The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Tiger’s presence will be ‘crucial’ to US
Former captain Azinger believes vice-captain will be ‘intimidating’ figure
Tiger Woods will be crucial to the US team at Hazeltine as “a reminder” of what it takes to be prepared for the Ryder Cup, believes Paul Azinger.
The only US captain to lead his team to a victory in the Ryder Cup this century dismisses the idea that fun in the team room to relax the players is the key to success, although he believes the US team are about “to feel the most pressure that they’ve ever felt”.
Instead, Azinger believes, the key to victory in the Ryder Cup is preparation; this is where Europe has dominated the US in recent times and why Woods’ presence as a vice-captain was a good move by Davis Love III.
“I think Tiger is going to be terrific in the team room,” said Azinger, who will form part of Sky Sports commentary and analysis team in their exclusive coverage of the matches at Hazeltine.
“What Tiger needs to be is the guy who reminds players how to think, how to get prepared. Great players don’t need lessons, they need reminders. Sometimes you get obsessed with the wrong thing and I think Tiger has the ability to remind these great players that there is no shortcut to winning any event.
“You’ve got to get prepared to win and Tiger, I think, will preach that message of preparation to the players. I think he’s going to be very beneficial.”
The US players are more friendly with each other with a greater camaraderie than the past, Azinger agrees, but he doesn’t necessarily think this is a good thing.
“I just wonder it Tiger is the last real intimidator in golf,” continued Azinger.
“It’s great that they’re all friends but it’s not about having fun. You don’t want to take 12 guys, put them in a room and everybody try to have fun. I don’t know what this whole idea is that somehow we’ve all got to have fun. The only recipe for success is to get prepared.
“There’s nothing fun on Friday morning when that bell rings and there’s 600 million people watching and all you did was have fun all week. I think that’s the reason Tiger Woods is in that room because who knew how to prepare better for big events than Tiger?
“They can all be best friends if they want but it doesn’t make them champions of the Ryder Cup unless they get prepared – and that’s the message I’d be selling.”
The Valhalla skipper is also dismissive of the idea that six rookies in the team is a disadvantage for Europe.
“We had six rookies in 2008, but they weren’t rookies at golf,” he said. “My first ever Ryder Cup was my best and I just think that’s overblown.
“It’s intimidating and all that, but these are real professionals and they know how to prepare and deal with pressure so I don’t see it as a problem at all. It was a non-issue for us and I really don’t see it being a big issue for Europe either.”
Azinger declined the opportunity to be on the US Task Force aimed at boosting their Ryder Cup fortunes but he broadly supports its aims, and feels even if the US were to lose it’s a policy worth pursuing.
“I met with the PGA of America on four separate occasions and I talked about what Europe have had in place since Tony Jacklin,” he recalled.
“We don’t have any continuity, we never do the same thing from one Ryder Cup to the next, it’s willy-nilly and fly by the seat of our pants.
“Hal (Sutton) did it his way, Lehman did it his way, I did something completely different. Corey Pavin didn’t care what I did. Tom Watson didn’t care what Davis or I did. Now here comes Davis again and he’s trying to be more inclusive with a lot of player input.
“There’s a philosophy in place now that they’re going to repeat over and over again. Even if we lose they can frame it as a new beginning.
“But I do believe their selection process has got the best players and they are on the right track. I do expect the US team to win this Ryder Cup, I really do.
“These are the best players that America has to offer and you just have to get them ready to play. It’s not rocket science.”