Captain Corey Pavin will face new challenges at Celtic Manor

Last September at Valhalla Golf Club, captain Paul Azinger and the U.S. Ryder Cup team answered one of the biggest questions in the world of golf: What would it take for the U.S. to win back the Ryder Cup after three straight losses?

Turns out the answer was, at least in part, Azinger's new and innovative strategies. He paired players with complementary personalities; he gave himself four captain's picks instead of two; he overhauled the points system so that the hottest players had a better chance of qualifying; he brought in an infusion of young talent. All those moves turned out to be brilliant, and it didn't hurt that the U.S. finally started making putts.

Now the biggest question facing Corey Pavin, who was introduced Thursday morning as the next U.S. captain, is this: Will he follow Azinger's winning strategies at Celtic Manor in 2010?

"I think Paul and I are similar in the fact that we love The Ryder Cup," Pavin said Thursday. "There's going to be a lot of things I'll be thinking about, and a lot of strategies and a lot of plans I'll be working on, over the next two years. I have a few ideas already."

Pavin added that no matter the details, "it will be my system," and said that he'll have to make some changes because the U.S. team will be the visitor in 2010. "Obviously, having played over at The Belfry in '93, it's a different challenge, as I said, and there's going to be some different things that need to be done."

Pavin's approach makes sense. He will consider the strategies of Azinger, and several former captains, but it will be a new year and a new team, so he needs to find his own path to victory. Here are some of the new challenges Pavin will have to factor in:

Winning with Tiger: There is little doubt the team dynamic is different when Woods is around. Granted, it's much easier to have fun when you're winning, but this year's American team -- especially Boo Weekley and Anthony Kim -- seemed looser and more inspired than nearly any other in the Tiger era. Pavin will face the difficult task of finding a partner for Woods -- Anthony Kim and Jim Furyk will be likely choices -- and coping with the hoopla that surrounds one of the most famous people on earth. It will be interesting to see how Pavin integrates the world's greatest individual star into the team.

The good news for Pavin is that he and Woods became close at the 2006 Ryder Cup, when Pavin's duty as assistant captain to Tom Lehman was simply to "be with Tiger."

No Home Crowd: Azinger had the advantage of the raucous Louisville fans, who were thrilled to cheer for a U.S. team that included Kentuckians Kenny Perry and J.B. Holmes. Pavin's team won't have that advantage. The U.S. has only won twice in Europe since 1981, and Pavin was on the last team to do it in 1993. Unless Davis Love III makes the team, Pavin won't have a single player on his squad that has won in Europe.

Course Setup: The yet-to-be-named European captain will be able to work with the superintendent at Celtic Manor to set up the course to his team's advantage. At Valhalla, Azinger chose wide fairways, penal-but-playable rough and slower greens. Pavin will have very little, if any, input on course conditions.

Despite those three challenges, Pavin will have one major advantage over his predecessor. The defending team starts with a half-point advantage.

"It's nice to have a little cushion there," Pavin said.

Azinger deserved another chance as Ryder Cup captain

In 1949, Ben Hogan captained his second consecutive United States Ryder Cup team. No one else has had a second straight term since, and it's clear that Paul Azinger is not going to follow in The Hawk's footsteps. That's unfortunate.

While some people felt that Azinger stirred the pot a little too aggressively at Valhalla, it's tough to deny that he did a lot of things right too.

Before heading to Kentucky, Azinger overhauled the qualifying process to give himself a better chance of fielding a team of hot players. He also got the number of captain's picks changed from two to four, giving himself more versatility in filling out his lineup.

Once he was in Kentucky, Azinger's management of the event, his team and the local crowd would have made Jack Welch proud. He moved the foursomes matches to the morning sessions and the fourball matches to the afternoon. On practice days, he split his 12-man team into three four-man pods to help the golfers bond and  learn more about each other's game. He encouraged his players to toss commemorative pins into the crowd as they prepared early in the week, choreographed the pep rally held on Thursday night, and implored the whole Bluegrass State to become the 13th Man.

The players bought in, the fans bought in, and on Sunday evening the champagne flowed as the United States celebrated its first Ryder Cup win since 1999.

Having done all that—and with the American players lobbying for his return—Azinger should have had the 2010 job if he wanted it. And according to the AP, Azinger was considering it, but Corey Pavin will almost certainly be named the next Ryder Cup captain when the PGA of America makes its official announcement Thursday.

