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The post Paul Azinger’s 9 golden rules for being a successful U.S. team captain appeared first on Golf.

In other words, it’s the perfect time for Azinger to step into the past.

“Hardly anybody even knows this,” he starts. “But when the first ever Presidents Cup happened, a lot of the work of the captaincy wound up falling right into my lap.”

Azinger’s phone rang. It was early 1994, and he was in Inglewood, Calif., where he’d spent the previous months receiving treatment for lymphoma. Hale Irwin, Azinger’s good friend and longtime playing partner, was on the line.

Later that year, Irwin told Azinger, he was slated to be the captain of the American team at a new Ryder Cup-style match-play event called “The Presidents Cup.” Irwin needed to pick an assistant captain, and because he was in the running to be the event’s first-ever playing captain, he needed to be sure the assistant was someone he could trust. Irwin wondered, would Zinger be game?

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“I had just gotten off being sick with cancer and it was just the greatest gesture,” Azinger said. “I love Hale for that. For me to be able to get back in that team room and be able to get in there with all the players, you know, it was just awesome.”

A few months later, Azinger and Irwin were together at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, in Virginia, captaining the U.S. team to a comfortable victory at the inaugural Presidents Cup.

“I felt like I was in charge that week,” he said. “Knowing which shots players had on par-3s ahead of the groups coming up so they could know the club. I was playing into the mechanics of what was going on during the matches. A few encouraging words maybe, here and there.”

Azinger was hooked, and by the time he was asked to captain a team of his own at the 2008 Ryder Cup, he was filled with bold new ideas about how to improve team golf for the better in the United States. Of course, you know the rest — the Americans hammered the Europeans at Valhalla, ending an eight-year streak of European dominance by utilizing Azinger’s innovative new system.

But as Azinger looks back now at some three decades of experience competing under the American flag, he sees his successes as indicative of some broader truths about team golf. Ahead of this week’s Presidents Cup (which he will help broadcast for NBC Sports), he agreed to share some of some of his lessons from along the way.

Paul Azinger’s rules for captaining a U.S. team

1. Pick the right players (or build a system that does it for you)

It sounds simple, but it ain’t. There are endless factors that can impact the qualification process, not the least of which are the rules set forth by the individuals choosing the teams.

In ’08, Azinger transitioned the Ryder Cup selection process into a points-based system, amplifying the importance of strong performers in golf’s biggest and highest-paying events.

“The money and the majors were double [points value], because I felt like players only choked for those two things,” he says with a laugh. “I mean, there’s nothing else to choke for other than cash and prestige. I felt like the majors had the most of both.”

Today, the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup teams rely upon a combination of points gained and “captain’s selections” — allowing leadership a greater say over who remains on each team.

“Now,” Azinger says, “the United States gets the best 12 players every time.”

2. Build a winning environment

Team environments are foreign environments for golfers, some of whom have never competed on a team in their life. It’s the captain’s job to ensure the environment feels familiar. Happy players will make for confident ones, and confident players play good golf.

“The captain has to take care of all the minutia, so the player doesn’t have to think about anything but the game and the golf,” Azinger says. “The team room is a relaxing environment.”

If you’ve done it right, Azinger says, you’ll know pretty quickly.

“I’ve been on a bunch of teams and in the room,” he said. “On the best ones, we laugh and we get up and tell rain-delay stories and play Ping-Pong. And we got a temper-tantrum stories, we got bad-break stories, worst-bounce stories. It’s just guys hanging out.”

3. Bleed over the details

No factor is worth overlooking. None. When Azinger captained the Americans, he kept close tabs on everything from the apparel designs down to the dinner menu.

Azinger obsessed over the details in the months leading up to the tournament so that by the time the tournament rolled around, he didn’t have to.

“We asked every player, what are your three most favorite meals?” Azinger said. “And every night, one of every player’s three most favorite meals was on the table. Some nights there was a bunch of stuff out.”

The result?

“I never thought about food once during the week.”

4. Choose your words wisely

There was only one time that Azinger addressed the 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup team in full, and it came before the competition had even started.

“It was day one,” he remembers. “I told them we were doing something different.”

Azinger told the team that he’d decided to experiment with a new strategy: The team would be divided into “pods” of four, and those groups would be responsible for governing themselves and their performance.

From then on, Azinger never spoke to the team in full again — even as they carried a precarious 9-7 lead into Sunday’s singles matches.

“I laid in bed Saturday night and I looked at my wife and said, ‘My gosh, I forgot to say anything to them.’ And she said, ‘Don’t worry about it. They’re ready.'”

All these years later, Azinger says there’s something to be learned from that story.

“The captain has to get his guys prepared, and has to get the right players together,” he says. “Then I think inevitably you have to kind of get out of the way. It’s not about you, it’s really about the environment in the room.”

5. Don’t be afraid to bench players

There are hard decisions about who to play and who not to play — and then there are easy ones.

“You don’t have to play everyone,” he said. “If you’re worried about someone, you can sit them [in the early-week sessions].”

6. Have a solid support team

This is team-golf advice as much as it is life advice.

“My wife, she was incredible,” Azinger said. “I never mentioned her ever in anything about the Ryder Cup but she was awesome for me. She was awesome for the team and the team room and it made a big difference.”

