Ollie On Not Conceding Tiger's Putt: "Rules are the rules"

Apparently in Captain Jose Maria Olazabal's eyes, the rules forbid a player from conceding a putt!

At today's London press conference, Ollie said that he will not captain in 2014, that he's received congratulatory messages from the likes of Rafael Nadal and the King of Spain and that three of his four cart drivers are in line for Captaincies (The Mechanic was not mentioned after McGinley, Clarke and Bjorn!).

But most curious of all was Olazabal's rationale for insisting Francesco Molinari finish the final match even after (A) the Cup had been retained (B) the chaotic setting was not conducive to proper golf and (C) young Molinari had the class to recognize this:

"I said to Francesco 'you have to half this match'. There's a huge difference between tying and winning the cup. I know some people might think Francesco should have given Tiger that short putt, but at the end of the day the rules are the rules. It was important to finish the match."

Yes, the rules say you have to finish all of the matches, but that does not preclude a player from conceding a putt. Or maybe those famous concessions from the past violated Captain Ollie's Merely Retaining The Cup Is For Losers.

Imagine an American captain saying "rules are rules" in an identical situation? 

Fleet Street couldn't file those "Ugly American" columns fast enough!

Comments

[Scott]

Why didn't Tiger concede when he missed the green with his 2nd?

[GinGHIN]

If the way this played out offends your sensibilities, perhaps match play golf isn't the right format for you. Or maybe this points to something bigger. Are the US players part of the 47% of Americans who feel like they're victims and entitled to conceded putts? Who knew.

[keithT]

Geoff you are really hammering away on this.

How about a post called "very makeable putts the americans missed that would have won the cup"

Stricker 18 Sat. Stricker 17 Sun. Furyk 17 Sun. Furyk 18 Sun.

[Geoff]

Oh come on guys, do better than this! :)

I'm just suggesting that for all of the 13 years of relentless whining about Brookline, Captain Ollie had a chance to display class on the level of other famous last putt concessions and he instructed his player to finish out. It's certainly his right and Molinari's right. But it doesn't mean I have to respect him!

[M. Felt]

Follow the money.

[Seitz]

Wow, GinGHIN manages not only to be insulting, but woefully ignorant as well. Quite a twofer.

[keithT]

I am a "long time reader" and largely agree with your views. I 'm not as close to the game as you are of course, but I've always admired Olazabal since watching him win his first masters. Most of what I've read over the years suggests he's a decent guy. I think you are going over the top with your posts on this (it's at least the third one). It's your blog of course, and if you want to lose respect for Olazabal over this, fine.

His stated view is, in part, that that there's a difference between winning and a tie. Reasonable observers can disagree on this. But I don't think it means he's a jerk.

I'm not a euro or an american. I thought both teams generally comported themselves well.

[Rick1V]

Meh, much ado about nothing. Bitter defeat regardless. Even if it ended in a tie, I don't think there's an American anywhere that would have considered that anything but a "loss".

[Seitz]

There's two ways to look at it. If, like me, you believe there is no difference between a clear win and a tie in this case, then it follows that Molinari should have conceded. But at the same time, if you believe it doesn't matter, than who cares? It would seem that the only reason to get up in arms about Molinari not conceding is because one DOES think there's a difference. Failing to walk away with the cup is failing to walk away with the cup, whether it's 14-14 or 28-0, in my opinion.

[keithT]

And what about the comment made by Hawkeye n another post on this - Azinger and Faldo battling to the death after US hit 14 points on euro soil in 93. Are Watson and Zinger to blame? Did the UK media in fact freak out?

[elf]

In a shocking turn, I agree with Geoff - I don't think it means Ollie is a bad guy, but he did not act in the classiest way in this instance. That's fine he's human, and it wouldn't be such a big deal if Europeans weren't still screaming about Brookline 13yrs later.

Also for a loss and a tie to be different, they have to have different outcomes. And tell that to the Euro's celebrating after Kaymer's putt.

As for the captain's agreement, they were on 18 - not 5. Matches have been conceded at that point many times.