Fair or not, Pavin, another feisty player who excelled under Ryder Cup pressure, is going to be compared to Azinger. It will be a tough act to follow. Any lingering resentment European golf fans feel toward Azinger will be directed squarely at Pavin, who won't have control of the course setup as the visiting captain in Wales. The U.S. shouldn't count on any help from Mother Nature, either—unlike Louisville, Wales in early October is cold and wet.

If Pavin and the United States team come through with a W against another stacked European team, everything will be grand. But if he and his team lose, the second-guessing over not giving Azinger another captaincy will be as loud as the chants of "Ole, Ole, Ole!"

(Photo by Robert Beck/SI)

At the Ryder Cup, No Experience May Trump Bad Experiences

There’s a reason “EXPERIENCE” is the first thing we list on our resumes: It matters. Experience is where we’ve been. It’s what we’ve done. It’s who we are. It’s a “massive asset,” England’s Lee Westwood said today at Valhalla.

Westwood was speaking of Ryder Cup experience, and he should know, having amassed 15 1/2 points in five Ryder Cups. But what if a player has only losing Ryder Cup experiences in his back pocket? Or, worse yet, only drubbings? (See the Team USA members of 2004 and ’06.)

What’s that kind of experience worth?

“Anybody who has played Ryder Cups in the last 12 years, I mean, we've lost five of the last six Ryder Cups, so most of their experiences are bad experiences,” U.S. captain Paul Azinger said last month. “So it’s not like experience is going to be a great help.”

Zinger wasn't just yapping. He went on to award three of his four captain’s picks to players without a lick of Ryder Cup experience: J.B. Holmes, Hunter Mahan and Steve Stricker. It’s better to have no Ryder Cup memories, Azinger seemed to be implying, than a scrapbook full of bad ones.

Westwood today took the discussion a step further, noting that to gain experience, you, well, need experience. “There might be a rookie on the American team that’s just made for the Ryder Cup, really raises his game for that situation. We’ve yet to find out,” he said. “I think it may be the same on our team. We've got four rookies and they might settle in quite easily. Who is to say Justin Rose isn’t going to be an unbelievable Ryder Cup player and never lose a match? So you never know all of these things.”

Which has helped make the Ryder Cup the game’s most consistently compelling drama. Even in blowouts, it’s great fun seeing which Ryder rooks can weather the pressure -- and which fold like Origami. 

“These guys have all withstood a lot already to get here,” Stewart Cink, a four-time U.S. Ryder Cupper, said today of the American debutantes, who also include Ben Curtis, Anthony Kim and Boo Weekley.

“I think being a first time Ryder Cupper in 2008 is maybe quite a bit different than it was in the ’80s or the ’70s because there are so many big tournaments around the world. Golf is scrutinized more than ever before, and the Ryder Cup is just another event of which you have to really perform well. So they are tested. The six guys that are on our team that have never played the Ryder Cup before have a lot of experience in other ways.”

Just look at their resumes.

Azinger starting to tip his hand

Paul Azinger dropped a few not-so-subtle hints about potential pairings in his press conference Tuesday.

When he was asked about putting together J.B. Holmes and Kenny Perry, both of whom are from Kentucky, he said, "I've thought about what am I going to do with those two guys; should I put them together, should I keep them apart? You know, I'd like to put them off first match out, to be honest with you, and get this crowd rocking."

While many pundits had speculated that they would be paired together, this was the first time Azinger spoke about it so openly.

Azinger also hinted that Stewart Cink, a Ryder Cup veteran, would be paired with a rookie. "He's got some experience, and I feel like he's the kind of personality that wants to embrace somebody that's never done it before," Azinger said. "I've looked at that carefully, which two rookies would I put Stewart with. But I think Stewart is a team guy; he wants to right the ship, and he feels like that's one way he can contribute. I kind of agree with him. He'll probably get his wish."

Azinger to British writer: 'That’s none of your business'

The best exchange from Paul Azinger’s mostly dull press conference Tuesday pitted Azinger versus John Hopkins, the veteran golf writer from the Times of London. Azinger has been notably guarded around the media since hammering Nick Faldo in another British paper, the Daily Mail, in April, and when Hopkins pushed Azinger on an unrelated—and relatively benign—question, Azinger grew increasingly curt and aggravated.