7. Be a master of communication

If you’ve watched team golf, you have no doubt noticed the earpieces worn by captain’s staff. What goes over the radio on match days?

“The business of the radio is to stay updated,” he says. “If I’m standing with the last group, watching them and there’s four matches out I’ll get an update from match three, or I’ll get an update from match one.”

But the business of the radio isn’t always the reality of the radio.

“As soon as there’s a cheer, you’ll hear someone screaming. At a Ryder or a Presidents Cup, that’s what it’s about. ‘He made it!! Birdie!!!’ or ‘Oh, no! We got screwed!'”

8. Be a master of people

Azinger’s pod system famously leaned on personality tests to help segment players. It was an essential piece of the U.S. team formula in 2008, but it was far from the only way Azinger tried to streamline the human element of the competition.

In one particularly controversial move, he removed the Saturday night gift ceremony from the U.S. team’s schedule, insisting that players were better served competitively if they received a trophy after the completion of play.

“On Saturday night, there was none of that ‘how much we love each other now,’ and all that garbage. That’s the worst — the Saturday night Kumbaya. It was probably the worst way ever to prepare for a Sunday final match. [The Europeans] are calling on the ghost of Seve [Ballesteros]. And we’re over here handing out crystal and watches.”

Some members of the U.S. team’s orbit were unsettled by the decision, which unseated one of the team’s old traditions. Azinger was ready for the heat.

“I remember I had a couple of wives come up to him and say, ‘Hey, we haven’t done a gift-giving yet,” Azinger said. “I said, ‘Yeah, we’re not gonna do that this year. We’re gonna do that tomorrow night, on Sunday night.'”

9. Embrace the uncertainty

Eventually, finally, play will begin, and the outcome will be entirely out of the captain’s hands. Good captains will understand this reality, but great ones will learn to thrive within it.

“Once the bell rings, the captain kind of has to stay out of the way,” Azinger said. “Yeah, I think you can overdo it. You can overdo everything.”

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The post ‘It would be a miracle’: Paul Azinger doubts Phil Mickelson can contend at Open appeared first on Golf.

The post ‘It would be a miracle’: Paul Azinger doubts Phil Mickelson can contend at Open appeared first on Golf.

But Paul Azinger also believes you’ll be watching the embattled star for only two days this week at the U.S. Open. 

“I predict that, if Phil’s missing the cut, like on Friday afternoon or something, it can get pretty rough on him,” Azinger said as part of a pre-tournament teleconference for NBC, which will broadcast the event. “I just think — this is a big step these guys have made. They’ve changed the game forever probably. But I agree, he is so popular. … And people do forgive. If it’s Phil Mickelson — I’ve always loved Phil Mickelson. He’s always been great to my kids. I’ll always appreciate him for that. 

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“I don’t necessarily agree with everything he’s ever done, that’s for sure, but if he does get in contention, it would be a miracle, I really think. A minor miracle that that guy could get in contention with all that’s been going on. But we’ll cover it fairly, I’ll tell you that.”

Of all the rich storylines this week — the historic venue (The Country Club), the wide-open field (Rory, Rahm, Spieth, Thomas, et al.), the stakes (it’s a major!) — none will likely be picked and prodded at more than Mickelson. Of course, that’s Mickelson and all that’s been swirling around him for the past four months or so, and not so much Mickelson the golfer. (Though could you imagine if the six-time major champion finally completes the Grand Slam now??) Should you need a refresher, here’s a longish sentence: Mickelson plotted to leave the PGA Tour, said some R-rated words about the backers of his potential new golf venture, apologized, left golf for four months, returned and played for the new series last week — and is now heading to Brookline. (Whew.)

In his quote above, Azinger actually laid out well the Phil stories within the Phil story — what the fan support, in sports-loving Boston, could be; how NBC will cover it; and whether Mickelson can actually contend — and we’ll let that guide our conversation here. The cheers-or-jeers thought is no doubt a fascinating one. And the question essentially is this: How bulletproof is one of the most popular players of all time?

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“Hey, that’s why we watch,” Azinger said on the teleconference. 

Indeed. 

“I think the response will be mostly positive because he has been a fan favorite for so many years,” Justin Leonard said. “But that Boston crowd, they’re going to let you know how they feel. Not everyone, but a lot of people in Boston, they like to not only attend these sports, but they become active participants. I’m sure there will be some participation by the fans in Boston, both positive and negative.”

“We’ve had athletes throughout history end up in jail and do things that were extremely controversial, but if they have success in their respective sport on the field, the public seems to be very forgiving with regard to that,” Notah Begay said. “I mean, look at Tiger Woods’ struggles off the golf course a number of times, and all seemed to be forgotten when he became the Masters champion back in 2019. … 

“Phil’s always been one of the favorites amongst spectators, and he feeds off of that energy. That might not be the case starting out. … If he does get in contention Saturday, Sunday, I think that will all shift back behind Phil. But initially starting, not everybody there is going to be a hundred percent supportive.

“As Justin stated, they will speak their mind.”

