Rose: It’s a shame to see American players “throwing each other under the bus”
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Speaking ahead of the Sky Sports British Masters, Justin Rose talked about the surprise fall-out from the U.S Ryder Cup team after their 17.5 – 10.5 defeat to Europe
British Masters host and World No.2 Justin Rose has spoken ahead of the tournament this week about the fall-out from the Ryder Cup, stating that he thought the American team had been a united front and it has been ‘a shame’ to see players ‘throwing each under the bus a little bit’.
Patrick Reed had spoken to the New York Times after the U.S.A’s defeat, blaming Jordan Spieth for their partnership being split up while also critising Captain Jim Furyk and the ‘buddy system’ of the American team room.
Meanwhile, reports circulated about a dispute between Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka on both the plane over and the following Sunday night, which was subsequently denied and called ‘laughable’ by Koepka.
Furyk has since said there was a small spat between DJ and Koepka but refuted the claims Reed was ‘blindsided’ by the pairing split, insisting he had known ‘for weeks’ and that he and Tiger had been ‘excited about playing together.’
“It’s a shame to see guys talking independently to the media and kind of throwing each other under the bus a little bit,” Rose said.
“For me, the American team is quite a united front. They’re a good bunch of guys, you’ve got Phil and Tiger who are the elder statesmen of the team and all the young guys really look up to them.
“I thought Patrick and Tiger were a great pairing. Tiger has a lot of respect for Patrick and obviously vice versa, and it was interesting to hear Jim come out and say that was a planned pairing. I thought Patrick would be a great fit for Tiger.
“For Patrick to feel like him and Jordan were a lock, I guess hearing Jim talk about Tiger’s needs made perfect sense to think about Patrick and Tiger together.
“There was a lot that went on apparently on that Sunday night, but it’s emotion. It’s why we all love the Ryder Cup. We all maybe lose it a little bit because the emotion is so heightened. Emotions spill over.”
Rose also spoke about the fatigue of the American camp playing to the advantage of the European side. Tiger Woods arrived in Paris following his victory at the Tour Championship but struggled at the Ryder Cup (0-4-0), and Rose said it was clear he was tired.
“Tiger’s respected the world over and the reception he got is fitting for his stature in the game.
“But he was tired. The whole American team was tired. I truly believe that was our greatest advantage. Our guys had played a lot less guess coming into the Ryder Cup than the American team had.
“The FedEx Cup Playoffs are very gruelling. Myself, Francesco [Molinari], Tommy Fleetwood were involved, but half of our team had a lot fresher legs than the American boys.
“Ultimately, at the top end of sport, we’re all very closely matched, but when you give a team a little bit of an advantage in mental freshness, it often is the difference maker.”