Here’s how it played out, though sadly the transcript doesn’t capture the wealth of awkward silence and Azinger teeth-gnashing throughout:

Hopkins: Hello, how are you?

Azinger: I’m fine. I know this will be a tough question. Go ahead.

Hopkins: We’ll leave the tough question to the second point, but the first point is that Nick said on Sunday that he only wants one vice captain, and he believes that’s all he needs; could you envisage yourself doing what you’re doing with only one person to help you?

Azinger: Yes. (Laughter).

Hopkins: Why have you got three then?

Azinger: Well, that’s none of your business. (Laughter) What difference does it make to you how many assistants I have?

Hopkins: Well, I’m just wondering, why Nick would say he only needed one; one seems to me, or to have only two, seems to be rather few when there are four matches on the golf course, and that’s the view of most people.

Azinger: I’m not Nick. We’re different people.

Hopkins: But you’re saying that you need more than two; is that right?

Azinger: No. I’m not saying that.

Hopkins: Well, then what are you saying, Paul? (Laughter).

Azinger: I’m not paid to say anything. (Laughter).

Julius Mason, PGA of America mediator: Is there another question you would like to throw at the captain, John?

Hopkins: Would anything less than victory for the United States be acceptable?

Azinger: Well, what do you think?

Hopkins: Well, here we go again. (Laughter) I tell you what I think. I think that under the circumstances, it might be, but I’m not the captain.

Azinger: I’m glad you’re not the captain. I don’t want to answer any questions, John, about that. That’s a tricky question, and you even told me when you asked me that question the other day that I shouldn’t have answered it, so I don’t know why you would expect me to answer it now.

Hopkins: Okay. Thank you very much.

Azinger: Okay.

Four captain's picks are an advantage for Azinger

Paul Azinger is facing some tough decisions over the next two weeks. As the U.S. Ryder Cup captain, he has to pick four players on Sept. 2 to join the eight automatic qualifiers. Hard as that selection process might be, I'd bet that Azinger is happy he changed the rules this year. (Previous captains had only two picks, and they made them the Monday after the PGA Championship.)

The new process gives Azinger two advantages over his predecessors. First, there's now a better chance that at least one player Azinger selects will be on a hot streak when the Cup matches begin. Both teams want the guys who are playing their best just before the Ryder Cup, but the five-week period between the PGA and the Ryder Cup is plenty of time to lose an edge. The new timing reduces the risk of having a team member in a slump.

Second, Azinger can do more to influence team chemistry. The team has three rookies (Anthony Kim, Boo Weekley and Ben Curtis) and five veterans (Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Kenny Perry, Justin Leonard and Stewart Cink). With four picks at his disposal, Azinger can add more youth, more experience or both. He can use his picks to complement his eight automatic selections instead of just filling out his roster. What captain wouldn't want that type of versatility?

Of course, if players like Steve Stricker, Woody Austin, Hunter Mahan and Sean O'Hair pull a disappearing act over the next three weeks, then having two or four selections won't really matter. Still, I bet Nick Faldo would be sleeping a lot better right now if he was sitting on four picks instead of two. Going into this week, Justin Rose, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Darren Clarke and Colin Montgomerie are all on the outside of the European Ryder Cup bubble.

(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Bubba Watson's road to the Ryder Cup?

If winless Bubba Watson is a captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup team, you’ll know why:

On Sunday evening I was hanging out in the locker room at Oakland Hills. It was by far the best place to watch the telecast of the PGA Championship. There was only one TV in the cavernous room, and various players and caddies kept stopping by to check out, and comment upon, the back-nine action. Angel Cabrera was nursing a series of Miller Lites and barking at Sergio in Spanish. Niclas Fasth, in his too-tight Euro jeans and shiny, pointy-toed loafers, offered a non-stop monologue of how every shot was playing and every putt would break. Paul Casey stopped long enough to show off a t-shirt emblazoned with ANARCHY ON THE FAIRWAY.

One of the most animated observers was Paul Azinger, who offered a much more profane version of his usual TV commentary. I was standing with Zinger when Bubba rolled in. The U.S. Ryder Cup captain lit up.

“Hey, what year is your Lambo?” Azinger asked.

“’08.”

“I just drove an ’09,” said Zing. “When you downshift, that sucker roars. I gotta get one.”

“You can drive mine sometime,” said Watson. Then a thought occurred to him, and he broke into a cheesy grin. “Hey, maybe we can work a deal!”       

