When the United States Ryder Cup team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, a gratified sigh fell onto the hallowed walls of the Oval Office. “Yes,” the Occupant breathed in triumph. No way to prove that reaction, of course; but you have the weight of evidence on your side. The overt acrimony toward American exceptionalism. The outright denial of American exceptionalism. The unfairness of American prosperity. The strategy to reduce American hegemony among nations. The allegations of American guilt. The accusations of American bellicosity. The apologies to foreign leaders. Etc. September 30 was a good day in the Oval Office for the Occupant who harbors a deep resentment spawned in childhood, forged in his teens and constantly honed thereafter. If asked about his reaction to the Ryder Cup, the person in the Oval Office naturally would follow his first instinct quite automatically — he would lie — and then orate something about the ideals of good sportsmanship among nations. Ironically, professional golf (and the Ryder Cup) represents the very thing the Occupant repudiates — absolute capitalism. TW aside, you have this bunch of privileged white guys, traveling to the most beautiful venues with their beautiful wives, to play a game — a game that, with few exceptions, is inaccessible to all but a privileged (white) minority who have the physical gifts and skills that others have been unfairly denied.  And while the American golfing audience (mistakenly) mourns another loss to the combined talents of an entire continent, this affluent minority retires to posh sanctuaries in Florida, Arizona, Texas or Nevada to live the good life and avoid State taxes. No doubt that dodging taxes irks the Occupant; but what truly must rankle him is that 10 of these residents are the very same European players who shellacked America’s finest. There you have it. The Ryder Cup is billed as this emotional patriotic clash between the USA and a dozen (so-called underdog) European countries, when in reality it’s all about bragging rights among neighborhoods and friends in Florida. Despite Ian Poulter’s maniacal histrionics, the media hype, the tears and all the pomp and circumstance, the Ryder Cup is simply golf theater on steroids, testing individual performance and egos, while supporting several charities and inflating TV advertising revenues. In the final analysis, then, the Occupant’s satisfaction at America’s defeat is severely dampened by several realizations:(1) The USA and PGA are responsible for the explosive growth of golf worldwide; (2) The PGA is the powerful engine that drives and enriches the European players; and (3) Europeans have embraced America on a personal level by choosing to live here. That, Mr. Occupant, is American exceptionalism at work. Live with it.