At sundown, after the worst day in the history of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, [Hal Sutton] was asked if [Phil Mickelson]'s switch in equipment from Titleist to Callaway just two weeks ago might have contributed to the two stunning defeats that Mickelson and Tiger Woods suffered at the hands of two European pairings. Sutton mulled the idea.

While Mickelson is doing penance, maybe he can go to the range here at Oakland Hills and practice with his new Callaway driver and his new Callaway 3-wood while he pounds buckets of his new Callaway balls. Then, if Sutton lets him play in the afternoon, maybe Phil can replace the little U.S. flag on the back of his shirt with a Callaway logo.

How could Mickelson do such a thing? Easy. For the same reason that Sutton broke every Ryder Cup rule of match-making common sense and unnecessarily paired his two top players together, risking exactly the sort of needless disaster that befell Mickelson and Woods on Friday. To both of them, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Unless the United States pulls out this Ryder Cup, Sutton may beat his Shrek-like skull on many a wall asking, "Why? Why? Hell, Phil and Tiger don't even like each other."