Phil Mickelson blew it twice for Team USA

Before he publicly criticised his Team USA Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson's methods, Phil Mickelson should have remembered that he was the one who poked the slumbering giant when he taunted Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell with his infamous jibe: "Not only are we able to play together, we don't litigate against each other."

Both Irishmen went on to add three points each to the board and prove inspirational in Sunday's singles, rallying their teammates and helping to seal Team USA's fate as McIlroy trounced Rickie Fowler, winning 5 & 4, and McDowell came from being 3 down after 5 holes to win his match with Jordan Spieth 2 & 1. Mickelson did himself no favours.

Highlighting Phil's Ryder Cup record of 16-19-6, influential American golf commentator Brandel Chamblee blames Mickelson as one who's "so corrupted the Ryder Cup experience for their their fellow competitors." Pointing the finger, he says: "If you're looking for a reason why the United States continues to lose, you just saw it in one man, Phil Mickelson."

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F1 cars can hit speeds of 360 km/h (220 mph). A car weighs 691 kg with a downforce of 3.5 times that of the force of gravity (3.5g) in cornering. On Friday Dutchman Max Verstappen will make his F1 debut, driving for Toro Rosso in the practice session ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Next season he will be a replace Jean-Eric Vergne on the team. Verstappen celebrated his birthday on Tuesday. He's 17 and is the youngest driver to be involved in a Grand Prix weekend. He's familiar with Suzuka. He once took part in a go-kart race on a track next door.

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With an unsteady Manchester United up to seventh in the Premier League table and eyeing a top four place this season, Robin van Persie's revelations about Louis van Gaal's methods are sure to cause concern to a number of clubs who've been hoping to benefit from Man United's shaky defence. "He wants players to get involved," Van Persie says. "That's a bit of a Dutch thing. Everybody gets involved in the project. Everyone has their own say which is maybe new for some but not for me. I know how he works. Top four is a realistic target. We are winners."

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I'll leave the last word on the Ryder Cup to Mitch Philips of news agency Reuters, who says: "Every two years a small group of wonderfully talented, hugely successful American millionaire golfers have to line up like schoolboys to explain why they are no good." You gotta laff.