The dust is starting to settle on the Ryder Cup, and while the European team continues to celebrate in Scotland (this week's European Tour event is in Scotland), the US looks ahead to 2016. We all know that Tom Watson will not be returning as captain, so the PGA of America has a decision to make. There are several players who could fill the role, but who should it be?
Right now, I am just discussing the US team. The European Team is much deeper with several players in their 40's who have an opportunity to run that squad. Team Europe also doesn't have the strange guidelines like the US does, namely the requirement that the captain has to be a major winner.
Below are five names that are (or at least should be) in consideration for the next Ryder Cup captain. Let's look at them one at a time and see who could be a good fit.
David Toms:
- I heard this name for the first time on Monday, and it would be a surprise, I think, if they went to Toms, who was a part of three Ryder Cups and never won one. He seems like a nice enough guy, and he's still playing regularly on Tour, so he may have the connection to the players that seems vital in this day and age. I just think there might be a longer list behind him, and Toms will, unfortunately, get left behind.
Fred Couples:
- I think it's an obvious choice to make Couples the next captain, but the PGA of America seems hesitant to do so. Couples will be 56 by the time the next Ryder Cup comes along, which may make him too old, but the players love him, and he never lost as captain of the President's Cup. He's already slated to be a vice-captain for the President's Cup next year, but if the PGA of America came calling, I'm sure (at least I hope) he would put more of a priority on the Ryder Cup.
Phil Mickelson:
- There is a possibility that the PGA will say "ok, tough guy, if you think you can do better, then go for it." I'm sure the PGA of America would LOVE to have Phil as captain, but I wonder if the players would go for it, and I don't know if Phil would even accept it, seeing as he thinks he can still make the team in two years (I don't know if he can, but that's another story). The possibility exists that he could be a playing captain, but the last playing captain was Arnold Palmer in 1963, so I doubt anyone wants to go in that direction.
Paul Azinger:
- I think it just makes sense that Azinger, who was the only winning US captain since the turn of the new millennium, gets another opportunity. Phil kept referring to Azinger's system, and a lot of golf scholars seem to suggest that it was his "pods" system that lead to a victory in 2008. The Ryder Cup will be held in US in 2016, so Azinger doesn't have to worry about traveling, and while he's been out of the game for a while, he has been an analyst, and I'm sure he keeps his connections with all the players.
David Duval:
- A real dark horse that I'm sure no one has discussed yet, but if there was ever a time to pull a rabbit out of the hat, this is it. While Duval's days of contenting on Tour are over, a lot of players still hold him in very high regard, and if his Twitter page is any indication, he still has a lot of passion for the Ryder Cup and has a lot of positive thoughts from his time playing in those events. He only played twice, but one of them was the 1999 event, which the US won. You want a captain that is going to get his players involved? Call up Duval.
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