Mediate hopes to rock the Ryder Cup

After 23 years on the PGA Tour, professional golfers rarely get to experience something for the first time.

Rocco Mediate, who turned pro back in 1985, has never played on a Ryder Cup team. But with the season's final major upon us, the 45-year-old is on the verge of making Paul Azinger's roster.

Mediate is currently 12th on the Ryder Cup points list. The top eight players automatically earn spots, and another four will be chosen in the coming weeks as captain's picks.

"It would be great," Mediate said Wednesday. "One more good shot here to get in the top eight is what we are all looking to do."

No one is going to forget his duel with Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open, but Mediate won't make the Ryder Cup team solely because of his performance at Torrey Pines.

Azinger said Wednesday, "As far as picks, personality could play a part, but I'm looking for guys that are playing really well and that have a lot of confidence." After mentioning Woody Austin, Brendt Snedeker and D.J. Trahan's accomplishments, Azinger added, "Rocco is another guy who could be very confident."

It's that confidence, along with his resurgent game, that would make him a great partner in a four-ball or foursome match. He's not long off the tee, but Rocco is a solid iron player, has an underrated short game and a knack for holing meaningful putts.

And after going toe-to-toe with Tiger for 91 holes, do you think there is anyone on the European team that is going to rattle his spikes?

The European media took notice of what Rocco could bring to the Ryder Cup party after Torrey Pines, but they were skeptical that he'd find his way onto the U.S. team. Oliver Owen wrote in The Guardian:

"Rocco Mediate will never play on a Ryder Cup team. He will never finish high enough up the money list to earn his place and has no chance of being a captain's pick. Paul Azinger will not have given Rocco Mediate a second thought as he plots how to get the cup back from the Europeans. But Rocco Mediate would be the perfect Ryder Cup player... if he was European."

So how ironic would it be if, after 23 years on Tour, Rocco Mediate were the guy to give the European Ryder Cup team a taste of its own medicine?

(Photo: Fred Vuich/SI)

20-somethings raid Ryder rankings

Conventional wisdom has it that experience trumps youth when it comes time to make up a Ryder Cup roster, but it may be time to rethink that old chestnut given recent Cup mismatches and the current streak of solid play by American 20-somethings

Ryan Moore, 25, did most everything right in losing a three-hole playoff to Adam Scott at the EDS Byron Nelson on Sunday. At 23rd on the Ryder Cup points list, Moore still has a way to go to make the team on points (top eight) or as one of captain Paul Azinger's wildcard picks, but he's got plenty of time to keep rising up the ranks. What's more, a handful of his contemporaries are also knocking on the door.

Sean O'Hair, 25, won the PODS Championship last month and is at 10th on the points list.

J.B. Holmes, who turned 26 last weekend, won the FBR Open and nearly beat Tiger Woods at the WGC-Accenture and has risen to 13th. (A Kentuckian, he's the most likely to get a captain's pick for Valhalla.)

Brandt Snedeker (above), 27, fought bravely at the Masters and is at 9th. D.J. Trahan, also 27, won the Hope and is at 14th. Hunter Mahan, 25, played well in last fall's Presidents Cup and is at 15th. Johnson Wagner, 28, nabbed his first Tour win in Houston and is at 18th.

Not long ago we were decrying the paucity of good young American golfers. There were no players in their 20s on the 2006 squad, and only one, Woods, made the 2004 lineup (with, ahem, mid-century clubbers Fred Funk and Jay Haas). Given that both of those outfits lost by the same score, 18 1/2 to 9 1/2, Azinger should take comfort in selecting from the current crop of untested, untamed youth. He can't do much worse.

(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)

Caught on tape: Mail releases audio of Azinger interview

Last Week the Daily Mail published an article in which Paul Azinger, the U.S. Ryder Cup captain, was quoted as saying of his European counterpart, Nick Faldo: "If you're going to be a p***k and everyone hates you, why do you think that just because you're trying to be cute and funny on air now that the same people are all going to start to like you?

"The bottom line is that the players from his generation and mine really don't want to have anything to do with him."

Soon after it was printed, Azinger spoke with SI's Gary Van Sickle to clarify the matter, saying that the quotes were distorted and inaccurate.

Now, the Daily Mail has released the text and audio from the interview online. Were the quotes taken out of context? You decide.

Hear what Azinger said during the interview on dailymail.co.uk

(Photo: Brian Bohannon/AP)