He will suck. See my blog entry.

Remember, we're no longer in the age of ceremonial captains based on merit. If we were, Mrs. Majorless Doubtfire would not be the next Captain of Team Euro. That's why Lyle is not the Captain; he didn't play ball.

I must be dense (wouldn't be the first time): Why couldn't Lyle be captain in 2012 or 2014 or later? People live pretty long these days...

(PS: I agree with you and Ron that Monty is a crappy choice in any year.)

Lyle is simply a bad choice, too. I don't think he's that bright and I don't think he cares all that much...well, he cares enough to want it but not enough to WANT it. Same problem Larry Nelson had. Face it...the way things are now, someone will always get screwed. Will Leonard get it? Probably not. Will Calc? No. Will Verplank? Nope. Couples will, though, and I bet he'll suck as Prez Cup cap. DL3 won't be much better but he'll get it, too.

I'm afraid you boys are looking at this with American eyes. Monty will be every bit as good a captain as Azinger was. He bleeds Ryder Cup and will have the respect (if not the love) of everyone on that team. He won 7 consecutive Order of Merits. His overall Ryder Cup record is 20-9-7, including being unbeaten in 8 singles matches. Half the guys on this 2010 team will have witnessed Monty's Ryder Cup greatness and the other half will have grown up idolizing him for it.

Sandy Lyle got hosed.

Thank goodness the selection committee did not go for "Buggins Turn"! Sandy is a lovely fella (and that bunker shot was fantastic) but I don't think he has any leadership skills whatsoever, and no fire in his belly. Today's players may know his name but I doubt that any of them have ever played with him (apart from his walkout at The Open which hardly helped his cause - it will be just as wet and windy in Wales). I think Olazabel had the only other realistic chance but his health was a question mark.

One doesn't have to like Monty but he has already demonstrated his leadership qualities. Roll on 2010!

Correction. ".... any of them HAS ever played..."
Sorry, teachers.

Can't buy that argument, Wendy. I'd think that if Lyle lacked anything in knowing how to handle a team, that he picked it up while serving as assistant to the lauded captaincy of Woosnam in Ireland, not to mention the 5 teams he played on himself. I think it borders on criminal that Lyle does not get the honor. And I don't buy the argument that a captain has to be currently playing with his players. Jack Nicklaus knows next to nothing about the American players and has done a wonderful job at the helm of the last couple of Presidents Cup teams.

Nope - can't buy your argument either Shanks. I think you can pick up many tips on what and what not to do as an understudy, but you either have leadership skills or you don't - and Lyle sadly doesn't. If I stamped MY size 3 foot he would probably burst into tears. I want Europe to win the next Ryder Cup not honour Sandy for his playing record.

OK, a captain does not have to be currently playing with his players, but I wonder how many of the non-Brit. players would even recognise Sandy if they bumped into him, whereas Jack could lead an international team to victory, never mind a US team. Still, at least we agree that Monty will be a fantastic captain, whereas Ron Mon & Kiel have yet to give a sensible reason for disagreeing.

If those players don't reconize one of the greatest European golfers since the great triumvirate, they should be publicly flogged.

I still don't know why Lyle couldn;t captain in his late 50s, but Wendy may be right that he's got no leadership skills. Ron gave plenty of reasons in his blog, and I'll concur with some of them: He doesn't seem to me like the sort of chap younger players can relate to. However, his RC record is amazing, so maybe he's got a few tricks up his sleeve. (There are some second-had stories from his junior days to which I have been privy that certainly highlight Monty's, um, "trickery.")

They're saying he's too out of touch now. There is no way they'll give him the reins 6 years from now.

