Darren Clarke has backed the selection of Tom Watson as captain of the 2014 USA Ryder Cup team.
As reported by www.golfbytourmiss.com the 63-year old Watson will be named as replacement for Davis Love 111 Thursday morning New York time.
The five-time Open Championship winning Watson hinted last Sunday in shooting the lowest round on the final day of the Emirates Australian Open he would be interested in the position despite the fact it will be 21 years since he captained the USA Team in 1993.
Bernie McGuire of www.golfbytourmiss.com on hand when Tom Watson speaks of his desire to captain the 2014 USA Ryder Cup team (Photo – Anthony Powter/www.golffile.ie)
“He is one of the legends of the game,” said Clarke on the eve this week’s Australian PGA Championship at Coolum on Australia’s Sunshine Coast.
“I am sure he would be a fantastic captain, not just to the team but that whole aspect of the Ryder Cup. The man is a huge name in the world of golf and rightly so.”
Watson could very well face Clarke at Gleneagles with the Northern Irishman up against Ireland’s Paul McGinley, and with the European Team captain to be annouced next month ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Watson’s selection for the 2014 matches, scheduled for Sept. 26-28, is expected to be made official Thursday with an announcement during the 8:30 a.m. half hour of the “Today” show on NBC, followed by a news conference in New York.
Paul Azinger, the U.S. captain in 2008, likes the idea of Watson leading the U.S. team as it tries to get back on track after losing seven of the nine times the event has been played since Watson guided the U.S. to victory in 1993.
“I’m really surprised about it, truthfully, but I think it’s OK,” Azinger told the Golf Channel.
“I believe that there’s a philosophy the PGA of America has had in place for a while that hasn’t really worked, that a contemporary needs to be out there, someone under the age of 50 who is with the players. Had we been winning Ryder Cups all along, that would have been a great philosophy. But Watson is a good choice at this time.”
And reigning US Open champion, Webb Simpson agreed and sending a text message to the Golf Channel: “I think he would be amazing. Such an amazing player and person, and he demands respect just by the kind of player he’s been. He’s like a quiet lion. It would be an honor to play for him.”
Until the past few days, the thought was that David Toms or Larry Nelson would be chosen to succeed Love 111, whose American team lost 14.5-13.5 in September at Medinah in Illinois.
But on Sunday, after playing in the Australian Open, Watson mentioned that he would take the job if it were offered.
“I’d like to go back as captain,” Watson told reporters in Sydney. “That would be cool.”
Watson will be 65 when the event is played in 2014, making him the oldest U.S. captain in the history of the Ryder Cup, which goes back to 1927. Watson’s choice is a bit of a surprise since the recent trend has been for captains to be players in their late 40s or early 50s.
“Tom was just one of those guys who just believes and believes and believes,” said Lanny Wadkins, who played for Watson at the 1993 Ryder Cup. “He doesn’t go out there to have fun. He goes out there to kick butt and get the job done. That’s really what the PGA of America, in my estimation, is thinking that needs to happen.”
