Captain Couples?

I've noticed in various stories mentioning who might land the gig as the next U.S. Ryder Cup Captain, Fred Couples keeps surfacing. Rich Lerner writes in another enjoyable column:

The hunch here is that Fred Couples will be the next Ryder Cup captain, with Paul Azinger and Corey Pavin under consideration.

However, John Hawkins blogged about Freddie's recent health scare, which may make it difficult for the PGA of America to select him.

It still seems to me that Pavin is their ideal candidate because he gives good press conference and, well, does anything else matter? 

Azinger has to scare the daylights out of the gang in Palm Beach even though he and Faldo could do their shtik while promoting the event. But Couples would bring a certain laid back approach that might help the U.S. team. However, his hatred of press conferences has to be a concern. Then again, if Woosie can get through it...

Thoughts?

Update on Tuesday, October 24, 2006 at 07:20 PM by Geoff

As soon as I post this, Cameron Morfit at Golfonline considers the possible captain's and doesn't even mention Couples.

Comments

[Pollner]

What about Larry Nelson? He has the same number of majors as Couples, Pavin, and Couples combined; and without checking, I'm betting he has a better Ryder Cup record than any of those three.

[Kevin]

Freddie just does not strike me as the right personality to lead the Ryder Cup team. The word tenacious has probably been used too much to describe Pavin, and to a lesser extent, Azinger. But "laid back"? I don't think we need more "laid back" in the Ryder Cup.

[Hawkeye]

Pollner, Nelson has a 9-3-1 record. While that is excellent as it is, prior to the '87 Cup he had the best record in history with 9-0-0. He is way past his due, however - his slot was in ´97, but he was bypassed by Tom Kite, probably because the PGA wanted history romantic Crenshaw for Brookline in ´99. Major muck-up, that.

[Smolmania]

Hawk is correct. Besides, we've got enough trouble on this blog righting past wrongs (to wit, the USGA and R&A abdicating their responsibility to regulate the distances the golf ball travels).

[Smitty]

Does it really matter who captains the U.S. team in the Ryder Cup? I mean, really! Unless Freddie or anybody other captain mans their sticks, they don't mean much--look at the last how many teams/captains. Until the Americans grasp the nuances of match play, how to prepare for foursomes and four-ball, and (along with having as Gunnery Sgt. Hartman would say) THE PROPER MOTIVATION!--the U.S. will, again, lose, BIG!

[Sean Murphy]

Hawkeye,

I'm sorry, but can you show everyone here what you mean by "his slot" was 1997??? And, would these slots you speak of be subjective on the part of the PGA OF AMERICA??? Are all of us here to believe that these choices are to further platform, brand, and market the PGA'S cash windfall during the Ryder Cup taking place with players that recieve no compensation for the sake of giving something back to golf and our country??? If the answer to the last question is an overwhelming YES, then why hasn't Larry Nelson been picked???????????

Larry Nelson is the ultimate task master and overachiever, the link below only helps add to his accomplishments as a person, a golfer, and most importantly as an American. These are not my personal opinions but are in fact the only objective conclusions one could conclude when studying his background. His background is not one of silver spoon in mouth from birth, or jr. club championships, but instead pure determination and sacrifice.

Larry Nelson, with his background in golf, his serving the United States armed forces during action in Vietnam, is more qualified than the past 10 US Ryder Cup Captains combined. The lack of sincere gratitude and appreciation is what Larry Nelson has endured, and for reasons like this my opinions are tainted when I see others exploiting professional golfers in order to make a lot of $$$$$$$$$. That my friend is what it's really all about, forget the winning and losing, like in the movie Color Of Money!

"Nelson was to win ten times on the PGA Tour, of which three, a high proportion, were major championships. His major first was the 1981 PGA Championship which he won by four strokes. In 1983 he was victorious at the U.S. Open coming from seven behind at the half-way point, and scoring an outstanding 132 aggregate for the last 36 holes to beat Tom Watson by one. In 1987 he finished tied with Lanny Wadkins after the regulation 72 holes of PGA Championship, and won the title with a par at the first playoff hole."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Nelson

[Van]

Kevin, a firebreathin' Bible-punchin' Freddie would be my choice...after Zinger.