[fair is fair....]

come on guys, Tiger's putt wasn't that close, probably not far off Kaymer's,... and how about Johnson making Colsaerts 2 putt from 6 feet and Koucher making Westwood putt from less than a foot.... not much class being shown there!! Stand up and be gracious in defeat. It was an awesome contest with great golf played by both sides... roll on 2014!!!!

[No longer Used to be Former Stack & Tilt Convert]

If TW gives Molinari his little one when it stopped rolling, then Molinari probably reciprocates. Molinari thought he was going to have to putt. No one concedes a putt outside of one he thinks he has to putt.

[chicago pt]

a little payback from Ollie for the Brooline celebration, maybe??

[Dave Kindred]

Imagine the Euros' outrage if, after missing his putt, Tiger had followed JMO's "rules" and stood there until Molinari putted out -- especially if Molinari then jerked it left, too....

[Pat]

I'm with Geoff on this one. For me, it was the single low spot for the Europeans. I will forever respect this entire European team. Even Poulter, who used to annoy me to no end with his bug eyed celebrations, is now likeable to me. I will forever be endeared to Molinari, now that I know he wanted to concede in the fairway. Heck, I even now like Sergio and Montgomerie (who was much better than I expected on commentary).

But Olazabal will long remain in the sore winner folder in my brain. And I have no doubt that underlying the decision was some form of petulance for the celebration at Brookline.

[NRH]

Again, when they each had short ones for par, Tiger should have given it to Molinari, then Molinari most likely would have done the same. If he didn't, Molinari would have been booed all the way to O'Hare. Instead Tiger half-asses his effort, misses, then gives it to Molinari for the half, thus assuring the Euros won outright. Molinari might be a little satisfied with a half point contribution, but I doubt he is happy with how it went down.

Was Tiger thinking about the difference between a tie and a loss on paper? Probably not. If he had to do it over again would he have made that putt knowing what was on the line? Probably. Did Tiger purposely brick it as an f-you to Molinari, Ollie, DL3 and the PGA of America? Perhaps.

Perhaps one or both of the Captains should have stepped in and thought/talked things through. They didn't, no big deal.

Was this a unique circumstance that will be remembered at the conclusion of future Ryder Cups? Certainly.

[Will o'the Glen]

fairisfair --re: Kuchar and Westy. Yeah, I lost a lot of respect for Kuchar when he made Lee putt that one. Ping-pong Boy better hope he never faces Westwood in match play again.

And as for Olazabal -- for all his mooning about "in Seve's memory", he has nurtured a grudge about Brookline all these years, and his instructions to Molinari illustrate that. Remember the old Spanish saying – "Revenge is a dish best served cold." !

[The Big K]

At the risk of sucking up to Geoff, his point is well made: the US side has been criticized for its boorish behavior, not all undeserved, but when the Euros had a small chance to show a bit of extra class they stuck it in the US eye.I don't buy the 'never concede a putt longer than your own' line either. In the midst of a match, yes; at the end of the already decided Ryder Cup, where your team won by playing spectacular golf, why not show a little extra class? Because they had none to show.

[GinGHIN]

After all that's been written, apparently retaining the cup and winning it outright is a distinction that makes a difference to the players. Perhaps that's either lost on or not important to most fans. If the players really feel that way, I'm fine with Sunday and fine with '93.

I have a feeling Seitz is not the kind of guy that concedes putts.

[Rob]

There are so many apples and oranges in the comparison between the Nicklaus/Jacklin concession to what happened with Molinari/Woods.

Except for the GB&I fans, no one else really cared much about the Ryder Cup in that era. It wasn't televised in North America, it was not mentioned in the sports media, there was not the kind of immense pressure that there is now. GB&I was desperate for some kind of result against the Americans after so many years of futility. It got acrimonious. Nicklaus threw a bit of a bone to Jacklin. However, I had heard of the concession before I ever saw it on TV. I was surprised how short the putt was. It was literally something a pro golfer would make 99.9% of the time. That is completely different to Tigers miss-able putt.

