Ryder Cup & Risk Reward…
and what it means to us.
As a Grey Dog, we likely have many years of competition under our belts. Maybe in golf. Might be in another endeavor and could be in our business lives or in investing. “Risk and Reward” are two words we come upon frequently. None more so in sport than in golf.
Last week we watched the Ryder Cup, waged this year 12 miles from Rome. A gorgeous venue. The course set-up (always authored by the host Captain) this year was drawn to eliminate a strength of the visiting American squad: Wedge play. Marco Simone Golf and Country Club presented a couple of drivable par fours and a finishing par five with options aplenty for the players. I listened and listened to the announcers telling me that risk and reward was in play! And I bought into it. And… I was wrong. For those 24 men, each of the shortened par fours (drivable by all, and most with just a fairway wood) was devoid of much risk at all. Sure, a missed green resulted in a chip or pitch or a bunker shot. [Stat time: The average score on those two par fours when playing their own ball was 3.15. Almost a full stroke below par!] Rather than bore you with similar par five stats…yeah, you get it. Risk? Not so much…
And what about that approach shot that Jon Rahm hit from thick rough and an awkward stance from very close to a pedestrian bridge? High risk to us, for sure! But not for the best players in the world. We serve ourselves well when we remember this distinction.
See, what makes the Ryder Cup so fun for us is the national pride aspect, and the familiarity with the way we play… match play, hole-by-hole golf! We can identify! We realize that risk isn’t just what I’m doing or contemplating, it’s also framed by what my opponent is doing! We love it! We say, “Tommy and I beat Joe and Bill today!” We seldom say, except in the few stroke-play tournaments, that we had a specific score. We guesstimate. So, for the purposes of this article, let’s lean into that.
We aren’t tour players and we face different risks. A risk for us (me) might be a forced carry of 190 yards over a creek to the green. Knowing that my opponent has already laid short of that water, I’m faced with a mind-swirl of options. How good is he with the next wedge shot? Can I really get this high enough and far enough from this lie. Am I up, or down in the match? Should I also remove that risk and match him with wedges? Am I putting well or is he making everything? Risk!!! Reward!!!
I don’t have the answers. You do (or should!). You (should) know your honest and comfortable carry distances well. (See our prior video on this topic.). You (should) have practiced every shot on the range you can possibly face on the course. You KNOW that the golf course dictates the shot, and you KNOW that we should never compound a physical mistake with a mental error. (we produced a video on that topic as well!). We KNOW…Final thought. A Saturday hustle with the lads is one thing. A tournament is another. Play more tournaments. The competition will make you better.