“I've got a lot of 20/20-hindsight” – Zach Johnson reveals his ‘regrets’ weeks after US Ryder Cup team’s big loss in Rome
The US Ryder Cup team suffered a crushing defeat in Rome. Six weeks after the loss, skipper Zach Johnson has now opened up on his ‘regrets’ from the European win at Marco Simone.
Opening up on his side’s 16½-11½ loss, the American captain said that ‘time management’ was key in their failed outing.
Johnson addressed the media for the first time since the Ryder Cup on Tuesday. Speaking ahead of this week’s RSM Classic in Georgia, the golfer said that the defeat still hurts. Despite accepting that loss is part of the game, he noted that it was natural to rethink his decisions from the time.
Zach Johnson said at the Sea Island in Georgia, as quoted by Sports Illustrated:
“I've got a lot of 20/20-hindsight things that I certainly think about. Arguably, some regrets. But I think again something of that magnitude, win or lose, you're going to have that, that's sports. And I think that's when you care, you're passionate about something, you're going to have those natural feelings."
"The common denominator that I go back to that I wish I could have changed, or not changed, I wish it would have dawned on me earlier is just the pure commodity of time and understanding that it's precious," Johnson continued. "You know, we had the practice round trip. No regrets. Amazing.
"I don't think the guys would say they had any regrets in that, at least I hope they wouldn't. It was spectacular. If I could have put more value into time management, I could have put my guys in a better position to play golf at a better rate early on.”
Zach Johnson addresses Team Europe's preparation for the Ryder Cup
It is pertinent to note that the US squad’s form was a key talking point after the loss. Ahead of the Ryder Cup, all 12 members of the European team played in the BMW PGA Championship and seven of them made it to the top 10.
Meanwhile, the American squad players chose to sit out PGA Tour events in the weeks leading up to the Ryder Cup. Justin Thomas and Max Homa were the only two players who played during that time.
While opening up on his side’s loss, Zach Johnson also addressed the lack of preparation. He noted that Team Europe players playing the BMW, one of their signature events, was key to maintaining their form. The US side skipper, who mentioned ‘time management’ as a factor in preparation, noted that ‘ideally the squad needs fresh players.’
Despite talking about the various points of ‘regret’ from the loss, Johnson didn’t blame his players. The skipper chose not to complain about his side’s lack of competitive sharpness ahead of the Ryder Cup.