Love Looking To Earn Ryder Cup Spot…Sort Of

From a Reuters story following Monday's press day, U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Davis Love is quoted as saying he's going to try and make the team on points but also not the "one of the five best players on our Tour" caveat:

"I'm definitely trying, I was trying to make Freddie's (Fred Couples) President Cup team," said Love. "I'm out every week trying to compete and play well to try and get in the winner's circle again.

"I would like nothing better than to be in the mix but the number one goal is to win the Cup back and if I was one of the best five players on our Tour this coming year than I would like to play.

"Otherwise I'm going to get 12 really good ones and let them go do it."

"That would be on The Presidents Cup."

I scoured some of the early stories about media day at Medinah to read about the golf course, but according to AP's Nancy Armour, Mother Nature spared everyone involved from having to spin the reportedly awful conditions at next year's Ryder Cup host.

There was, however, this epic and stunningly relentless rally killer/point misser from the Captain's press conference.

Q. With the proliferation of Asian players playing in the regular tournaments, what are the chances that some of them will be included with either the European or the U.S. Teams, and how are they selected?

DAVIS LOVE III: What was the question?

Q. With a lot of the Asian players playing right now, with the presence of a lot of Asian players, how would they be included in The Ryder Cup being the U.S., European --

DAVIS LOVE III: That would be on The Presidents Cup.

JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL: Correct. They cannot be playing The Ryder Cup unless you are U.S.-born.

DAVIS LOVE III: You have to be a U.S. citizen.

Q. Is it based on residency or skill and how long they have been playing the circuit?

DAVIS LOVE III: The country you're a resident of; so they would be in The Presidents Cup team, or the rest of the world (International)team.

Long Rumored, To Be Confirmed Monday: Medinah's Turf Struggling

Ed Sherman talks to 2012 Ryder Cup Chairman Don Larson, who says corporate sales are better than expected but there's the course conditioning that will be the focus of Monday's Ryder Cup media day.

"Nobody's satisfied with the condition of the course," Mr. Larson said. "But things are getting much better. We're confident the course will be ready for next year."

A toxic combination of things happened this year, Mr. Larson said. When a 7-inch rain storm flooded the course in July, followed by some intense heat, the fairway grass went into retreat. New turf was installed last year as part of a $3-million renovation.

"We hit the mother lode of bad weather and tough growing conditions," Mr. Larson said. "Those roots only are two years old. They're immature. Cog Hill had trouble last year when (its new grass) only was two years old. Everyone saw how great (the condition) was this year. What a difference a year makes."

Mr. Larson said Kerry Haigh, the PGA of America's pointman for the Ryder Cup, visited Medinah last week and felt conditions were on track.

Davis And His Co-Captain Begin Arduous Task Of Selecting Just The Right Golf Bag

Edgar Thompson reports on Davis Love's visit to Palm Beach Gardens and PGA headquarters to kick off his Ryder Cup captaincy. Or, his and hers captaincy.

Love and his wife, Robin, met with PGA officials to begin the exhaustive planning process that will lead all the way up to the 2012 matches at Chicago's Medinah Country Club.

"I'm really excited about this day because this really launches Robin's and my captaincy," Love said.

"We have to start making decisions on what the bags are going to look like."

Just keep an eye out for any extra stitching.

Ollie: It's Not All About Me! Returns Euro To Two Captain's Picks

Otherwise the rest of the criteria for the 2012 selection process looks the same.

Doug Ferguson points out that had this system been in place in 2010, Padraig Harrington and Justin Rose would have made the team on points while Miguel Angel Jimenez and Peter Hanson would not have made it.

Qualification Criteria for The 2012 European Ryder Cup Team

Qualification for The 2012 European Ryder Cup Team will be selected employing the following criteria:-

(a) The leading five players on The Ryder Cup European Points List (1) at the conclusion of the 2012 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. In the event of a tie (equal number of points accumulated), placings will be decided by the player with the higher ranking on The 2012 Race to Dubai at the conclusion of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

(b) The leading five players, not otherwise qualified (having selected the five players from The Ryder Cup European Points List) from The Ryder Cup World Points List (2) at the conclusion of the 2012 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.  In the event of a tie (equal number of points accumulated), placings will be decided by the player with the higher ranking on the Official World Golf Ranking.

(c) The Captain, José Maria Olazábal, will choose the remaining two players following the conclusion of the 2012 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

Purple Cardigans Not Expecting Return Invite To Ryder Cup After Love Vows To Have U.S. Team Looking, Feeling Comfortable

From Nancy Armour's story on Davis Love's widely applauded (here, here, here and here) appointment as 2012 Ryder Cup captain.

But he is quite serious about his passion for the new job. He's already been talking with PGA and Medinah officials about course setup.

I wonder if the word dynamite came up in any of those conversations?

As for those disastrous rainsuits that leaked, causing a distraction before the Americans even teed off, Love pledged that a big part of his job will be making sure his players feel as comfortable and prepared as they do at major championships.