Prior to the early 80's, reporting on the Ryder Cup was limited to the pages in the back of Golf Digest that had the summary of scores from the tournaments in the last month. I am serious. This is how as a young boy I knew about the Ryder Cup and who had won it. There was zero buzz. Making a concession on a virtually certain putt at a contest that no one in North America followed is not that great of a gesture. And the fact that Nicklaus and Jacklin decided to commercialize it with the building of a course should be enough to render the gesture completely meaningless (also it meant something to the GB&I fans and players at the time).

Really, if it was not for the Nicklaus concession, we would not be having any discussion about whether Ollie should have conceded the entire tournament to a tie. Trust me.

[Hilltop]

@GinGhin: Perfectly said and that's why the possibility of a tie needs to be taken out of it. Have a second envelope and put the name of the player who will play in the event of a sudden death play-off. Can you imagine Tiger vs. Poulter playing for the Cup?...

[NRH]

For all of you comparing it to Kuchar and Westwood, watch it again. They are both laughing. They both knew the match was over, Kuchar just wanted to "see it" like a guy who just got whipped by a friend during a weekend Nassau. Funny how there are no quotes from Westwood being bitter about this.

[Hilltop]

I guess we'll leave it to Luke as to when it was over for him....

Luke Donald ‏@LukeDonald
RT @brycebosman @LukeDonald Luke what was your best moment of the 2012 Ryder Cup?? When Martin's putt dropped we created history!
Collapse Reply Retweet Favorite

[Rob]

PS - the only issue IMO that should have been addressed was Martin Kaymer not vacating the green quickly. Although not as egregious as the debacle on the 17th at Brookline, it was inconsiderate of the players still on the fairway. He should have retrieved his ball, shaken Stricker's hand and then quickly get off the green. And he should have asked his team members to keep it quiet for a few minutes longer.

Why no one has talked about this is kind of strange.

It was the only issue. There was absolutely no issue with the actions of Olazabal and Molinari at all.

[LeeWatson]

My only question is has Nike dropped Molinari yet(who looks like he hasn't slept SINCE Brookline)?

[No Longer Used to be Former S&T Convert]

@Dave -- Molinari expected to putt which is what should have happened once they didn't shake hands in the fairway. Any Euro outrage would be sour grapes like many on this board carping about Molinari.

Tiger doesn't concede Molinari's short one when it stops rolling and then concedes the same putt to lose the hole??? Makes no sense. I have said it over and over if TW concedes the short one earlier, then Molinari likely reciprocates.

[Bemused]

Geoff I usually agree with you and it's your blog, but I really think you are getting your knickers in a twist about this.

Seitz nailed it.

[Seán O'Nuallain]

@Geoff

"I'm just suggesting that for all of the 13 years of relentless whining about Brookline, Captain Ollie had a chance to display class on the level of other famous last putt concessions and he instructed his player to finish out."

I completely agree with you but let's consider the upside. The scales have been leveled now and it should mean the end of that Euro whining. Unfortunately, there will probably be enough Yanks who won't let this go that we'll just deal with the other side of the same coin until the next dickhead move.

[Seitz]

@GinGHIN - Oh, I'm quite generous, and I take nothing for granted. And you're still quite ignorant about that 47%.

[Hilltop]

I meant to write this in here, but posted it in another section by mistake.

There was also an incident where Ollie picked up a putt that hadn't been conceded in a match with Seve vs Ken Green/Calc... Green said he planned to concede it, but didn't have the chance as Ollie snatched it up. Lots of drama in Ryder Cup the past 25 years or so.

[Hawkeye]

Goodness gracious, talk about flogging a dead horse. There is no way in hell that this discussion would even have taken place had the situation been reversed, that is, with the US as reigning cup holders and an American not conceding a final hole that would end the matches in a tie. It certainly didn't when it actaully happened in 1993 - nobody over here would ever dream of you giving us a tie, and nobody would ever critizice you for not doing so. The words "sense of entitlement" come to mind.

