The reclamation project belongs to Seve's primary antagonist. Azinger's homemade swing and fiery demeanor made him the cornerstone of several U.S. rosters, and though his 5-7-3 record hardly was spectacular, he never lost a singles match (2-0-2) or backed away from the leadership duties many of his colleagues considered a burden. More than any tour pro who teed it up for Old Glory, Azinger's career was defined by his Ryder Cup appearances. He wanted the toughest opponents, the most pressure, the biggest moment.
Photo: popperfoto/getty images
He's the perfect guy to lead this troop and invoke the overt intensity that has been missing on the American side, but the more you look at Azinger's team, the less you're likely to hear. Other than Phil Mickelson and perhaps Anthony Kim, this is a squad full of blend-into-the-woodwork types. A lot of nice guys, but six rookies and not a lampshade-wearer in the bunch, although Boo Weekley's down-home nature potentially could keep things loose.
At Oakland Hills four years ago, the Yanks fell so far behind so early that atmosphere was a non-factor. You can bet Azinger will send out native Kentuckians Kenny Perry and J.B. Holmes in Friday morning's first foursomes match to crank up the volume outside the ropes, and with a team with many long hitters who tend to spray their drives into galleries of any size, the U.S. skipper will make sure Valhalla's rough has little effect on one's ability to hit greens or hunt pins.
At the end of the day, however, a captain can only do so much. On paper this group of Americans is one of our weakest teams ever, then again more imposing squads have gotten hammered, and it has become fairly clear in recent years that intangibles such as chemistry and attitude mean a lot more than data and previous results. That's what made the Ryder Cup special, what made it so popular and so much fun to watch. For the health of the event itself, that's what will make this one close.
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