Global Golf Post - January 24, 2011

Olazabal, Love Selected
2012 Ryder Cup Captains
They won’t square off for a fight or even a
war of words. But the two appointees to Ryder
Cup captainship for 2012 are expected to lead
by example.
Davis Love III and Jose Maria Olazabal will
be given the daunting task of preparing teams
when the U.S. and Europe square off at Medinah
Country Club in suburban Chicago next fall.
In making those preparations, both captains
come to the table with plenty of experience.
Olazabal played in seven Ryder Cups and has
been a European vice captain for the last two,
under Nick Faldo in 2008 and Colin Montgom-
erie last year. Olazabal has won 23 European
Tour events, including two Masters, and four
PGA Tour events in his playing career.
On the other side, Love has been on six
Ryder Cup squads and was an assistant captain
under Corey Pavin last year at Celtic Manor
in Wales where Europe won
back the Cup that was
taken from them in 2008 at
Valhalla. Love has 20 PGA
Tour wins, including the
1997 PGA Championship.
Both men are fully
aware of their positions
and what it takes to
win a Ryder Cup.
“My main mis-
sion is to get my
players prepared
to play on Friday
morning like they
do every other
week during the year,” Love said. “I think the
only thing we have been missing is a little bit of
getting over the hump of being nervous playing
on the world’s biggest stage.
“I think if there’s a problem the American
team has ever had in the seven Ryder Cups I’ve
been involved in, is that we just try too hard. I
know that’s an oversimplification, but you put
together a game plan and you go try to execute
it. That’s what we are going to try to do and try
to get our players as relaxed and as freed up as
they can on Friday to Sunday.”
Olazabal, while seemingly quiet on the out-
side, was remembered by the European team
for a stirring speech he gave to the 2008 team
before going out to play in the Sunday singles.
“I’ve learned a lot along the way, and linked
to my own experiences, I look forward to
drawing on all that knowledge with
the aim, of course, to keeping
the Cup in our possession,”
Olazabal said. “We all know
the Ryder Cup is one of the
most exciting and impor-
tant competitions in the golf
calendar and that it always
inspires team members
and spectators alike,
but there is noth-
ing like holding
that trophy at
the end of the
week.” l
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