The Captain Myth: The Ryder Cup and Sport's Great Leadership Delusion

by Richard Gillis

Overview

The War on the Shore, the Battle of Brookline, the Miracle of Medinah--the Ryder Cup inspires such nicknames, and is golf's version of an all-star game and one of international sports' most intense, high-profile tournaments. For almost ninety years, the biennial men's golf competition has been a key symbol of the game, knitting together the sporting cultures of the U.S., the UK, and continental Europe, and inspiring an intense rivalry among professional golfers and a passionate following across the globe. Purportedly in charge of the two teams are the captains, whose reputations are shaped forever by the results of the twenty-eight matches held over three days.

In his seminal exploration of the world of the Ryder Cup, Richard Gillis explores what it takes to win this coveted trophy. Accustomed to playing for and winning large sums of money, the twelve players on each side are paid nothing for this competition; instead they play for national pride alone. Even more, in this singularly individual sport, fierce competitors such as Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson, or Rory McIlroy and Jason Day, must act as a team. Having consulted leadership gurus, team building experts, and sports psychologists, and exploring the often surprising roles played by some of the game's greatest stars since the first match in 1927, Gillis has written a book of probing and insightful analysis that every fan of golf will want to read as the 2016 Ryder Cup unfolds.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620407189
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	09/06/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Richard Gillis is an award-winning journalist working for several of the world's leading newspapers and publications. Formerly editor of SportBusiness International magazine, he then became Cricket Correspondent of the Irish Times. He now lives in London, where he is a columnist and feature interviewer for the Irish Times and writes about sport, business and the media for the Wall Street Journal, alongside media and communications consultancy work.
Richard Gillis is an award-winning journalist working for several of the world's leading newspaper and publishing groups. Formerly editor of SportBusiness International magazine, he then became Cricket Correspondent of the Irish Times covering Ireland's remarkable 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup campaign in the Caribbean, where his reporting on the untimely death of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer led the global news agenda. He now lives in London, where he is a columnist and feature interviewer for the Irish Times and writes about sport, business and the media for the Wall Street Journal, alongside media and communications consultancy work.

Editorial Reviews

"In his forthcoming book, 'The Captain Myth,' author Richard Gillis uses a mix of interviews with past captains and academic research to deconstruct the idea of the Ryder Cup as a referendum on the men at the top of both teams." - Wall Street Journal

"A fascinating, insightful read." - Golfdigest.com

"[The Captain Myth] is very captivating [and] flows really deep through Ryder Cup history. It’s fascinating, even for the average golf fan, but it’s really perfect for the golf nut." - Sean Zak, Golf.com

From the Publisher

2016-05-23
How important is a Ryder Cup captain? Englishman Gillis' first book draws upon his extensive experience writing about the business of sports for publications like the Wall Street Journal. For the professional golfers in America and Europe, the biannual Ryder Cup is one of the most important events in which they can compete. The author focuses on the captain's role, "one of the most nuanced and ambiguous leadership challenges in world sport." Gillis views the intense competition in terms of leadership, teams, and winning. Unfortunately, these digressions often get in the way of his otherwise cogent history of the competition. Numerous anecdotes and quotes from players and captains help enliven the story. At the first-ever match in 1927, the brash and ebullient Walter Hagen immediately became the "defining figure" in the competition. It was the bold Americans versus the lowly U.K. team (players from continental Europe were added later) and the beginning of the Europeans always being the underdogs—something they've effectively capitalized on. Europe's 2016 captain, Darren Clarke, says this helps them "form a bigger bond than the Americans." The captain's main job is to pick the team members. When Paul Azinger was captain for the Americans in 2008, he drastically changed how this was done, creating his pod system, which grouped players together based on their "personality types." The Americans defeated the Nick Faldo-led European team, and many players wanted him back; however, the PGA appointed another captain, and Europe won. Gillis also looks at how captains can alter course conditions to suit their players' games; Seve Ballesteros was a master of this strategy. In the author's opinion, Captain Jack Nicklaus' concession of Tony's Jacklin's putt in 1969 is "arguably the single most important story" in Cup history. Despite years of anguish over how a team can best be put together, he concludes, there's no perfect formula, nor perfect captain. Published to coincide with this year's competition, viewers/critics will be quick to place blame (yet again) on the losing captain.

Kirkus Reviews