Phil Mickelson saves best shot for his captain; Associated Press via Yahoo News, 9/29/14

Doug Ferguson, Associated Press via Yahoo News; Phil Mickelson saves best shot for his captain:

"Mickelson didn't call out Watson by name. He just criticized his heavy-handed leadership style.

It needed to be said.

And as bad as it made Watson look — and Mickelson, for that matter — it was the right time and the right place. The message was directed more at the PGA of America, which selected Watson without player input, than it was at the captain. Given the stage, his comments will not be forgotten.

Watson wanted to be captain again, even though it had been 21 years since he was captain, or even attended a Ryder Cup. After watching the meltdown at Medinah, he was tired of the Americans losing. Watson saw a team with a silver spoon that was in dire need of an iron fist.

"This guy is tough as nails. We all know that," European captain Paul McGinley said. "He was going to be strong. He was going to be a very strong captain, and he was going to lead it his way."

That might have worked in 1993. It doesn't work now."

Divided U.S. Team Uncorks Tension in Defeat; New York Times, 9/28/14

Karen Crouse, New York Times; Divided U.S. Team Uncorks Tension in Defeat:

"As Mickelson spoke, Watson stared ahead. The wan smile on his face did not reach his eyes. Hunter Mahan, seated next to Mickelson, looked at him out of the corner of his eye. At the other end of the table, Bubba Watson sat with his arms crossed on his chest. Other players stared at their cuticles or shifted in their seats.

Their fidgeting became more pronounced after a reporter told Mickelson that his comments sounded “like a pretty brutal destruction of the leadership that’s gone on this week.”

Mickelson’s eyes widened, and he said: “Oh, I’m sorry you’re taking it that way. I’m just talking about what Paul Azinger did to help us play our best.” He added, “You asked me what I thought we should do going forward to bring our best golf out, and I go back to when we played our best golf and try to replicate that formula.”

That didn’t happen here? “Uh, no,” Mickelson said. “No, nobody here was in any decision.”

Watson was asked what he thought of Mickelson’s remarks, and the room grew so still, it was as if even the air had stopped circulating.

“I had a different philosophy as far as being a captain of this team,” he said. “You know, it takes 12 players to win. It’s not pods. It’s 12 players.”

Or, it appeared, 12 angry men.

Asked if he perceived Mickelson as disloyal, Watson said: “Not at all. He has a difference of opinion. That’s O.K. My management philosophy is different than his.”"