Davis Love III Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

‘He’s the next logical choice’: Davis Love III says Tiger Woods is next Ryder Cup captain if he wants it

Golf Digest Middle East — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 05:14:29 +0000

There was a time when it was a foregone conclusion that Phil Mickelson would be the US Ryder Cup captain at Bethpage Black in two years’ time. Then LIV happened, which has seemingly ended Lefty’s chances, at least in the near future, of assuming that position.

That had left the US captaincy up for grabs, though within the last week it’s become clear that another legendary figure in the game could very well be the guy: Tiger Woods. As the Ryder Cup broadcast ended on NBC last week in Rome, former US captain Paul Azinger floated a Tiger v Sergio Garcia idea for the biennial event in 2025. It’s certainly a spicy thought given the pair’s history, including their history at Bethpage Black, where Woods fended off Garcia, as well as Mickelson, to win the 2002 US Open. Of course, with Garcia’s Ryder Cup status also in limbo due to LIV, it’s an unlikely captain match-up.

But Woods would still be a good fit, something another former US captain, Davis Love III, all but guaranteed on Thursday at the PGA Tour Champions’ Furyk & Friends event.

“We’ve got to call Tiger Woods and ask him,” Love said. “I think if he wants — obviously Tiger’s into a lot of stuff right now, but it’s kind of his call.”

That “stuff” Love is referring to includes his new TGL simulator league, caddying for his son Charlie and his course design business, among other interests. Not to mention the fact he’s still recovering from his latest ankle surgery, with no word on whether he’s planning to return to competition. Plus, who knows if he actually wants it at all. Woods has enjoyed being a part of the process in years past, and he’s already 1-0 as a playing captain in team events. But it’s still a large undertaking that can be all-consuming, as Love and others have come to understand.

“I remember a time when Tiger and Phil watched me do it and went: ‘Holy cow, I don’t know if we want to put that much time and effort into it,'” Love said. “It takes a lot out of you. Hopefully, we can talk [Woods] into it.”

Still, it’s Tiger Woods. If he wants the captaincy, all he has to do is say it, Love added.

“I hate to put pressure on him, but it’s kind of his call,” Love said. “Obviously, with some guys out, he’s the next logical choice.”

Main image: Davis Love with Tiger Woods. Stuart Franklin

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Bring your son to work day? Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood to tee up alongside sons Luke and Sam at International Series England

Matt Smith — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 12:35:22 +0000

Lee and Sam Westwood. Getty Images

If you scroll down to the tee times below you may see a duplication of two of England’s most famous golfing surnames.

Nope, it’s not a typo.

I guess it shows that time flies when you are having fun as both Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood will welcome their sons to the field for the Asian Tour’s International Series event at Close House, just outside Newcastle this week.

Luke and Ian Poulter. Stuart Franklin

Having both caddied for their dads at previous events, Luke Poulter and Sam Westwood are now both in the 156-strong field in their own right contending for the $2 million prize money.

There will be 2 Poulter’s in the field for the @intseriesgolf at @CloseHouseGolf this week, excited to experience it with Luke??????

Grab your tickets now: https://t.co/p9hPUCcETu pic.twitter.com/zw9B69TwBI

— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) August 14, 2023

Last year, the senior Poulter spoke to Golf Monthly about Luke’s chances on tour. “I’m holding him off at the moment, but it will happen one day,” he said. “When he does win I know his celebrations will match anything you’ve ever seen from me. And I will plaster it all over social media, because I’ll be more proud than disappointed.”

The Westwoods have previously played in the same tournament — the 2022 Indonesian Masters, when Westwood Jr made his debut as a professional. “He started playing the game very late,” Westwood told Golf Monthly of his son. “He only took up the game seriously at age 16 and he is 21 now. I don’t really have any expectations for him this week. I just want him to enjoy himself.”

Excited to tee it up at @CloseHouseGolf with Sam this week for the @intseriesgolf eventhttps://t.co/05m2ciKXOd pic.twitter.com/TTF6MNZy0X

— Lee Westwood (@WestwoodLee) August 14, 2023

However, if the Englishmen want to make history and make it a family affair in the same group, first they will have to make the cut as, while the dads are paired together for Rounds 1 and 2, the young guns have been split across the field.

Oh, if that wasn’t enough, a youngster named Davis ‘Dru’ Love IV is also in the line-up. Yep, that will be the son of 1997 PGA champ Davis Love III.

