Since there's little chance that I'll be called to actually test my theories, I can be particularly bold in their construction. If I were the captain of the US Ryder Cup team in 2008, here are four changes that I would make to turn around the dismal performance of the US team.
(1) No nostalgic dinner before the event, no "team" uniforms.
Bob Rotella is fond of quoting psychologist William James, who says in summary that, "people become, more or less, what they think of themselves." When you continue to repeat what has led to failure, you plant the first seed for repeating failure. The US team needs a new experience at the Ryder Cup - and one which is not connected to the failures and blow-outs of the recent years. The nostalgic team dinner contains a turn around the table where each veteran relates how important the Ryder Cup is, and then the US team plays over the next 3 days as if the event were merely an exhibition. It seems that what has become more important is relating to others that the event is important, than actually going out and posting performance. The world rankings and Ryder Cup points which determine team make-up are earned through individual play. Perhaps allowing players to dress as they played while winning major championships will create a level of reinforcement for them when they play during the Ryder Cup.
(2) Get the player's wives and celebrities outside of the ropes.
I attended the first day of play at Oakland Hills in 2004 (the worst day in US Ryder Cup history). One thing that struck me as a spectator was the arrival, before the players, of the wives "entourage." This is not a coronation, this is not a prom dance, this is not the academy awards. This is a sporting event. The focus of the competition should be on the players, and on the performance they are able to create on the golf course. The wives exist mainly outside the ropes at the Masters, the US Open, the British Open and the PGA. If the Ryder Cup is a competition comparable to these events, it should be conducted with a focus comparable to these events. I understand that it is enjoyable for the players and the wives, but it has moved the Ryder Cup closer to the exhibition that the Home Run derby is for Major League baseball players (wives and kids on the field), than the serious competition the World Series is (wives and kids in the stands).
(3) Create a challenge for Tiger
The world's most dominant player has a Ryder Cup team record that does not match his world ranking. The US has gone through several theories in partnering Tiger, the most recent trying to create a "Super-team" with Tiger and Phil in 2004, and Tiger and Furyk in 2006. I'd try pairing Tiger with a Ryder Cup rookie, and send the implicit (or maybe explicit) message, "Tiger, it's up to you to step up and carry this pairing to victory. You're the #1 player in the world, play to your ranking." It also has the benefit of potentially taking some pressure of a weaker player. Instead of having to play the match of his life, he just has to contributre on a couple holes - because he's playing with Tiger Woods.
(4) Make capitain's picks for the team which understand the nature of the competition.
Fourballs are about making birdies, foursomes are about matching playing styles. Neither has much to do with whether a player can post a 72-hole stroke play score - which determines whether a player finishes 10th, 11th or 12th on the Ryder Cup point totals. US Captains seem locked into making their picks to "reward" players - either lifetime achievement awards (Curtis Strange) or current year achievement (picking the 11th and 12th rated players). The goal of a Capitain's pick is to put points on the board. In particular, it is hard for a Capitain's pick to put points on the board when he is not on the golf course, which is where captain's pick Scott Verplank found himself for much of this year's Ryder Cup. One of Lehman's explanations was that Verplank was a shorter hitter, and did not match well with the long course (and wet conditions) at the K-Club. If that's the case, then why pick him in the first place? A player who will post 9 birdies, and 9 "x's" is the perfect fourball partner - but is also not going to last very long on the PGA tour. The Captain who has the guts to pick this type of player for the Ryder Cup team is also the Captain who can bring home a Ryder Cup trophy for the US.