Paul Azinger has ruled out captaining the 2016 USA Ryder Cup team under the present selection process in place by the PGA of America.

Azinger led the USA Team to victory in 2008 at Valhalla but since then Europe has dominated winning three in succession, and under a carefully orchestrated selection process.

But as the fall out of America’s five point humbling at the hands of a Paul McGinley led European side continues, Azinger was interviewed on the new US-based Back Nine network and suggested the PGA of America, as custodians of the Ryder Cup organising in the US, has to change if he’s to accept the 2016 leadership.

And while Azinger has some of his facts wrong, and that it was in part Nick Faldo who lost the Ryder Cup, here in the questions put to the American.

Paul Azinger rules out captaining the 2016 USA Team under the present PGA of America set-up.

Qn:   What is the problem?

Azinger: Well I think the problem is quite simple, yet I’ll take a minute to try and articulate what I feel’s going on here. I think it’s pretty clear that what Europe has in place is actually a business model…Past Captains from Europe are on the fairways and they’re in the team room. Future Captains are on the fairways and they’re in the team room. We (former Captains) have been filtered out.

As a past Captain I have been filtered out of the process. Every past Captain has been filtered out of the process. Players have been filtered out of the process. There’s no business model. Every repeat player has to deal with a different Captain’s leadership style. There’s constant adjustments for the players. They go to this event from America, and they don’t know what they’re going to get.

Qn:  It’s absolutely vital for a Captain to get his superstars on board, isn’t it?

Azinger: Well of course it is, but they’ve got skin in the game. They’re the ones that are going to get scrutinized, the Captain’s going to put his legacy at risk. And the PGA of America reaps all the reward. The gap between the PGA of America and the players is the Grand Canyon. The gap between the past Captains and the PGA of America is the Grand Canyon.

Qn:  Is that a response to the obvious question? Would you do (Captain in) 2016?

Azinger: No, absolutely not. Not the way it is currently set up… The PGA of America now recognizes that this issue goes beyond any Captain they choose, that it’s an issue that they have to deal with…Europe has it in place. You know Europe is so vested in this, they own the matches.

The players are vested, even monetarily, they’re vested in the Ryder Cup; because what is the European Tour if they don’t dominate the Ryder Cup? Truthfully.

So as the European players dominate the Ryder Cup, sponsors come in, and prices go up. They benefit. Who benefits now from our Ryder Cup?  The PGA of America.