrick Reed, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka in form. “Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler are the best team in the world – but they’re not even the best team in the American line-up,â€� Ogilvy says. “Dustin Johnson is actually the best player in the world right now and he’s probably part of their third best combination. That’s hard to beat.â€� But the International Team was even younger at 30.3 average age. They have young stars at the helm also. They just need the magic European formula. Perhaps a call to Paul McGinley or Jose Maria Olazabal or Colin Montgomerie is in order to ask about the secret sauce. They love beating America. Perhaps they’d love to see the Internationals do the same. Adam Scott, who now has tasted defeat in the last seven Cups, couldn’t hide his disappointment. As a stalwart very likely to make his ninth appearance in his home country in two years’ time at Royal Melbourne he is calling for a collective investment. “Unfortunately, it was a bit of a slaughtering this week but we’ve got to stand up and take our ass-whipping like men and walk out of here with our heads high,â€� Scott said. “Then I think everyone who is involved in the Cup going forward should get together, talk about it, talk about what the United States Team have done the last few years, what the European Team (Ryder Cup) has done in years gone by, and try and come up with something to get our guys a little more invested in it. “That’s kind of the key. The players are really going to have to invest more in this as a group collectively on the off-year, and somehow get better, if we don’t want this kind of stuff to happen.â€� One of the suggestions was getting the top 18 or so players on the standings together in the Bahamas, or somewhere similar, during Ryder Cup week for a retreat. Wives, girlfriends and families could bond together while the players also competed and practiced in team events while also strategizing of what they saw on TV. The bonding part isn’t the issue though, as the team was likely the closest International Team on record. They specifically spent extra effort to come together as one off the course. The boys certainly enjoyed each other’s company. They just didn’t play smart. “We had some new guys again this year, and I think some of that showed up a little bit in all of our strategy on the golf course,â€� Scott said. “It’s not everything, because I think they played better, but when you are playing it every year; they are getting good at it now, and they are breeding.â€� Scott admitted to not making clever choices or being more vocal with teammate Jhonattan Vegas in team play to promote better strategic decisions. It was clear in other pairings also. There was not enough discussion on clubs or positioning or things of that nature. Rather players just assumed the individual would do better making his own choices. Match play though, is always a different beast. Away from the course prospective International Captain Ernie Els foreshadowed some heavy negotiations with the powers that be at the PGA TOUR. In 2015 – after heavy lobbying – Nick Price managed to get the overall points played for down from 34 to 30. He wanted 28. It was a hard negotiation as the TOUR is overseeing the interests of both teams. Unlike in the Ryder Cup, where the PGA of America and European Tour handle their respective sides and venues and set up and criteria etc. the Presidents Cup is run solely by the TOUR. “There’s a couple of things we have to sit down and talk to the TOUR about,â€� Els says. “Format is one, and definitely to get our hands on our business personally to make our own decisions, I think that’s definitely a point that we can discuss. “It’s gotten to a stage now where we have to do whatever we can to try and benefit our team. Whether that is logistics, scheduling, golf course setup… I think we have to be more in control, especially when we have a home-course advantage.â€� Els also voiced his want to see more choice in the selection process. Currently the International Team is picked via 10 automatic qualifiers from the world rankings and two Captain’s Picks. The issue there can be form as the world rankings are based on a two-year rolling cycle and players can be terribly out of form as the Cup approaches. Els is calling for up to six Captain’s picks, or just a revolutionary method of qualification. Perhaps a split points list like Europe where players can either make their way via world points or FedExCup points that are heavier weighted as the Cup approaches.  “The Presidents Cup is owned by the PGA TOUR. They have written down the rules. So to change rules to benefit us; there’s got to be a two-way street going,â€� Els said. “But If negotiations don’t go our way I don’t think the guys want to walk away from the Cup. I think the guys are invested into the Cup. The guys want to play. They want to compete. “We just want to feel that we are being treated fairly and that we get something going our way a little bit. The future of the Cup is important.â€� The next Cup is in December 2019 in Australia at Royal Melbourne – the site of the lone International win in 1998. After hearing the New Jersey and New York crowds in their ears all week, the Internationals are already calling on their fans to provide a hostile environment for the Americans. The Fanatics were very vocal at Liberty National for the visiting team, but in small numbers, were easily out gunned. “Obviously the Americans got a lot of support this week. They were big crowds. It was almost a football crowd. I feel like if we could have that in Australia, that might benefit us,â€� Marc Leishman said. “We have to play better golf. But it is possibly on a course that may suit us a little better. And if we can have Aussie and International fans really roaring like they would at an Aussie Rules or rugby match at everything we do I’m sure that might help gain momentum in matches we were just unable to find this week.â€� There is no doubt the next few months will be interesting in terms of what happens next but the losing side do not want to be seen as sore losers or whiners. Credit where credit is due says Price. “You can always blame and point fingers and say this and that and whatever but to be honest, I think we were simply outplayed this week.â€� It doesn’t take a task force to see that.

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