Euros name next two Captains ...

[Matt_Ward]

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Ian Woosnam of Wales and England's Nick Faldo were picked Wednesday as Europe's next Ryder Cup captains.

Woosnam will be the team's captain next year, while Faldo will serve in that role in 2008. Woosnam will lead Europe in the Sept. 22-24, 2006, matches at the K Club in Dublin, Ireland. Tom Lehman will captain the American team.

Faldo would captain in 2008 at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. Paul Azinger is a top candidate to lead the Americans that year.

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I was always under the impression that Woosie would wait for the matches to be held in Wales for the captaincy. Still -- both are well deserved IMHO.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

I think the Irish were rather hoping that one of theirs would lead in Ireland, leaving Woosie for Celtic Manor.  It's rather depressing where we're playing them, isn't it - K-Club, Celtic Manor, PGA Centenary Course.  We'll probably win there and would lose heavily if they took it to a links course.

[Mike_Young]

Matt,
Nick Faldo has been in Costa Rica at one of our projects, Hacienda Pinilla filming and one of the guys that works with me was there when Flado asked to use the phone  and came out of the proshop with the news.  They were excited that they were some of the first to toast him as the 2008 Captain that evening.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Mike, I think Nick may be the next really good architect to come from the current players. The other being Davis Love. Needless to say Crenshaw is already in the club. I have heard several stories like yours where he is spending time and energy to learn the business without a project in particular to attribute the effort too.

[PThomas]

related to this topic:  can anyone in the know tell me/us why Larry Nelson has never been named Ryder Cup Captain?  I think he has the best record of any AMerican, don't think he ever lost a single match...won 3 majors, seems to have a great reputation...I just don't get it

[Matt_Ward]

Paul:

You raise an excellent point.

Larry Nelson is his own man -- he is not the particular "mold" favored by the PGA of America.

No doubt Larry is a fine player -- I can remember like it was yesterday his superb 65-67 finish to win the '83 US Open.

Sad to say Larry will likely never captain the American side. A true pity and loss.

[PThomas]

it is sad...certainly a better career than Hal Sutton and Tom Lehmann...doesn't seem the type who would cause controversy, etc.....

really seems like a slap in the face to me..

[Matt_Ward]

Paul:

Anyone who knows Larry wil tell you that while he may appear to be quite on the outside there is a deep and tru competitive spirit that burns within him.

In many ways he reminds me of Bernhard Langer.

I would love to see Larry captain especially when the matches are on the other side of the pond.

Larry doesn't tell people what they want to hear -- given his life story it's truly awesome what he accomplished since only picking up a golf club at age 21 and in being on the front lines in Vietnam.

[George Pazin]

related to this topic:  can anyone in the know tell me/us why Larry Nelson has never been named Ryder Cup Captain?  I think he has the best record of any AMerican, don't think he ever lost a single match...won 3 majors, seems to have a great reputation...I just don't get it

To quote Jimmy, from Jimmy's Chicken Shack, it's all politics, politics, politics, and I'm no politician.

Is there any more overrated job on the face of the earth than Ryder Cup captain? I am so sick of reading stories about how demanding it is. These guys need to work a real job for even one week. I make more difficult decisions in one day than the next Ryder Cup captain will make over the next two years, and I don't even think that my job is that tough.

[peter_mcknight]

Honestly, since the matches really aren't all that competitive since our narrow 14.5-13.5 victory at PGA National in 1983, what do the matches really matter?

Furthermore, the European venues from an architectural point of view aren't making me salivate and rise early to watch it live on television.  The K Club (Palmer), Celtic Manor (RT Jones Jnr) and Gleneagles (Nicklaus) just don't do it for me.  At least Brookline and Oakland Hills recently hosted the matches, but now we are treated to Valhalla, Medinah, Hazeltine, yum yum, can't wait.

Yes, L Nelson would have made a fine captain, but he got caught in the squeeze in the 1990s and now doesn't stand a chance.  I'm sure there are issues that exist that we don't know that explain why they bypassed a 2 time PGA Champion and, in his place, selected T Kite, B Crenshaw and C Strange.

I say 43 should captain and threaten each of the USA players with a 50% income tax and capital gains surcharge on top of the current rates for 4 years if they lose--that should be enough to grab their attention and play to win.

[PThomas]

I agree too much is made of the job --  can't hold Hal responsible for Phil and TIger LOSING TWO MATCHES ON THE SAME DAY (it's still hard to comprehend how that could happen with two guys with so much talent, although Phil recently said he didn't put emough practice time in beforehand and of course had new equipment )...although maybe picking out those outfits is a lot harder than we think (and while Ben can certainly putt and design courses, those shirts he picked.....Tiger said he burned his!!)

and the choice of The Belfry as a site might be the best example in ALL of sports of money driving the show....

and that war on the shore stuff was certainly ridiculous!