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LitlBuck;1268665; said:
Read these two articles:
Azinger's pairings strategy crucial to Americans in reclaiming Ryder Cup
But captains face criticism when they lose, so Azinger should be applauded for some of the changes he brought to the 37th Ryder Cup. Much was made of the new selection process (shortened mostly to one year), and getting himself four at-large selections instead of the traditional two allowed Azinger more flexibility.
Then there was the flip-flopping of formats, switching to alternate shot on Friday morning instead of the usual best-ball, which had seen the U.S. fall behind in each of the past three defeats.
"It looks like a good move now, doesn't it?" Azinger said after the U.S. won Friday's morning session for the first time since 1991. "It wasn't so much that we play better one way or the other. It was just change for the sake of change."
Perhaps the biggest idea Azinger brought to the team was something he had been pondering for years, a theory he had told his assistant captains about more than a year ago, before they were even named to their posts.
He had this plan to divide the team into three groups of four players and have them bond. He put Anthony Kim, Hunter Mahan, Justin Leonard and Phil Mickelson in one group. Then he had Kenny Perry, Boo Weekley, J.B. Holmes and Furyk in another. And finally Stewart Cink, Steve Stricker, Ben Curtis and Chad Campbell in the third.
Those foursomes practiced and played together throughout the week. And it's no coincidence that they went off in that order during Sunday singles.
"We just decided to come together in small groups; that was it," Azinger said. "They were never going to come out of that little group."
Entire article: ESPN - Azinger's pairings strategy crucial to Americans in reclaiming Ryder Cup - Golf
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Azinger's 13th man brings U.S. the Ryder Cup
LOUISVILLE, Ky. ? They'll never get credit in the history books, but it was Paul Azinger's 13th Man, all 40,000 of them, who won the 37th Ryder Cup for the United States. Captain America's two-year plan to fire up his players and the Kentucky crowd worked.
Azinger had the unenviable task of trying to turn around the fortunes of a team that had lost three Ryder Cups in a row, including record defeats in the last two matches. The low point was the last home stand at Oakland Hills in 2004, when even the home fans in Detroit turned on the downbeat U.S. players. Azinger knew how important it was to get the home fans on his side, and he did his utmost to create a less-than-friendly environment for the away team. He knew that the crowd was crucial in two previous American wins. Remember the Desert Storm camouflage hats at Kiawah Island in 1991? Remember the boozy Boston crowd in the Battle of Brookline in 1999?
"The fans in Kentucky can be the 13th man," Azinger said. "They're rabid fans; they understand rivalries. They serve alcohol there, so anything is possible. But my message really will be simply that I want the crowd to be completely into it, but in the end sportsmanship plays out. But at the same time, I want this crowd to be raucous and unruly too, to a point where they're not out of line."
The captain himself was the ringleader. His team threw what Azinger said must have been 10,000 lapel pins into the galleries when the team arrived to play its first practice rounds on Tuesday. He and his team also held a Ryder Cup pep rally on Thursday night. The players fired T-shirts out of a cannon to fans partying on Fourth Street in downtown Louisville.
Entire article: Azinger's 13th man brings U.S. the Ryder Cup | Tours & News | Golf.com
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