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As for the coverage, twice during the teleconference, NBC producer Tommy Roy and announcer Dan Hicks said the broadcast wouldn’t shy from discussing Mickelson, or any of the other 14 golfers in the Open field who are also associated with the Saudi-backed LIV Invitational Series, the aforementioned golf league startup. Notably, golf’s other main broadcaster, CBS, tackled the subject for the first time during its Saturday broadcast of the PGA Tour’s Canadian Open — analyst Nick Faldo bashed the format and players, while announcer Jim Nantz said he felt “betrayal” — and Hicks may have offered a preview of what’s to come this week with NBC when he said: “In this particular time that we find ourselves in, the world of golf and what’s happening today in London and the divisiveness that it has created, I’m sad with that. But at the same time, I’m so looking forward to getting the focus back, even for just a week, if we can get everybody away from all this talk, for what makes the game great.”

So back to the golf then. Can Mickelson contend? 

Here, at least, are the facts: At last week’s LIV Series event, Mickelson shot one-under 69, 75 and 76 and tied for 33rd in the 48-man field. In the four tournaments he played this season on the PGA Tour, Mickelson tied for 36th, tied for 30th and missed two cuts. 

Then again, you probably didn’t see him winning the PGA Championship last May, either. 

Love him or hate him, Mickelson is box office.

“I’m really more curious where his game is, just because he hasn’t played competitively in so long,” Leonard said on the teleconference. “U.S. Open tests with a thick rough, he’s had a lot of success at U.S. Opens, and certainly it would be a remarkable story if he does get in contention, but it’s going to require very sharp skills and skills that Phil Mickelson doesn’t always shine with as far as hitting fairways and being extremely strategic in that sense.

“So I think we’re all curious to see both how he plays and how he’s received.”

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The post Tour Confidential: Ryder Cup heroes, ignitors, irritators — and Brooks and Zinger appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Ryder Cup heroes, ignitors, irritators — and Brooks and Zinger appeared first on Golf.

1. After a one-year delay and three years since the last meeting, the 43rd Ryder Cup is officially, and finally, here, as the U.S. takes on Europe at Whistling Straits Friday to Sunday in Kohler, Wis. Europe has won seven of the past nine events, including the last one, a seven-point thumping in Paris. As usual, there are storylines aplenty, but what’s the one you can’t wait to see unfold this week?

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Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): The Ryder Cup-iness of the Ryder Cup. We’ll all, no doubt, be looking forward to Bryson unsheathing driver on 1, Brooks saying something spicy and Ian Poulter thumping his chest. But the fans, the chants, the ebbs and the flows are what make this event so meaningful — and we’ve had to wait a while for it, too. The fact that not many Euro supporters will make the trip is a bit of a downer. But, Wisconsin born and raised, I know how much this event means to golf in the state. It’ll be a fun one. 

James Colgan, assistant editor (@jamescolgan26): Given his match play record (0-5 across the Presidents and Ryder Cups) and headline magnetism (long-drive championships, anyone?), Bryson DeChambeau hasn’t quite given us reason for optimism. But that’s precisely why I’m excited to watch him. Bryson will face the music if he doesn’t answer the bell for the Americans, but no one stands more to gain from a brilliant week.

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): I want to see if Jon Rahm, likely irked by not winning PGA Tour Player of the Year, takes out his fury on the U.S. side and has a big week. I’m super interested to see whom Bryson is paired with. I can’t wait to see how Brooks performs, especially since he was recently so outspoken about his views of the event (more on that below). I’m curious if the controversy that always swirls around the U.S. team will be a thorn in its side. There’s lots more, too. Can Westwood and Poulter still bring it? What kind of an assistant captain will Phil be? There are so many great stories to unpack. It’s gonna be a blast.

Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): All good candidates above. Beyond those threads, it’s always interesting to watch how first-time Ryder Cuppers respond to the moment. The Europeans will be counting heavily on Shane Lowry and Viktor Hovland, both first-timers. As one of the straightest hitters in the game, Hovland stands to be a match-play pest, as he proved in the U.S. Amateur. And Lowry just somehow seems custom-built for an event like this. On the U.S. side, Scheffler has been so good on big stages. Will that same success carry over? And then there’s the captain’s picks element, and all the praise and second-guessing that invariably comes with it.

Michael Bamberger, senior writer: Which team will win.

2. Brooks Koepka spoke candidly about his indifference for Ryder Cups in a recent interview with Golf Digest, saying things like: “There are times where I’m like, I won my match. I did my job. What do you want from me? I know how to take responsibility for the shots I hit every week. Now, somebody else hit a bad shot and left me in a bad spot, and I know this hole is a loss.” And: “It’s different. It’s hectic. It’s a bit odd, if I’m honest. I don’t want to say it’s a bad week. We’re just so individualized, and everybody has their routine and a different way of doing things.” Former Ryder Cup captain and current NBC analyst Paul Azinger chimed in, saying, “I’m not sure he loves the Ryder Cup that much. If he doesn’t love it, he should relinquish his spot and get people there who do love it.” Do you have an issue with Koepka’s comments, and what’s your take on Azinger’s rebuttal?

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Piastowski: If Brooksie wins, if he plays like Major Brooks, he can say whatever he wants. If he wins his points, that’s all you can ask of a teammate. Not even everyone has to be Poulter. Energy can be drawn on success. However … he has all the potential to be a longtime alpha for that room. If the outspoken, four-time major champ says let’s kick butt today — but in words only Brooks could concoct — then I’d sure as hell would want to kick butt today. But if Brooksie treats this like a Tour stop in mid-July, and plays like it, Azinger is right. His record be damned, get someone in there who will be a stone-cold killer.    