"My main mission is to get my players prepared to play on Friday morning like they do every other week during the year," Love said. "If there's any problem the American team has ever had in the seven Ryder Cups I've been involved in, is that we just try too hard. I know that's an over simplification, but you put together a game plan and you go try to execute it, that's what we are going to try to do.

"I'm going to put the best players in the world with the best equipment I can get, and give them the best chance they can to win," he added. "Whoever we need out here, trainers, great golf bags, whatever, we are going to have everything we can to give this team the confidence that they have when they go to the PGA Championship a month before. I want them to ... [be] comfortable, they look good and they are happy and ready to play."

But they were such a great shade of lavender.

Players Beyond Giddy To Have Ollie As Their Captain

I don't remember praise quite like this for the Faldo and Monty  announcements. Alistair Tait reports:

“Ollie’s the only man who’s ever made me cry in the Ryder Cup,” said Paul Casey, who played with Olazabal in the ’06 Ryder Cup at the K Club and was on the ’08 team at Valhalla. “He made speeches at both matches and I cried both times.

“I think it’s a wonderful decision. He’ll bring passion to the Ryder Cup. He’s got so much respect from the players. I can’t think of anybody who’s more respected than Ollie on the tour, and more well liked. Everybody feels so comfortable around him. Anybody can go up to him and he’ll help them out.”

Ian Poulter played at Valhalla and Wales. He first saw Olazabal play in the Ryder Cup when Poulter was 17 years old and attended the 1993 match at The Belfry.

“Jose Maria Olazabal is the Ryder Cup,” Poulter said. “Simple as that. When I was growing up he was one of two players I thought about when I thought of the Ryder Cup, along with Seve (Ballesteros). I mean they lived and died for the Cup. No one brought as much passion to the match as those two did."

Love To Be Named Ryder Cup Captain In Special Thursday News Dump!

This is not a stunning revelation considering he was one of Corey Pavin's lieutenants and is a logical choice to be the next U.S. captain, but it is a mystery why Davis Love's captaincy is going to be announced this week.

A) Jose Maria Olazabal will be announced as the European Captain Tuesday. Isn't that enough Ryder Cup news for one week? Or maybe even one month?

B) The announcement will be in Chicago, far away from the golf media in the deserts.

C) The Bears and Packers are playing for the NFC Championship Sunday, which, as AP's Doug Ferguson tweeted, should ensure that the news is on no one's radar screen in Chicago.

"Saltman's explanation of his initial reaction and subsequent retraction, along with evidence from two fellow professionals, will be at the crux of Tuesday's hearing."

While most like John Huggan are looking ahead to Tuesday's announcement of Jose Maria Olazabal as the next Ryder Cup Captain, Lawrence Donegan reports that it's the day of Elliot Saltman's cheating hearing. Sounds like a he said-he-he said situation.

All have been instructed not to discuss the details of the case but the Observer has established that Saltman faces charges of incorrectly replacing his ball at least five times during the first round of the event in Russia – marking the ball in one position (at "eight o'clock" on its circumference) on the green and replacing in another (at "six o'clock"), marginally closer to the hole.

These alleged infringements were drawn to his attention by his playing partners at the end of the round, after which all three met with Gary Butler, the European Tour rules official in charge that week. After that meeting, Saltman was disqualified. The Scot this week denied any wrongdoing, but in an interview with journalists in Spain last month he indicated that, in the immediate aftermath of the events in Russia, he agreed he had broken the rules. "I accepted what was said at the time because I was in shock at the time and I didn't want to be labelled a cheat. I am sorry now that I didn't stand up for myself,'' he said.

Captain Zzzzzz's: Love and Ollie On Tap To Captain In 2012

According to separate reports, Davis Love and Jose Maria Olazabal are penciled in as the next Ryder Cup Captains.

This is such depressing news for the blogosphere. Two likeable, humble, soft-spoken men who think before they speak! It's just not right.

"If the committee decides it's going to be me as the next captain, I need to talk with them beforehand to see how we can solve the possible inconvenience that I may not be on the Tour playing that much."

You have to love Jose Maria Olazabal's honesty about his health and prospects to serve as 2012 European Ryder Cup captain if asked.

"I have been thinking about it for a long while and that's why I put the issue on the table. So I can see the situation where I will have to say 'no' and that will be only because of my health.

"But if they appoint me I somehow have to be close to the players, somehow be able to compete alongside them, talk to them, to see how they think, and just be close to the Tour through the qualifying process."

Eh, just got a satellite dish and sign him up I say. The players couldn't stand Monty and he got along okay, so why not Ollie who they like?

"How do you keep your boys down on the farm, now that they've seen Moline?"

Mike Purkey says the European Tour should insist its Ryder Cup wannabes play at least half their schedule in Europe to strengthen the European Tour and tell us just how much some players really love the Cup. As if they aren't bickering amongst themselves enough already!