HAVEN, Wis. — Steve Stricker, the United States Ryder Cup captain, has not delivered a single rousing speech to his charges this week. He has also refrained from showing them motivational videos, which many of his predecessors liked to do.
When Stricker was a Ryder Cup competitor, as opposed to a nonplaying captain, he always thought those tactics just made him nervous.
At the 43rd Ryder Cup, which begins Friday morning, Stricker will rely on more elemental inspiration for his team: He has the youngest U.S. squad in decades, and he knows those players have spent most of their lives hearing about Europe’s sustained dominance in the event.