Colgan: Fortunately, it’s not like the U.S. side enters the Ryder Cup with massive concerns about its ability to form a cohesive unit, or else those comments could’ve come across the wrong way. Wait a second …

Berhow: I don’t have a problem with Koepka’s comments, because we want our athletes to be honest and outspoken, but I’m also not Steve Stricker, who probably wasn’t thrilled to read it. As for Azinger, I get why he’s bothered by it, but I do think once the lights go on, Koepka will perform as best he can. (He’s 4-3-1 in it.) There’s pride on the line once golf balls go in the air.

Bamberger: I think Brooks spoke truthfully, and for himself. Azinger did the same. Brooks is playing. Azinger is offering commentary. The system at work.

Sens: Like Berhow, I appreciate Koepka’s honesty.  But I also understand why Azinger is irked by a guy who isn’t all-in on everything the Ryder Cup is about, because Azinger lives and breathes the stuff. I have no doubt that Koepka will play his heart out on his own ball. But is he the ideal guy to have as your partner or in the team room? Doesn’t sound like it. If he hadn’t auto-qualified, I wouldn’t pick him.

3. In an interview on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio last week, European stalwart Ian Poulter was amused by one topic that often comes up during Ryder Cup week, which is how the Americans are usually the favorites but are often out-played. “On paper, on paper, on paper, the U.S. team should have delivered,” he said. “It’s for us to enjoy and for the American team to figure out, right?” How does Europe seemingly come together and play better during these weeks, and why has it been so hard for the U.S. to do the same?

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Piastowski: Brooks would like this answer: The underdog, me-against-the-world, chip-on-your shoulder mentality can do miracles. If the U.S. just looked at the recent ledger in this event, they might get a little of that, too.     

Colgan: Nick, you’re spot on. It also helps that the Europeans putt the living daylights out of the ball. 

Berhow: Could you imagine a European Ryder Cupper ever saying what Brooks Koepka did about the Ryder Cup? Never. That’s the difference.

Bamberger: I do think the Europeans actually do come together because they seem to have the ability to park their egos at the jetway when leaving for the Ryder Cup and play for Continent. That’s harder for the American golfer to do, for whatever reason. But in the end, and we’ve seen many times, the Europeans just flat-out play the Americans, particularly with mid-length and short putting. Close matches always come down to that. That’s skill, stroke, confidence, nerves, sense-of-balance in your life, and a bunch of things you cannot measure.

Sens: All of those points above are on the mark. They bring a team spirit and an underdog attitude into the event, which often allows them to play looser. But I also think the “better on paper” theme is oversold by a golf press that gets easily intoxicated by world rankings and length of the tee, neither of which are the real difference-makers in this event. Look at the European players and their Ryder Cup records. Should they really be the big underdogs that Vegas has them as this week? I don’t think so.

4. Three years ago, it was Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood who stole the show, leading Europe to an easy win. Which player will be the most crucial to each team’s success this time around?

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Piastowski: On the American side, I’m going with Patrick Cantlay. He gives off a match play-winning vibe to me. Go out, win 4 and 3, rinse and repeat. Patty Ice, for sure. For the Euros, let’s go with Viktor Hovland. Is he this event’s next big thing for the team across the pond? He has all the talent in the world to be. 

Colgan: For the Europeans, I think it has to be Jon Rahm. How does the best player in the world follow up a killer performance in ’18 as a Ryder Cup rookie? For the U.S., it’s the guy most likely to follow in Rahm’s footsteps: Collin Morikawa. He was gassed leading into the Tour Championship, but would seem to enter Whistling refreshed after a few weeks off.

Berhow: Jordan Spieth is now a veteran, seasoned Ryder Cupper. He’s the heart and soul of that team and needs to play like it. I think he will. As for Europe, I’m expecting a big week from Jon Rahm. The big-time players have to show up.

Bamberger: That steal-the-show thing comes on Friday and Saturday, when you’re playing with another player. On Sunday, you’re grinding out a point. I’m guessing Sergio and Rahm will be put together, they’ll produce some magic in a Spanish tradition we all know well, and that could steal the show. You can have only one star act, so I’m going to leave it at that.

Sens: I’m thinking Shane Lowry for the Europeans. The guy just has the air of a Ryder Cup bulldog. Paired with Rory, I expect him to be especially dangerous. On the U.S. team, I look for Xander to eat this stuff up.

5. There will be nine first-time Ryder Cup players this week. The U.S. has six in Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Harris English, Scottie Scheffler and Daniel Berger, while Europe has just half that many in Shane Lowry, Bernd Wiesberger and Viktor Hovland. Which one of these nine will be the most impactful?

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Piastowski: Whoops, I kind of answered this above. But I’ll toss in another: Shane Lowry. The 34-year-old is obviously a “rookie” in name alone. The Open Championship winner told his team three years ago he wanted to be at this event, and here he is. I think that’s the kind of spirit Azinger was talking about above. Lowry is great — but you get the feeling he’ll play above his head this week and be even greater.   

Colgan: Xander!! We’ve heard legends about his match play ability in money games against fellow pros, and we saw him win a gold medal representing the U.S. in July. There may be no rookie more prime to make himself a hero.

