Tom Watson hits back at criticism of his Ryder Cup captaincy

Tom Watson has admitted feeling "hurt and disappointed" by Phil Mickelson's infamous outburst following the conclusion of last year's Ryder Cup.

Mickelson took aim at the American captain shortly after the resounding defeat to Paul McGinley's Europe at Gleneagles and accused Watson of a lack of adequate communication with his players while highlighting the leadership qualities of Paul Azinger in 2008.

The left-hander, who was clearly angered at being left out of both sessions on the second day, was widely criticised for the timing of his comments which had reduced Watson to a stunned silence during the post-tournament press conference.

Watson brushed off the altercation after the team had returned to the United States, when he said: “I completely understand Phil’s reaction in the moment. Phil’s heart and intentions for our team’s success have always been in the right place. He is a great player, has great passion, and I admire what he has done for golf.”

But nine months on, Watson has revealed the pain caused by Mickelson's offensive remarks and insisted he was happy with his choice of pairings throughout apart from his decision not to rest Jimmy Walker.

The bottom line is that I made the decisions based on the best information at the time, and I had the support of my vice captains

In an interview with The Golf Paper at St Andrews ahead of next month's - and Watson's last - Open Championship, he said: "Yeah, it hurt to a certain degree. It was disappointing, but we got beat by the better team.

"Our team played its heart out, and, after getting off to a great start on the Sunday, if they had continued along that path we could have been right there at the end. But you know the bottom line is that I made the decisions based on the best information at the time, and I had the support of my vice-captains.

"We made collective decisions on who was going to play with whom. You try and pair the best quality team together, and I don’t really regret too much the teams I played. You can always look back; it’s easy now, but at the time it is impossible to make these decisions.

Walker regret

"Jimmy Walker played brilliant golf for us. My only regret as far as the pairings are concerned was that Jimmy got tired out on the Saturday afternoon. He went 18 holes every round. I played him 36 the first day and 36 the second, and that was a mistake on my part.

"That fourth match on the Saturday afternoon, I didn’t know his physical condition. Then that third hole I saw him hit a shot and thought, 'Oh my God, I think he has lost his legs.'"

Watson will make his final Open appearance on the Old Course at St Andrews next month, and the five-time champion insisted he is not disappointed that he failed to lift the famous Claret Jug at the Home of Golf.

"As this will be my last walk over the Swilcan Bridge in an Open Championship, I will have so many wonderful Open experiences to remember," he added. "I am so very grateful for all the years I have been able to compete and the success I have had in the Open.

"But not winning the Open at St Andrews, was that a big disappointment? No, I never really had the disappointment there. At the time it was disappointing. I was close, but it never lasted with me. The only thing that lasted with me when I failed was how did I fail? Why did I fail? What shot did I fail with?

“Then I went to the practice ground and worked on those shots. That’s how you deal with failure. You learn what you didn’t do right and learn for the next time, and that the next time you get in that situation you are successful."