Maybe a glimpse of the next generation is on the cards at Close House…

International Series England Tee times and pairings
Thursday
Hole 1
7.00 Kyson Lloyd, Runchanapong Youprayong, AJ Batty
7.10 Shahriffuddin Ariffin, Natipong Srithong, Luke Joy
7.20 James Wilson, Taewoo Kim #1468, Settee Prakongvech
7.30 Rattanon Wannasrichan, Micah Lauren Shin, Yikeun Chang
7.40 Denwit Boriboonsub, Luke Poulter (a), Angelo Que
7.50 Prom Meesawat, Ben Campbell, Sam Westwood
8.00 Jbe Kruger, Tom Power-Horan, Michael Maguire
8.10 Andrew Dodt, Trevor Simsby Chikkarangappa S
8.20 Hung Chien-yao, SSP Chawrasia, Poom Saksansin
8.30 Pawin Ingkhapradit, Ajeetesh Sandhu, Kyongjun Moon
8.40 Siddikur Rahman, Jaco Ahlers, Bjorn Hellgren
8.50 Josh Younger, Seungtaek Lee, Carlos Bustos
9.00 Alex Ching, Dominic Foos, Lloyd Jefferson Go

Hole 10
7.00 David Puig, Pavit Tangkamolprasert, Taehee Lee
7.10 Abraham Ancer, Chan Shih-chang, Brendan Steele
7.20 Hideto Tanihara, Sarit Suwannarut, Matt Jones
7.30 Ian Poulter, Nitithorn Thippong, Lee Westwood
7.40 Eugenio Chacarra, Steve Lewton, Scott Hend
7.50 Hudson Swafford, Travis Smyth, Peter Uihlein
8.00 James Piot, Chase Koepka, Tomoharu Otsuki
8.10 Simon Robinson, Chanat Sakulpolphaisan, Kartik Sharma
8.20 Danthai Boonma, Honey Baisoya, Ian Snyman
8.30 Gunn Charoenkul, Richard T Lee, John Lyras
8.40 Kevin Yuan, Lee Chieh-po, Bai Zhengkai
8.50 Jack Murdoch, Nicolas Paez, Faisal Salhab
9.00 Will Marshall, Jean Bekirian, Rory Franssen

Hole 1
12.00 Chanmin Jung, Taichi Kho, Jediah Morgan
12.10 Miguel Tabuena, Andy Ogletree, Wade Ormsby
12.20 Richard Bland, Sadom Kaewkanjana, Graeme McDowell
12.30 Anirban Lahiri, Phachara Khongwatmai, Jason Kokrak
12.40 Sebastian Munoz, Kieran Vincent, Dean Burmester
12.50 Pat Perez, Danny Lee, Sihwan Kim
13.00 Brendan Jones, Jaewoong Eom, Shiv Kapur
13.10 Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, Jack Harrison, Davis Love IV
13.20 Ben Jones, Nicholas Fung, Suradit Yongcharoenchai
13.30 Itthipat Buranatanyarat, Viraj Madappa, Yongjun Bae
13.40 Jyoti Randhawa, Jack Thompson, Nick Voke
13.50 Rhys Thompson, Chen Guxin, Matt Sharpstene
14.00 Terry Pilkadaris, Suteepat Prateeptienchai, Matthew Cheung

Hole 10
12.00 Naraajie Ramadhanputra, Meenwhee Kim, Saud Al Sharif
12.10 MJ Viljoen, Marcus Fraser, Othman Almulla
12.20 Turk Pettit, Jeev Milkha Singh, Neil Schietekat
12.30 Mardan Mamat, David Drysdale, Veer Ahlawat
12.40 Chapchai Nirat, Rahil Gangjee, Matt Killen
12.50 Miguel Carballo, Yoseop Seo, Zach Murray
13.00 Berry Henson, Tirawat Kaewsiribandit, Ben Leong
13.10 Jarin Todd, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Atiruj Winaicharoenchai
13.20 Todd Sinnott, Chang Wei-lun, Kosuke Hamamoto
13.30 Dodge Kemmer, Wang Wei-hsuan, Rashid Khan
13.40 Douglas Klein, Khalin Joshi, David Hague
13.50 Harrison Gilbert-Wong, Shergo Al Kurdi, Karandeep Kochhar
14.00 Laird Shepherd, Ye Wocheng, Sangpil Yoon

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Outspoken LIV Golf critic writes open letter to Jay Monahan calling for ‘patience’ over Saudi partnership

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 15:44:16 +0000

Davis Love III. Chris Condon

One of the more vocal critics of LIV Golf has made an about-face after the PGA Tour-PIF deal was announced two weeks ago.