Berhow: Patrick Cantlay has been on a tear the past two months and was 3-2 at the last Presidents Cup. He’s gonna have himself a week.

Bamberger: Bernd Wiesberger. Isn’t it obvious? The most impactful player is often the one you expect the least impact from. In this nine-person subset of the 24 players, Bernd’s the leader in the house by a touchdown.

Sens: At this point, they get talked about in tandem so often we should really have just one name for Brooks and Bryson, kinda like Brangelina. Combined, they are going to have a massive impact on the U.S. team. What kind of impact is the big question.

6. With Patrick Reed left off the U.S. team, it begs the question: Who on the U.S. will play the ever-important role of opponent irritator and crowd ignitor? And who will that be for Europe?

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Piastowski: It’s a tough question for the U.S. side — few on this team have done something like that before, and it may take them out of their comfort zone if they tried. Spieth would be an obvious answer, but man, I’d love to see Morikawa stuff iron after iron and work the crowd along the way. He can certainly do the former. For the Europeans, it’s more a question who won’t be this guy. But it’d be a blast to see Tyrrell Hatton go on a birdie binge and go nuclear on the crowd.   

Colgan: It’s Ian Poulter for Europe. It’s always Ian Poulter. For the Americans, how about Brooks Koepka? He certainly has the mentality for it.

Berhow: Not everyone can play that role (sorry, Harris English), but Justin Thomas is a good fit, and I also think he wants to be that guy who can get a point, be a leader and put the team on his back. As for Europe, it’s Poulter, with Hatton waiting in the wings.

Bamberger: Sorry, maybe I missed something: Is Bryson DeChambeau not playing in this Ryder Cup? Bryson DeChambeau. He’ll irritate and ignite American fans, any European fans who will be there, European players, his own teammates. It’s his special talent, or one of them. As for the Europeans, you have to go back to the well: Ian Poulter. It’s his eyeballs. They speak a language all their own.

Sens: Poulter is a Hall of Fame irritant for sure. But let’s not forget Sergio, who has played that same role throughout the years (and who has been flashing some pretty tidy form of late). Michael’s right that Bryson will be the most polarizing on the U.S. side. But the guy best suited to fire up the crowd is Spieth. It’s all about those backbreaking putts in the Ryder Cup, and no one makes more big ones than he does.

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But at least one analyst now loves Koepka next week at Whistling Straits.

“4-0-0 for the week,” tweeted John Wood, a longtime caddie and current NBC on-course analyst. 

Some background. Koepka, in a Golf Digest interview, discussed his frustrations with the Ryder Cup format, saying, “It’s tough. There are times where I’m like, I won my match. I did my job. What do you want from me? I know how to take responsibility for the shots I hit every week. Now, somebody else hit a bad shot and left me in a bad spot, and I know this hole is a loss. That’s new, and you have to change the way you think about things. You go from an individual sport all the time to a team sport one week a year. It’s so far from my normal routine.”

“It’s different,” Koepka continued in the interview. “It’s hectic. It’s a bit odd, if I’m honest. I don’t want to say it’s a bad week. We’re just so individualized, and everybody has their routine and a different way of doing things, and now, it’s like, OK, we have to have a meeting at this time or go do this or go do that. I can barely see my [personal] team. It’s hard to even go to the gym … There’s no time to do that at the Ryder Cup. There’s no time to decompress.”

A four-time Ryder Cup player himself and the 2008 captain, Azinger responded as expected. 

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“I’m not sure he loves the Ryder Cup that much. If he doesn’t love it, he should relinquish his spot and get people there who do love it,” Azinger said Wednesday. “Not everybody embraces it. But if you don’t love it, and you’re not sold out, then I think Brooks — especially being hurt — should consider whether or not he really wants to be there. And if you add the Bryson dynamic to that, that would be an even easier decision for him.”

Which brings us to Wood’s thought: While Koepka may not love the biennial event, he may love the thought he doesn’t more. For background, google “Koepka chip on shoulder.” The four-time major champion loves nothing more than a lack of love, and this back and forth, Wood said, has all the makings of it. 

“Premeditated, motivating, and perfect,” Wood tweeted in response to a Caddie Network tweet. “Now that a lot of people are saying “Brooks shouldn’t even go if that’s how he feels,” Firmly places the chip on his shoulder….I wouldn’t want to play Brooks Koepka when he has a chip on his shoulder.”

To add one more log to the fire, there’s also this: Wood, Azinger and Koepka will all be at Whistling Straits this week.

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With the competition underway, what’s left for you, the Ryder Cup captain, to do? Paul Azinger has been in this position, having shepherded Team USA to victory at Valhalla in 2008.

Based on his own experiences, and his knowledge of what others have gone through in the hot seat, we asked Azinger to describe the duties of a Ryder Cup captain after the planning ends and play begins.

Here are 8 responsibilities that stand out to him.

1. Become a Spectator

“For starters, just sit back and watch,” Azinger says. Sounds simple, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. You’re not just tracking shots. You’re looking out for body language, signs of comfort or discomfort. “All the while you’re thinking about your next pairings based on how everything is shaping up.”

