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.”"