Captain's Corner

You called your first Ryder Cup in 1989 your best.

I beat Seve Ballesteros in singles on the final day. Before that Chip Beck and I beat Faldo and Ian Woosnam. Faldo made a 40-footer on the 14th, I made a 30-footer on top of him. A great experience.

It was around then that the competition really started to change. Is Europe better now?

I don't know. In Ireland two years ago, I thought they would be favored. I didn't think they'd come to Detroit in 2004 and hammer us like they did, but I'm not puzzled by the results. We're the underdogs again this year. I look at their team on paper, and it's fantastic. How could you not make them favorites?

Well, if Europe is better, would you trade rosters?

I'm not saying that, no way. But they're scary good. I do think the selection process has been a huge part of the difference. We've averaged six players in the last six Ryder Cups—five of which we have lost—who haven't won a tournament that year. They've averaged two. Whether our new system plays out the way we want it to, we'll see. Just don't let me hear that losing Tiger Woods, the greatest player of his time, maybe ever, doesn't hurt. Come on. Be real.

Reversal of fortune: Azinger reigned at the 1993 PGA but soon faced cancer. Photo: Stephen Szurlej

How about, in case of a tie, you and Nick settling it in a playoff?

That would be as hokey as what Tiger and Ernie Els had to do in South Africa [Presidents Cup, 2003.] Can you imagine a bunch of corporate heads sending those two guys out there in the dark and not having a solution for a tie? Absurd. It was unfair to those guys, an embarrassment for the PGA Tour. Again, the Presidents Cup is not the Ryder Cup.

But Hunter Mahan was quoted citing stories he heard at the Presidents Cup about how much more relaxed it is.

Yeah, really old stories. The PGA of America addressed the issue of charity money in 1999, and I don't think Hunter's use of the word "slaves" was a great idea. We've talked, and he realizes it would be wise if he played in a Ryder Cup before he judged one. David Duval called it an "exhibition." Then he made the team and said it was unbelievable.

On top of everything else, this is the 15th anniversary of your first major victory.

Yeah, my first (laugh). The 1993 PGA Championship at Inverness in Toledo over Greg Norman in a playoff.

And even that moment wasn't completely enjoyable, correct?

On Friday night there, after the second round, I got a call from Dr. Frank Jobe, the great orthopedic surgeon. I had problems with my right shoulder in 1991, but then it went away. And then it came back in June of '93. By July, I couldn't lift my arm. Couldn't put my scorecard in my back pocket. Anyway, Dr. Jobe called and said, "Something is wrong. I want to take a biopsy."

So you went to see him?

Not right away. The Ryder Cup was coming up, then I won the PGA and I was in the Skins Game, the Grand Slam of Golf, all this stuff. He called again Sunday night, after I won the PGA, to congratulate me. I told him I wasn't ready for a biopsy. He said OK. He also said again something is wrong.

Did you know?

I realized why biopsies are done. I had seen a bone scan of mine. My shoulder was all black. I showed it to Payne Stewart, and he freaked. After the Skins Game, I flew to Los Angeles to see Dr. Jobe. Biopsy on Tuesday. Friday, he calls me into his office. I'm in a sling, thinking I had to rehab an injury. That's when he told me. Cancer. My life changed in an instant. I had a monster year, I was probably the most confident golfer on earth. All of sudden, everything came to a screeching halt.

Scared?

Of course. I was 33. The prognosis was good, but I was in the prime of my life. I didn't want my kids to see me die. I didn't want them to see me sick. That's why I did chemotherapy and radiation in L.A., not home in Florida. Because I got really, really sick. Throwing up all the time, and my sense of smell became more acute. Perfume, baby powder, certain foods made me nauseous. I went from 185 or 180 pounds to 158. I lost my hair. I told people, "Now I can dunk." All the NBA guys were bald then. I tried to put a positive spin on it. But you saw me at a spring training game in Sarasota, and you freaked. You said I looked yellow.