2.  Weigh In, Sparingly

In 2008, Azinger says, “I bet I didn’t say more than three or four things to the players on the course.” But he made those conversations count, based on his understanding of what made each player tick. Take the case of Boo Weekley. On his way to the first tee of his Sunday singles match, Weekley confided in his captain: “I’m feeling a little nervous, Mr. Zing.” Good, Azinger replied, you should be, before adding: “These are your people watching you. They’re pulling for you. Now go out there and show off for them.” Weekley grinned and nodded. Then went out and shot a front-nine 29.

3. Help Doctor a Swing

As a general rule, it’s not the captain’s job to meddle with mechanics. But it can fall upon him to convey key information. In 2008, for example, JB Holmes was fighting a push-slice in his opening team match, which the Americans were losing. So, Azinger pinged Matt Killen, Holmes’ swing coach, who was familiar with the issue and had the fix. “Tell him he needs to start coming down more from the inside,” Killen said. Moments later, Azinger caught up to Holmes in a cart and passed along the swing tip. Sure enough, Holmes started striping it, and his team came back to tie the match.

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4. Scout Course Conditions

With two powerhouse teams going head-to-head, the biggest difference-maker is often course knowledge. Not just experience with the venue, but an understanding of how it’s playing in the moment. How firm are the fairways? Are the greens holding? What about the wind? Anything you can’t feel from the tee? In concert with his assistants, the captain keeps close watch on all those factors, and shares the information with his players in real time. “It might be something as simple as, ‘Don’t let anyone hit driver on this hole,’” Azinger says. “It’s basic coaching, but you can’t overlook it. You don’t want to make any dumb mistakes.”

5. Sharpen Your Signature

At the end of every day of competition, Azinger says, the tables in the team room are piled high with souvenirs. Flags. Towels. Photos. Name the item, it’s awaiting your John Hancock. You’re autographing them not only for the players on your team, but for volunteers, agents, tournament organizers. And on. “You’re probably signing your name 8,000 times, maybe more. You do the math. It’s a big number,” Azinger says. “Whatever it is, you know your arm is going to be sore.”

6. Keep Things Loose

In 2008, Azinger brought in the famed football coach Lou Holtz to deliver a brief motivational speech. Otherwise, he didn’t deal in a lot of rah-rah stuff. He knew that his players possessed world-beating talent. His job was to cultivate a climate that allowed them to perform. Foosball and ping-pong in the team room? Sure. Also relaxed dinners with the players’ favorite foods. “You’re basically trying to keep distractions to a minimum and keep things as comfortable as possible during a week that can be anything but.”

7. Meet the Press

Post-match press conferences. Mid-match interviews. These and other media obligations are par for the course, and captains accept them as part of the job. Their bigger concern is protecting their players from foot-in-mouth snafus. “The media can be tough, especially on the American players,” Azinger says. “You want to make sure your players aren’t caught off guard.” In 2008, he prepped his team with a list of questions that they were sure to face throughout the competition. He knew, for instance, that the absence of Tiger Woods would be a hot topic, and he wanted his players to be ready with an answer. “This year, you know it’s going to be Brooks and Bryson,” Azinger says. “Every player needs to be prepared to answer questions about that.”

8. Learn to Let Go

Once play gets underway, “you’re pretty much at the mercy of your players,” Azinger says. Accepting that fact might be the captain’s toughest task. “Just that anticipation and uncertainty of not knowing whether you’re going to win or lose, and the limited amount of control you have.”

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Is Koepka in, or is he out?

“I’m not sure he loves the Ryder Cup that much, if he doesn’t love it, he should relinquish his spot and get people there who do love it,” Azinger said Wednesday, in response to a Golf Digest interview in which Koepka discussed his frustrations with the Ryder Cup format. “Not everybody embraces it. But if you don’t love it, and you’re not sold out, then I think Brooks — especially being hurt — should consider whether or not he really wants to be there. And if you add the Bryson dynamic to that, that would be an even easier decision for him.”

“It’s tough,” Koepka told Golf Digest. “There are times where I’m like, I won my match. I did my job. What do you want from me? I know how to take responsibility for the shots I hit every week. Now, somebody else hit a bad shot and left me in a bad spot, and I know this hole is a loss. That’s new, and you have to change the way you think about things. You go from an individual sport all the time to a team sport one week a year. It’s so far from my normal routine.”

Koepka’s comments struck a chord with U.S. fans, many of whom saw his words as confirmation of the very thing that has defined recent American struggles: the Europeans play as a team, while the U.S. compete as a collective of individuals.

“It’s different,” Koepka continued in the interview. “It’s hectic. It’s a bit odd, if I’m honest. I don’t want to say it’s a bad week. We’re just so individualized, and everybody has their routine and a different way of doing things, and now, it’s like, OK, we have to have a meeting at this time or go do this or go do that. I can barely see my [personal] team. It’s hard to even go to the gym … There’s no time to do that at the Ryder Cup. There’s no time to decompress.”

The U.S. side enters the tournament on the back-end of a 20-year slump, a run of failure that’s been defined by underperforming expectations. The Americans have repeatedly entered tournament play as heavy favorites over the last two decades, but have won only three of the last 10 Ryder Cups, and only one in the last decade.

