Tom Lehman - America's astute choice of captain

Tom Lehman - America's astute choice of captain It has to be said that the PGA of America does not have the best of records when it comes to selecting its Ryder Cup captains. One only has to look at Hal Sutton, the 2004 captain, to see a man who could not handle the responsibility and the hapless Texan is by no means alone in finding himself in this predicament. Two years before, Sam Torrance proved to be much more adept at marshalling his troops than his counterpart, Curtis Strange. Seve Ballesteros won the battle of wits against Tom Kite in 1997 and in 1987 even the great Jack Nicklaus foundered when pitted against Tony Jacklin's superior tactical acumen. The Americans are overdue an accomplished captain and the bad news for the European camp is that they might well have found him in the shape of the new incumbent, Tom Lehman. The former Open champion might still be considered to be Public Enemy No. 1 for his central role in the disgraceful scenes that marred the climax of the 1999 match in Brookline. But that uncharacteristic lapse should not cloud the fact that Lehman is an impressive individual, someone who is utterly committed to ending a dismal run that has seen his side lose seven out of the last nine matches. Lehman, unlike one or two of his compatriots, could never be said to underestimate the importance the Ryder Cup. "To me, the Ryder Cup is the ultimate golfing experience," he said when he accepted the job to captain the US side at The K Club next year. "Including my British Open victory, my greatest moment in golf was being part of the Ryder Cup team. This is a thrill beyond belief." Lehman, then, understands the importance of the occasion and he also has several personal attributes that should stand him in good stead when he leads his team out next September. For starters, the 45 year-old Minnesotan is a battler, someone who spent years eking out a living on the Asian and African circuits before he made it into the big time. Once, during the late 1980s, he became so despondent that he almost accepted a job as the golf coach at the University of Minnesota. Fortunately, he decided against it, partly because he learned he would have to rent out cross-country skis from the pro shop during winter, but mainly on account of his refusal to countenance defeat. "I knew I was capable," he said, and he was proved himself right. In 1989, he birdied the last hole to secure his card for the Hogan (now Nike) Tour. Four victories later, he graduated to the US PGA Tour and the rest, they say, is history. Lehman remains one of his country's finest golfers, something that has earned him respect of all his peers. Tiger Woods may, or may not, have wanted his friend, Mark O'Meara, to be installed as captain but, once Lehman got the job, he could not have been more supportive. "I think he will be great," he told the media at the Tour Championship. "He was one of the spearheads at Valderrama and one of the leaders in the locker room at Brookline so, yeah, I think he will do a great job." "I think he's a natural choice," concurred David Toms, another stalwart of the US side. "He's a guy with high intensity and he's well respected out here. When he played Ryder Cup, he was always one of the key figures in the team room." The new captain has the support of his players, he has appointed two equally well-respected deputies in Corey Pavin and Loren Roberts, and has also been at the forefront of the campaign to persuade the PGA of America to change its selection system, giving additional points for winning and quadrupling the points awarded during the year of the matches. That, it would appear, represents a pretty good start to his term of office and where he could make an even bigger mark is in his insistence that his captain's picks will also go to winners, rather than consistent cheque earners. Lehman recently stated categorically he would have wanted Open champion Todd Hamilton in the team had he been captain in 2004. He also inferred he would have selected John Daly, citing as his reasons Daly's "great putting stroke", "his ability to drive the ball for miles" and the fact that "he would be thrilled to be part of the team". Already, it is obvious Lehman has worked out in his own mind what he needs to do to wrest the trophy back from the Europeans, and it appears he will not be averse to ruffling a few feathers if that is what is required. Now, all he has to do is instil in the Americans the same team spirit the Europeans have shown in recent matches. If he can do that, and it is a big ask, his side will be a force to be reckoned with and, somewhat belatedly, the Americans will have a captain they can laud as a success.