Just last summer, Davis Love III said that a “nuclear option” could be required and that tour pros might need to boycott events if LIV Golf players were able to challenge their indefinite bans. That’s certainly no longer the case as the World Golf Hall of Fame member is now asking for “patience” in a new open letter addressed to PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, players, sponsors and tour staff.

Five-time policy board member Davis Love III calls for
patience in open letter to PGA Tour commissioner and membership. pic.twitter.com/qThXhLNqxR

— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) June 20, 2023

RELATED: Monahan suffers medical issue

“Our three commissioners have one critical, common trait: the unwavering goal of basing all decisions on what’s best for the players, sponsors, loyal fans and the game, as well as generating millions of dollars for charity,’’ Love wrote. “This growth has only been possible because our commissioners and the Independent Board Directors have always guided us to sound business decisions, and player input has been central to those decisions, as the Player Directors have an equal voice and votes, to approve or deny our path forward.’’

Love, a five-time PGA Tour Policy Board member, went on to write that “if we are patient and work together we will achieve the best result for our Tour, and our partners and fans.”

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Past champions Davis Love III and Vijay Singh out of PGA Championship

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 12 May 2023 10:13:05 +0000

Vijay Singh and Davis Love III. Chris Condon

Two past champions and World Golf Hall of Fame members Davis Love III and Vijay Singh have withdrawn from next week’s PGA Championship at Oak Hills Country Club in Rochester, New York. They will be replaced in the 156-man field by Alex Smalley and Lee Hodges.

Love, 59, won the PGA Championship at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York, in 1997, the lone major of his 21 PGA Tour victories. He last played in the PGA in 2020.

Singh, 60, won the PGA in 1998 at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington, and again in 2004 at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. He also won the Masters in 2000, giving him three majors among his 34 PGA Tour victories. Singh last played in the PGA in 2018.

Smalley, 26, and Hodges, 27, will be making their PGA Championship debuts.

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Presidents Cup 2022: Prompted by LIV, Davis Love III has found his voice about the future of golf

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 06:04:24 +0000

By Dave Shedloski
In early July, as he perched himself at the edge of a wooden bench in front of his locker at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, Davis Love III wore an expression somewhere north of agitated that had nothing to do with his closing two-over-par 72 in the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship. Love had things on his mind, and he didn’t need prompting to begin relieving himself of the tension building up inside his trim 6-foot-3 frame.

“The more that I think about what’s going on in golf, the more I can’t see this as anything but an attempt at a hostile takeover,” Love said as he slowly removed his shoes. “I mean, it is a hostile takeover. We have to see it for what it is.”

Since that day, few members of the PGA Tour have been more outspoken in opposition to the LIV Golf series than the man who is serving as US captain in the 14th Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. A native of the Queen City, Love is a life member of the tour with 21 victories, including the 1997 PGA Championship and two Players Championship titles. He also has lived his life under the banner of golf’s establishment; he is the son of a PGA of America professional and has been a stalwart on the PGA Tour Policy Board, serving five terms as a player director, most recently in 2018.

PGA Tour devotees Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Billy Horschel are among today’s players vociferous in protecting their turf as LIV Golf has made inroads and signed a collection of golf’s top players. For Love, however, the ongoing changes in the game are a personal affront. He was privy to the formative machinations of the Presidents Cup in 1993. He was in attendance in 1994 at Bay Hill when Arnold Palmer shot down Greg Norman’s his World Tour proposal — not unlike his current moves as the CEO of LIV Golf.

Even more pertinent to today’s LIV Golf battle against the long-established tours is that Love was among the player contingent who went to Washington, DC, in 1995 to argue the tour’s antitrust case against the Federal Trade Commission. The resulting tour victory preserved its tax-exempt status and a number of key organizational provisions, including the ability to forbid members from appearing in non-tour events without the commissioner’s permission. Remember this precedent when LIV Golf’s antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour plays out in court in the coming months/years.