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Koepka was already at the center of the Ryder Cup conversation — both for his occasionally prickly relationships with his teammates and for concerns about his health (a wrist injury forced him to WD from last week’s Tour Championship) — and his latest comments did little to shunt the spotlight.

“I personally feel like it’s gonna be one or the other,” Azinger said. “That Brooks and Bryson can put the United States on their shoulders and carry this Ryder Cup team, or they can also be a royal pain in the neck.”

It’s time for Brooks to make a decision, says Azinger: either buy in or back out.

“Brooks is one of the most candid, most honest guys there ever is,” Azinger said. “If he’s blatantly honest with himself, and he doesn’t want to be there, he should come out and say it.”

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It flat-out was. We — your friends at Fox Sports — had just finished the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and millions of people across the world saw it. It was Father’s Day. I’m a broadcaster. My late father was a broadcaster. The winner was Gary Woodland, a stud (can you still use that word?), a friend to many on Tour (myself included), a human being, a husband, a father. Gary’s papa is, as am I, a proud son of the Midwest.

I could see Mr. Woodland from across the room, which was packed with revelers. As the silver, lidded winner’s trophy made the rounds, we were all sneaking peeks at it, the celebrity in our midst. A happy room, with happy people in it. I believe Jordan Spieth had a second beer.

The future was blinding. In a year — June, 2020 — we would be at Winged Foot. Twelve moons after that, we would gather at Torrey Pines, where Tiger performed various magic tricks at the last Open there. Then to The Country Club, in Brookline, Mass., in ’22. (Note to self: Confirm that Ouimet ends in a hard t.) Then Los Angeles C.C. in three. Bring in Sheryl Crow: This ain’t no disco. It ain’t no country club either. This is L.A. No, this is the venue for the national open!

Are. We. Having. Fun. Yet?

HELL YES!

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Way back in 2019, the only Corona I knew about was beer with a lime in it. There were no discussions for the broadcast rights for the 14 great USGA national championships to leave Fox and head back whence they came, not that I knew about anyway.

You remember June of ’19, don’t you? It was a simpler time.

At no point during the four-day championship that year (do not say tournament!) did the Pebble greens look like overcooked broccoli. (Who can forget the Chambers Bay greens in 2015?)

There was no nutty two-hour stretch when we did a broadcast without knowing the score of the game, as had been the case at Oakmont on Sunday in 2016, when Dustin Johnson made a score under review on the 5th hole, owing to a wobblyballgate.

And let’s not forget that sweet moment after Brooks Koepka won the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills and some clown in the booth, doing play-by-play on the victory hug, got his old GF mixed up with his current one. Well, Brad Faxon, got that straightened out right away. (Thank you, brother.) Fax lives the game — clearly all parts of the game. Still, not an ideal way to end the show.

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Then to Shinny for the ’18 Open. It does not get better than Shinnecock Hills, right? But on Saturday, on the 13th green, Phil Mickelson, everybody’s favorite lefthander, started playing hockey with his golf ball, and my phone started blowing up with: they lost the green, there’s no grass on it; the green is fine and it’s the same for everybody; Phil should be thrown out of the tournament (get your terms right, people!); Phil just did what we all want to do; the USGA needs to apologize for the hole location, etc.; the USGA has nothing to apologize for and needs to tell the players to stop acting like babies. On and on and on. 

We left there thinking that one of these years everything would go just great and we would not get killed in the Twitterverse. At least, that’s what I was thinking.

And then came our fifth U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. There is a God!! It was wonderful. And afterward we gathered in the Tap Room. My two daughters. My wife. Gary Woodland and his new trophy and his dad and Woodland family members. Jordan Spieth and Brad Faxon and various fans and USGA people and assorted others. Everybody happy.

Now, 13 months later, I see it for what it was: our closing exclamation mark.

People are writing me condolence notes. Sorry for your loss. I would have LOVED to keep doing it. I am OBSESSED with golf. I play as much as I can with or without our 2-year-old twin boys at home. We, at Fox, would have continued to get better and better at broadcasting golf. But I wouldn’t trade our five-year run for anything, because of the people I worked with (starting with our producer, Mark Loomis), what we experienced together, what we learned. Here are some quick lessons: Let the players and caddies talk. Less is more. From the field is better than from the booth. And the Fox Sports production-side innovations will become a big part of TV coverage elsewhere. Drone shots and more ball-tracers already are.

Broadcasting golf is not like broadcasting baseball or football. You see the ball and the action through your own eyes. The story is unfolding in front of you. In golf, the story is unfolding here and there and everywhere. As the guy in the broadcast tower, you’re getting it all on screens and from reporters in the field. It’s a tricky business. And we were basically doing one PGA Tour event a year, and one LPGA event a year. (The fabulous U.S. Women’s Open, where I worked with the fabulous Juli Inkster. You want her beside you in a broadcast booth, at your member-guest, at a ballgame.) One of our basic challenges is that we weren’t getting that many reps, to use a Tigerism. That’s not an excuse. But it is a starting point.

Regarding Tiger: We never got to see THE MAN do his thing. (MC, DNP, DNP, MC, T21 in our five years.) And that kills me. I did get to interview him once, on a ramp near the press tent, in ’15 at Chambers Bay. We were surrounded by scores of other reporters, looking for tidbits from him, which are few and far between. When returned to the tower, my in-the-booth guy, Steve Horn, who tries to make me look smart, wanted to know about Tiger’s hands. He’s always interested in people’s hands. I saw them up close: the hands of a concert pianist. The skinniest hands you ever saw.