[MikeZ]

I think the issue is that it's never been made real clear whether tying the competition to "retain" the cup is the same as winning it to "win" the cup outright. In Tiger's mind, a tie is the same as a loss in that situation, so he conceded. "It was already over," he said (or something like that). Whereas the Europeans, most notably Ollie, and perhaps other American players, feel there was still something at stake. Someone pointed out that the historical records do indeed indicate team wins, losses, and draws over the years -- which would argue in favor of Ollie's view. But if that's the case, they should get everybody on the same page and not celebrate (wildly) until everything is determined. But there is some inconsistency there, of course. When Kaymer sank the putt, the celebration that ensued did not convey "We clinched a tie!!" It clearly communicated "We won!!" If the the match on the course still mattered, as Ollie contends, then the Euros should be scolded for celebrating prematurely.

[RLL]

Oddly, I think if it had been anyone BUT Tiger, the putt would have been conceded. Ollie probably shares something of Sergio's overall feelings for Tiger, not to mention the rest of the guys on the Tour(s) who Tiger used to boast he loved to pile it on top of when he had them down.

I think Tiger is going to find a future not unlike that of Kareem Abdul Jabbar, who the rest of the NBA respected as the greatest scoring machine in basketball history, but who was thought to be a pr*^k of a human being with the other players, and has been generally shunned and ignored since his retirement. My guess is that a lot of guys enjoyed watching Tiger finish the year the way he started it -- missing a putt he would have always made before on a world wide stage...

[Psycho]

Geoff,

Has your computer been hacked by Manos? Seriously, you're getting very boring on this issue. FWIW I'm in the camp that thinks it's idiotic to think that Molinari should concede Tiger's putt when his hasn't been conceded. I also agree that Molinari almost certainly concedes Tiger's putt if his has been conceded.

As to the moronic suggestion that there would have been outrage in Europe if Tiger had Asked Molinari to putt, Dave probably needs to take a trip outside whichever small town he has spent his whole life in. We fully expected him to have to putt, in fact, having not conceded the putt earlier, making him putt was the right thing to do.

[Derek]

I would point to Jack Nicklaus in 1969, when he conceded a meaningless putt to Tony Jacklin as the Americans retained the cup by virtue of a tie. You know, the moment we talk about EVERY RYDER CUP because of the class and sportsmanship it exuded that has transcended the sport for some 43 years now? Molinari could've joined Nicklaus in that category. He might have even one-upped him if he conceded par on the fairway, as he said he considered. Alas, neither happened. Almost assuredly confirming that no one will be talking about Francesco Molinari 43 years from now.

[Stiggy]

Why does nobody EVER me ntion that everyone on the USA team was VERY pissed off with Jack Nicklaus for that concession. They understood the difference between a tie and a win!!!
It really shouldn't be that difficult to understand.
In 40 years time this match would have been talked about as a tie instead of a loss!!

[MikeZ]

Derek, it's hard not to agree that Molinari could have done something historic here, but I can't blame the player here. He had been essentially ordered by his captain to play it out. Maybe Phil (for example) could have gotten away with over-ruling Davis in a situation like that, but there's no way a guy like Molinari would have bucked the captain's orders there. I feel bad for him actually, being put in that spot by Captain Ollie. And I also think Ollie was only doing what he imagined Seve would have done. Don't forget, as much as we revere him now, Seve was one of the fiercest competitors of all, with a well-deserved reputation for gamesmanship. It's very easy to imagine that he would have done the same.

[Ted Ray's Pipe]

@ RLL - No bad blood between Ollie and Tiger. They are on very good terms going back to Tiger's first Masters as an amateur (95) when he was paired with Ollie who was defending champion in the traditional pairing of defending champ with reigning US Amateur champion. They both came close and lost in a Masters in the first decade of this century and walked onto 18th green arm in arm. Can't think of too many players Tiger would do that with....

[Mike Hansen]

In my opinion the putt should have been conceded. It didn't matter in terms of the outcome and would have been the respectful thing to do. Respectful both in terms of golf history and Tiger's place in the game. Francisco and Olly had the opportunity to demonstrate to the casual fan why our game is different but chose not to. I don't think this is a big deal, just a lost opportunity.