2016 Ryder Cup: Team USA Two Down After One

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There has always been a level of absurdity in the Team USA efforts to reconcile their very simple tendency to have made a few less Ryder Cup putts than Team Europe. We've got a task force Task Force "Task Force" to turn things around and they've decided on bonding exercises that seemed worth giggling about because, really, how much harm could such First World initiatives inflict?

It turns out...a little. And maybe a lot.

This week's dinner at the Nicklaus home was notable for who was not invited: Justin Thomas. I didn't think much of who wasn't there until Tim Rosaforte explained the absence of Thomas today on Morning Drive. Even though Thomas won a tour event last fall (CIMB Classic), is ranked 40th in the world, and has spoken of his priority in winning a Ryder Cup over a major, he was outside the top 40 in Ryder Cup points when invitations were sent in mid-February. No invite for you Mr. Budding Star!

Keegan Bradley, who has dropped to 88th, was invited because he was inside the top 40 when the invites were sent out, reported Rosaforte. He also noted that Thomas gave him a "whatever" when asked to comment on his reaction to not getting invited. (Whatever, in millennial-speak, lands somewhere between bummed and heartbroken and angry.)

Can you blame Thomas for feeling a little left out? Reading Doug Ferguson's story on what was discussed and what players got to learn from Mr. Nicklaus confirms it was a pretty special opportunity for an aspiring star. Thomas certainly wouldn't have dressed any worse than the rest of the schlubs who showed up at the Nicklaus house looking like escaped convicts. (Well, there was this jacket.) 

The snub also highlights the thorny issue of fall events not counting toward Ryder Cup points, which Thomas was unable to earn for his win. But regardless of where you fall on that matter, the idea of some getting invites over others could be the ultimate takeaway from the event, not that Jack and Barbara Nicklaus hosted a nice dinner.

If the Team USA leadership isn't more careful going forward, what seemed like a logical effort to create a "team" could actually fracture relations. And since we now know that you can lose two holes in one team match, it appears the first major initiative from the Ryder Cup task force and captain Davis Love has put Team USA two down after one.