Report: Love tabbed as U.S. Ryder Cup captain

In the "wait, wasn't this already announced?" category, reports are trickling out that Davis Love III will be named captain of 2012 U.S. Ryder Cup team at Medinah Country Club, while Jose Maria Olazabal is likely to lead the European side.

According to a story on golfchannel.com, Love will be officially announced early next year, at which point he will be able to begin a near-two year process of being asked about captain's picks, rainsuits, ping-pong paddles, and appropriate motivational speakers.

Love was an obvious candidate for the PGA of America given his Ryder Cup experience (though not all of it positive -- in six matches, he's only been on two winning teams, is 9-12-5 overall, his longtime connection to the organization as the son of a beloved club club pro, and the fact that he was an assistant to Corey Pavin this year at Celtic Manor.

The only complication was the not-unfamiliar dynamic of a 46-year-old player hoping he could still make the Ryder Cup team as a player. Love told GolfDigest.com's Dave Shedloski as much in August, but also acknowledged that wasn't likely given the state of his game. In October, following his experience in Wales, he was less ambiguous about his desire to be picked.

"I definitely want to be a captain," Love said at the McGladrey Classic in October. "If they talk to me about it, I'll be excited about it."

Meanwhile, a separate report by BBC said that Olazabal will be the likely pick by the European Tour at a January 18 press conference.

*-- Sam Weinman