Murmerings about the Ryder Cup teams

Kevin Sutherland won the Match Play Championship, although no one has suggested the U.S. Ryder Cup team should be changed to include him -- at least not yet.

There are still four major championships to be played between now and when the flags are raised during opening ceremonies at The Belfry in September.

Imagine the outcry if Jose Maria Olazabal wins his third green jacket. If Tom Lehman finally bags a U.S. Open. If Chris DiMarco's stock continues to rise and he's still leading the PGA Tour money list at the end of the summer.

Worse yet, what if Hal Sutton never finds his game this year? Or if age catches up with Scott Hoch, who will be pushing 47 when the matches are played?

U.S. captain Curtis Strange has heard all the scenarios. He respects the reasoning behind the suggestions that the Ryder Cup rosters should be adjusted or expanded so that the best players don't get left out of the biggest event.

He just doesn't understand why there's any kind of debate at all.

``It tells me people have forgotten what happened,'' Strange said. ``And that bothers me. It bothers me as an American. We have to remember why this thing was delayed. There was an attack on our country, and we couldn't play.''

When officials decided five days after Sept. 11 to postpone the matches for one year, they agreed that only the date would change.

It didn't seem to be a problem at the time.

It does now.

Five months later, no one is playing better golf among the Europeans than Olazabal, who won in San Diego, tied for ninth at Riviera and reached the quarterfinals of Match Play before losing in 20 holes to Brad Faxon.

No other European has a better winning percentage in the Ryder Cup -- 15-8-5 -- among players who have played in at least five cups. Instead, Sam Torrance used his two captain's picks last September on Sergio Garcia and Jesper Parnevik.

Europe stands to gain a lot more than the United States by having the team adjusted to reflect current form. Olazabal is one of the few not complaining.

``The decisions are done,'' he said. ``I think it would be pointless to talk about it anymore.''

Seve Ballesteros has said the qualifying period for the Ryder Cup should be reopened, which would be a disservice to those who earned their way onto the team. It was not, for example, Pierre Fulke's fault that the matches were postponed.

One of the better suggestions was simply to give each captain an additional pick and to play 13 singles matches on the final day. The Ryder Cup already will be different because of the even-numbered year. What is one extra match going to matter?

``I can't give you a great answer on why we shouldn't change the team,'' Strange said. ``But I haven't heard a great argument on why we should, other than you get the current players. But this is the 2001 team. And I feel very strongly about that.''

Strange plans to keep 2001 in all the logos, a subtle reminder of why the Ryder Cup is being played in 2002.

He already had gone to great lengths to give his team something that would make this Ryder Cup extra special for them. ``A real labor of love,'' Strange called it.

The gifts were wrapped in boxes, to be opened on the plane to England. Strange put together a leather-bound book for each of the 12 players. On the right side of the page was a photograph of a past U.S. Ryder Cup captain. He asked them to write a message to the team, which he attached to the left side of the page.

``Some things are priceless, and that's one of them,'' Paul Azinger said. ``You can't put a value on that. It was fantastic.''

David Duval was particularly moved by a letter from the widow of Dave Marr.

``That was not a man I knew very well,'' Duval said. ``It wasn't that her words were more profound, it was just that Curtis had all the living captains, and somehow wanted him in there. It was a unique idea. Spectacular.''

Azinger and Duval received their gifts at Strange's home during the Michelob Championship, the week after the Ryder Cup would have been played.

``When this is all said and done, this team will be like family to me,'' Strange said. ``It's the 2001 team, and selfishly, I don't want to alter that.''

Will this Ryder Cup team have the best 12 players from each side?

Does it ever?

Mark O'Meara wasn't on top of his game at the 1999 Ryder Cup. Neither was Ben Crenshaw in 1995, when he lost all three of his matches.

Strange was asked if the Ryder Cup was supposed to be played by the best 12 players from each side of the Atlantic.

``No,'' he said. ``This is supposed to be an international competition of goodwill and golf.''

Then he paused.

``And yes, the best players,'' he added. ``And we do have the best -- of the 2001 team.''

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