ShareThisBy BOB BUTTITTA
Thursday, November 09, 2006
With another disappointing Ryder Cup now over for the United States' team, it will soon be time for the PGA of America to choose a captain for the 37th Ryder Cup in 2008 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky.
The list of candidates with the kind of qualities the PGA is looking for is long and impressive.
There is Paul Azinger, a fiery, feisty player in the mold of Hal Sutton. Azinger's personality and knowledge of the game makes him a solid candidate.
Fred Couples is quiet, but he has been one of our country's best Ryder Cup players and has openly said he would love the chance to lead the United States squad.
Davis Love III has been a Ryder Cup staple for the United States. While Love is generally stoic on the golf course, his passion apparently comes out in the Ryder Cup setting where he has been known to get in the faces of his teammates if they are not performing up to par. He would certainly have the support of his fellow Tour players, young and old.
Then there is Mark O'Meara, a great champion who knows what it's like to win a big event and a guy who surely knows how to motivate Tiger Woods.
All four men would be fine choices.
But I believe the best choice is Corey Pavin. None of the previously mentioned candidates could generate more enthusiasm and support from the U.S. team than Pavin.
With losses in the last three Ryder Cups and five of the last six, there will be a ton of pressure on the United States to perform in 2008 on its home soil.
Pavin has spent his entire career proving people wrong. Who better to captain a 2008 team that could be a home underdog than the king of underdogs, a guy who ascended to become the game's best player despite lacking as much athletic ability (and length off the tee) as almost all of his biggest competitors on the PGA Tour?
While Azinger may be the odds-on favorite to get the job, I think Pavin has the qualities needed to give the United States the kind of team leadership it needs to be successful.
Look how hard Pavin has worked to get his game back into shape after some disappointing years.
Most players who have accomplished what Pavin has accomplished would have refused to give the effort needed to revamp their golf swing, but not Pavin.
He's hung in and the hard work finally paid off earlier this season when Pavin won the U.S. Bank Championship, his first victory on the PGA Tour in 10 years.
Who would be a better role model for a United States team looking for inspiration than a man whose entire career is based on his large amount of heart?
