Ryder Cup Where Are They Now: Tracking Down the 2008 U.S. Team
The Europeans were prohibitive favorites in the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville. And why not? They had won three in the row, the previous two by complete and utterly embarrassing landslides.
Paul Azinger accepted the U.S. captaincy from the PGA of America under several conditions, including changing the qualifying process to make it more current, pushing back the date to make his captain’s picks and increasing the number of such selections from two to four.
Going into the week, Azinger was already hamstrung, as he was without the services of the top-ranked player in the world. Tiger Woods, the 2008 U.S. Open champion, had been sidelined by reconstructive knee surgery. But during a downtown rally he appealed to fans to serve as the home team’s 13th man, and he used innovative tactics such as grouping players of like personalities in four-man pods and pairing them only with other players within their pod. For the first time since 1979, the Americans led at the end of each of the five sessions. The U.S. rolled to a five-point victory, its most lopsided win since a nine-point triumph in 1981. Most conceded that Azinger seriously out-captained Nick Faldo, his former Ryder Cup foil and colleague on ABC golf telecasts.
Has it really been eight years since America’s only Ryder Cup victory in the 21st century? Here’s a look at where the victors are now along with reflections from the winning captain:
CAPTAIN
Paul Azinger
Age at Valhalla: 48
He still lives in Bradenton, Fla., and he has a great gig, working as an analyst for Fox Sports on its USGA package. He was among those who questioned on-air how the USGA could let the final round of the U.S. Open drag on without making a decision about eventual champion Dustin Johnson’s possible moving-ball penalty.
Before this year, he worked for ESPN and was part of its farewell British Open telecast in 2015. He turned 56 this year, but other than four events in 2010 he hasn’t played the Champions tour. He’s just not interested in the travel or the practice grind.
In the wake of the Valhalla feel-good moment, he authored a book, Cracking the Code, about the philosophies and principles his team used to win the Cup and how they can be applied in business. It’s a nice peek behind the Ryder Cup curtain.
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Zinger has always been a youthful, energetic type with whom other golfers want to hang out. He’s a story-teller, an accomplished Foosball player, a boxing fan and the kind of guy who might press you on the back nine or on any given shot—all skills that made him closer to his ’08 players than most Ryder Cup captains.
Captain’s comments: “I can reflect back on the ’08 Ryder Cup now as the greatest experience of my professional life. I was asked to lead 12 guys who are great at what they do. We organized a philosophy that created an environment that allowed them to play their best. The challenge for me was to get out of their way. We came out on top, thank goodness. It changed my life. I can talk to corporations about the business principles we applied at that Ryder Cup. I never had that opportunity before.
“Dr. Ron Braund deserves some credit. It was his idea to put the guys together by personality. It took me five months to say yes to that. Through observation, we broke the 12 players into four personality categories. We’d call Ron and say, ‘This guy is more of a steady supporter than an influencing relator.’ That’s the kind of stuff we were talking about. And it worked. The only other person to do anything like this was Juli Inkster, and by the way, her team came back and won the Solheim Cup [in 2015].
“Ron was with me in the cart all week. I’d say, ‘I’ve got to go say something to Anthony Kim and Phil Mickelson, they’re getting their asses kicked,’ and Ron would say, ‘Go challenge ’em.’ He didn’t tell me what to say, just what approach I should take. I’d say, ‘I’ve gotta say something to Chad Campbell and Stewart Cink,’ and he’d say, ‘Go encourage them.’ That’s how it worked. He was huge.
“Now I’m a part-time fisherman, part-time motorcycle rider, part-time instructor and permanent grandparent. Life is good.”
PLAYERS
Chad Campbell
Age at Valhalla: 34
Ryder Cup record: 2-1-0
The West Texas native was a rising star in the early 2000s when in a magazine survey his peers voted him the best player (besides Mickelson) most likely to win a major. Campbell never quite lived up to that potential, but he did win four times by the end of 2007, and he lost in a three-way playoff at the ’09 Masters. He has had at least one top-10 finish every year since 2001. His ballstriking has always been superlative, but his putting and short game have not measured up. His last win came at the 2007 Viking Classic.
Captain’s comments: “Chad was another iron horse. My captain’s picks went 6-3-5—that’s 8 1/2 point; that’s got to be a record. Chad was really Cink’s pick. He insisted on him. Stricker might have wanted Scott Verplank, I don’t remember. When Chad and Stewart fell behind early that first day, they regrouped. I walked up to them and said, ‘I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is, you guys made a 10 on this hole. The good news is, you’ve got everything to gain and those guys have everything to lose. Remember what Lou Holtz said: Winning is what’s important now. You’ve got about 300 yards to decide. Go get ’em.’ They took their time, Stewart put his arm around Chad and said, ‘Let’s just start over like we’re all square.’ They chiseled their way back and won that match 1 up over Europe’s best, Ian Poulter and Justin Rose. That was a critical moment.
“Then I put Chad in the 12th position on Sunday. I put the steady group at the end because I thought they could deal with the pressure the best. I told Chad, ‘I’ve been in the last position; it’s going to be the worst night of your life. Sorry I have to do it to you, but I trust you if it comes to that point. I don’t know who hits it better on planet Earth than you, and you can do it when it matters. Do you mind going there?’ He said, ‘No I don’t mind.’ He accepted being the last guy out. And he won that match.”
Stewart Cink
Age at Valhalla: 35
Ryder Cup record: 1-2-0
A year after a star turn in the Ryder Cup, Cink rewrote a fairy tale finish when 59-year-old Tom Watson was on the verge of winning the British Open. Cink prevailed in a playoff, but his game was in a bit of a downward spiral even before he won the claret jug. He hasn’t won a tournament since, and he has had only one top 10 in the past three years. This year he’s taking time off to help his wife, Lisa, as she battles cancer.
Captain’s comments: “Cink was another older guy who was strong in his pod of four with Steve Stricker. He was the guy who put his arm around Chad Campbell when they were four down and came back to win a key match. He’s always a steady hand, a real pillar. Stewart said afterward, ‘It was a weird Ryder Cup; it’s my only Ryder Cup where I never saw anybody hit a shot except the three guys in my group until my match was over on Sunday’. He became a quiet leader.”
Ben Curtis
Age at Valhalla: 31
Ryder Cup record: 1-1-1
The Kent State alum, an out-of-nowhere winner of the 2003 British Open at Royal St. George’s, has played his way off the radar. This year he made just one cut in five PGA Tour events and one cut in nine Web.com tournaments. Curtis earned his Ryder Cup spot thanks to a pair of runner-up finishes and steady play, making 18 of 22 cuts. Though he struggled at Valhalla, he beat Lee Westwood in singles. He is a four-time PGA Tour winner, his only victory since Valhalla coming at the 2012 Valero Texas Open.
Captain’s comments: “He wasn’t playing very well that week and wasn’t giving his partner, Stricker, as much help as he hoped, which had to be nerve-wracking for Ben. Steve got paired with Curtis twice and bailed them out of a match on Saturday with a huge putt to give us a 9-7 lead going into Sunday. Ben came through in a few big moments, and I give h Source: https://golf.com/news/ryder-cup-where-are-they-now-tracking-down-the-2008-u-s-team/
