You should be able to just pull names out of a hat, Wyndham Clark is told.
After all, if you did over the past four men’s pro golf team events, the gap in average world ranking between the teams is eye-opening. At last month’s Presidents Cup, it was 35.7 (U.S. 15.1 and International 50.8). At last year’s Ryder Cup, it was 12.5 (U.S. 11.1 and Europe 23.6). At the 2024 Presidents Cup, it was 22.4 (U.S. 11.9 and International 34.3). At the 2023 Ryder Cup, it was 17.1 (U.S. 12.9 and Europe 30). All of which should mean, the Americans should be rolling in alternate shot play.
Should be. Even if you’re a casual observer, you know the leaderboard: Across those same four events, the U.S. is a stunning 8-26 in foursomes. So, no, the hat technique probably won’t work. But what gives? Are there fixes? Clark has seen it all up close. He’s played in three of those events (the 2023 Ryder Cup and the past two Presidents Cups) — and he’s 0-3 in foursomes.
But he’s not without some thoughts. On a recent episode of Sirius XM’s Gravy & the Sleeze show, this year’s U.S. Open winner said one solution may lie in what the players share.
“I think sometimes we overlook the golf ball,” he said.
How so?
“We had some guys playing that their golf ball difference was about 800 to 1,000 RPMs,” Clark said on the show. “And when you get on a firm golf course. I mean, some guys were struggling to hold the green because they’re playing a lower-spinning golf ball or vice versa.”
How did that happen, though?
“I think we feel like we’re taking the approach of maybe what the Europeans do by putting buddies together,” Clark said on the show. “And you think that’s going to be the best way. I mean, we’ve been doing that and it hasn’t been working.
“So some of the talks I’ve had with whether it’s JT [Justin Thomas] or some of the other guys is, maybe we need to match golf balls better. For instance, Colin [Morikawa] and I have a very similar golf ball and he likes my golf ball. So that was a good matchup. For us, I know we lost some of the matches, but we played really good golf. And then [Patrick] Cantlay and I play the same golf ball. Those are probably the two guys I should play with and maybe traditionally haven’t played with those guys. And then Scottie [Scheffler] has a lower-spinning ball, so Scottie should play with a lower-spinning golf ball guy. So it’s little things like that.”
On the show, Clark also said that the Americans should practice alternate shot more.
“I know that sounds crazy, but I’d love if we only went out in practice rounds and played just alternate shots, not even hitting other shots,” he said. “I think there’s something to not hitting a shot, the rhythm of it. Putting, feeling like you haven’t hit a putt for four holes and then have to hit a 15-footer, or you haven’t hit a drive in X amount of holes. And I think there’s something to that.
“So I think combination of practicing and golf ball is probably the biggest thing that if we adjust, I think we’ll start having success.”
The U.S. plays its next team event next September at the Ryder Cup.
Editor’s note: To listen to the entire episode with Clark, which requires a subscription, please click here.
