In a quote that is sure to cause a good deal of controversy, Phil Mickelson said that his performance in the Ryder Cup wasn’t due to the equipment change, but to his lack of motivation.
“I attribute my performance (in the Ryder Cup) to motivation,” Mickelson said. “I wasn’t willing to put in enough work to play good golf.” (Full story here)
I’m not sure what to make of this. I can think of two explanations:
1) He is protecting his equipment manufacturer.
2) He’s taking ownership of the failure and is refusing to take the easy way out by blaming the equipment change.
I prefer to think its #2. I see this as the same thing as a quarterback after a losing effort blaming his own lack of preparation for the loss.
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It doesn’t matter which of these explanations are true it’s a shocking admission. If this is how most US players approach the Ryder Cup it will be a long time before they regain it. Long may this continue.
I can’t help feeling if this was a European player explaining he played poorly in a Ryder Cup because he wasn’t motivated to put in the practice there would be a backlash against him by fans and the media.