Philadelphia, PA (Best E Casino) - Former television mates Paul Azinger and Nick Faldo battled last weekend in the 37th Ryder Cup, with Azinger besting Faldo - again.
Azinger captained the United States team to its first win since 1999, and beat Faldo for a third time in the Ryder Cup. Azinger had posted a 2-0-2 record against Faldo as a competitor.
Let's break down the job they did as captains.
Faldo had just one player, Ian Poulter, play all five sessions at Valhalla. That was by design. Faldo, an 11-time Ryder Cup performer himself, knew the physical and mental strain that playing all five sessions takes on one's body.
Poulter justified Faldo's selection as a captain's pick by going 4-1. He lost his first match 1-down, then won four straight over three days, making him the only player on either team to collect four points.
Paul Casey, Faldo's other captain's pick, did not fare as well. Casey posted an 0-1-2 record. Overall, Faldo's captain's picks posted a 4-2-2 record, meaning they combined for five of the teams' 11 1/2 points.
Faldo was taken to task by the British media for sitting two of his most accomplished players -- Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood -- during Saturday morning's foursome matches.
Dubbed "Captain Tinker" by one British tabloid, Faldo later explained that Garcia was tired after Friday's first match and asked to be rested.
At that point, Faldo decided to sit Westwood as well, since Garcia and Westwood had not practiced with other partners for the foursomes, or alternate shot, format.
Despite the British press battering Faldo for this decision, it proved wise, as his team went 2-1-1 in that Saturday morning session.
The other big grading point for Faldo was his lineup for the Sunday singles matches. He started off with two of his big guns, Garcia and Casey, but really back-loaded his lineup.
In the 12 singles matches, the red-hot Poulter started 10th and was followed by Lee Westwood and two-time 2008 major winner Padraig Harrington. Westwood entered the matches with a 14-8-3 overall record, but was just 2-3-0 in singles. Meanwhile, Harrington was 3-1-0 in singles and 7-8-2 overall.
The problem for Faldo was that none of these matches mattered. Jim Furyk defeated Miguel Angel Jimenez in the eighth match, thus rendering his big guns useless.
Overall, Faldo earns a 'C' for his performance. The grade could easily be a lot higher, because most of the blame on the European side should go to the players.
Faldo's three best players -- Garcia, Harrington and Westwood -- entered the Ryder Cup with a combined record of 35-20-7, but stumbled to an 0-7-5 record.
On the American side, did Azinger do anything wrong? Overall, nothing drastic stands out.
He changed the selection process and his four captain's pick went 6-3-5. He rallied the American fans and they responded with hearty boos. Of course, the boos were for Boo Weekley, who was a fan favorite on the course and a quote machine off it.
Azinger also gets a nod for course setup, which is an overlooked part of the home captain's duties. Not that he selects hole locations, but the host captain combines with other people to determine how the course will play.
Valhalla, a major championship venue, was set up fairly for both teams, and that fact was on display both Saturday afternoon in the foursomes and Sunday in the singles matches.
Time and again, players used contours around greens to carve shots within 10 feet of the hole and sometimes within a foot of the cup. The setup of the course enhanced the quality of action.
As for Azinger's team setup, there wasn't much to question after the U.S. squad grabbed a 3-1 lead following the first session and 5 1/2 - 2 1/2 lead after the first day.
On Sunday, Azinger led off with the fiery Anthony Kim and followed with one of his captain's picks, Hunter Mahan. Kim dismantled Garcia, 5 & 4, to give the American side the early momentum.
Mahan, one of two Americans to play all five sessions, had an epic battle with Casey as 12 of the 18 holes were won. Of the 12 holes that were won, nine were taken with birdies. Overall, the two players combined for 13 birdies.
Mahan ran home a 45-footer for birdie on the 17th to grab a 1-up lead and secure at least a 1/2 point.
Azinger more or less front-loaded his lineup on Sunday and even stated afterwards that he wanted Furyk in the eighth spot because he knew that was a match that could clinch the Cup for his team, and he was right.
Overall, Azinger gets an 'A' for his job performance. And since he was the captain that ended the U.S. team's losing streak, people are asking whether Azinger should stay on and be captain again.
That would be a historic decision, as the last person to captain the U.S. team in back-to-back years was Ben Hogan, in 1947 and 1949.
One more note on Azinger - kudos to him for including Payne Stewart's family in the Ryder Cup during a year in which Stewart would have been in the running to be captain. Stewart's son, Aaron, was alongside Azinger nearly the entire weekend, riding with the captain from match to match in his golf cart.
THE KENTUCKY BOYS
J.B. Holmes played his first Ryder Cup in his home state as a captain's pick. Fellow Kentuckian Kenny Perry built his schedule all year around the fact that he wanted to play his way onto the team, and he did just that.
Did either native show any nervousness playing in their home state? Not a chance. The players, who were never paired together, combined for a 4-1-2 record, and both won their singles matches on Sunday.
It was Holmes' win over Soren Hansen that put the American squad on the verge of victory.
Perry paired with Jim Furyk in both foursomes, or alternate shot, sessions where they were 1-0-1. They also paired Saturday afternoon in the fourballs, or better ball format, when they dropped a 1-down decision to Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell. Perry knocked off Henrik Stenson, 3 & 2, in singles play.
Holmes, meanwhile, teamed with Boo Weekley in both fourballs sessions. They halved Lee Westwood and Hansen on Friday, then beat the same duo, 2 & 1, on Saturday.
MINI-TIDBITS
- Congrats to Davis Love III for being honored with the Payne Stewart Award earlier this week. Stewart died in a 1999 plane crash, and the award has been given annually since 2000 to the person that reflects Stewart's respect for tradition, charity and presentation through dress and conduct.
- Colin Montgomerie said this week that if he is chosen to captain a future European Ryder Cup team he will also push for four captain's picks. Monty also voiced his support for former British Open champion Sandy Lyle to be the next European Ryder Cup captain.