Davis Love III. Chris Condon

Approachable throughout his career and always mindful of his father’s legacy of professionalism, Love is known for speaking in measured tones. Forthright, but measured. But in sizing up the financially flush LIV Golf series, Love feels the need to be more than just the good foot soldier. There’s been a brashness to his comments, including the suggestion that players might consider choosing en masse to not compete in events in which LIV golfers appear.

“Somebody said to me, ‘Oh, you’ve found your voice.’ I think a lot of us have found our voices,” Love told Golf Digest last week in a phone interview. “Guys are speaking their minds. I’m just doing my part.”

Not long after he turned 70, former tour player and long-time NBC Sports golf broadcaster Roger Maltbie said that “with age comes a certain freedom to speak your mind.” Love, 58, is inclined to agree — to a certain extent. Circumstances dictate his conversion from a behind-the-scenes diplomat to public-square caller.

“Honestly, I don’t have anything to lose at this point in my career. I just hate what’s going on in the game and how it’s tearing the sport apart,” he said. “I’m not trying to get anybody’s vote or get more corporate outings. I’m just speaking out for what I believe and what the tour believes, and the difference for me now is that I’m the United States Presidents Cup captain. I have a platform and I have to use it.”

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It’s a shame we are talking about feuds rather than golf: Davis Love III rounds out 2022 US Presidents Cup team

Matt Smith — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 09:36:02 +0000

By Dave Shedloski
With US golfers holding a commanding 11-1-1 record over the International team in the Presidents Cup and coming off a thorough dismantling of Europe in last year’s Ryder Cup, Davis Love III shouldn’t face many sleepless nights in the lead up to the 14th edition of the Presidents Cup later this month in his home state of North Carolina.

His American team were heavily favoured even before the International team lost several key members because of their move to the LIV Golf Series, including World No. 2 and reigning Open champion Cameron Smith of Australia. Still, Love, a veteran as a player and captain of these biennial competitions, takes nothing for granted. This is a new US team with its own goals and facing its own challenges. Love is intent on striking the right chord with a truly young team without overthinking it.

“Well, you call Dr Bob Rotella a lot in the next couple weeks, and you make sure you’ve got a game plan for the messaging,” Love said after finalising his 12-man team with six captain’s picks that were basically chalk. “These guys, this is their 12-man team that has never played together before. So, they want to win for this team. [But] I don’t think we have to do too much messaging or motivation. Certainly, you don’t want to be on a losing team ever.

“We know we are up against it. Trevor [Immelman, the International team captain] is going to have a team that’s got a chip on their shoulder and that’s motivated and wants to prove that they can still be competitive. We have to be careful. Certainly, these guys are not going to take it lying down.”

On Wednesday, Love selected Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Max Homa, Billy Horschel, Cameron Young and Kevin Kisner, going almost straight down the line of the U.S. Presidents Cup qualifying list after the six automatic qualifiers. The first five finished eighth through 12th on the points list (No. 7 Will Zalatoris said he can’t play due to injury). Kisner ultimately was the outlier — though not a big one — coming in 15th but boasting previous Presidents Cup experience as well as some match-play chops by winning the 2019 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

Kisner, 38, whom Love said “thrives” in match play, went 2-0-2 during the 2017 Presidents Cup at Liberty National in New Jersey. The South Carolina native was selected over Tom Hoge and JT Poston, who were 13th and 14th, respectively, and own PGA Tour wins this season but have little experience in match play.

Spieth, 29, is the only other selection with Presidents Cup experience, making his fourth team after missing the Americans’ come-from-behind win at Australia’s Royal Melbourne for playing captain Tiger Woods in 2019. The Texan is 8-5-1 but has yet to win a singles match since his debut as a captain’s pick in 2013.

The six were added to the half-dozen Americans who topped the multi-year points list: Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Sam Burns, Justin Thomas and Tony Finau. Burns is another true rookie, while Scheffler is making his Presidents Cup debut after playing in last year’s Ryder Cup. Morikawa, likewise, will appear in his first Presidents Cup after contributing to USA’s impressive 19-9 win over Europe in the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wisconsin.

In all, seven US players — Spieth, Scheffler, Morikawa, Thomas, Cantlay, Finau and Schauffele — were members of the 2021 Ryder Cup team that registered the largest winning margin in the biennial series since 1967. Thomas, Cantlay, Schauffele and Finau played for Woods three years ago in a 16-14 victory over Ernie Els’ Internationals.

