Although the next Ryder Cup event (Hazeltine National Golf Course, Chaska, Minnesota, September 2016) is still a year and a half away, the battle of the captains has begun with the unveiling of their names. Darren Clarke, new to the game, and David Love III, who captained the Americans three years ago, have been chosen to lead their teams to glory or failure.
When, in 2012 in Medinah, Illinois, Love III captained his team, the Europeans, led by Chema Olazábal, won by one point thanks to a spectacular comeback on the last day. It was the fourth time in five years that Uncle Sam’s nephews had bitten the dust (they have only won the Cup twice in the last ten editions of the tournament).
Both Love and Clarke boast an impressive resume, in both cases with a major to their credit. The 50-year-old American has won 20 titles on the PGA Tour and 16 more on other circuits. In 1997 he won his most important victory, the PGA Championship (in the majors he has 21 top 10s, including three second places: two in the Masters and one in the US Open). His experience in Ryder Cup is very broad, since in addition to his captaincy in 2012, he has been a player in five editions of the tournament, of which his team won two (1993 and 1999). He also has extensive experience in other team competitions, such as the World Cup, which he played five times and won once, in 1995, paired with Fred Couples. He has also played a Dunhill Cup and six Presidents Cups. On the PGA Tour he finished second in the 1992 season and third in 1997, 1999 and 2003. As a curious fact, Love III recorded a 476-yard (433-meter) drive, the second longest in a competition, during the 2004 Tournament of Champions played at Kapalua.
Clarke, 46, has nothing to envy from his colleague on the sporting level. He has the honor of having won a major, the Open Championship in 2011, and accumulates a total of 22 professional victories at the highest level. In the Ryder Cup, his experience is comparable to that of Love III. He has not been captain, but he has twice held the vice-captaincy, and also participated as a player in five editions, with four victories (1997, 2002, 2004 and 2006) and only one defeat (1999). In terms of teams, he has played in six Dunhill Cups, three World Cups, three Seve Trophies and one Royal Trophy.
Clarke was selected by a five-person panel comprised of the last three European captains – Montgomerie, Olazábal and McGinley – European Tour CEO George O’Grady and Tournament Committee member David Howell.
“I am enormously proud to have been selected as captain of the European team,” said the Northern Irishman. “The Ryder Cup has played a huge role in my life, and so to have the opportunity to lead Europe next year is an immense honor for me.”
“I have been fortunate,” he added, “to compete and work under superb captains in all seven editions in which I have participated, and I am looking forward to the challenge of following in their footsteps and helping Europe to a fourth consecutive victory next year at Hazeltine.”
Clarke made his Ryder Cup debut in 1997 at Valderrama under Severiano Ballesteros. With Colin Montgomerie as his partner, he defeated Fred Couples and David Love III to best ball but lost to Phil Mickelson on Sunday.
In each of the next two editions (Brookline 1999 and The Belfry 2002) he contributed two points to Europe, and three and a half in the 2004 edition (Oakland Hills). That edition resulted in a record score of 18 ½-9 ½ in favor of Europe.
But the most emotional and memorable edition for Darren came two years later when he contributed to the European victory by the same margin at The K Club to the enthusiastic Irish crowd, just six weeks after Heather, his first wife, passed away from cancer.
That year he won all three of his matches. He won best ball, with Lee Westwood as his partner, first over Mickelson and Chris DiMarco and then over Tiger Woods and Jim Fuyrk. On Sunday he defeated Zach Johnson 3 and 2. Those two victories along with Westwood placed the pair as the second best in Ryder history with six points won in eight matches.
In the aggregate, Clarke contributed 11 ½ points to Europe.
Four years later he returned to the team as Montgomerie’s vice-captain at Celtic Manor where Europe won by 14 ½-13 ½, and in 2012 he extended his experience as an advisor to Olazábal in the “Miracle at Medinah”.
This came a year after the greatest individual achievement of his career: the 2011 British Open at Royal St. George’s, where he beat Mickelson and Dustin Johnson by three. The claret jug is his most prized trophy next to his two World Championships (in 2000 and 2003), which made him the second winner of more than one WGC behind Tiger Woods.
For his part, Love III is looking forward to the new challenge in his career: “I am looking forward to the task of regaining the Cup with the utmost enthusiasm. It’s a great honor to help build the team, but that’s not the end of our mission. What we do at Hazeltine in 2016 will be the basis for our future Ryder Cup teams. As the son of a PGA Professional and on behalf of all PGA members, I proudly accept this responsibility and can’t wait to get to work.”
Love has already named his first vice-captain, Tom Lehman, who, in addition to having been captain in 2006, has played three times for the North American team.
“I am very pleased that Tom Lehman has agreed to be vice-captain. In addition to his extraordinary experience and the respect the players have for him, Tom is a friend I can trust and I know his opinions will be invaluable in shaping our team.”
The Ryder Cup Task Force members who unanimously selected Love III were: Derek Sprague (PGA President), Pete Bevacqua (PGA Executive Director), Paul Levy (PGA Vice President), Raymond Floyd, Tom Lehman, Love, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods.
The exciting captain’s duel in Minnesota next year will be a tall one. By the way, Love III, at 1.91 meters tall, is three centimeters taller than Clarke. But in the Ryder Cup it’s not a question of size, it’s a question of talent.
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