Four days later, I was interviewing the winner, 21-year-old Jordan Spieth. The kid as man and the man as kid. I could feel the depth of his mixed emotions. The joy of winning his national championship, the pain he felt for Dustin Johnson, who had a putt to win, a putt to get in a playoff and, in the end, a putt to finish one shot back.

So many great people in golf! Jim Nantz, coming into our booth at Pebble, strolling in from his house. David Fay, former USGA man and our rules expert. Paul Azinger. So much golf spirit in him, so much insight into what the player is enduring. (And he won’t miss a beat here. He’ll be at Winged Foot for NBC Sports, sitting alongside Dan Hicks, a Winged Foot member and a pro’s pro.) Curtis Strange, who prowls those U.S. Open fairways like he’s looking for his third U.S. Open himself. Nobody understood the insanity of what was happening at Oakmont better than he.

A year after Chambers Bay, I was so eager to get the Oakmont show off to a good start. I wanted us all to breathe. I know I was on edge, going into it. Golf can put you on edge. There are a lot of rules, written and otherwise. Don’t say driving range. Do say practice tee. And a hundred others.

I had an idea. Just prior to going on the air Thursday morning, I gave one of our production assistants a little stash and told him to return with a dozen beers. We poured them into maybe 20 little Styrofoam coffee cups and had ourselves a toast. Poor Loomie. He was in a truck somewhere far away and couldn’t see a thing we were doing. We mush-clinked Styrofoam and I said, “Have fun. It’s just f—ing TV.”

Part of my job is to be the quarterback, to set the mood. When my father, Jack Buck, was doing baseball, the attitude was always, This is a game. I felt we needed a shot of that. It wasn’t about the alcohol content of six ounces of beer. It was about creating a mood.

Then we had a four-hour rain delay.

Hey, that’s golf, and that’s live TV. You take what you get.

Our get was five great years with great people and great experiences. Six, if you count the reconnaissance trip we made to the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst. I was hanging with Greg Norman. Incredible person. So charismatic. And fit like you wouldn’t believe! He gave me a useful tip: “Don’t call them PGA players, mate. They play the PGA Tour.” I knew that, I knew that! But who among us is perfect, or would even want to be?

NBC Sports does a great job with golf. I’m happy for the people there. But I wouldn’t trade the experiences I had doing golf for anything. We were getting better and better. I’m certain of that. Just one request from @Buck, put the top of the leaderboard on the damn screen and leave it there.

We shut down that Tap Room. When we came in, it was Father’s Day. It wasn’t when we left.

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Is Patrick Cantlay primed to become the world's best golfer?

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Azinger believes McIlroy will pick up his fifth major title in 2020.

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3. Rory McIlroy will win the Masters

“Because he’s so good,” Azinger said. “Sometimes you can’t even stop yourself — he’s just that good. He’s ready to win the Masters. He had a fantastic 2019; he played so consistently all year. He won the Players in style.”

More context: FedEx Cup champion McIlroy’s form in 2019 certainly supports Azinger’s claim. He won four times on the PGA Tour, including the Players, a WGC and the Tour Championship. The Northern Irishman has also been trending at Augusta recently, finishing top-10 in five of the past six Masters.

4. Cameron Smith will become the best Aussie player in the world

“He is going to have a monster year on the PGA Tour,” Azinger said. “I always have liked his game. He doesn’t really have any weakness. He drives it well. His irons are very good. His wedge game is incredible, and he’s a solid putter. More importantly, at the Presidents Cup he showed the heart and the moxie that it takes to be a champion on Tour.”

More context: Smith, 26, already has a Zurich Classic victory to his name, and he has contended in majors with a T-4 at the 2015 U.S. Open and a T-5 at the 2018 Masters. But he has yet to fulfill his enormous potential. By calling out Patrick Reed after the Hero World Challenge, Smith showed his does not lack for nerve.

Another major? Sounds good to Tiger.

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5. Tiger Woods will win his 16th major

“I say that based on the Presidents Cup, because I think that’s the best Tiger has ever swung the club,” Azinger said. “He’s at this great stage of his career where he is willing to back off [at the right moments]. He’s in the slot. He’s dialed in. He’s good on the finesse shots. He’s got great rhythm. He can hit wedges again. He’s not yipping his chips. I want to see if Tiger can get after Jack [Nicklaus’ 18 major wins]. I think he can break Snead’s record [82 PGA Tour wins, which Woods equaled in October]. We [players in Azinger’s era] were all scared to death of Tiger; these guys now idolize him to a fault. How do you take down a guy you idolize?”

More context: The 2020 majors will be played at Augusta, Harding Park (PGA), Winged Foot (U.S. Open) and Royal St. George’s (Open Championship). No reason to believe Woods won’t be in the mix at the Masters again. His chances in the others could hinge on the weather during those weeks. Wet, cold or damp are not optimal conditions for Tiger and his creaky back.

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Tour Confidential: Was Tiger Woods’ 2019 Masters win the greatest golf moment of the decade?

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Why Australian fans plan to spare Matt Kuchar of abuse at the Presidents Cup

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