“I always say our first 12 is good and our next 12 is really good, and that’s what makes my picks so difficult is because just start right on the list of automatic qualifiers,” said Love, 58, who captained two Ryder Cup teams, losing in 2012 and leading the US to victory in 2016. “You go right past … obviously it’s disappointing that Will got hurt. Our first 12 was incredibly strong. We almost could have just gone right off the top-12 list. But when you start at 13 and work your way down, every one of those guys is a great player and had a great year and has a case for playing.”

The 18th at Quail Hollow will play as the 15th hole during the 2022 Presidents Cup to make sure it becomes a part of most every match during the week.

International team captain Trevor Immelman finalized his team on Tuesday. The last time an International team was victorious was in the third Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne in 1998. The last time players from non-European countries didn’t lose was in 2003 when they managed a 17-17 tie in South Africa.

Love’s six picks are ranked from No. 8 in the world (Morikawa) to No. 38 (Kisner). Eleven of America’s 12 players are among the top 20 in the world, including five in the top 10, while the Internationals counter with only two in the top 20: No. 16 Hideki Matsuyama of Japan and No. 18 Sungjae Im of South Korea.

Love was asked if he feels sorry for his counterpart in leading a team missing key personnel in Smith plus another automatic qualifier in Joaquin Niemann, and potential captain’s picks in Louis Oosthuizen, Abraham Ancer and Marc Leishman, all now in the LIV stable.

“I feel bad for the game of golf right now that this is the story going in, and we’ve got how many ever days until we actually tee off,” Love said. “They are playing great event this week [the BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour] and the story is, you know, Billy Horschel and Jon Rahm wishing [LIV] guys weren’t there. That’s sad. I feel bad for all of us, really.

“But Trevor has a job to do, and that’s to take 12 guys in there ready to play, and he’s focused on that. We’ve talked about it a lot. I have to get these 12 guys that are dying to play for Team USA ready to play, and it will be a great show once Thursday starts. This is a big, big distraction away from what we really should be talking about.”

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Tiger Woods accidentally ruined Webb Simpson’s Presidents Cup surprise

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 10:47:50 +0000

By Joel Beall
Webb Simpson was officially named an assistant captain for the 2022 Presidents Cup on Tuesday. Unofficially he found out last week, because Tiger Woods accidentally blew the surprise.

Both Simpson and United States captain Davis Love III spoke to the media at the Wyndham Championship on Tuesday following Simpson’s appointment. With all four assistant spots taken — Simpson joins Fred Couples, Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker on the American staff — Love was asked if Woods would be involved in any capacity for the upcoming match at Quail Hollow.

“Well, he’s involved,” Love explained. “He called Webb and spilled the beans early, so he’s involved. He’s been a resource since — really since 2015. Well, all the way back to our meetings on where are we going to go with this Ryder Cup thing, who’s going to be the captain for ‘16 and how are we going to restructure the way we run these teams. Tiger’s been a huge influence and a huge resource. He really has opened up and embraced that role.”

Hold on: how did Woods “spill the beans”, precisely? According to Simpson, the 15-time major was a bit premature in his congratulations.

Simpson explained that he was with his family at a hot-dog joint last week, dealing with the chaos that comes with being a father of five. “My kids had already made the owner mad because they continued to open the door, so I’m stressing, it’s my turn to order, my phone rings, I looked down and it’s Tiger.”

Simpson told Woods he had to call him back — it takes a special type of conviction to tell Tiger Woods you have to call him back — to deal with the situation at hand. Once the hot dogs had been secured, Simpson returned the call, with Woods dropping the news on him.

“He just kind of referenced me being from — you know, living in Charlotte, Quail Hollow’s my home, that he thought it would bring a lot to the team,” Simpson said.

However, as Simpson continued, after the phone call he didn’t know if it was official or not. “I don’t know if he meant like he’s rooting for me to be assistant or if I am assistant,” Simpson said.

But Simpson heard from Love two days later, finding out what Woods had already known to be true. “Not that I feared not being a part of it, but there was a part of me that’s like, if I don’t make the team and Davis goes a different direction, that’s fine, but it’s going to be hard to see the Presidents Cup happen there and not be a part of it in some way,” Simpson said. “So I was really, really relieved to get a chance to be a part of it.”

The 2022 Presidents Cup begins September 20 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. The Americans are the defending champs.

