Unlike '04, U.S. players more prepared for foursomes

CHASKA, Minn. – In 2004, Phil Mickelson didn’t learn that he was partnering with Tiger Woods in a foursomes match until two days before the Ryder Cup began.

Rest assured, that’s no longer the case.

Yes, alternate shot is difficult for both teams. It’s not a format they play often. (“If I go play golf,” Rickie Fowler said, “I want to play the whole golf course.”) It involves blending two different games, overcoming the embarrassment of an occasional bad shot, developing a strategy for who tees off on certain holes and, as Mickelson explained Wednesday, adjusting to a new golf ball that spins differently.

Europe has adapted much better of late. In the past three Ryder Cups, the Europeans have…