Phil Mickelson recalls the 'best speech I've ever heard' from Lou Holtz at 2008 Ryder Cup
· Yahoo Sports
Following the American side's latest defeat at the hands of Team Europe in the Ryder Cup this past September, 12-time Ryder Cupper Phil Mickelson offered up a suggestion on Twitter that was widely panned.
"Here is why looking outside of golf to a Coach K or a Lou Holtz is worth exploring," Mickelson wrote.
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On the surface, it seemed like just another one of Lefty's whacky thoughts, but his reasoning seemed sound:
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Turns out, Mickelson was also speaking from a past experience with one of the names he mentioned - Lou Holtz. Sadly, Holtz, the legendary Notre Dame head coach-turned ESPN personality-turned motivational speaker, passed away at the age of 89 on Wednesday. Holtz's son, Skip, a former college football head coach himself, wrote a touching tribute to his father on Twitter. Mickelson responded with a Holtz anecdote of his own:
Tales like this have poured in from the sports world in the 24 hours since his passing, almost all of them referencing the impact Holtz had on their lives, even if in just a brief moment or meeting. Mickelson's story clearly fits that bill, as whatever Holtz said to the American squad in 2008 had a massive impact on the proceedings that week.
In 2008, the American side won in a 16.5-11.5 drubbing at Valhalla, receiving star-making performances from young players like Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan as well as surprisingly strong efforts from the likes of Boo Weekley and J.B. Holmes. They were never losing that week, and it remains arguably the best complete team performance from the U.S. in the Ryder Cup in the last quarter century. It's often the one that gets pointed to as the model following an American loss since.
Eighteen years later, we all continue to talk about it, Mickelson included. With two-time-winning European captain Luke Donald returning for a third captaincy in 2027, perhaps the U.S. side might want to heed Mickelson's advice and bring in a Holtz-like figure ahead of the competition at Adare Manor.
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