The USA Ryder Cup has reacted to losing eight of the past 10 biennial encounters against Europe with some sweeping changes.
On the day Davis Love 111 was confirmed as 2016 USA Captain and former captain Tom Lehman as one of four Hazeltine vice-captains, the PGA of America also announced major changes to the selection of the 12-man team.
PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua first addressed the establishment of an 11-man task force before highlighting these changes.
“Quite frankly a lot of people asked, why a task force, what was the purpose of this, what was it trying to achieve, and I think it’s fairly obvious,” said Bevacqua.
Pete Bevacqua, CEO of the PGA of America front right in picture. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
“We took a step back and said, you know, over the last 20 years, a 2‑8 record, something should be done differently, something’s broken, we can do something better.
Talking to past captains …
“So let’s go out and let’s bring some of the very best players in the world into the picture. Let’s go ask some of the past captains to help figure this out and what can we do as an organization to start a program, build a program, build a process to increase Team USA’s chances of success.
“That was the ultimate goal, and I would tell you, as someone who has been involved in golf at an executive level for about 15 years, this was one of the highlights of my professional career, being in these meetings, seeing the level of emotion and passion and enthusiasm from Davis, from Tom, from Rickie and Phil and the other members of the task force, just an amazing experience.
USA Vice captains …
“First off, the vice captains and the idea of vice captains. Obviously Tom was named today by Davis. Going forward there will be four vice captains, two each vice captains will be past Ryder Cup Captains, and two will be players with extensive Ryder Cup experience. We think that will help with consistency and the development of this program and this process.
USA Ryder Cup qualifying points system …
“We took a long, hard look and took a deep dive on the points and how one becomes a member of The Ryder Cup Team and how the captain’s picks work and we made some changes.
“I will go over those pretty briefly, but first and foremost in, terms of points, it will start next week and it will include the 2015 World Golf Championships, all four of those events, and THE PLAYERS Championship. And players will earn one point for every $2,000 that they earn for those events in 2015. In terms of the 2015 major championships, players will earn one point for every $1,000.
“And then as we approach 2016, starting in January of 2016, going through August 28 of 2016, all PGA TOUR stand‑alone sanctioned events, players will earn one point for every $1,000 earned, and then in terms of the major championships in 2016, players will earn two points for every $1,000 earned. We think this is a good change.
“And then as I mentioned, we did take a deep dive in terms of the captain’s picks, and the ultimate goal is how could we, what could we do, how could we ensure that the very best team is fielded, the players that are on the top of their game as close to The Ryder Cup as possible.
Effect on Golf in 2016 Olympics …
“And also bear in mind that 2016 is a different year for golf. Golf is back in the Olympics after a hundred‑year absence. Our very own PGA Championship will end in July, as opposed to Augusta. So we felt changes needed to be made.
“So instead of finishing after the PGA Championship, the top eight from The Ryder Cup points list will now qualify following The Barclays on Sunday August 28. That’s roughly a two‑week extension from what was the norm.
“The BMW Championship, which is set to conclude on September 12, Davis will make three of his four captain’s picks. And then finally, on Sunday evening September 25, upon the conclusion of THE TOUR Championship, Davis will make his final captain’s pick.
“So we think that’s a substantive that change will allow the best team possible to be fielded by our captain, Davis Love.
“So the whole task force process was really open. It was collaborative. It was enthusiastic, but it did its job and we feel it’s now time to move off of the task force and create and really develop into what we are calling The PGA of America Ryder Cup Committee.
Keeping the spirit of the task force alive …
“And the goal is to keep the spirit alive of the task force, that spirit of collaboration, that great input from the great players of our time, that great input from our past captains, to keep us and allow us to continue to build this program.
“But also realizing that it’s tough to get 11 people together; so we have developed a six‑person PGA Ryder Cup committee and then the first group, that will explore everything from future captains, future vice captains, captain’s picks, points system, all elements of The Ryder Cup and be a resource for not only Davis but captains of the future, that will be six people, and the first six people to serve on The Ryder Cup Committee will be, Davis Love, obviously a pretty clear choice.
Tiger Woods & Phil Mickelson to remain on committee …
“And then we’re fortunate enough that both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have agreed to serve on the PGA Ryder Cup committee. And then from The PGA of America perspective, it will be our president, Derek Sprague, vice president, Paul Levy, and then me in my role as CEO.
“So we think again, this will keep the work of the task force alive well into the future.”
