Tom Watson, the perfect choice to lead the US Ryder Cup team
With the United States still reeling from epic meltdown in the 2012 edition of the Ryder Cup, the 63-year-old Tom Watson has been named as the next team lead for 2014.
Watson is regarded as one of the best players the game of golf has ever produced. So far in his career, he has won a total of 70 events, 39 of which came on the PGA Tour.
In addition to that, he also won eight major golf championships, including five at The Open Championship, two at the Masters Tournament and one US Open title.
The PGA of America President Ted Bishop asked the officials to shake things up and bring a candidate who holds a winning record in the history of the Ryder Cup.
In the last nine encounters between the European team and the US team, the Americans faced defeat seven times. In the meantime, none of US team’s victories came outside the United States.
Watson was the last man who led his team to claim the victory on foreign soil. The Americans defeated their European counterparts in the 1993 edition of the tournament, held at Belfry in England.
The decision of naming Watson as the next captain was lauded by majority. He has the potential to bring back the cup, considering the fact that he has a strong track record in the biennial event.
At the age of 63, he will not be relying on new technologies to convey his message to his team mates. There will be no management by committee for Watson. In fact, he will be the man directing his players in simple and easy-to-understand language.
Moreover, Watson will be doing the pairings’ job, and subsequently, will be demanding performance from his subordinates.
Here, the question arises that whether there will be any generation gap? The answer is simple. The players will be required to relate themselves to the captain and not the other-way around.
The new generation on the PGA Tour will never want to disappoint the legend of the game. The players may become more serious about their game and not so much about winning the ping pong match in the clubhouse.
By and large, the US team needed some change, and the PGA of America has decided to provide them with that by selecting one of the most experienced players in the world.
Only the time will tell that the decision will work in US team’s favour or the story will remain the same.
Tags: