The Golf Watch

Monty officially receives Ryder Cup nod

It's official.  Colin Montgomerie will be the European Ryder Cup captain in 2010. 

Monty has indicated that he "will not in any way, shape or form come close to qualifying for the team." Yet, 2012 isn't out the question. 

"I don’t believe I cannot compete in 2012. That is now my aim.  But we’re concentrating today on 2010 and that’s where we are."

Corey Pavin and Monty--talk about a strong contrast in personalities.

Torrance: "I like this move by the committee"

There are a few interesting bites from former Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance in John Huggan's Sunday piece regarding the imminent announcement of Colin Montgomerie as Ryder Cup captain. 

I like this move by the (European Tour Tournament] committee.  It shows real forward thinking. They haven't bowed down to any kind of outside pressure. And Monty is the right man for the job. The Ryder Cup is so important to our tour, we just have to get the right man. It raises the profile of the tour and all the players. Nobody would know who the hell I am if it wasn't for the Ryder Cup.

Here's the real zinger though.

I think we – and by we I mean Europe – made a mistake when the job was recently given to people who probably deserved it on their records but who weren't the right kind of person. Not this time though. Monty will give it everything.

Source: Olazabal the "preferred choice"

Alistair Tait files an interesting column about Jose Maria Olazabal being the preferred choice as captain of the 2010 European Ryder Cup team. 

Rome: Pavin pick is a bad move

I hadn't heard that many mixed reviews over the Corey Pavin selection, until I caught Thursday's edition of Jim Rome is Burning on ESPN.

Rome's major gripe is that the United States team had struggled for so many years before Paul Azinger was captain, that not bringing him back is non-sensical.  Rome said:

Look, I know the powers that be like to spread it around.  They don’t want to have repeat captains.  They must also not like winning because there’s no need to fix something that isn’t broken…Zinger had as much to do with winning, maybe more, than anybody swinging a club.  He took a group of disinterested, flat lining mercenaries, and he turned them into a bunch of crazed dogs…He earned the right to defend that title, he earned the right to stay on as long as he wants.

As for the Pavin selection, Rome indicates that it will be nearly impossible for Pavin to live up to what Azinger did this year:

He’s (Pavin) never been the most dynamic guy on tour if you know what I mean…You never want to be the guy following the guy, and that’s what Pavin is.  It’s a bad move.

Pavin gets Ryder Cup nod

As expected, Corey Pavin was named the 2010 United States Ryder Cup captain earlier today. A choked up Pavin told the press that he had always dreamed of becoming captain.

Interestingly, in an interview with Inga Hammond of The Golf Channel (pictured left), Pavin revealed that he received news of the selection from Jim Remy on Nov. 24.  That's two and a half weeks ago.  Kudos to those who kept this one under wraps for so long!

Reports: Pavin is likely to be next Ryder Cup captain

Now that Paul Azinger is out of the running for the 2010 U.S. States Ryder Cup captain bid, the focus has shifted to the next most likely candidate, Corey Pavin.

Bob Buttitta of the Ventura County Star is one of several writers who suspects that Pavin will be the man for the job:

Corey Pavin's fierce competitive nature helped him rise to the rank of golf's No. 1 player in the mid-1990s.

Indications are that the Oxnard native will have a chance to try to instill that same type of win-at-all-cost mentality in the members of the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup team.

The PGA of America will announce the new captain on Thursday, and it appears it will be Pavin.

Azinger captain speculation ends

Bob Verdi of Golf World broke the news that Paul Azinger will not be re-named the United States Ryder Cup captain for 2010.  Verdi quotes Azinger as saying:

All I can say is that it's not going to be me.  You'll find out who it is on Thursday.

The PGA of America doesn't waste much time, do they?

Ryder Cup ratings a plus

The Ryder Cup overnight ratings are in, and for the first time since Tiger Woods won at Torrey, we have seen a rise in viewers.  As Thomas Bonk reports:

The U.S. victory Sunday in the Ryder Cup was a hit for NBC. The overnight rating was up 7% over the 2006 last-round, to 2.9 from 2.7. But Saturday's overnight rating took a dip (can you say college football?), down 20% from the 3.0 in 2006, to a 2.4.

Nick Faldo--stay away from the news stands

Although I have been reading a lot about the Americans having a superior team, it's clear that some European writers find Nick Faldo to be the culrpit of the European team's demise.  Take this harsh Paul Hayward critique in the Daily Mail:

Nick Faldo, not the crowd, was America’s 13th Man, sending an aircraft carrier to a conflict that was already over.

Hindsight is the media’s favourite language, but there is no escaping the gruesome fact that, when the Americans broke Europe’s Ryder Cup dominance here last night Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and the dual Open champion Padraig Harrington, were all stranded on the Valhalla course.

Point well taken, but read on:

His list will go down as one of the great leadership howlers, and it confirmed the sense we had of Faldo being swept along by instinct and whim. Emotionally overcome by Muhammad Ali’s visit, and the tension of a draining week, the captain’s gaucheness in press conferences and at the opening ceremony were minor foibles compared to yesterday’s aberration.

A little rash?

"I've been abused from start to finish"

Let the post-Ryder Cup drama commence.  One of the hot topics thus far has been the rowdy crowd.  It seems that most people have been referring to Lee Westwood's dismay over the 13th man.  Here's a quote from Westwood in The Independent. 

You expect the crowd to be supportive but I've been abused from start to finish.  It's the downside of the week for me. I don't think it helps. There is a difference between supporting your side and abusing the opponents.