USA captain Tom Watson has defended his approach to the Ryder Cup following comments made by Phil Mickelson in reaction to their defeat at Gleneagles.
Mickelson suggested that the Americans had made a mistake by straying from Paul Azinger's tactics at Valhalla in 2008 in the past three meetings with Europe, but Watson shrugged off the criticism by paying tribute to their rivals.
"He has a difference of opinion. That's okay," the 65-year-old told reporters. "My management philosophy is different than his.
"I felt that the assessment of the players was paramount from the standpoint of my vice-captains, and me to see who was going to play with whom.
"My two jobs are to make the captain's picks and then put the team together. The bottom line is the Europeans kicked our butts. They were better players this week."
USA have now lost the past three matches with Europe.