Shanks - tried in vain to find support on various UK websites & newspaper articles for your view that it was a travesty not to select Sandy this time round (and now never). Only voice I could find in support was Ken Brown's (ex-Ryder Cup player) who was commentating at FBR at the time. His view was based on Sandy "deserving" the captaincy (which I don't dispute based on previous criteria) rather than what a great captain we had missed out on. Otherwise the view seemed to be that it was time to break with the "Old Boys Network"/pat on the back for years of service. Doesn't make me right to be running with the crowd on this or for you not to be, of course. I was just curious as to whether I was more hard-hearted than others. Sandy was as gracious as one would expect him to be in his support for Monty's selection.

I didn't think Kiel gave a reason of his own for thinking that Monty was a crappy choice and Ron's reasons seem more relevant to team-mate than captain (I think Tiger is more Faldo than Monty).

Sorry to drone on about this, although I make no apology for my passion for all things Ryder Cup.

In the meantime, I shall just have to endure Monty "smiling like the cat who got the cream, the mouse AND the place by the fire".

Perhaps KC could share some of Monty's "trickery" with us (before
2010)?

Mike Aitken in the Scotsman had a supporting article about it.

Thanks - found it.

"Yes, winning is an important aspect of the biennial RC pageant, but it's not the only issue. Honour is also a significant aspect of awarding the captaincy".

I guess that does make me a cynic then.

Jack is Jack, and there is no European Jack...The last European Jack was named Vardon. Not even Abe Mitchell (who stands atop the seed man's trophy) was a European Jack. The US guys lost the Ryder Cup on Jack's last watch, remember? In his previous stint (four years prior) an 11th hour shot from Wadkins was all that kept Europe from claiming the trophy. My point is this: the guys don't play for Jack Nicklaus the man; they played for Jack the Legend, the historical figure. None of them knew Jack, really knew Jack.

Wendy,
You nut, you. You're correct in that I didn't give a single sensible reason for disagreeing; I gave MANY!

Colin is a fop, a priss, a mama's boy extraordinaire. He never won a major, never won in the USA, choked at Riviera in a playoff, gagged at Winged Foot with one limp wrist around the USGA Open trophy, and finished, t-25 and t-24 in Opens on his home course (didn't fare much better in the others.) He deserves to be European side captain, but that's not to say he will be a good one. I'm a little suspicious of Pavin's chances, to be honest.

Oh, my favorite point that Shanks tried to make...Lyle learned how to be a leader by spending a few hours with the drunken Welshman. Let's be honest: those teams led themselves. Jacklin made them believe that they could win and Woosie got dragged along on the coattails. You don't learn to be a leader by hanging around someone else at age 45! You are born a leader or bred a leader at a young age, not at age 45. Can any of you imagine any of these Euro candidates going to the extremes that Azinger did to square his dysfunctional USA squad? I can't. What Zinger did was miraculous, nothing short. He went from no hope to some hope to how the hell did he pull that off!?!?

Well, I'll be damned. Looks like Ron Monster has taken Leadership Identification 101. Think he failed, though. How intelligent to blame the US loss in Muirfield on Captain Nicklaus when history shows just how loaded that European team was. Fact is, they were just better. General Patton himself couldn't have rallied those US troops.

Ron Mon - Pshaw! - You Mad Hatter.

I don't give a flying fig about Monty's major or US record. Actually, I don't really care for Monty that much at all in other circumstances, and was against him being given a wild card for the last RC. Fop, priss - whatever - I can easily add to your list. However, how you can deny that he has demonstrated ample leadership skills when it comes to RC is beyond me. Strewth!

Now...about Tiger Woods?

It's hard to believe that he will be sharp coming out of the gate.

That was a cast to Ron - TW as Ryder Cup captain?!

If you respond in his blog on the Monty situation, he'll likely respond quicker. That is, of course, if you're of the need to pick on the mentally challenged.

Ah, no, as you know, I'm far too kind-hearted for that.

Anyway, first of all, he only wanted comments on his Monty blog if one DIDN'T get the TW analogy. Secondly, it might needle him a bit (payback) if I use your blog?

Okay, then, let me respond for the MIA Ron Monster. "Tiger Woods is God and the planet revolves around him." Sound about right?