Michael Bamberger connects a few dots in this golf.com piece. he credits Tim Rosaforte with breaking the news of both Watson's as well as Love III/II, using his comment that Freddie is not a PGA of America guy as the hook:
The U.S. team is put together and run by the PGA of America, which recently assembledan 11-man task force to try to answer the question of why the American team has struggled so in Ryder Cup play. Four members of that committee—Love, Steve Stricker, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods—were pushing hard for Couples to be named the next Ryder Cup captain. It was suggested that if Couples was not enough of glad-hander, and not organized enough, to handle some of the nuts-and-bolts that comes with the captaincy, he could select a vice captain—likely Love—to be his wingman.
The players appreciated Couples' laid-back style and that he was easy to talk to. At the Ryder Cup at Medinah, in 2012, when Love was the captain and Couples was one of his assistants, Scott Verplank, another assistant, was assigned to walk with Woods as the team representative and cheerleader. Woods was able to tell Couples that he didn’t want Verplank following him around and a last-minute change was made. There are few people that Woods is going to speak to with such candor.
Things used to be so much easier, when all we had to do was keep Tiger and Phil happy. And when have they ever agreed on anything? So, after the unhappiness of Gleneagles, what could be more important than keeping your show ponies happy? Time for our villain to enter, stage left:
But another member of the task force, and its most significant voice, was Pete Bevacqua, the PGA’s CEO. Bevacqua and Couples had conversations about Couples’ interest in the job. The two men could not be more different. Bevacqua is as earnest as Couples is relaxed.
Hmmmm....Mike goes all existential on us with this:
When Couples said he is not “a PGA of America guy” he was actually being exceedingly honest. He grew up on a public course in Seattle. He didn’t have lessons. He figured out the game for himself. He has a second- and third-place finishes in the PGA Championship—and he loved being on the roster for five Ryder Cups—but he was hurt when Ben Crenshaw did not select him for the ’99 team.
Well if you're predisposed towards teaching pros, you can't go more inbred than the roman numeral clan. I understand that DLV has already been admitted as a member in vitro... But one can see where this might have been an issue:
Meanwhile, PGA of America officials were frustrated that Couples was not a visible presence on the course during Sunday’s play. He was unreachable on his walkie-talkie for long periods on Sunday, parts of which he spent hanging with Michael Jordan in the NBC hospitality tent near the 13th hole.Rex Hoggard added this:
Azinger, who was championed by Mickelson to return as captain following last year’s Ryder Cup loss in Scotland, told PGA officials he wasn’t interested in being captain again because of various “personal and business” reasons. Azinger also suggested Love, who was clearly a popular choice among the active players on the task force, but that still doesn’t completely explain why Couples dididn'tet the nod.
According to one source close to the meetings, at least three players on the task force said that Couples “needed to be the guy” and in November the three-time Presidents Cup captain – a resume boost which some have suggested actually hurts a potential Ryder Cup captain’s bid – said he received numerous texts and phone calls from players saying “We need you to do this.”
Instead, the task force came up with Love, who was without a doubt a wildly popular captain with a Type A personality perfectly suited for the job.
He’s also a “PGA guy.” It seems some things never change.
So you form a task force and then overrule the wishes of the players on said task force. Shouldn't we expect them to be a tad cranky when the time comes, especially if things don't go well?
Freddie's on camera reaction can be seen here. And on a more amusing note, Gary Van Sickle lists the eighteen candidates that Davis beat out for the gig, including:
13. Bill Belichick
It’s not cheating, it’s just pushing the envelope of the rules to get an edge on the other guy. Isn't that the fundamental of match play golf? Guys, he’s said all he has to say on this matter.
Oh Man, hoodie team unis would be da bomb.
Exit Question: Would Pete Bevaqua have had the cujones to defy Tiger and Phil if they were, you know, playing better? Or does this reflect a belief that either or neither is expected to be on the team?
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