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Presidents Cup 2022: Davis Love III names Webb Simpson, Steve Stricker as assistant captains

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 08:50:51 +0000

By Joel Beall
United States captain Davis Love III has announced Steve Stricker and Webb Simpson will serve as his final two assistant captains for the upcoming Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow.

Stricker, 55, is a former Presidents Cup captain, guiding the 2017 American team to a resounding victory at Liberty National, and recently led the US to a win in last autumn’s Ryder Cup. He competed in five Presidents Cups as a player and was also an assistant to Tiger Woods at the 2019 event at Royal Melbourne. Stricker has 12 PGA Tour career wins and added a senior major championship earlier this year at the Regions Tradition.

“Steve has been a great friend to so many players on the PGA Tour throughout the years, and I know that camaraderie he brings to both the golf course and the team room will be incredibly valuable in September,” Love said in a statement. “As we look at this youth movement on the US team, having Steve as a trusted ally in tense situations is something I know our players will lean on.”

Steve Stricker was the victorious US Presidents Cup captain in 2017 at Liberty National. Chris Condon/PGA Tour

Simpson, 36, has competed in three Presidents Cups, including the 2019 match, as well as three Ryder Cups for the Americans. He is a seven-time tour winner, highlighted by triumphs at the 2012 US Open and 2018 Players Championship. Simpson is also a native of Charlotte and is a member at Quail Hollow.

“I’m excited to see the Presidents Cup contested on my home course in a great sports town like Charlotte, and I know the fans are going to show up with tremendous support for the US team,” Simpson said. “I’ve had the good fortune of playing for Davis in past international events and he will have this team prepared to play each day. It’s an honour to be named a captain’s assistant and I look forward to helping the guys with a bit of course knowledge and a fun, enjoyable team atmosphere.”

The top six players in the US Presidents Cup standings after the BMW Championship will automatically qualify for the event, with Love announcing his captain’s picks after the Tour Championship. The International team’s top eight automatically qualify, with Immelman picking four players to round out his roster after East Lake.

The 2022 Presidents Cup begins on September 20 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. The Americans are the defending champs.

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Do Ryder Cup captains really matter? Our latest podcast sought out former captains for an answer

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 02:31:39 +0000

Scott Halleran

By Daniel Rapaport
Everyone’s searching for a theory to explain why Europe has won seven of the last nine Ryder Cups. The U.S. tends to have the higher-ranked players, so it’s not due to a gulf in talent. Could it possibly be the captains that give the Euros the edge? Is there some special sauce in European team rooms that the Americans haven’t been able to replicate?

At this week’s Ryder Cup, U.S. captain Steve Stricker and his European counterpart Padraig Harrington will have every one of their decisions dissected. We’ll analyze their performance and assess their impact on the matches—despite their not hitting a single shot all week. It’s the new reality for a position that has taken on more importance, at least from the outside, than ever before.

Our latest episode of Local Knowledge zooms in on the Ryder Cup captaincy, a role that has evolved from ceremonial figurehead to ultra-involved tactician. We spoke with a number of former Ryder Cup captains, including Davis Love III, the last victorious American captain, to get the full rundown of the position: how they approached their captain’s picks; what determined pairings; plus plenty of stuff you don’t think about the falls under their purview. Along the way we also question whether team bonding is important or even possible, and how to handle the 12 men once the competition starts, all to answer the question: how much does a Ryder Cup captain really matter?

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Davis Love III is perfect choice to captain 2022 U.S. Presidents Cup team in his home state

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 22:57:39 +0000

David Cannon
As an assistant captain, Davis Love III watches the final-day singles matches in the 2017 Presidents Cup at the Liberty National Golf Club.

By Dave Shedloski
Davis Love III, who as a Charlotte native was the logical choice to lead the United States team in next year’s Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow Club, has enjoyed longer ties to the biennial competition than any other player in PGA Tour history.

Love played in the inaugural Presidents Cup in 1994 in Virginia, but he actually learned that previous fall that the tour was creating its own event fashioned after the Ryder Cup. A player rep on the tour’s board, Love was sharing an airplane with Tim Finchem as they headed to a board meeting. Finchem at the time was the tour’s deputy commissioner under Deane Beman, and he definitely knew his audience.

Weeks earlier, Love had emerged as one of the heroes in what remains America’s last Ryder Cup victory in Europe, winning the last two holes against Costantino Rocca to score the clinching point for Team USA at The Belfry.

