Part of the beauty of team match-play events is the fodder they provide for analysis, debate and Monday morning caddying. The captains in whatever Cup it is—Ryder, Presidents, Solheim—take the brunt of any second-guessing because they make the calls both on who is on the team and how they are used when the big moments come.
Of course, in this age of endless data, there are now well-paid consultants who pore over statistics and run match simulations with different combos of players. And that led Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan to the doorstep of Jason Aquino, who is easily one of the foremost experts on team strategy. The man has an impressive resume that includes being a warfare analyst for the Department of Defense and working with USA Basketball, and he turned his passion for golf into consulting work for Team USA for past Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup.
With the Presidents Cup coming up next week at Medinah outside Chicago, Shane quizzed Aquino about the tropes that come with team golf. Among the subjects: the practice of “loading the boat”; whether experience truly matters under pressure; the pairing of good friends; and what is the ideal number of captain’s picks. Hint on the latter: Some analysts would argue for 12!
Aquino’s insights are all fascinating and it’s hard to imagine a more comprehensive look at the tropes than this.
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Tied for third, J.J. Spaun will go into Sunday at Wentworth as a serious contender to win the DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship. That matters because the 2025 U.S. Open champion is definitely feeling slighted by not being picked for captain Brandt Snedeker’s American squad that will play in the Presidents Cup next week. Spaun said on Friday in England, “It’s disappointing to be left off. I wasn’t really expecting it, to be honest.”
Spaun essentially lost his spot to one of two Cup rookies in Jackson Koivun and Jacob Bridgeman, but he certainly had a case: He went 2-1-0 in the U.S. loss in last year’s Ryder Cup and his four top-10s this season included a win in the Valero Texas Open. But Snedeker looked elsewhere, and Spaun could produce the ultimate “told you so” with a win in one of Europe’s premier events.
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Let’s hope for the mental state of BMW PGA Championship contender Kristoffer Reitan didn’t make that kickoff time. The Norwegian who has quietly become a force on the PGA Tour (four top-10s and a win this year) is feeling truly at home this week at Wentworth in England. He shot 64 in the third round on Saturday and is tied for sixth, only two shots off the lead.
“This is my home tour, and it's nice to come back, and also play well enough on the PGA Tour that I can actually afford to come back here and finish off the season where you want to finish it off,“ Reitan said.
With the event just outside of London and Reitan finishing earlier in the day, he was considering making the one-hour drive to Brighton to catch his football club of choice, Arsenal, play. “I got my manager to look for Arsenal tickets, maybe, maybe not,” he said.
Well, the golfer had a far better day than the reigning title-holder Gunners, who were routed by Brighton 3-0 in their first loss of the season. Taking a nap would have been a better play.
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Max Greyserman used his time off wisely. Those of us who play this sport at a very low level always wonder if you're going to lose your game if you're away from it for too long. Meanwhile, the guys who play it at the highest level look for any chance to put their clubs away for weeks at a time to "reset." Max Greyserman had five weeks off in between the Wyndham Championship and this week's Biltmore Championship, and he used them wisely, taking the first two completely off and spending time with his eight-month old son. Then he went home to New Jersey to escape the Florida heat, practiced for a little bit, and then promptly put the sticks away for another two weeks.
"I went to Italy with my wife on vacation," Greyserman said after grabbng a share of the first-round lead with a seven-under 64. "It was actually our first time without -- both of us without or son I think since he was born, so it was tough being away from him but also great to get a little peace of mind out there.
"Had one of my best friend's wedding, and just had a great time the last two weeks. Maybe that's key: Don't practice and just have a good time and just show up here."
Sometimes, it is that simple.
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