Does it matter who the Ryder Cup captains are? | The Slam Podcast SPECIAL

In the latest edition of The Slam Podcast - in association with Callaway - Matt Coles and Matt Chivers are joined by award-winning journalist and author Richard Gillis.

Richard wrote The Captain Myth: The Ryder Cup and Sport’s Great Leadership Delusion, published in 2016, which re-thinks the role of the Ryder Cup captain and how important they actually are.

With an array of interviews with an abundance of golfing figures, Richard considers the idea of the good and bad captain - the inevitable labels given to the winning and losing leaders at the Ryder Cup.

Richard joins the team to discuss how captains have been perceived in previous iterations of the event, when often their fate has been determined by flip-of-a-coin moments, such as Justin Rose's memorable putt when facing Phil Mickelson at the 2012 matches at Medinah.

Do we just seek a story of romance surrounding who wins? Or does the best team simply win most of the time?

He also delves into the business side of the Ryder Cup and ponders its future if money becomes the primary object of the event. One day, could it be held every year? Or, could it become a four-day tournament?

You won't want to miss this special Ryder Cup preview!

The Matts also previewed the huge week in Rome and revealed the European pairings they would go with for the first foursomes session on Friday morning.

Will Luke Donald opt for experience over rookies, or will the Englishman put trust in his most fresh-faced team members?