“I’ve kind of been involved going back to Tim bringing it up, saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got this idea. We’re going to have another one of these matches,’ ” Love recalled. “I said, ‘But I’m supposed to go hunting in Africa next fall.’ He laughed at me and said, ‘Yeah, like you need to go to Africa.’ The Presidents Cup popped up in less than a year from that conversation. He decided we were going to do it, then we did it. I had to cancel a hunting trip. But it’s really cool that I’ve been involved since the very, very beginning of it and sort of come full circle.”

Love, 56, was officially named on Tuesday the ninth U.S. captain, succeeding Tiger Woods, who as playing captain led the Yanks to the first Sunday singles rally in Presidents Cup history in late 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. The 16-14 victory at Royal Melbourne extended America’s winning streak to eight against the International Team and increased its leads in the series to 11-1-1.

Former Masters champion Trevor Immelman of South Africa was named last April as the International Team captain, succeeding countryman Ernie Els for the 14th Presidents Cup slated for Sept. 22-25, 2022, at Quail Hollow.

Interestingly, it was Woods who informed Love just before Christmas that he would be the next U.S. captain after the 1997 PGA Championship winner served as an assistant captain for three straight matches, beginning in 2013 under Fred Couples at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Love wasn’t exactly surprised. Since Quail Hollow was announced as site of the 2021 matches—pushed to 2022 because of the coronavirus pandemic forcing postponement of the 2020 Ryder Cup—it was thought that Love, a two-time Ryder Cup captain, would lead the U.S. squad in the state where he was born and where he attended college and became a three-time All-American at the University of North Carolina.

“It was really cool that Tiger called me and said, ‘Hey, um, we have decided that you’re going to be Presidents Cup captain in Charlotte,” said Love, whose initial reaction to Woods was to ask in reply, “Who’s we?”

After all, Love was part of the group that recruited Woods to be captain in Australia. “We weren’t ready to play in 1998 when we went to Australia, and that was one of the reasons we wanted Tiger to be the captain [in 2019], to get guys excited about playing there in December,” Love said. “I thought it would be great if Tiger kept doing it, but, naturally, I’m excited to lead another team.

“You know, the tour’s been great to me, and I’ve spent a lot of time with a lot of the tour staff over the last 30 years being on the board, and I’ve been playing out here for a long time. So I’m thrilled to do it. Everyone knows what they are going to get with me.”

Love competed in six Presidents Cups and compiled an 18-6-4 record. Twice he went undefeated, going 4-0-1 in the inaugural match for playing captain Hale Irwin and 4-0-0 for captain Ken Venturi in 2000.

Patrick Reed might have earned the nickname “Captain America” with his passionate competitiveness in biennial events, but Love somehow has become America’s captain. He is 1-1 as a Ryder Cup skipper, avenging a 2012 upset loss to Europe at Medinah with a 2016 victory at Hazeltine National. In addition to his three turns as an assistant captain in the Presidents Cup, Love has been a vice captain in the Ryder Cup in 2010 and 2018 and will serve again as an assistant under Steve Stricker in the 43rd Ryder Cup this fall in Wisconsin.

“Arnold and Jack, you know they were older when they did it, and now all of a sudden I’ve gotten to be an elder statesman, so I appreciate it more having a role, probably like they did,” the World Golf Hall of Fame member said. “I played in Hawaii [at the Sony Open] and Brandt Snedeker was there, and every time I saw him, he was like, ‘Hey captain, how’s it going?’ I have a lot of guys out here that just have seen me in that role so much that it’s how they see me. It’s very nice.”

A bonus for Love is the location, Quail Hollow Club, which hosted the 2017 PGA Championship and has served as a stop on the PGA Tour since 2003. Love hinted that the difficult final three holes of the back nine will be moved up to constitute holes 13-15 for the Presidents Cup to add a further element of excitement. Because of his Tar Heel ties, he called it, “the ultimate home game.

“I talked to my son, Dru, about it. He’s like, ‘Dad, that’s going to be out of control.’ And it really is,” added Love, whose 21 tour titles include three at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., and, in fact, that was the site of his last win in 2015 at the age of 51, making him the third-oldest winner tour history. “I don’t know if this will be the last time I do anything like this, but it’s going to be a special week no matter what happens.”

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